16 replies to this topic

[coyoteBR]

Ok, according with Folha de S. Paulo newspaper, the Indianapolis F1 track can bring very few good things to formula 1.
THE BAD
- The terrain is absolute plain. No curves going up or down that could "throw" the car, like the most famous curves in the European circuits. At a point, there's a though about adding some artificial hills,but them, there would be no space for a decente escape area.
- Orders from Tony George: you can do anything, as long as don't touch the Golf Course that he build inside the track. That leaved very few options for the track.
- So, the track has only two overtaking points

THE GOOD
- there's a expected top speed of 320 km/h, and theaverage speed should be around 209 km/h
- There's some places in the speedway that gives you 80% of the visibility of the track. Fans rejoice
- there's two kinds of asphalt: the tradicional and the new, FIA-aproved. That should make the car setting more difficult to the drives, and allow some surprises

take a look at
http://www.usgpindy.com

[Ray Bell]

Your points are dead right, circuits do need to have visibility, but I don't believe it's good to be able to see all of the circuit. This will make a refreshing change for the fans who go in through the gate, and congratulations are in order to Tony George for making this move.
Now, wouldn't it be nice if he could gradually change it so that the 500 became the USGP, run for F1 on the GP circuit?
Tradition be dammed!

[Megatron]

I am glad to see F1 returning the the good old USA, but I think that Indy is one of the worst places to go. I have looked at the track numerous times, and I get the feeling it will be dangerous, dull, and a joke.

We have so many great circuts, Road America, Laguna Seca, Watkins Glen, Long Beach, maybe even the orignal home of the USGP Sebring, its a shame this is the place......

[John B]

Agreed Megatron, unfortunately Bernie doesn't want anything to do with a rural U.S. track (quote: "I had to ask where Elkhart Lake was) (COUGH*AIDA/MAGNY)

Thankfully Bobby Rahal does, I'm very pleased he's stated that keeping the pure road courses is a priority for CART.

[Ray Bell]

That's one of the good things about Bobby being at the head of CART, he started out in road racing and it must be his personal priority.

[snow]

I wish F1 would come back to Long Beach. Although I lived right next door, I never went during those years it was there. I was in my teens and working on the weekends and couldn't ever attend with my dad. It would be great if they had it there again. It would be less money for me to go there instead of Indianapolis too.

[P1 Pyrsol]

Um, Bernie doesn't want anything to do with a rural track? I guess that's why he chose Indiana.

The newly designed Indy circuit is nothing short of lame, and it was only chosen because of Indy's brand recognition, thus it's currently the best opportunity for F1 to regain market share in America.

Once (and if) the USGP becomes a regular stop for the circus, they will move it to a better venue, though I doubt it will be a currently existing one.

[coyoteBR]

Wow, seens everybody (including de track designers) agree that the track is quite boring. Blame mr. George's money-maker Golf Course, people.

P1 Pyrsol: I guess you are totally right. But the fact that there's no avaliable better place should not be a problem. Remember how fast they build the Malasya ring?

[Rosco]

Wouldn't it be cool to see F1 cars go through the corkscrew at Laguna Seca??

[paulb]

It would be cool to see F1 cars going through the Corkscrew.

It would be cooler if the cars were going through the streets of Long Beach again, however.

Snow, there are videos of Long Beach F1 available through Dick Wallen's Racing Classics
PO Box 10561
Glendale AZ 85318-0561
(623) 566-5578

They're also a great source for US sports car racing videos from the 50s and 60s. Enjoy.

The best would be to rebuild Riverside Int'l Raceway and have the USGP West there.........

[Ray Bell]

40th anniversary of that this year!

[P1 Pyrsol]

Because I am just a short drive south of Laguna Seca, I would LOVE F1 to come here. But it's not going to happen. The track is just too small, too slow, access is a nightmare, and you just can't get enough people in comfortably. I've been to many events there, and 30,000 gets very crowded.

What the people in Kuala Lumpur have done is very impressive, and I'm sure American F1 people are looking very closely at what they did there. Too bad they didn't do it at Indy, but who really wants to go to Indiana anyway?

Almost as bad as Silverstone ...

[paulb]

I think Roger Penske has shown with California Speedway that you can build a new track and be profitable which is the mantra these days. He could and should do the same for road racing that he has done for ovals. I don't think Bernie would mind a GP in SoCal.

[coyoteBR]

or, as the "brand" Indianapolis is still strong, keep both in. Just call this California race Panamerican GP, Puerto Rico GP, I don't know...

And, since we're arround, bring back Hermanos Rodrigues track. Could you imagine Jacques at the Peraltada curve?

[Ray Bell]

Yes, that was one place that showed the tiger in the old Nige.
FJ was another who did well there, and Daniel Sexton... tough racers all.

[Psychoman]

Coyote--howzabout Grand Prix of California? Hell, the place is so big, it could be its own country Rebuilding Riverside would be good, but didn't they build a bunch of houses there? As for Autodromo Rodriguez, last I heard it was in a semi-dilapidated state, being used as a clubracing circuit

[ARing]

Bringing F1 to Indy was a great idea because it guarenteed solid attendance. The fact that the race sold out as quickly as it did surpassed Tony George's best expectations, and that only reinforces the logic of going to Indy.

I would much rather see F1 cars driving around Laguna Seca or Road America, but there would not be a fraction of the turnout (or the infrastructure to handle it).

Hopefully this will do a lot to improve the popularity of F1 in the U.S. and maybe we will have a North American Grand Prix at a better track a few years down the road.