75 replies to this topic

[Nathan]

Well? My opionons are too strong on this one.

[Nathan]

Oh, I persoanlly dont think F1 would benefit that much from US envolvement, so I would prefer not.

[FordPrefect]

It's too big a market to ignore, it's also an interesting challenge for them as well, trying to sell open wheel racing to the Americans.

They've started off right by having it at Indy, no matter what that place always draws the people in.

The current tv deal IMHO is awful, they have to go national, not cable thats only available in a selected macket. Communication is the key. Get the sport in front of everyones face, put the drivers, or better yet Max and Bernie on Larry King. That would be a start.

I think more of a negative impact will come when General Motors gets fully involved. "What's good for GM is good for the rest of the world" seems to be their unofficial motto.

FP

[Arnaldo]

Pity that Jacques is not in a top car like McLaren, as the Americans know Jacques and this will create a lot more interest. As for GM, I think they have denied any ideas of entering F1 s there is not consistancy in the rules from year to year. Personally, I don't think GM wants to enter unless they are sure of winning.

[Nathan]

I dont think GM is capable of designing and building a high technologicaly advanced race motor. They had tons of troubles with the IRL unit, then couldnt get Le Mans with the Auroura, same now with the Caddy, lets face it, GM has never really made anything close to what F1 demands.

[bs]

I would love to see more US involvement. But the walls on the dot com bubble seems to be getting thinner (and surely Prost's results can't be exciting Yahoo's shareholders much). GM may or may not get involved (I think they have to get the Le Mans effort together first) and Chrysler is MB and already invovled, and Jag is Ford, ditto, doesn't leave much from a major manufacturing level unless Goodyear decides to come back, which ain't likely.

There are no American drivers currently ready to step into F1, there are no compelling stories for the average non fan, and the races are, to be blunt, often less than sterling.

Most Americans would have trouble finding Budapest on a map, let alone Kuala Lampur.

The cars don't have fenders and the numbers on 'em aren't big enough.

The cars travel the wrong direction.

No ovals.

Mild Seven sounds like a laxitive and West is the coast where you have to get up at 4:50 a.m. on an otherwise perfectly good Sunday morning to watch most races.

The TV coverage is, shall we say, still somewhat spotty?

So as much as I would like to see it, it ain't gonna happen.
Fervent anti-Yank folks have nothing much to worry about.

[NYR2119935]

I do no not want F1 here in America as long as CART is still being blackmailed by Bernie.

[mono-posto]

You just all wait untill Don Panoz fields an F1 team....

Then you'll be crying Uncle for sure!!;);)

[Yelnats]

Mono-Posto. What a tantalizing though, Panoz in F1. A front engined F1 car for the first time in 40 years I presume?

Think of the technical innovations. The first F1 car with a snorkle. The driver's view being completely obscured by a monstrous sleeved down GM V8 reving to the unheard of limit of 5,600 rpm. (;->

[baddog]

I have no real knowledge of the US racing market.. only what I see on tv and read on the net really, and Im too old and ugly to believe a word of that, so I have no clue if F1 in the US is viable.

What I can say though is that I hope very much that the Indy F1 race is a huge success and F1 does stay in the US every year from now on. I have seen many races on tv of all main american formats, and I do beleive that (for me anyway) F1 has the best product in the end. I dont know if to american viewers theres a different set of criteria, I certainly wont accept that most americans are (as some insist) too stupid to appreciate F1s nature, or that F1 is too european for them (does it matter to most viewers if theres a driver from their country in the race?). Thats insulting and silly Im sure. Remember you only need a tiny percentage of US sports viewers to make it more than worthwhile. I just hope its properly marketed and run, we get a good race at Indy (politics aside the perfect venue to relaunch f1 there), and it grows into a place in the US market that reflects its place almost everywhere else.

Shaun

[Daemon]

I hope we get some US drivers in there soon, but it will take a few years...And hopefully a US team.

But, hopefully the managment, and direction of the sport will continue to be run from Europe, with little US involvement in marketing etc. But All in all, i think expanding into the US will do F1 a world of good, and I can easily see CART becoming a the 2nd most popular openwheel series in the US...

