Ecclestone VS. Indianapolis Motor SpeedWay

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F1 contract with indainaplois is finished. What is going on, Eccesestone (Founder Member of F1) and Bob Varsha (president) are considering NOT lengthening the contract.

After last year’s Michelin chaos with the US Grand Prix,Fans and F1 teams were inraged. There is so much talk going on I don’t know which way it will go.

Then when Varsha got asked in an interview what he expected from this year’s USPG he said "everyone will probably watch to see if another spectacle goes on. Sad, but true, I know I’m going to be keepin’ an eye out to see what happens."

SPEED has the right idea of covering the race more in-depth. They’re going to do a long series of interviews with F1 personalities, which is airing in a long special…I think on sat night before the race. That should be kinda interesting.
 
Usually www.f1racing.net. Also please use the edit button instead of making a double post. 👍

Now onto the topic of the USGP future, I can see a American GP taking place next year but perhaps not at Indy. I quite like the thought of Road America personally.
 
Oh, and don't forget Ecclestone's little smart-ass comment about Women in motorsport last year....
 
Bob Varsha, a president? Of what? I thought all he did was commentate with Hobbs and Matchett.
 
They better not take away the USGP!! Next year, I'll actually have enough money to go :mad:

Sadly, the IMS is the only FIA-worthy track in the U.S. As much as I'd like to see it move to one of our other beautiful natural-terrain courses, it's not going to happen anytime soon :(
 
Jim Prower
Oh, and don't forget Ecclestone's little smart-ass comment about Women in motorsport last year....
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That’s exactly what all this talk is, just like that comment, this is just to get some press. Bernie is just trying to get some attention, and possibly increase the amount that the IMS are willing to pay to host the Grand Prix.

The USGP will go ahead next year. Indianapolis needs F1. F1 wants America. I see no reason why a new deal will not go ahead.
 
kylehnat
Sadly, the IMS is the only FIA-worthy track in the U.S. As much as I'd like to see it move to one of our other beautiful natural-terrain courses, it's not going to happen anytime soon :(
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Yeah, more natural-terrain tracks would be incredible. The new tracks all seem so fake, even the middle-of-the-forest-Hockenheim has turned into an artifical course. Thank god Spa is still in. 👍

Hell, whole F1 has turned artificial. There ain't any real heroes in F1 anymore. The teams aren't a small group of petrolheads who live and die for racing, but a bunch lawyers and PR-agents. It's all about money.


**** you commersialism.
 
zoxxy
Thank god Spa is still in. 👍
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Has no one told him?

Spa was taken out before the start of the season due to, yep you've guessed it, facilities being too poor.
 
Bee
Has no one told him?

Spa was taken out before the start of the season due to, yep you've guessed it, facilities being too poor.
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It should be in next year cause the're spending money on it this year and doing it up...
 
I say run the USGP on the oval, no road course. That'll stir some American interest.

Personally, I'd rather see 'em do the oval than that boring infield course.
 
qwazy|06
I say run the USGP on the oval, no road course. That'll stir some American interest.

Personally, I'd rather see 'em do the oval than that boring infield course.
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We would probably see more passing, but I like some real turns in my racing.
 
Omnis
Bob Varsha, a president? Of what? I thought all he did was commentate with Hobbs and Matchett.
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That would be Tony George, who is president of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, not Bob Varsha. I was thinking the same thing when I read that.

I absolutely love the IMS as a Formula One track, having attended four consecutive USGPs. It's almost an entirely different atmosphere on a race weekend for the USGP. I hope it stays in Indianapolis, especially since it is not far from my home. I wasn't able to attend this year, but if the race returns to Indianapolis next year or down the line, I'll be sure to attend.
 
I think it's safe to say that F1 is forever finished in America, let them have their oval tracks and Nascar's. If they dont want it, then we wont give it to them.

But Bernie should push to have Indy in F1 for a long time to come.
 
There is'nt enough interest in The USA for F1. And F1 screwed its self by getting rid of Long Beach and Watkins Glen. Bernie is talking about going Las Vegas and running a race along The Strip. It will be yet another street race in America, the only sole purpose of that would of course be money. Lets go back to Long Beach or Watkins glen, not at the sametime though. The best move for F1 in the USA would be to go back to Watkins glen, it is surely more safe then it used to be.
 
tigermoth737
There is'nt enough interest in The USA for F1. And F1 screwed its self by getting rid of Long Beach and Watkins Glen. Bernie is talking about going Las Vegas and running a race along The Strip. It will be yet another street race in America, the only sole purpose of that would of course be money. Lets go back to Long Beach or Watkins glen, not at the sametime though. The best move for F1 in the USA would be to go back to Watkins glen, it is surely more safe then it used to be.
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I'm not so sure... The crowds sure looked big over the weekend and seemed happy to celebrate Schumi's win... Anybody got the offical gate figures?
 
