Printable View
Racing is a test of man and machine. Today's Indycars do not make the driver test the limit's enough. Make Indycars hard to drive. Make them test the skills of a driver, so that no mortal man can drive it quickly. Do that, and the series will atract "personallities", becuase those guys are will have to be a little crazy to drive the cars fast and find the edge. That will make it entertaining to watch.
While I agree that tech is not the sole magic bullet that will save Indy Car, it is a myth that NASCAR uses antiquated technology. Many of the tool & die makers, fabricators and CNC machinists who used to work in CART Indy Car/CCWS now work in NASCAR. They're doing things in AutoCAD and MasterCAM/FeatureCAM as they build those cars that most of the people left in Indy Car probably wouldn't understand. The technology in Tony Stewart's Haas equipped race shop alone puts anything and everything in the Indy Car paddock to shame... it's not even close. So don't be fooled by the fact that NASCAR uses N.A. pushrod engines, instead of overhead cam turbos, and think that NASCAR isn't a technology driven sport. Those "old pushrods" can turn about 10 grand. These "high tech" turbo engines that the IRL has now turn only 12K. That's about 4K rpms less than what they were turning back in the CART days. We used to have the edge on NASCAR in tech. But much like the ratings, those days are now gone.Quote:
Originally Posted by zako85
As for the NASCAR stockers being "FUGLY", compared to one of these Dallara spec cars, with the rubber baby buggy bumpers, I don't think I'd be calling anybody's sister ugly. :D
Where NASCAR has THE edge now is that they have a large cast of characters and personalities that Indy Car can't compete with. How did NBC get the ratings up for the Kentucky Derby several years ago? They personified and humanized the horses. When Barbaro was injured, I heard more about him on the news (there were almost daily updates until the day he died) than I did when Dan Wheldon was killed. And that's disturbing. But you have to connect with a broad range of people for any series to be successful. You need good guys, bad guys, funny guys, legendary guys and fast guys. Look around. Where are the Marios, Emmos, Paul Tracys, Mike Andrettis, Max Papis types? I'm not going to turn on the set just to see a particular type of car more than once or twice. And I'm not going to fly to a race just to see a particular type of car more than once or twice. But I have skipped work to meet certain drivers. I have paid for girlfriends and friends to go with me so we could meet certain drivers.
The plot has been badly lost. We (no... they) need to work harder at getting the plot back and stop being content with having this be some sort of pro-am club racing series with goofy looking spec cars and mild engines.
You have a point about the drivers. Where CART and later the IRL failed (IMO) is they tried going with a B2B model. They forgot about the fans and what attracted them. Both the teams and the series were working on getting budgets via inter relationships with businesses and forgot about bringing larger audiences to the show. Then we had the split which divided and alienated the fans that were there. Not so many fans anymore and the B2B model started to fall apart because the fans were always most of the reason businesses were there.Quote:
Originally Posted by Jag_Warrior
Yes, the cars aren't as good looking or as fast as they could be. The racing is pretty darn good though. Ask yourself this - how long did it take USAC and then CART to build a series which attracted mass appeal? Remember that Indy type cars, except for the 500, were very much a niche sport in the '70s and early '80s. It took a decade to build to what it was in the late '80s and early '90s. And that was when there were limited TV alternatives for viewers. It was the big three networks or nothing. Anyone who thinks that sexy cars or new lap records are magic bullets is fooling themselves. It's gonna be a looong road back folks.
If Indycar had any shred of creativity left, they'd have built a special car for Alex Zanardi. Now that would've been a truly inspiring story. I could think of a few more things, like luring JPM back - he's wasted in NASCAR. And get Michael Andretti back into the car or try to blackmail M. Schumacher into riding a car - a few million quid should do the job and we'd see ratings soar.
That would be a story.Quote:
Originally Posted by dj_bytedisaster
Maybe, if he could fit into a car these days.Quote:
I could think of a few more things, like luring JPM back - he's wasted in NASCAR.
Sorry, you'd be better off with Mario in a car.Quote:
And get Michael Andretti back into the car
You, me and a bunch of other people don't have enough money to make him do anything except laugh pretty hard.Quote:
or try to blackmail M. Schumacher into riding a car - a few million quid should do the job and we'd see ratings soar.
I think that TK medallion was truly inspiring story, but not many people know about it. Do you think nascar would let go story like that wasted. Why local affiliates don't report outcome of Indycar races even when broadcast on their chanel. One could go on and on what needs to be done, but answer is very simple. Same stupid bunch of people that destroyed great series now run the leftovers with idiotic tv ,and chassis supplier contract , and for their own selfish reasons and bottom line don't care about anything else. They want to bring new fans ,but don't care about existing ones. I'm trying so hard to like this series as one that loves open wheel formula racing, but they making it very hard. New developement in 2015 after promises broken in last four. Dallara is holding them by the b.lls until 2017 and tv lunacy until 2018. I'm sorry spec club lovers but racing is not good. When leading Indy 500 three laps to go is a bad thing ,that's manufactured garbage. When race has half laps in yellow that's garbage. When half of the field take each other out by bumping that's amateur garbage. Rubing is not racing and ugly slow bumpercar is no challenge for real talented and that type of a joke of a car doesn't create stars that mean accomplishment of anything. Sad story all orund and I really had a big hopes for united series.
That's where you are completely wrong. When the difference between the cars is substantial, then any putz in the fastest car can win. It's when the cars are as near identical as possible that the deciding factor is the talent of the driver and his/her skill in managing the car while turning lap times which will put them in front at the checker.Quote:
Originally Posted by FIAT1
What? The slingshot pass was not invented with the Dalllara. Even in CART days this was a reality.Quote:
Originally Posted by FIAT1
Gary
What he said ^^^.Quote:
Originally Posted by Starter
Gary
Did not say that dallara invented anything beside ugliest racing cars in history of motorsports. cart or any other ,doesn't change the fact that type racing is manufactured and boring.Quote:
Originally Posted by garyshell