[MattB]

I think that the Asian markets would do more to secure F1 a strong future rather than America. America enjoys contrived motorsports that can be artificially controlled such as the NASCAR series. The American taste for sport seems to enjoy World Championships that only involve America. Americans like the sound of World Championship, they just don't want to see the rest of the World competing against them.

[OssieFan]

I think it's inevitable that F1 is returning to the US. What I don't want to see is the Americanisation of the racing (full course yellows and 'pace' cars).

[man from martinlaakso]

I have nothing against US envolvement in F1. However, I am pretty pessimistic. The only possibility for F1 to really become a big force in US would be having at least half of the GPs in America, have several US car constructors in the F1 and especially have several suberb US drivers in the F1. I don't think, that any of these three conditions will be fullfilled. So F1 will stay as a marginal sport in US. The main expansion direction for F1 is Asia.

[Megatron]

I think that we have a much better chance of getting a team than a driver.

If you wanted to start a really long thread you could argue that we already have one with Jaguar being owned by Ford which is based in Detroit (and the team being headed by Ressiler, an American) but while the money and descions may be made in the US, the cars and the engines are both very British so that does not hold up very well.......

GM getting in is a real possibility, and they have shown slightly more interest in puttting American drivers in the cars, also I woudl put nothing past Panoz, plus the occasional rumor that Penske might come back to F1......

I think that it is important (but not vital) for F1 to be in the US. We simply have to many sponsors/manufacturs that are either based here or have important markets here for F1 to be ignored.

[molive]

Originally posted by sennafan
The American taste for sport seems to enjoy World Championships that only involve America. Americans like the sound of World Championship, they just don't want to see the rest of the World competing against them.

right on!

[pa]

I think bs' comments are right on, so I won't bother restating them.

As far as a Panoz F1 teams is concerned, even though Don is loaded to the tits, I doubt he has the kind of juice needed to ramp up a halfway successful F1 challenge. Completely different ball of wax - engines, aero, everything. Totally different.

I'd like to see it, but doubt it'll happen anytime soon.

Keep up the fine work with ALMS, Don...

[p][Edited by pa on 06-26-2000]

[Nathan]

Sennafan hit is spot oin. Why waste the FIA's time and money trying to compete with a 250-million person market that is already over crowded, when a little tapped 1-billion+ market is waiting in Asian. Look what it did to Japan. Imagine China!!!

[The Swerve]

I think F1 in the US should be a success. American's seem to love any sport that they can get some stats out of?!

My only concern is that there might be pressure from US TV Stations for more yellow flags situations so that they can get all their commercial breaks in (far, far more than we have in the UK and Europe) - as long as F1 is 'just visiting' the States then I think all will be well.

[westendorf]

So many of the Atlas posters seem to have a problem with the US. I don't have a problem with some of you having a problem. Maybe I'm mellow tonight but it's kinda funny.
ciao, GFW

[FordFan]

I find it hard to imagine why someone would not want F1 to succeed in the US. God knows Bernie wants it, as it will bring him more TV money. I would think all the teams would want it, as they can instantly charge more for their sponsorship space - as well as greater competition for that space. It makes F1 even more international - it would give Europhiles a chance to show the American non-believers that they are right, that it is the #1 racing division.

The only reason I can think of why someone wouldn't want it is out of some kind of spite - that ugly Americans don't deserve it, or some such nonsense.

Go figure!

[Smooth]

Is the USA the country equivalent of Schumacher on this board? Man, the mis-informed stereotypes run Rampant! Is it jealousy? Bad info? Maybe I am just blind or stupid, but America is the single richest, most powerful nation on Earth. With that come extremes, but it really is not as bad as some of you make it. We call our baseball champs 'World Champs'... so what? Nobody really cared when only a couple of other small countries were interested in baseball, as no one else had a professional series. Same with most of the other big sports in the states. Football? Basketball? Where would the competition come from? It may happen when some other country gets a strong enough league together..... until then, it is COMPLETELY valid to call a team World Champions when they are champions of the only Major League Baseball organization. I guess we could get into a slanging match, but it would do little. It is ignoring the obvious, though, as to why F1 wants to do well in the States..... money! Just like everything else. Americans have it, and spend it, and Bernie and Max, whores they are, want some of it. What is the disposable income of the average Chinese family? Sure there are enough people with enough money ti warrant a return, but the average Joe doesn't have a TV, or buy Bridgestone tires, so the marketing isn't as smart.....

