I think it is clear from this the IRL need a bit more global presence. I think their PR department has done alot, but we need more, if the series is to grow globally. Afterall in Europe and Asia we have various GP2 series, and its great racing.
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I think it is clear from this the IRL need a bit more global presence. I think their PR department has done alot, but we need more, if the series is to grow globally. Afterall in Europe and Asia we have various GP2 series, and its great racing.
Nine and ABC news... nothingQuote:
Originally Posted by racer69
I was refering to the fact that pre-unification we had coverage of CART/Champ Car on free-to-air tv (with the exception of the first half of last year, yet 7 picked up the rights from post-toronto)
Now, nothing, unless you are one of the handful that has ESPN Aust. Thank god i'm in that handful
I'm all for more coverage this side of the atlantic, but realistically the new era of unified open-wheel racing in the United States has more pressing issues closer to home than catering for a minority (of which I count myself a member) of European racing fans.Quote:
Originally Posted by MAX_THRUST
The new series only started in March. This year it's surely best to concentrate the publicity resources and opportunities on the home market, where the bread & butter of the AOWR is.
Next year, maybe we could expect more coverage. Until then, I'm happy to accept that since I'm not in the IndyCar series backyard/catchment area, I'm not likely to be high on their current priorities.
I believe in the Indy "tradition" but that "tradition" has been altered deliberitely or non-deliberitely for many decades. The Indy 500 is a shadow of what it once was and that is one reason alone to make some changes.
The crowds that used to show up for qualifing are not there. TG has tried to build excitement by reducing the time before the race to two weeks, then the current top 11 driver qualifing format. The Ganassi's, Penske's, and AGR's have the money to play around with on the first day of qualifing, a huge disadvantage to the teams without cash and resources. This year some of the teams did not even bother running because they knew they could not compete. Is that tradition? Now, these money strapped teams have to wait for this weekend to qualify. Does anyone really care other than the true race fan who fills in those spots? Bump day is almost a joke compared to what it once was. The big prize is the pole, and that has been settled already. Do not get me wrong, I strongly enjoyed the bump days when there were quality teams and drivers, now the last few spots of the 500 will consists of field fillers or ride buyers (of course that is the state of racing). I could see the drama if there were 50 cars and only 22 spots left.
My other complaint about "tradition" is having three weeks off before the race. For the sake of momentum, have a race the third week before and spend the next two weeks qualifing and so forth. Tradition was when there were many engine manufactures, the excitement of a new lap record, a lot of teams competing to race, not to mention "quality" drivers...
Hopefully, Indy returns to its former glory. But, just because Champ Car is no longer a factor, that does not mean that all is well.
Everyday the world gets smaller. We are a global economy now. For any major series to suceed it must embrace that fact. Sponsors demand it and you can;t have racing without sponsors.
That being said, of the 3 major races that day the Indy 500 will come in 3rd in worldwide interest and viewership. Way behind the Monaco G.P. and behind the NASCAR race.
Tradition is a wonderful thing thing but sometimes tradition must be set aside and a more pragmatic choice must be made.
Duck. Duck........Goose.Quote:
Originally Posted by garyshell
garyshell get off the koolaid man.
The indy 500 used to be the the biggest race in the world. The format that is used now is not working. Its not working at drawing spectators, and not working at getting press. TG needs to admit that the present format is a failure.
Cut the qualifying and race down to 2 weeks max and add a race in may.
Duck,Duck,........Goose
Quote:
Originally Posted by spiritone
I am not the one drinking from the CCF trough. Your hatred for the IRL is showing through. Some of us who at one time shared that thought have moved on.
Let's see the unification has been in place for just short of three months and the "experts" are already sure that the format is not working. This is the first Indy 500 since the unification. What are you expecting in the first year, a freakin' miracle?
I still challenge your "not working at getting press". Just exactly HOW are you gauging it? I will say from the press and TV coverage I have seen here in Cincinnati it is MARKEDLY different from what it has been the past ten years.
Gary
I'll repeat what I told the other expert;Quote:
Originally Posted by spiritone
"Hey, I know. Since you seem to consider Indy "just another race" and you don't see the point of devoting an entire month to it why don't you start a rival OW series to show TG how foolish he is? Perhaps stage a 500 mile event (at Michigan) on the same day as Indy to show the public that a race can be run in 3 days instead of 3 weeks and be just as good, just as important?"
It is truly amazing that those who didn't care about the Indianapolis 500 while they were supporting CC have now shifted their attention to finding fault with Indy....in a year when "blendification" has taken place, the competitors in the garage all have let bygones be bygones and help each other and still the CW jihad drones feebly on.
For one thing, it's the Indianapolis 500, not a "three-day festival of speed" with half the speed. Traditions thrown away? Let's hear it for riding mechanics. They really got screwed because some evil soul changed the rules or format. Purse? $13 million? Is that worth three weeks' time? Attention? Google it.