What you're seeing in terms of the discussions around extending the US GP is the usual dance that Bernie dances.

The fact is that whilst the US newspapers and TV audiences care not a jot for F1, the race is well-attended, local businesses make quite a lot from the weekend, and the carmakers are all desperate to move F1 (long considered to be amongst the ultimate in corporate hospitality events) into the US so that they can schmooze whomsoever requires schmoozing.

Also, Tony George is an egotist. He desperately wants F1 at IMS because that way he can claim to have all of the ultimate race series at his venue. For what other reason would he be shelling out the reputed $20m shortfall per year from his own pocket?

All of these things create an environment where the price goes up, but George needs to be seen to be bringing the price down, and feels that (based on the 2005 race weekend) he’s in a strong negotiating position. Bernie, on the other hand, really doesn’t care where the race is, because a race is a race is a race to him, and there are more tracks than there are rounds. Bernie doesn’t need to schmooze anyone or to create TV audiences: as long as the TV companies have their contracts, and the circuits have their contracts, Bernie’s made his money, and mission is accomplished. So from that perspective, Bernie’s not being entirely dishonest when he says he doesn’t care whether F1 goes to the US. However, the teams and manufacturers will be putting pressure on him to ensure that the US race carries on, so there will be some onus on him to sort it out.

I think that – personal ambitions aside – Tony George is a shrewd businessman, and will not roll over in the face of Bernie’s onslaught in the way that others (Malaysia, Turkey, Bahrain, China) have. It’s a deadlock then, but will probably be fairly easily sorted out, especially if George can convince Indianapolis’s mayor that the F1 race is worth a minor investment by the local government.

So, the deal will get done, probably for the full five years that deals are currently being done for. I would think that there would be a small reduction in fee – perhaps for the first year – or that the oft-rumoured 10% year-on-year increase will be reduced. No-one will lose from this.
 
zoxxy
Yeah, more natural-terrain tracks would be incredible. The new tracks all seem so fake, even the middle-of-the-forest-Hockenheim has turned into an artifical course. Thank god Spa is still in. 👍

Hell, whole F1 has turned artificial. There ain't any real heroes in F1 anymore. The teams aren't a small group of petrolheads who live and die for racing, but a bunch lawyers and PR-agents. It's all about money.

**** you commersialism.
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Zoxxy needs to visit The Nostalgia Forum soon, or he'll start getting the shakes if he realizes Spa was canceled again. It must be said that IMS is important from a historic standpoint, but it's one-half balls-out racetrack, and one-half glorified parking lot with all those dull and uninspiring flat corners.

That, and Indy probably has the largest ratio of race fans per capita in the US, has the facilities and wherewithal to do so...a natural choice of venue.
 
I thought I heard something like that! But then it was in again, and now obiously it's out.

Noobed out, sorry. :ouch:
 
Pupik
It must be said that IMS is important from a historic standpoint, but it's one-half balls-out racetrack, and one-half glorified parking lot with all those dull and uninspiring flat corners.
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The same could be said, however, for Monza and Fuji, and Fuji practically is a parking lot now that they put in all of that run-off space (leave me alone. I'm still pissed about the Japanese GP).
It must be said though, that if no one actually went to the race that Bernie couldn't care less. He cares about TV broadcasts. The fans in the stands make him less money than the ones at home. The only one that would care is George, who gets the consession money, and Indiana, which gets everything else.
 
zoxxy
I thought I heard something like that! But then it was in again, and now obiously it's out.

Noobed out, sorry. :ouch:
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That's alright, sometimes I still wonder where Heinz-Harald Frentzen, Jean Alesi and how far up the grid Jordan and Ligier qualified...only to realize they're all missing.
 
tigermoth737
There is'nt enough interest in The USA for F1. And F1 screwed its self by getting rid of Long Beach and Watkins Glen. Bernie is talking about going Las Vegas and running a race along The Strip. It will be yet another street race in America, the only sole purpose of that would of course be money. Lets go back to Long Beach or Watkins glen, not at the sametime though. The best move for F1 in the USA would be to go back to Watkins glen, it is surely more safe then it used to be.
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The Indianapolis attendance has consistently been the largest of ANY F1 race every year it's been there.

(That means more people go there than any other track on the schedule, a reasonable indication of interest.) :sly:
 
And a reasonable indication that it has more room for fans than any other track.
 
Blake
And a reasonable indication that it has more room for fans than any other track.
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So do a lot of the IRL tracks. Have you noticed how they avoid showing crowd shots on TV coverage of those races? I guess all that bare shiny aluminum messes up the calibration of the cameras. :sly: So if you want to talk about a lack of interest. . . .
 

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