CCWS to DITCH OVALS in 2005 ?!?!

[Superunknown]

Originally posted by Snrub
Since you've said "few" I'll have to disagree. My take on the issue: 2 and 3 years ago IRL racing stunk. 3 years ago CART's oval racing was fantastic. 2 years ago CART's oval races were pretty decent. Last year CART's ovals were pretty boring, IRL had some real stinkers, but Indy for instance was an okay race. This year the IRL races are of acceptable quality and certainly surpass what CART did last year.

CART oval racing has sucked for more than 3 years, early 90's milwaukee, nothing finer that ever went in circles... cept for early 90's Indy of course

[JonnyT]

The only open wheel oval races I've ever found interesting were those with the Wing. I've never seen a truly exciting IRL race and saw just a few interesting CART oval races. I have always wondered why the Indy 500 was so highly regarded, outside of any historical context. NASCAR can be interesting, but even those races tend to be boring-even more so as the older tracks are being weeded out. Forget ovals. Give me roads and streets all the way.

[macdaddy]

From JonnyT
Forget ovals. Give me roads and streets all the way.

If it were a perfect world, and things were up to me, I'd say Forget streets. Give me roads and ovals all the way. With the notable exceptions of LB, GoldCoast, TO and Vancouver.

Welcome to the forum, JonnyT!

[Superunknown]

vancouver's never been a track worth much really, successful event, but it's typical street circuit quality, st pete provides far better opportunities

anywho, my dream list would only leave in LB, TO, Surfers (all 3 great events, not so much w/ the racing unfortunately) w/ St Pete, and ADELAIDE...

now ADELAIDE was a street course to be proud of!!

[Mags]

Originally posted by Superunknown
vancouver's never been a track worth much really, successful event, but it's typical street circuit quality, st pete provides far better opportunities

anywho, my dream list would only leave in LB, TO, Surfers (all 3 great events, not so much w/ the racing unfortunately) w/ St Pete, and ADELAIDE...

now ADELAIDE was a street course to be proud of!!

HUMMMM, don't tell Alessandro Zanardi, or Al Unser Jr, or Paul Tracy, or Michael Andretti that. Vancouver was always a great passing place for drivers that KNEW HOW TO.

[Superunknown]

Originally posted by Mags
HUMMMM, don't tell Alessandro Zanardi, or Al Unser Jr, or Paul Tracy, or Michael Andretti that. Vancouver was always a great passing place for drivers that KNEW HOW TO.

no, vancouver's always been very tight and bumpy, not that it's a bad circuit, it's technical like detroit was but with straights, but saying it's a great passing place for drivers that know how means that every track save miami is a great passing place yada yada

[climb]

Bck on topic, I think that variety has always been a Cart' plus.
Reducing track type to two would impoverish technically the series.

[Dick Spanner]

Could another reason for dropping ovals be down to the shortage of chassis? Let's face it, it's a damn site easier to write your car off on an oval!
As with climb, I personally think it's a shame, I love all kind's of circuit racing and one of the attractions of champ cars is that they'll race on all of them.

[climb]

Dick,

I think that travelling around the globe with such an international schedule would be way more expensive than securing one more chassis in case of crash.

[indycool]

The thread title is about dropping ovals. OWRS has only one left to drop -- Milwaukee -- and that wouldn't be a major issue on the schedule or with the current list of owners and drivers. The fans at Milwaukee are going to get their oval racing with the IRL. OWRS' current "sell" is road and street racing and is no longer "diversity."

[racinthestreets]

OWRS' current "sell" is road and street racing and is no longer "diversity."

It would appear that this is so. I hope it is temporary, "diversity" is what has separted Champ Cars from the other open wheel racing series. Maybe Champ Cars are destined to be the "minor" league to F1. IMO Diversity is the seperator.

[indycool]

Yes, it WAS the separator. Running one mile oval as a token is not the diversity factor that it used to be.

[Dov]

Originally posted by indycool
The thread title is about dropping ovals. OWRS has only one left to drop -- Milwaukee -- and that wouldn't be a major issue on the schedule or with the current list of owners and drivers. The fans at Milwaukee are going to get their oval racing with the IRL. OWRS' current "sell" is road and street racing and is no longer "diversity."

WRONG!!!Taken from another forum: At the fan forum in Long Beach, OWRS president Dick Eidswick, while answering a fan question, stated that the strength of CHAMPCAR lays in its diversity that includes ovals, road courses and street courses and that this will be addressed on the 2005 schedule to be released at the end of July

[Superunknown]

I think track forum is that way indycool ---->

[zerO]

Originally posted by Dov
WRONG!!!Taken from another forum: At the fan forum in Long Beach, OWRS president Dick Eidswick, while answering a fan question, stated that the strength of CHAMPCAR lays in its diversity that includes ovals, road courses and street courses and that this will be addressed on the 2005 schedule to be released at the end of July

Yep, Eidswick did say that, but I don't think he's completely "in the loop" - two months ago Forsythe said that Champ Car is "going iternational", and last month Kalkhoven confirmed it - in both instances each have said that they hope to keep oval racing in order to preserve "diversity" ?!... now, add to it plans for the "new engine/chassis formula" and very likely oval racing (ie: Milwaukee) will be gone either next year or 2006 for sure... that's only my understanding/opinion mind you...

zerO

[indycool]

That's kind of what I'm saying, zerO. They talk about keeping diversity and ovals (plural, instead of "oval," singular, which OWRS has now). But one token oval doesn't EXPAND the diversity of prior years. Maybe they'll go back to Lausitz or someone will refurbish the Calder Park Thunderdome. zerO's list on the forum shows road and street courses all over the world. If some of those "hit," OWRS' tolerance for an oval at Milwaukee just to claim diversity is over.

[racinthestreets]

I agree Indycool, more than a token oval is needed. It is unfortunate that the entities that control super ovals are not ally's of CCWS. I do not know what to make of the testing done at Fontana's infield, but I don't think too much can be read into that. DIVERSITY PLEASE

[Superunknown]

gateway is dover owned, if champcar wants to be there, they probably can arrange it, no excuse to only have milwaukee