Indianapolis Motor Speedway No Longer For F1

[Viper007]

From Indianapolis News and Weather:

Indianapolis - Formula One's U.S. Grand Prix won't return to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway next year.

The race will not be held at Indy in 2008 after eight years at the track, spokesman Ron Green said Thursday. He declined to give other details, but said speedway CEO Tony George would speak later in the day. (Read the IMS press release.)

George had set Thursday as the deadline for reaching an agreement to extend the contract with F1. Indianapolis, the only American race on the F1 schedule, draws one of the biggest crowds on the circuit.

George, who met with F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone last month during U.S. Grand Prix weekend in Indianapolis, had said he was confident a new deal would be reached.

But Ecclestone had repeatedly said F1 did not need to race in the United States. He mentioned the possibility of moving the U.S. Grand Prix to New York or Las Vegas.

The 2.6-mile, 13-turn road course was built inside the speedway's famous oval to attract the F1 race.

Attendance figures are not released at Indianapolis, but estimates have been around 125,000 each of the past six years. The inaugural race in 2000 drew more than 200,000.

The event was marred in 2005 when 14 of the 20 drivers pulled off the track just before the start over concerns about the safety of the Michelin tires used by seven teams. Afterward, George refused to wave the checkered flag or join Michael Schumacher in the winner's circle.

Last year's negotiations to extend the deal dragged into August before the two sides agreed to a one-year deal. Speedway officials had said they wanted a more permanent solution this time.

Despite F1's absence, the speedway could still be the site of three races next year as track officials expect to announce with MotoGP, the international motorcycle racing series, next week.

Besides the Indianapolis 500, the speedway also is the site of NASCAR's Allstate 400 at the Brickyard on July 29.

http://www.wthr.com/Global/story.asp?S=6779889

Do you have any preference to where you would like to see it go?

[Zytek_Fan]

First, I can say Bernie is a ****ing idiot. The US lacks circuits that can host F1. There are no others that are up to his standards...

[Matra et Alpine]

First -- Laguna Seca
Second -- ROad America

Chances 0% and 0.0000001%

Bernie's only after the BIGGER crowds, more profit and less HASSLE with circuits in Asia-Pacific !!!

[ScionDriver]

I'd like to see it at a track like Road America, not only because it'd be even closer to me than Indy but also because it is a renowned road course, only problem is that they'd need a huuuuge makeover (Probably over $100 million). Other than that maybe Leguna Seca or Infienion (sp?)

[Wouter Melissen]

First, I can say Bernie is a ****ing idiot. The US lacks circuits that can host F1. There are no others that are up to his standards...

You do say that every other week and it does not really contribute to this thread.

[Zytek_Fan]

First -- Laguna Seca
Second -- ROad America

Chances 0% and 0.0000001%

Bernie's only after the BIGGER crowds, more profit and less HASSLE with circuits in Asia-Pacific !!!

Watkins Glen could host F1 if it were updated, but Bernie wants an F1 race in Las Vegas

If the issue is attendance, it's just that F1 is slowly catching on in the States, and drawing more people. It's hard for it to compete with NASCAR, especially in an area like Indiana...

[blackcat77]

This is what happens when you have two sphincters -- Tony and Bernie -- in one (racing) body. A curse on both their houses.

I hope the US gets another race but I'm afraid if we do, it will be some ridiculous street course like Phoenix or Detroit. I don't think all the money in the world could bring Laguna up to standards but it's my favorite American track. If they put the race at Elkhart, there would be two chicanes on every straight... :P

[blackcat77]

Zytec, Indiana was fanatical about the Indy 500 before Tony George ruined it. We had 250,000 show up for qualifying and 400,000 for the race. Now the place is half empty even on race day. And there was a lot of resistance to the idea of stock cars on the track and still is among the old-timers. A large part of the Brickyard crowd consists of people from outside Indiana.

[ZeTurbo]

Truth is, there are no other tracks in the us that can meet Bernie's standards without MAJOR work, except Indy. Just look at what spa went trhough and their were allready hosting a GP. Add to that the fact that He has a rather resentfull attitude towards the US F1 fan... I would not be surprised if there was no US GP in 2008.

also with korea,India, and other big markets looking to break into the F1 circus, its looking bleek for F1 fans in the US.

[Zytek_Fan]

Truth is, there are no other tracks in the us that can meet Bernie's standards without MAJOR work, except Indy. Just look at what spa went trhough and their were allready hosting a GP. Add to that the fact that He has a rather resentfull attitude towards the US F1 fan... I would not be surprised if there was no US GP in 2008.

also with korea,India, and other big markets looking to break into the F1 circus, its looking bleek for F1 fans in the US.

He's had that attitude since the 2005 fiasco, but there was no control over it.

[Coventrysucks]

Do you have any preference to where you would like to see it go?

Spa Francorchamps, about a decade ago.

There has been ample opportunity for F1 to "break" the US market.

Clearly there is a certain animosity towards the sport from Americans - there is always some sort of fuss kicked up when the circus rolls into town to bore the rest of the world with the annual festival of tedium that is the USGP.

There are plenty of other countries keen to host races, and who won't faff about trying to play hard ball "politics" with Bernie.

[cmcpokey]

there has been a US GP more than there hasn't been, and there is a continually growing contingent of fans in the US. blowing off the US can only lead to more hostility from americans towards F1. Having it change venues to different places around the country woudl be ideal, since we have a very large country and it is quite a pain to go to indianapolis from just about everywhere.

likewise scrapping the US GP would likely lead to them doing likewise to the Canadian GP since it really wouldnt make much financial sense. and i dont think many canadians will take kindly to that.

there are other options that indy too. i think the road courses at daytona, talladega, and charlotte could do very well. and what about sebring, it hosts several large races every year anyway, plenty of space. (plus any of those would be a reasonable distance from where i live.)

[scubasteve87]

The sad thing is that if F1 cannot make it here in Indy, the Capitol of open wheel racing and probably the most receptive city possible to it, it probably cannot make it anyhwere in this country.

[Kitdy]

For whatever reason, I have it in my mind that the US should be a country that holds a GP. It just seems to make sense - I dunno.

cmcpokey brings up a good point however about the Canadian GP - will they bother flying over the Atlantic if the States fails to get another GP? Who knows save Bernie.

[IBrake4Rainbows]

I think it's just a byproduct of all the stress and bad publicity that F1 has in the US. why would you bother trying to break a market like the US when there are cashed up markets elsewhere in the world willing to bend over backwards to get the job done to Bernies satisfaction?