For all you guys with an inferiority complex about the USA, drop the smack talking.... it seems pretty petty!;)

[arcwulf7]

I remain skeptical about F1's long term future in the U.S. For some reason road racing has never had much of a franchise in America. CART grew out of Indy and Oval Tracks, but both open wheel series, Cart and the IRL, are in serious trouble in a lot of markets (IRL terminally so). Nascar which most European F1 fans look at with derision is the big success story of American racing, drawing blue collar audiences and the bulk of U.S. advertising support. Although the Indianapolis Grand Prix is pretty well sold out, getting substantial TV and media exposure, beyond one off network coverage, and lightly watched cable channel exposure is going to be difficult. Soccer has been trying to a make a go of things for decades in the U.S. without much success, while the rest of world gobbles it up. American audiences seem to resent having to share their championships. If they could land a U.S. East and West GP (in an already saturated calendar) at real upgraded, road racing venues (Watkins Glen, Road America, Laguna Seca, Lime Rock) instead of a stadium setup like Indianapolis, it would stand a chance of gaining a viable niche audience. But they're aiming at a 'spectacle' rather than establishing a long term fan base. That's always been a problem, F1 resents being a niche in any of its markets, and the American racing establishment resents not running the international racing scene. Maybe the Indy GP will make a go of things, the unexpected happens. [p][Edited by arcwulf7 on 06-27-2000]

[coyoteBR]

USA can do a much good for the F-1:
- tons of possible sponsors
- good, well administraded tracks
- lots of places and people who can develop a decent chassis.

Besides, USA "lost" CART, that becomes international, and IRL, well, it's little more tahan a joke.
Good news for f-1?
NO! Unless north americans become sort of italians (cheer for the car, not the driver), F-1 has little to atract people attention. Remember the first time they tried to make a football (the real one) there? The greatest players from all the world went there. The series flawled because there was few yankee-born people to root for.

All that will just make NASCAR stronger. A pity

(no ofense intended for any of you nice nort-americans Atlas Posters)

[goGoGene]

No offense taken, and it actually brings up an interesting question. Why didn't Ford call their F1 effort "FORD". Geez, at least there would be sort of a US team that could be cheering for, sure it's in England, and has drivers with funny accents ;) but I now count this as a major faux pas.

I know the whole, Jag is their luxury car stuff, but I could see Ford as the US version of Ferrari, not the cars of course, but the unwaivering support of the "National team".

What's more American than Ford, get JPM in the car (American's know him) and you've got a sure fire acceptance.

Hey, Ford could come out with a retro-GT40 sports car, that could be the pace car, they'd be sure to sell a $%!& load of those, what's the problem????

ggg

p.s. I can see the sea of ford blue fans now...

[coyoteBR]

ggG:

Good question. I wish I had a good answer ;)
Even historically, Ford made much more for car racings (and got more tradition) than Jaguar.

...but Ford marketers must know better...

[The Swerve]

Sorry if my remarks seemed like US bashing. That wasn't my intent at all. I think the US is great at some things and Europe and the UK is better at others. When it comes to road racing Europe seems to lead the way.

My only concern about more US involvement revolves around a feeling that the US is powerful enough to 'hijack' F1 and turn it into something else. I would be sorry to see that. As long as the US is happy to be involved on the same basis that every other country is then it will be a positive thing.

Maybe the US can show us a few things about how to run a paddock. How great would it be for fans to properly get back into the paddock again?

[Joe Fan]

Originally posted by sennafan
I think that the Asian markets would do more to secure F1 a strong future rather than America. America enjoys contrived motorsports that can be artificially controlled such as the NASCAR series. The American taste for sport seems to enjoy World Championships that only involve America. Americans like the sound of World Championship, they just don't want to see the rest of the World competing against them.

