Your IRL Calendar?

[Roy4]

I was just thinking about this yesterday, and thought about what my dream IRL calendar would be.


Here's mine
R1: Streets of St. Petersburg – 100 Laps
R2: Streets of Long Beach – 90 Laps
R3: Phoenix International Raceway – 250 Miles
R4: Portland International Raceway –100 Laps
R5: Kansas Speedway – 300 Miles
R6: Indianapolis Motor Speedway – 500 Miles
R7: Iowa Speedway – 250 Laps
R8: Texas Motor Speedway – 600km
R9: Watkins Glen International – 60 Laps
R10: Streets of Toronto – 100 Laps
R11: Edmonton City Centre Airport – 95 Laps
R12: Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca – 90 Laps
R13: Chicagoland Speedway – 300 Miles
R14: Twin Ring Motegi – 300 Miles
R15: Homestead-Miami Speedway – 300 Miles
R16: Eastern Creek Raceway – 75 Laps
R17: Streets of Surfers Paradise – 70 Laps
R18: Auto Club Speedway – 500 Miles

[PabloTeK]

Originally Posted by Roy4

I was just thinking about this yesterday, and thought about what my dream IRL calendar would be.


Here's mine
R1: Autódromo José Carlos Pace (Interlagos) – 70 Laps
R2: Streets of Long Beach – 90 Laps
R3: Phoenix International Raceway – 250 Miles
R4: Streets of St. Petersburg – 100 Laps
R5: Kansas Speedway – 300 Miles
R6: Indianapolis Motor Speedway – 500 Miles
R7: Iowa Speedway – 250 Laps
R8: Texas Motor Speedway – 500 Miles
R9: Watkins Glen International – 65 Laps
R10: Streets of Toronto – 100 Laps
R11: Silverstone GP Circuit - 50 Laps
R12: Rockingham Motor Speedway - 400 Miles
R13: Road America - 45 Laps
R14: Chicagoland Speedway – 300 Miles
R15: Twin Ring Motegi – 300 Miles
R16: Auto Club Speedway – 500 Miles
R17: Eastern Creek Raceway – 75 Laps
R18: Infineon Raceway – 70 Laps
R19: Homestead-Miami Speedway – 300 Miles

I've highlighted my personal preferences. I nearly added a Mallory Park round!

[Yannick]

R1: R Interlagos (BR)
R2: R St Petersburg / FLA (US)
R3: R Hermanos Rodriguez / Mexico City (MX)
R4: R Long Beach (US)
R5: O Phoenix (US)
R6: O Indy 500 (US)
R7: O Milwaukee Mile (US)
R8: O Texas Motor Speedway (US)
R9: O Newton / Iowa (US)
R10 R Watkins Glen (US)
R11 R Ile De Notre Dame / Montreal (CAN)
R12 R Toronto (CAN)
R13 R Elkhart Lake / Road America (US)
R14 O Brooklyn / Michigan (double header of two 250s) (US)
R15 O Chicagoland (US)
R16 O Eurospeedway Lausitz / German 500 (D)
R17 R Dijon Prenois (F)
R18 R Brands Hatch (GB)
R19 R Mid-Ohio (US)
R20 R Laguna Seca (US)
R21 O Pikes Peak (US)
R22 O Las Vegas (US)
R23 O Motegi (JAP)
R24 R Surfers Paradise (AUS)

It's just a dream calendar, hence there are 3 European rounds ;-)
I tried to mix classic IRL and classic Champ Car venues like it should be done in a merged series.

[marcostraz]

* Las Vegas
* St.Petersburg
* Barber
* Long Beach
* Brazil
* Indianapolis
* Milwaukee
* Iowa
* Chicagoland
* Watkins Glen
* Toronto
* Edmonton
* Mid-Ohio
* Baltimore
* Sonoma
* Michigan (400 mile race, named "Vanderbilt Cup")
* Motegi
* Kentucky
* Texas
* Fontana

Possible extra races: Sufers Paradise and a race in Mexico for road/street courses, Nashville and New Hampshire for ovals...

[Speedworx]

R1: Streets of Long Beach
R2: Streets of Surfers Paradise
R3: Phoenix International Raceway
R4: Texas Motor Speedway
R5: Milwaukee Mile
R6: Twin Ring Motegi
R7: Indianapolis Motor Speedway
R8: Iowa Speedway
R9: Portland International Raceway
R10: Burke Lakefront Airport Cleveland
R11: Watkins Glen International
R12: Streets of Toronto
R13: Edmonton City Centre Airport
R14: Kansas Speedway
R15: Michigan International Speedway
R16: Rockingham Motor Speedway
R17: Eurospeedway Lausitz
R18: Chicagoland Speedway
R19: Homestead-Miami Speedway
R20: Auto Club Speedway

[JagtechOhio]

You guys are good. Name the broadcasters.

