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^This is why many of us DIDN'T want a merger.Quote:
Originally Posted by Lousada
IF we coulda/woulda/shoulda had cooperation instead of outright animosity between the series, we could have had a truly great thing in AMerican based open wheel racing.
Because 1 race with 250,000 people is better than 2 races with 125,000 people.Quote:
Originally Posted by mike15
Quote:
Originally Posted by mike15
This assumes that somehow a road course race would siphon off half of the attendance of the 500. I think the assumption is faulty.Quote:
Originally Posted by call_me_andrew
Gary
The Indy 500 has proved it can hold it's base of supporters so having another race on the road circuit would attract a different set of fans and probably many F1 fans just to see the comparison. Using the Brickyard 400 as the example, that race did not diminish the Indy 500 nor did the F1 race. So there is a history at Indy, that having more races does not take away from the 500.
They need to alter the road course again if it's really going to present any worthwile racing. Run the roadcourse counter clockwise, but at the end of Hulman BLVD, make a right before the north tunnel onto shaw drive. That will loop back towards turn 2. Either just before the back stretch tunnel, (or after but it would restrict infield access more) make a connection onto the backstretch in the wide paved area coming off of oval turn two. If you skipped the turn 1 road course complex added for MotoGP, that essentially adds the entire oval to the over all road course except for oval turn 2. That's actually minimal additonal track construction. Another alternative would be to make a left off of Hulman blvd as it presently does for the MotoGP course, but then connect motogp turn 12 with Shaw Drive. Either way without measuring the track, that would have to make it close to 4 miles and finally provide, IMHO a pretty cool infield track for open wheel and endurance racing.
Talk about requiring a compromise set up. Oval fans would see the majority of what they see now, and road course fans have plenty of roadcourse action as well.
I think Many may argue the 400 has in fact diminished attendance at the 500. The USGP I would agree had no negative impact on the 500. Actually it improved IMS as a facility greatly by forcing some significant upgrades.Quote:
Originally Posted by mike15
And many HAVE made that argument. But based on what measure, a moistened finger in the air? IMHO it's baseless.Quote:
Originally Posted by nigelred5
Gary
Nigeled5 how can you be taken seriously when attendance for the brickyard has been going down while the attendance for the I500 has been going up.
Vast stretches of visible Aluminum and infield grass at the 500 since the brickyard began are a start. It's certainly more than just that, however I find it hard to believe there arent quite a few fans that have to make the choice between the two. You don't think a whole lot of people in Indiana choose to see the Rushville Rocket over the past ten years or so? Just sayin'Quote:
Originally Posted by garyshell
You can take me however you want. Fact is, attendance at the 500 has been DOWN, sometimes signifcantly since 1994. It's gone UP since the merger, however I've still seen HUGE stretches of aluminum along the main straight and throughout turns 3 and 4. That NEVER happened before the Brickyard.Quote:
Originally Posted by mike15