Ha Ha! We are number one in Olympic gold medals and overall medals all-time competing against the rest of the world. We have our own motorsports series and professional leagues for various reasons. Want to find out? Just read the book American Grand Prix Racing by Tim Considine and read what Bobby Unser, Michael Andretti and others had to say about the political shananigans pulled on them in F1. Or better yet, just watch Ryder Cup golf. We cannot even play a game like golf without poor sportsmanship and politics from both sides. The U.S. is big enough and rich enough nation that it doesn't need to form a unity in a geographical area like Europe to field top notch sports leagues and series. Nor do Americans need to go outside of their country and deal with all of the European politics and sour and cutthroat press.

One of these days in the near future I will tell you about a true story of American F1 driver who considered himself a "citizen of the world" and you will see how far that got him over in Europe.

[Sudsbouy]

Sorry to interrupt this exchange with comments on F1, but I've got a point to make. IMO F1 has faded from the scene in the USA primarily due to a poor sales job. Whatever your opinion of the USA, sponsors do not want to ignore a market where so much disposable wealth is in play.

When the primary factor in the selection of a race site is how much money Bernie can extract from the event, promotional efforts is one of the things that will suffer. The USA does not have a strong history of supporting big time road racing like europe. The answer should be to look long-term and devote efforts to build a fan base. That has not happened (does anyone remember those dreadful events in Phoenix?).

A problem with locating the F1 race at Indy is that it will just be lumped in with the other events at this circut in the public's mind. I think that selection of a venue should have been based on efforts to establish a unique identity for F1. Instead we sandwich a road course in the infield of an oval track, in an oval town.

Back to the USA vs. the world discussion polluting this thread, take it to a chat room so we can get on with life.

Thank you.

[p][Edited by Sudsbouy on 06-27-2000]

[goGoGene]

Good point, Watkin's Glen maybe. Not to replace Indy, but rather as a secong US GP. Someplace with some F1 history. (Then of course there is the San Francisco GP that I keep begging for...)

ggg

[Don Capps]

It seems that F1 needs the US more than the US wants or needs F1. Reason: $$$$$

I think Smooth has said much of what could be said. Subtle and understated to boot...

Personally, I think that USA-bashing is a pastime for many (especially Euros) and I have learned to just deal with it by either ignoring it or considering the source. We are quite imperfect here in America, but for some reason there always seems to be a queue at the door and our money seems good anywhere.... I always attempt to retain an open mind about most things and practice my Mom's admonition, "If you can't say something nice, say nothing and always be polite." Therefore, enjoy the rest of the day everyone.

Quite seriously though, most of this US/Them nonsense is just that, nonsense. Far too many of us seem willing to argue over nitnoids while ignoring the 99% of what we agree on...[p][Edited by Don Capps on 06-27-2000]

[Joe Fan]

The UN session is now officially open. Please state your international grievances briefly so that we can all leave on time together for lunch. Expectations for solving today's world problems and smoothing over acts of wrongdoing, well....Rome wasn't built in a day. We even have someone here from Rome who can testify to that. And as always no tourism complaints from any of the officials. We cannot waste our time on such trivial complaints. That is what the internet bulletin boards are for.[p][Edited by Joe Fan on 06-27-2000]

[Damop]

For F1 to be truly global and not just be a Formula Euro Series, it needs the US to make trips overseas worthwhile. Otherwise it may start to become a EuroNASCAR series.[p][Edited by Andy on 06-28-2000]

[arcwulf7]

But can Cart Technology (let's not even mention Nascar) compete with F1. I think they tried it once with rather embarassing results. F1 is ROAD racing. Rather than kowtow to American Gladiator rituals, I suggest the rest of the world take a good look at the state of American auto racing. Cadillac, Ford, Chrysler (ignore the superficial mergers!) come to LeMans for credibility. Nascar is a spec, marketing gimmick and anybody who knows anything about cars, Knows that!! F1 deserves a spot in America, however unworthy the motor racing culture there is!, but coming on hands and knees to Tony George, and Indianapolis is a bit of a joke. There are great tracks in the States, suck in your pride F1, RACE in America, don't beg!!