[Yannick]

Originally Posted by JagtechOhio

You guys are good. Name the broadcasters.

Over here, EuroSport would be nice - kind of like during the 90s. Yet, at the time, there is NO coverage of IndyCar here in Germany whatsoever.

[Jacques Rabbit]

Originally Posted by JagtechOhio

You guys are good. Name the broadcasters.

Whoever pays the most for the rights and will let me pick the commentary team and producers.

My total dream schedule would be:
1. Surfers' Paradise (1h 30m)
2. São Paulo (1h 30m)
3. Long Beach (85 laps)
4. Phoenix (200 miles)
*. Indianapolis (500 miles)
5. Milwaukee (225 miles)
6. Texas (twin 275 km)
7. Iowa (250 miles)
8. Cleveland (1h 30m)
9. New Hampshire (200 miles)
10. Toronto (1h 30m)
11. Mont-Tremblant (1h 30m)
12. Road America (51 laps)
13. Rockingham (400 km)
14. Portimão (1h 30m)
15. Lausitz (400 km)
16. Edmonton (1h 30m)
17. Portland (1h 30m)
18. Infineon (1h 30m)
19. Fontana (400 miles)

*I would make the 500 a non-championship race to allow for special non-Dallara safety cell entries with much more open regulations (in short, pass the crash test and be within certain dimensions). Total dream, I know, but...

[Jacques Rabbit]

I made one before, but I want to make a different one. I changed my mind.

1. Surfers' Paradise (90 min)
2. São Paulo (90 min)
3. Long Beach (90 min)
4. Birmingham (90 min)
5. Indianapolis (500 miles)
6. Detroit (90 min)
7. Milwaukee (500 km)
8. Cleveland (90 min)
9. Portland (90 min)
10. Vancouver (90 min)
11. Montréal (90 min)
12. Toronto (90 min)
13. Pocono (500 km)
14. Watkins Glen (90 min)
15. Road America (90 min)
16. Houston (90 min)
17. Mexico City (90 min)
18. Las Vegas (90 min - street course)

A hat-trick of three completely different "500s" albeit two in km, the rest on proper circuits. I like it, but then again, I conceived it, so of course...

[NaBUru38]

Well, it depends on how realistic you want to make the list. In addition, I'd like more circuits that my ideal calendar length would allow. But of course I will give it a try.

Instead of writing the picks chronologically, I'll do it by track type. In each section, tracks are listed by importance.

Permanent road courses:
o- Road America (August, 500km, after a 500mi ALMS race)
o- Watkins Glen (220mi)
o- Laguna Seca (180mi)
o- Barber (200mi, with a better overtaking spot in the backstraight)

I'm not adding Mid-Ohio because of Cleveland, and neither Mosport or Road Atlanta because they won't happpen.

Temporary courses:
o- Long Beach (170mi, April, with ALMS)
o- Cleveland (June or July, 200mi, with ALMS)
o- Toronto (July, 150mi)
o- St. Petersburg (March, 180mi, with ALMS)
o- Baltimore (August or Septemer, 200mi, with ALMS)
o- São Paulo (180mi, with Stock Car Brasil or Argentine TC2000)

Montreal is impossible now, so I didn't put it.

Cookie-cutters:
o- Texas (June, you pick the race, but at least 550km of racing)
o- Chicagoland (August or September, 300mi)
o- Las Vegas (October finale, 400mi or 600km)
o- Kentucky (300mi)

Special ovals:
o- Indianapolis (May, 500mi)
o- New Hampshire (August, 250mi)
o- Milwaukee (June, 250mi)
o- Fontana or Michigan (400mi)
o- Iowa (June, 250mi)

[NaBUru38]

Mexico and Surfers Paradise are so unlikely now that I forgot to mention them. There are better short ovals than Phoenix (I'm not just talking about the track itself), and I already added one or two Western ovals, so I left it out.

[JagtechOhio]

Actually the commentators is what I should have said.Thanks for that bit of news though , Yannick. Do you watch the races online?

