2012 Schedule silly season thread

[Scotty G.]

2012 schedule:

OVALS (10)- Indianapolis, Texas (2), Iowa, Loudon, Kentucky, Las Vegas, Fontana, Chicago and Richmond

ROAD/STREETS (10)- Long Beach, Brazil, St. Pete, Birmingham, Mid-Ohio, Edmonton, Toronto, Sonoma, Elkhart Lake, Houston


Japan, Milwaukee and Baltimore are dumped.

Possible dates (appoximate):

Early March- St. Pete
Mid March- Houston
Late March- Barber
Early April- Long Beach
Late April- Brazil
Late May- Indianapolis
Early June- Texas
Mid June- Iowa
Late June- Richmond
Early July- Toronto
Mid July- Edmonton
Late July- Chicago
Early August- Mid Ohio
Mid August- Loudon
Late August- Sonoma
Early September- Elkhart Lake
Late September- Kentucky
Early October- Fontana
Mid October- Las Vegas

[heliocastroneves#3]

Tracks in bold are confirmed for 2012, I just modified my calendar... Because I don't expect 22 races already next year and I forgot Baltimore.. :P

01. Streets of St. Petersburg - Road course
02. Barber Motorsports Park - Road course
03. Streets of Long Beach - Road course
04. Streets of Sao Paulo - Road course
05. 96th Indianapolis 500 - Oval
06. Texas Motor Speedway Race #1 - Oval
07. Texas Motor Speedway Race #2 - Oval
08. Iowa Speedway Race #1 - Oval
09. Iowa Speedway Race #2 - Oval
10. Streets of Toronto - Road course
11. Edmonton City Centre Airport - Road course
12. New Hampshire Motor Speedway - Oval
13. Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course - Road course
14. Infineon Raceway - Road course
15. Streets of Baltimore - Road course
16. Kentucky Speedway - Oval
17. Chicagoland Speedway - Oval
18. Auto Club Speedway, Fontana - Oval
19. Phoenix International Raceway - Oval
20. Las Vegas Motor Speedway - Oval

[nigelred5]

I love Leguna Seca! It should be raced on over Sonoma.

I just don't like watching racing from Sears Point. Dirt everywhere, no real straightaway, passing usually involves a parking lot crash and It just looks like what it is, a club racing and test track.

[Dr. Krogshöj]

People complain about both Laguna Seca and Sears Point but IndyCar has to have a race somewhere in Northern California. Champ Car had an idea about an airfield race at Moffett Field in the Silicon Valley but I'd prefer a proper road course. I would personally choose Laguna Seca but Sears Point is an SMI track so Sears Point it is.

[dataman1]

The crowd has voted at Louden and the verdict is: LOOSER!

[ICWS]

...So Milwaukee is off the schedule for 2012, and Road America may take its place. Also, IndyCar is closer to confirming adding street races in Porto Alegre, Brazil and Qingdao, China. IndyCar considered Mexico City and Detroit but it appears they'll wait at least one more year before deciding whether to add those one or both of those to the schedule or not. It remains to be seen if Chicagoland and/or Houston will be added to the schedule. As of now, I would expect to see at least an 18-event/20-race schedule (with Texas and Iowa serving as doubleheaders) and possibly Road America, Houston, and/or Chicagoland being added:

Ovals (7) - Indianapolis, Texas, Iowa, New Hampshire, California, Kentucky, Las Vegas.

Street/Road Courses (11) - St. Petersburg, Barber, Long Beach, Sao Paulo, Toronto, Edmonton, Mid-Ohio, Sonoma, Baltimore, China, Porto Alegre.

[heliocastroneves#3]

If that's gonna be the calendar then I won't call it a balanced schedule anymore.... IndyCar was made for oval racing and now the road courses are just with 4 more... That's not right! Last years' calendar was perfect!

[ICWS]

schumacher180,

Unfortunately, this is just the trend that IndyCar has been facing for a while now, and so with each passing year we should expect to see less ovals and more road/street courses on the schedule. The attendance at IndyCar races this year has shown that more people show up for races on road and street courses than they do for races at oval tracks. Randy Bernard, despite his desire to keep a half-oval/half-road race schedule, is beginning to be more aware of where IndyCar's strength in attendance is and its clearly at the road and street courses. So it should be no surprise that the schedule looks close to the one I projected above, that being more road races than oval tracks.

Perhaps in the not-too-distant future, the Indianapolis 500 may be the only oval race on the schedule and the rest being road races, essentially making IndyCar out to being the American alternative to Formula 1. This may actually end up being the best thing for the series to do as they would no longer have to suffer with poor attendance at ovals like Milwaukee, but I do know how much the purist IndyCar fans who've followed the series before the split want to keep a balanced schedule of ovals and road races in order to make the series unique.

[heliocastroneves#3]

Well... I think that definitely everything comes alright (balanced schedules in the future), I'm sure Bernard also wants to have a balanced schedule.... I'm following IndyCar long enough to believe that everything will come alright. I never was a fan of CART, I just started following the IndyCar Series in 1996 (the first race at the Walt Disney World Speedway)

I don't think we will see less ovals as Charlotte and Chicagoland might return next year... If that's gonna happen then we have again a real balance as Iowa will probably be a doubleheader. I really don't understand why people do prefer to go to a race on a road course then on an oval.... I've enjoyed all the races on road courses this year (and all other seasons), but it's nothing next to Indianapolis, Texas, Iowa, Milwaukee and New Hampshire to be honest. But I'll stay positive that IndyCar will always be the unique series with a balanced schedule.

I've been to an IndyCar race only two times, but I live in The Netherlands so I can't go to each race which I want.

I went to Indy this year and as a child I was at Vegas in 1997.

I still think the calendar will be like this:

01. Streets of St. Petersburg - Road course
02. Barber Motorsports Park - Road course
03. Streets of Long Beach - Road course
04. Streets of Sao Paulo - Road course
05. 96th Indianapolis 500 - Oval
06. Texas Motor Speedway Race #1 - Oval
07. Texas Motor Speedway Race #2 - Oval
08. Iowa Speedway Race #1 - Oval
09. Iowa Speedway Race #2 - Oval
10. Streets of Toronto - Road course
11. Edmonton City Centre Airport - Road course
12. New Hampshire Motor Speedway - Oval
13. Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course - Road course
14. Infineon Raceway - Road course
15. Streets of Baltimore - Road course
16. Kentucky Speedway - Oval
17. Chicagoland Speedway - Oval
18. Auto Club Speedway, Fontana - Oval
19. Phoenix International Raceway - Oval
20. Las Vegas Motor Speedway - Oval

But that might not be true... At least I'll be close...

*Tracks in bold are confirmed for 2012.*

[jwhite9185]

Pretty sure Curt Cavin said Phoenix won't be on the schedule for the foreseeable future.

Shame, as i would like to see that race return, along with Homestead, Michigan, Nazareth (won't happen!), Portland, Road America etc.

Seems like its going the way of CART again - although i guess thats a better option than having no series at all to follow.