[p][Edited by arcwulf7 on 06-27-2000]

[goGoGene]

Okay I'll admit that CART is technologically inferior...but their racing formula seems to produce actual racing! I was very pleasantly surprised by last weekends race. Passing, actual passing. I don't know many drivers, I don't know many teams, but hey, it was fun to watch.

F1 could at least try to learn that.

ggg

[NYR2119935]

yes CART has passing.

[Nathan]

Well Im going to keep this woith my question, and I guess Ill give an answer.

My opinion is if a nation wants to host a Grand Prix, Formula One should be the premier form of motorsports in that country, or close to it. All F1 is to the states is a boring form of motorsports, filled with stuck up Europeans, that "had it not been us Americans, would be all speaking with a German accent". I dont like the idea of placing F1 in a aplce where it is obvious it will never be a huge success such as NASCAR, CART, IRL etc. I think countries such as China and South Africa should have gotten the spot. I understand the market and all, but Bernie has to realize that China has a new state of the art track, and is the largest market in the world, and will be so for a very, very long time.

Im not critisizing Americans for my next point, but its true. If the majoirty of American motor sport fans dont give F1 credit, respect and decent exposure, then they dont deserve a race. I dont know excactly how the US is reacting to the race. IN FACT, I have talked to one friend in California, who is a fairly big racing fan, didnt even know there was a F1 race at Indy this year!

In countries such as Japan, Monaco, Italy and Canada, the F1 races are huge. Its all thats talked about, every TV station, every newspaper covers it. Even if they dont follow F1 on a regular basis, they still give tons of exposure for it. Will the US? Or will the picture of the winning driver in that weekends NASCAR race be larger than the artiucle on the US GP?

I very much hope Iam mistaken. I know F1 in the US will help things lots. But I just hope its not just another auto racing sideshow. Its the best of the best, and thus should be treated as so. Not just another race highlight.

Sorry, I think the phrase "doesn't deserve" is a bit harsh. Maybe not as deserving would be better.

[Joe Fan]

Nathan, your comments about F1 having to be the most popular form of motorsport in a country in order for it to host a Grand Prix, seem at odds with diversity of the U.S. as well as money factors that enable us to hold so many types of sporting events. From a business standpoint, that type of thinking would make any such business less profitable. Motorsports is a business and the U.S. has many dollars invested into F1 through sponsorship. Take away the U.S. sponsorships in F1 and see what F1 would amount to then? Lower technology and smaller fields? The U.S. is the largest motorsports market in the world. Americans are often accused unfairly of being myopic but we have so many diverse cultures here and all Americans cannot be filed away nicely into one easy stereotype. My experience tells me that Americans are less myopic than Europeans because of our ethnic diversity. Unlike many countries, we have many options when it comes to entertainment so no sport here will dominate the way that soccer and F1 does in European countries--it just isn't feasible.

The problem with respect of F1 has little to do with American myopia, it has to do with the visibility of the sport, the success of our own motorsports series and how F1 has been run in the past. Do you think by the U.S. not holding a Grand Prix that this would increase visibility? Just remember that F1 started out to primarily as a European motorsports series. It is still primarily operated by Europeans and based in Europe. So should only European countries be allowed to hold a Grand Prix? I think that Tony George paying the fees to hold a Grand Prix and the fact that the race is a complete sellout is all that really matters. If other countries deserve and want a Grand Prix, it would have happened by now but Max and Bernie won't hold a Grand Prix anywhere for free. If they did, you might have a point.[p][Edited by Joe Fan on 06-28-2000]

[Turn13]

I thought Don Capps gave all concerned a fair way out of this roundabout, back on page 1.;)

As a citizen host to the upcoming USGP, I'm looking forward to starting a tradition that not only benefits Bernie & Tony, but allows more cultural exchange between the US Midwest (which is much different than the US East or West Coasts) and the culture of F1.