[Purist]

1. Rockingham, NC (evening, 300 miles)
2. Phoenix (225 miles)
3. Sao Paulo (2.6 miles, 75 laps)
4. St. Petersburg (1.806 miles, 110 laps)
5. Long Beach (1.968 miles, 100 laps)
6. Kansas (300 miles)
7. Indianapolis (Triple Crown, Memorial Day Weekend, 500 miles)
8. Milwaukee (250 miles)
9. Portland (1.964 miles, 112 laps)
10. Cleveland (2.106 miles, 4th of July Weekend, evening, 120 laps)
11. Iowa (evening, 225 laps)
12. Michigan (Triple Crown, 500 miles)
13. Toronto (1.755 miles, 105 laps)
14. Mont Tremblant (2.65 miles, no Turn 1 chicane, 90 laps)
15. Virginia Int'l Raceway (3.27 miles, 84 laps)
16. New Hampshire (225 miles)
17. Pocono (Triple Crown, Labor Day Weekend, 500 miles)
18. Road America (4.048 miles, 75 laps)
19. Mid Ohio (2.258 miles, 105 laps)
20. Watkins Glen (3.4 miles, Oktoberfest, 80 laps)
21. Laguna Seca (2.238 miles, 105 laps)
22. Suzuka (3.604 miles, 70 laps)
23. Mexico City (no stadium chicane, 85 laps)
24. Nashville (evening, 300 miles)
25. Texas (finale into darkness, 600km/250 laps)

[ptclaus98]

Interlagos
St Pete
Long Beach
Laguna Seca
Michigan
Month of May
Texas
Iowa
Milwaukee
Road America
Mid Ohio
Cleveland
Watkins Glen
Montreal
New Hampshire
Pocono
Chicagoland
Mosport
Portland
Phoenix
Mexico City
Surfers Paradise
California
Las Vegas

[Duff_44]

I limited mine to 22 races, 11 ovals & 11 road/street courses

(2012 dates)

3/4/2012 Sao Paulo, Brazil
3/11/2012 Potrero de los Funes, Argentina
4/1/2012 St Petersburg
4/15/2012 Long Beach
4/22/2012 Phoenix
5/6/2012 Kansas
5/27/2012 Indianapolis
6/3/2012 Milwaukee
6/10/2012 Texas
7/1/2012 Cleveland
7/8/2012 Toronto
7/22/2012 Road America
7/29/2012 Edmonton
8/12/2012 New Hampshire
8/19/2012 Michigan
8/26/2012 Iowa
9/9/2012 Laguna Seca
9/16/2012 Portland
9/30/2012 Road Atlanta
10/14/2012 Chicago
11/4/2012 California
11/18/2012 Las Vegas

[Purist]

I realized there were a few things I hadn't properly integrated, and I just want to change a few more things up anyway.

1. Rockingham, NC (300 miles)
2. Phoenix (225 miles)
3. Sao Paulo (2.6 miles, 75 laps)
4. St. Petersburg (1.806 miles, 110 laps)
5. Long Beach (1.968 miles, 100 laps)
6. Gateway (300 miles)
7. Indianapolis (Triple Crown, Memorial Day Weekend, 500 miles)
8. Milwaukee (250 miles)
9. Texas (evening, 600km/250 laps)
10. Portland (1.964 miles, 112 laps)
11. Cleveland (2.106 miles, 4th of July Weekend, evening, 120 laps)
12. Iowa (225 laps)
13. Michigan (Triple Crown, 500 miles)
14. Toronto (1.755 miles, 105 laps)
15. Mont Tremblant (2.65 miles, no Turn 1 chicane, 90 laps)
16. Baltimore (2.4 miles, 80 laps)
17. New Hampshire (225 miles)
18. Pocono (Triple Crown, Labor Day Weekend, 500 miles)
19. Road America (4.048 miles, 75 laps)
20. Mid Ohio (2.258 miles, 105 laps)
21. Watkins Glen (3.4 miles, Oktoberfest, 80 laps)
22. Laguna Seca (2.238 miles, 105 laps)
23. Suzuka (3.604 miles, for Honda, 70 laps)
24. Mexico City (2.747 miles, no stadium chicane, 85 laps)
25. Nashville (evening, 300 miles)

I at least want to give Baltimore a chance before slotting in VIR instead, though I do very much like VIR.

[PabloTeK]

R1: Autódromo José Carlos Pace (Interlagos) – 70 Laps
R2: Streets of Long Beach – 90 Laps
R3: Phoenix International Raceway – 250 Miles
R4: Streets of St. Petersburg – 100 Laps
R5: Kansas Speedway – 300 Miles
R6: Indianapolis Motor Speedway – 500 Miles
R7: Iowa Speedway – 250 Laps
R8: Texas Motor Speedway – 500 Miles
R9: Watkins Glen International – 65 Laps
R10: Bristol Motor Speedway - 200 Miles
R11: Streets of Toronto – 100 Laps
R12: Silverstone GP Circuit - 50 Laps
R13: Rockingham Motor Speedway (UK) - 400 Miles
R14: Autodromo Nazionale Monza - 50 Laps
R15: Road America - 45 Laps
R16: Chicagoland Speedway – 300 Miles
R17: Twin Ring Motegi – 300 Miles
R18: Auto Club Speedway – 500 Miles
R19: Eastern Creek Raceway – 75 Laps
R20: Infineon Raceway – 70 Laps
R21: Homestead-Miami Speedway – 300 Miles
R22: Atlanta Motor Speedway - 500 Miles

R23: Mallory Park - 100 Miles - Okay maybe not...

