2011 Likely Schedule

[Scotty G.]

3-27 St. Pete
4-10 Alabama
4-17 Long Beach
5-1 Brazil
5-29 Indianapolis 500
6-11 Texas (night)
6-25 Iowa (night)
7-3 Milwaukee
7-17 Toronto
7-24 Edmonton
8-7 Mid Ohio
8-14 New Hampshire
8-21 Sears Point
9-4 Baltimore
9-17 Motegi
10-2 Kentucky
10-16 Las Vegas


-Only 2 night races.

-They will race on the same day as Cup 7 out of 17 times. The 7 are St. Pete, Long Beach, Toronto, Mid Ohio, New Hampshire, Sears Point and Kentucky. I don't count Indy (with Charlotte at night) and Baltimore (with Atlanta at night) with that total.

-I'd look for Loudon and Kentucky to both be run at 4:00 EST (after the Cup race, which will likely be run at 1:00).

-Look for off-season open tests to be run at Las Vegas (oval) and Barber (road).

[GRW1983]

3-27 St. Pete
4-10 Alabama
4-17 Long Beach
5-1 Brazil
5-29 Indianapolis 500
6-11 Texas (night)
6-25 Iowa (night)
7-3 Milwaukee
7-17 Toronto
7-24 Edmonton
8-7 Mid Ohio
8-14 New Hampshire
8-21 Sears Point
9-4 Baltimore
9-17 Motegi
10-2 Kentucky
10-16 Las Vegas


-Only 2 night races.

-They will race on the same day as Cup 7 out of 17 times. The 7 are St. Pete, Long Beach, Toronto, Mid Ohio, New Hampshire, Sears Point and Kentucky. I don't count Indy (with Charlotte at night) and Baltimore (with Atlanta at night) with that total.

-I'd look for Loudon and Kentucky to both be run at 4:00 EST (after the Cup race, which will likely be run at 1:00).

-Look for off-season open tests to be run at Las Vegas (oval) and Barber (road).

According to Curt Cavin, 17 races will be on next years schedule. 16 of them are confirmed at present, with the season finale the exception. It will be Las Vegas, but if a deal isn't struck the finale will be at Fontana. Last night, Versus mentioned the return of a popular, well-known racetrack so I would not be surprised to see Milwaukee return. Chicagoland, Homestead, Kansas & Watkins Glen are out. Baltimore, Las Vegas (or Fontana), Milwaukee & New Hampshire are in. 8 ovals and 9 road/street tracks, the same as this year.

[Easy Drifter]

The Toronto Honda Indy site does NOT show 17/07 but 10/07. 17/07 would be one week before the ALMS race at Mosport. That makes no sense whatsoever. Even a 2 week gap is going to hurt both big time.
ALMS gets a big crowd for an entire weekend and is far more fan friendly.

[BrentJackson]

The Toronto Honda Indy site does NOT show 17/07 but 10/07. 17/07 would be one week before the ALMS race at Mosport. That makes no sense whatsoever. Even a 2 week gap is going to hurt both big time.
ALMS gets a big crowd for an entire weekend and is far more fan friendly.

Fan friendly if you can handle the primitive facilities. I love Mosport (I practically grew up there ), but its facilities really do suck.

[Easy Drifter]

Primitive? Running water washrooms, showers available for spectators, quite a few snack bars with hot food. I guess that is primitive.
I drove on the track before it was paved!
I raced there for many years.
It certainly was primitive in the early years with just a few portable cans and no running water except in the tower.
I was a senior organizer in the last years of F1 at Mosport.
I was there when the food was almost inedible. Ever had a steamed in tinfoil Burger? Even the seagulls didn't like them.
The food is not bad now and not way overpriced.
There are portable toilets brought in for the ALMS race.
Yes there could be more improvements but Dr. Panoz is doing more every year.
The big thing is I do not understand why the two series are running dates so close together which will hurt both when they co-operate at many venues.

[Easy Drifter]

Aside from everything else a July 17 date in Toronto would put it into the start of the 3 week Caribana Festival. The Caribana is far far more important than the Toronto Indy and brings huge numbers to Toronto in both tourists and dollars. The race is small potatoes compared to the Caribana.
The July 10 date is far more likely.

[Scotty G.]

Change Toronto to July 10th.

I think everything else though, will be what you see.


Las Vegas will be the 16th of October, because the Trucks are racing at Vegas on the 15th. Same deal with Kentucky. Trucks on Saturday and Indy Car on Sunday.

I think the season needs to start a month earlier and end a month earlier. Going into mid October is dumb. Starting in late March (and giving NASCAR almost a 2 month head-start) is very dumb.

Start in late February and end around Labor Day weekend. And somehow, someway get Motegi off of there. It just screws up your schedule, no matter where you put it. Sponsors don't care about that race. And there will be literally 10 people watching it, at 12:00 midnight, when its on TV.

Get Phoenix and another warm weather event for the beginning of the season. Dump Motegi. 18 races would be nice for 2012.

[anthonyvop]

Dump Motegi.

What part of "Honda" don't you understand?

[GRW1983]

What part of "Honda" don't you understand?

Whether we like it or not, Motegi will always be a part of the schedule as long as Honda are providing the engines.

[Chamoo]

Whether we like it or not, Motegi will always be a part of the schedule as long as Honda are providing the engines.

My one hope for multiple engine manufacturers is that Honda loses it's Motegi date. My concern for multiple engine manufacturers is that who ever else decides to join in the fun, gets to have a date on the calendar at their home track.