Obviously, like anything else, the success will come more easily with the equal parts of desire and tolerance. If there are those who do not want US involvement in F1: I'm sorry, but you have the wrong century.

I cannot wait to hear those engines live, for the first time!

[Nathan]

Well I hope it succeeds. Atleast they started at a good respectable loaction, and Tony George is showing commitment. Lets just hope the rest of the population and corporate sector does as well.

[Samurai]

I think this is a similar situation (the unease some people/Europeans felt prior) to the soccer World Cup USA '94.
But it turned out to be a huge success!
Yes the U.S. had American football and similar sports (in this case would it be CART, NASCAR?), but soccer still captured the interest of some (such interest doesn't have to be exclusive) and I think the pro soccer league MSL enjoyed some increased popularity too, after this event.

[arcwulf7]

The U.S. got the World Cup for the PROMISE of setting up a premier soccer league. It came along 2 years later and now is on life support without a major television contract, and a fan base largely centred in Hispanic and immigrant communities. I'm sure the MSL experience has F1 concerned. Americans supposedly don't like soccer because there are only an average of 3 odd goals a game. FIFA had to come in with a hammer when the MSL came up with proposals to widen the net, or set up an offside line system to increase scoring (and make the game easier to understand). The fact that soccer entertainment actually happens between goals, the prowess, subtlety and fluidity of the sport, seems lost on Americans. There is something fundamentally different in the sporting cultures of America and Europe. Americans don't tend to follow or like the behind the scenes stuff that fascinates European racing fans, and represents a huge industry in information, merchandising, technology and marketing. They want it out there on the track, explicit, they want a lot of overt action, they want a scorecard that's updated every couple of minutes. F1 has a niche now among more sophisticated racing fans in the States, but as far a big league presence, and big league American sponsorship money for F1-- pie in the sky. [p][Edited by arcwulf7 on 06-28-2000]

[Smooth]

...and I think with all the BS on this thread, we forget that the US had two GP's for years, and they did VERY well. Many years, I believe, the East coast event (Watkins Glen) was the best attended GP of the season. F1 didn't fail in the states because of a lack of American interest, it failed because of the FIA making poor decisions, and ruining the races. Does anyone remember the races in Dallas? Detroit? Not world class events, and they shone poorly on the US' ability to host a world class GP, when in truth we have many tracks that would rival the best the world has to offer. Indy was a slam dunk money wise for F1's return. Centrally located, an easy sell just on brand name alone, and Tony George speaks snake like Bernie and Max. While I believe the TV fan would be better served with a race in San Francisco, or close to me at Road Atlanta, Indy, I thnk, will be quite impressive. It is the second oldest race track in the world. (Is that correct, Don?) and it should be cool to see how they play up the history of F1 at Indy.
[p][Edited by Andy on 06-28-2000]

[Williams]

"American involvement in F1" is a rather vague topic. But here goes.

Hopefully the Indy race will be successful. It would be interesteing to know how many of the sold-out crowd are coming in from outside the US and how many are US citizens. Next year will be the true barometer of the success of this race, after US fans have already seen their first F1 race in all it's processional glory.

F1 will never become a big draw for US drivers, since there is so much for them to do at home.

F1 involvement with US coporations will continue, as F1 increases it's exposure in Asian markets.

True F1 fans would hate to see too much US television involvment in the sport. With, for example, four US races, and six or seven US drivers, the US networks MIGHT get onboard and begin to really pus F1. But then US influences would begin to take over. Saftey cars would become more prevalent, and some yellow flag rules would quietly evolve. Less would be heard about traditional F1 teams and US teams would take over the limelight.

If you don't believe it, look at what has happened hockey, to Canada's national sport. Before the NHL began to move aggressively into the US, there were 8 Canadian teams in the NHL. Now there are six, and five of those are in financial trouble. This in a country where hockey is the heart and soul of the nation.

US TV is far too demanding and would quickly find ways to "dumb down" the sport. I think we should all be happy with our one US Grand Prix, and look to other, more exotic climes for future new races.

[arcwulf7]

Watkins Glen, which hosted U.S. GP singularly for several seasons in the late 60's and early 70's usually had decent crowds, 60,000 odd on race day-- but nothing in the 200,000 you can sea at some European tracks. I think the 2 U.S. GP's were a late 70's and 80's thing, the second held at a street circuit, which is a lousy venue for an F1 race (even Monaco, where the camera spends most of the time panning the crowd for girls). I'm not sure why Watkins Glen was killed off, but it probably got outbid and F1 got greedy. But that was the heart of the sport in the States, after it abandoned its fans there, the sport banged around some totally inappropriate street circuits and died. I'll keep my mind open with Indy-- fingers crossed and all that, but I bet in 5 or 6 years you'll see F1 all around the world, again, except America.

[Damop]

It is an elitist and inappropriate view that F1 must be the top motorsport in a particular country in order for that country to host a GP. That is the very attitude - neglect of the fans - that makes Bernie and Max dispicable to so many on the BB (myself included). There is no reason a well-organized GP can't be a success in the US. NASCAR may be top dog, but that is no reason to deny American fans the opportunity to have their own race. There may be a lot of closet F1 fans who are afraid to "come out" to their NASCAR-oriented peers. I hope the US GP is a success because of the opportunity to attend a great variety of events. I went to Montreal this year and had a fantastic time. I am also going to Indy, partly to be a part of history, but also partly because the allure of the spectacle is too great. I have a feeling there will be a lot of people who feel the same way, which will make the US GP a success. I have always wanted to go to Indy, but since the 1995 split, I haven't been interested. Now I can go and feel "clean" about it.

[Bogman]

Nathan, I am a fellow proud Canadian, but I think you've painted yourself into a corner here. Don't try to bring national politics into it, because generally we have just as many (but different) political problems as the US. Two different places, and while I enjoy pointing out the differences between Canada and US (especially to Americans), the arguement over who is better is futile.

And by the way, if F1 has to be the premiere motorsport in a country before they get a race, then Canada doesn't qualify either. We get a lot of interest around the time of the Montreal race, and then bugger all (except in Quebec, where F1 is always news). I tried finding the Monaco results in Edmonton this year...not a chance, the papers were full of Nascar and Cart results. And I bet the Regina Prairie or Herald (or whatever newspaper you have there...I assume from your profile you are in Pile-o-Bones) doesn't cover F1 much.

[paulb]

The Long Beach USGPs were well attended, so well in fact, that Chris Pook, et al., decided to bring in Indy Cars instead. Long Beach is now one of the most visible races in the CART series. I would love to see another real GP at Long Beach.

The Indy GP will make lots of bucks for Bernie and Tony so the US will once again be a part of the F1 world.

[PDA]

Nathan - The USGP is so unpopular that they have only sold 200,000 tickets. 250,000 is a reasonable expectation on race day. Name any GP which has even half of that attendance, and then tell me that the US doesn't "deserve" a race.

The FIA and Bernie couldn't give a damn where the races are held, provided the promoter comes up with the X million dollars sancion fee, adn they can get TV cameras in. F1, from a financial point of view, is a TV sport, where the races are actually held is more or less irrelevant. Expect the US GP track at Indianapolis to be altered for next year to take in a sweep past the currently unused grandstand. Then pre race tickets will go up to maybe 300,000.

[TheDestroyer]

Being American I have to say that I'm glad F1 is back in the States...

I think everyone is giving too much credit to the effect a US Gran Prix will have on F1.

About the only effect that it will have is on televised coverage here in the States. American sports fans tend to be, um, ignorant and self centered. If it's not baseball, football (US version) or basketball it's looked upon as an inferior sport - this is due in large part because of the media. A large number of American sportscasters are bufoons and can't appreciate non-american sports, for instance soccer - U.S. media complain and disparage this sport because of the score line, basically they can't appreciate a 0-0, 1-0 game.

What continues to escape the sports media here in the States is the incredibly HUGE immigrant base that we have, duh! Melting-pot, Ellis Island, hello!?!?

Thank God for satellite systems and Fox Sportsworld and Speedvision. Barring soccer matches, I can't remember the last time I actually watched a sporting event on ESPN or one of the networks...