More modifications!

[NaBUru38]

Potrero de los Funes would be awsome, but it's totally impossible. Not even Argentine's dirtiest politicians would pay what IndyCar demands. Dakar and F1 are another history.

[Purist]

Pablo, Bristol with Indy Cars is a BAD idea. The track is too short, even with a field of 26 open wheelers, as opposed to 43 stock cars. The surface is a much tighter patchwork than even Nashville, and particularly bumpy because of the concrete, which makes it even worse because Indy Cars weigh less than half as much as the NASCAR machines. Basically, the Indy Cars will move around too much, and especially so given how little room there is. Wheel-to-wheel contact that launches the cars is an inevitability at Bristol with the Indy Cars. Also, consider that the Indy Cars can probably average 150-160mph at Bristol, and how fast that means any accident is going to happen, and how quickly it could swallow up a HUGE portion of the field.

Atlanta is also a bad idea. It's the site of the most graphic Indy or Champ Car pile-up in modern memory back in 2001. There were as many cars involved as in the start crash at the 1996 US 500, but it significantly worse in terms of flying debris, flying cars, and fire. Atlanta and Charlotte are no longer on the schedule for a reason, and I'm still dubious whenever these cars go to Texas.

Atlanta 2001 insanity:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8YKFSQzH6Vk

Sorry, but I could honestly care less about the hardcore oval people. There are only so many active ovals that I find particularly interesting.
1. Indianapolis (because of the 4 distinct corners, and the 500, of course)
2. Michigan (wild races, enough banking with those turns to give an imposing presence)
3. Pocono (a massive tri-oval with 3 distinct corners)
4. New Hampshire (a flat paperclip with real racing room)
5. Iowa (the right shape, banking, and length all together for a short track)
6. Charlotte (the original 1.5-mile tri-oval)
7. Daytona (the size and the banking)
8. Rockingham, NC (a different shape, plenty of banking, and good racing room)
9. Motegi (an egg-shaped oval with racing room, and giving a driver challenge)
10. Gateway (a sort of short track version of Motegi)
11. Texas World (Michigan's forgotten, bigger brother)
12. Rafaela (massive paperclip, but with real corners)

Not quite there:
1. Rockingham, UK (corners too close together, not enough difference between straight and corners banking)
2. Eurospeedway (too equilateral/equilangular, not enough banking)
3. Fontana (just not enough banking to make the turns really distinct from the back straight, or particularly the tri-oval front stretch)

Inactive/defunct greats:
1. Montlhery (the wide, high banks of France that tested the best through the ages)
2. Monza (the massive, old-school speed bowl, with progressive banking before NASCAR had ever heard of it)
3. Rio (a flat, fast trapezoid)
4. Trenton (the tricky, kidney-shaped oval)
5. Chicago (the short track paperclip in its ultimate form)

[Roy4]

*BUMP*

[Peat]

What's an IRL?

[skells22]

Indy Racing League

[Peat]

too early for sarcasm, obviously.

[NaBUru38]

Dream or reality?

If it's reality, at this point I'd like pretty much anything to complete the 16-18 tracks, including Sears Point, Hungaroring and Oschersleben (to name a few boredromes).

If it's a dream, it depends on how much I'm allowed stretch that dream.

Street circuits (in order of relevance):
Long Beach, Toronto, Baltimore, Florida (St Pete or any beach), São Paulo, Surfers Paradise, a second Canadian city (like Montreal or Trois-Riviéres), Detroit.

Road courses:
Road America, Watkins Glen, Mid-Ohio, Barber, Laguna Seca.

Short ovals:
Milwaukee, Iowa, New Hampshire

Cookie-cutters:
Las Vegas, Texas, Kentucky, Chicagoland

Superspeedways:
Indianapolis, Fontana

That was 22. At least 6 of them would be ALMS doubleheaders - the current ones plus Detroit, Road America and Laguna Seca. Watkins Glen and/or Road America should be 500km / 300mile long, the rest 240-360 km depending on average speed to get the usual 90-120min races. Short ovals would be 200-250 miles long, cookie-cutters 300 miles, Fontana 400 and Indianapolis perhaps 500.

[ptclaus98]

Homestead
Atlanta
Barber
Nashville
(2 week break)
Indy
Milwaukee
Chicagoland(night)
Mosport
Montreal
Edmonton
Portland
Laguna
(2 week break)
New Hampshire
Pocono
Baltimore
Cleveland
Michigan
Kentucky
Iowa(night)
Road America
(2 week break)
Fontana
Phoenix
Las Vegas