The IRL had nothing but American ovals and American drivers for the most part in its early days and it is why we are where we are...Quote:
Originally Posted by heliocastroneves#3
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The IRL had nothing but American ovals and American drivers for the most part in its early days and it is why we are where we are...Quote:
Originally Posted by heliocastroneves#3
If IndyCar wants more ovals they need to take an equity stake in some tracks. Nashville and Gateway are perfect examples of good tracks that have fallen on tough times. IndyCar could get both for pennies on the dollar.
Of course, all of this presumes they have a clue how to run a racing business. I probably shouldn't make such presumptions.
The problem is as it has been stated is the past is the past. There is no going back at this point. CART was a rip roaring ratings success and was fun to watch, but the sponsors were there through the breweries and tobacco companies. The latter cannot advertise now, and the former have bailed on the series.
Do we need spec cars? I say no, but the cost cutting has pretty much forced it on the series. I think for the general racing public, it isn't a deal breaker.
I think the real issue now for me is the schedule. They start in March, which is fine after a fashion, but there is a time in the summer where they race every weekend and my interest and attention does focus in...and then they take a big break again. NASCAR I have always believed has a huge advantage in that they race every weekend pretty much. It is like the NFL, you know Sunday is race day....and it is a consistent product. Indycar isn't that...it will run 3 or 4 weeks in a row, then take 2 off....and it just to me never gets momentum for the viewers. So a condensed intense schedule with maybe one week off before Indy and then go full bore until September is to me a good idea.
I have always thought a more friendly racing fan for this type of series is in Europe. The series never dedicated itsself to going there religiously, and for any kind of results cultivating sponsorships and fans in Europe, this is a must. I am not talking 10 races, but maybe 2. It wont take much..just make them matter and be at the same time. That is I think something that can be done down the road.
I think the TV contract is hurting the series immensly but I don't see how they get out from under the worst aspects of it, but I think they have to. ESPN/ABC to me killed any use I had for the old IRL. I wasn't a fan of the series the way I was of CART, but I would watch until I couldn't take the half assed job they did covering the sport. They just don't care ABOUT THE PRODUCT!!
I cannot state that enough. I put a lot of the problems with this sport on the coverage and attention. ESPN after the split started to treat this series with a bit of disdain. I have never felt the commentators or the slants of the broadcasts did anything to help the casual fan, or the serious fan. \\
As for where the cars race, well that's simple. Anywhere there is fans willling to pay and watch, and anywhere a promotor is willing to dig in and help the series rather than stand there letting the series do the heavy lifting.
As for the last issue, and the toughest one of all, Tell the Hulman George Cabal to take a long walk off a short pier and have them sell the whole thing, lock, stock and spare parts. Get this series and maybe Indy as well in the hands of someone who has the energy and can put forward a vision and STABILITY. The firing of Randy Barnard was seen as necessary by some owners, but the reality remains he was credible with a lot of the fan base. The buck needs to stop somewhere with a solid but tough owner/administrator who will stay the course and make things conform or get out. The France Family ran NASCAR in this manner, and it went a long way to giving them credibility with racing fans, and most of their issues in the last decade or so have come about when the France's messed with the stability.
I don't think this should be near the forefront of any thoughts of the future, I'm afraid. There will only ever be a niche audience for American motorsport, be it open-wheel or NASCAR, on this side of the Atlantic.Quote:
Originally Posted by Mark in Oshawa
What does that have to do with the car and tracks the series races at? That's what I'm talking about...Quote:
Originally Posted by Chris R
I am saying that the cars and tracks are not the biggest problem and that fixing those things does no good without fixing the rest of the issues.....
I think we're all overlooking the simple soultion here: add 5 million new fans.
A reality is:
1 - there are much more possibilities for entertainment and relaxing today than 20 or even 15 years ago, i mean media oriented.
2 - motorsports practically lost their technical advances charisma, lost it more than 10 years ago. There are no "new records" , the technical stuff and appearance today progress very slowly, there are simply no possibilities for them.
3 - there are many 'racing events' to call them, accumulated in the past years which could satisfy almost any interest in motorsports, very few fresh and new stuff could be seen.
4 - the public attitude towards dangers in motorsports (which is intrinsic in motorsports and makes a part of it excitement) has become much more restricted.
Those are reasons i can recognize at a glance and are common.
The question should be - what kind of auto racing product a public would be interested in or/and would want to watch.
Also, while a lot of these things we're mentioning (tracks, better looking cars, records, etc.) are relevant, IndyCar's biggest problem is their inept management. The poor management means that none of these issues are ever properly addressed.
You said it all with those 2 sentences. That is exactly why I have no hope for IndyCar. The management, or rather, mis-management of IndyCar makes all other talk of what can be done to improve the series irrelevant because that people who run the series won't follow through with any of those ideas. IndyCar needs a sharp management team with a well thought out plan and a very sizable budget to have any chance of pulling themselves out of the pit they have put themselves in. They have none of those things.Quote:
Originally Posted by bricarr2
I noticed you have made 23 post on 6 years bricarr2, but you make them count when you do decide to post. :up: