2011 Schedule News

[Mr Pink]

Who owns VIR? I haven't seen any races from there but from trackmaps etc. it looks like a nice track?

[mountainstar]

Originally Posted by Mr Pink

Who owns VIR? I haven't seen any races from there but from trackmaps etc. it looks like a nice track?

There are two owners of VIR(unless there is a silent partner) and that doesn't figure into their future plans. In addition the place would need a lot of work to make it safe for open wheelers above Star Mazda. Great track though.

[mountainstar]

Originally Posted by JagtechOhio

As bad as the past year has gone, with zero increase in TV ratings or attendance, I heard something amazing in an interview Saturday. Randy Bernard said that the total "sponsorship spend" went from $34M in 2009 to $81M in 2010.

They have nothing to show potential sponsors that popularity is improving. Hope, rope, and blind cats.

$34 mil to $81 mil? What does that number consist of??? Sponsorship revenue teams are getting?

With the tv ratings and the charted decline there of, they've have to be creative. Time is running out.

The schedule? Well good luck. It's going to be a mismash of whatever they can get.

[JagtechOhio]

The statement about the numbers knocked me out of my chair. The interviewer had other questions in mind, or didn't want to be confrontational , or both.

What in God's name Bernard was talking about, I have no idea. He couldn't have been talking about annual sponsorship revenues, or everybody would be awash with cash...and they're broke.

I guess if you say that Izod has committed to five years (as if) at roughly $10M per year, that you added $50M in total sponsorship spend for 2010???

As for the schedule, where a total of eight ovals is coming from will be interesteing to see. Particularly since Bernard says he wants to raise sanctioning fees (which are now reportedly as high as $2M domestically).

Here's the interview:

http://planet-irl.com/category/indy-500/interviews/

[Alan Green]

Baltimore date moved to September 2-4 (plus some track layout changes)

http://baltimoregrandprix.com/2010/0...-track-layout/

[JagtechOhio]

Ice, your list is still holding up pretty good.

Kentucky had better get approved, and perhaps Motegi will stay in the picture. Beyond that, I think everything else is up in the air.

[JagtechOhio]

This just in from Las Vegas, where talks are described by Bernard as "preliminary".

http://www.lvrj.com/sports/lvms-in-t...101146189.html

That's kind of surprising to me that the picture is not more clear. IndyCar doesn't have a final event for 2011 yet, with the announcement for the schedule due out soon.

Vegas wanted a Sprint cup date in the fall , which they didn't get. Bernard has been hanging out with track owner Bruton Smith all summer. Bernard's ties with the Las Vegas Visitor's Bureau were one of the main credentials he brought with him when being selected for the CEO role.

[JagtechOhio]

Iowa June 25, Saturday night

http://www.kcci.com/sports/24775382/detail.html

[JagtechOhio]

Well, Bernard is in Europe and I thought his projected return was Sept.9.

16AndGeorgetown 2011 schedule will be unveiled Friday Sept. 10th

So if that lines up, all of his meetings were concluded at Chicago and nothing was announced.

I'll still be surprised if Vegas, Fontana, Chicago or Milwaukee are locked in. Seems like the news would have broken.

[fasteric]

I saw something milwaukee is possible..after losing the chicago market..the series would have to be the promoter..ISC tracks seem to be in a fight after the Kentucky nascar date ****ing off Indy

[fasteric]

well it looks like the tracks need races..both the big guys (isc, trk) are losing money in racing..they have stockholders that what a return..the only private corp is Indy..they want a huge return off the invesment in Indy Car Series and they want 200,000 at the speedway..say what u want ..they are problaby the only ones making money on this season..the track is done paid for..ok maybe a little debt for the new pits.. and TG Indy League but paid for having 150,000 for the first and third F1 race..no way can Daytona or Charlotte afford to buy the speedway...bring back TG to organize a proper series around Indy with help from Randy (cowboy) for real promotion and finish what should be a great series..

[fasteric]

all TG said ..was Indy was not for a bunch of brazilans to race at...if thats what u want then say it..and the owners dont know what is good for racing..the remedy was bring up US racers..but u see it in the lower forms road racing..money from racers from south america..fine. I'm a road racer..but its not Indy ..sprints midgets guys that go to nascar cause they cant make a living..when u can race in the trucks rather indy lights for a living..its not the series.. its career path to nothing . its a joke ..the fans..the so called afficinados..every one makes fun of what little we have of racing..when were u supporting a local racer makes good ..buy a Izod shirt..god knows stock fans do..other whise it will die..and then we have MS perfect deal..no racing. then complain..

[JagtechOhio]

Brutuon Smith speaking from his track in Kentucky about Vegas:

http://www.indycar.com/news/show/55-...-vegas-finale/

[NaBUru38]

If IndyCar dares publishing that piece of news, the race is nearly sure. Cool!

The Nascar Truck Series races there on October 15 (Saturday).

[JagtechOhio]

If you want to look at it that way, I hope you're right.

What it tells me is that Randy and Bruton have been trying to sell the race to a promoter for a while now, and it still isn't done. And the schedule is supposed to be announced next week.

If anybody was waiting to see how well Bruton could sell his Kentucky IRL race, they are in for a big awakening.

The people on the track will be sitting closer to each other than the ones in the bleachers tonight.

[JagtechOhio]

Better crowd than I guessed, but still what, no more than 25K? Looks like capacity is cited as 66K.

[gttouring]

Funny how they are playing this with no sense of tradition and makingit so seemingly shady backroom deals . I guess street courses work as people are already in the city and just pay and walk over. What if anything do the tracks do to improve the facilities or make them a good destination? Is that the prob? Is NASCAR screwing with the IRL still? And is there a reason USAC won't cuddle up and vice versa anymore? I am baffled Look-NASCAR has tracks everperson knows they visit evry Sunday every year. Indy could try a consistent track schedue idea andlean it on Saturday nights after a Truck race or something what machinations are keeping a good scedule from happening? Why drop watkins? And not go to road america? I never get it but other thn long beach and Indy I never know off the bat when a Indy race actually is

[marcostraz]

Originally Posted by gttouring

Funny how they are playing this with no sense of tradition and makingit so seemingly shady backroom deals . I guess street courses work as people are already in the city and just pay and walk over. What if anything do the tracks do to improve the facilities or make them a good destination? Is that the prob? Is NASCAR screwing with the IRL still? And is there a reason USAC won't cuddle up and vice versa anymore? I am baffled Look-NASCAR has tracks everperson knows they visit evry Sunday every year. Indy could try a consistent track schedue idea andlean it on Saturday nights after a Truck race or something what machinations are keeping a good scedule from happening? Why drop watkins? And not go to road america? I never get it but other thn long beach and Indy I never know off the bat when a Indy race actually is

I think that a series must go where it's deisred...the Glen is one of my favourite track, but this year the show in the stands was very miserable...for me, if i have to choose between one track with full stands and one track with one-tenth filled stands, I'll go to choose the first track...then if it's a problem with the property of the track that make no promotion for the event, this is a different problem...but it is not disconnected from the choice of the track where to go...

[gttouring]

Oh sure I understand that attendance is why a show would go. It appeArs IRL does what it can to be as unsuccessful as possible

[marcostraz]

Originally Posted by gttouring

Oh sure I understand that attendance is why a show would go. It appeArs IRL does what it can to be as unsuccessful as possible

Maybe it's not only a problem of IRL...attendence at the track is mainly a problem of the property of the track that make no promotion for the event, in my opinion...

[gttouring]

Of course one wonders why a track would not promote itself or the history it has as part of the fabric of the region like baseball and football does in the states or how NASCAR does everywhere it goes even when it is wrong about itself and it's own history. Indy car racing and American open wheel racing has been around since 1900 or something over 100 years to be sure now in it's many forms it can't be that hard to creat a campaign to make it relevnt and get a track list together that could promote itself. All the grandparents and children filling up the stands and the family outings never mind us Anoraks

[JagtechOhio]

Curt Cavin today (Sunday Sept. 5):
_______________________________________________________

Reached by telephone in England prior to the Kentucky Indy 300, IndyCar boss Randy Bernard said meetings with sponsorship groups in Las Vegas will be held later this month.

If a deal to race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway can't be reached, IndyCar will race at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, Calif.

"We'll have 17 races," Bernard said.
___________________________________________________________

So Bernard's association with the Las Vegas Visitor's and Convention Bureau hasn't gotten the job done. Bruton Smith isn't paying for the race, so they still have to sell it to a promoter or they won't run there.

The attendance at Smith's track in Kentucy last night didn't help convince anyone what a great promoter he is.

The Fontana deal is probably set up as a last resort, for a very low sanctioning fee since ISC knows it won't draw.

I still see 15, and expect they cobbled together enough money to run at Milwaukee to make it 16. They are taking anything they can get to make 17, so they can fulfill TV contracts and not force the owners to accept a reduced TEAM payment for less races.

[JagtechOhio]

Ice machine's Aug 11 list:

Sao Paulo
St. Pete
Alabama
Long Beach
Indy
Texas
Iowa
New Hampshire
Toronto
Edmonton
Baltimore
Mid Ohio
Infineon

That's 13, Kentucky is confirmed, Motegi is likely to make it 15.

IF they can find a promoter to pay the sanctioning fee for Vegas, my guess is Vegas (16) and IRL subsidises Milwaukee to make it 17.

If nobody in Vegas will pay the $2M, my guess is that they do a two-for- one deal with ISC and run Fontana to get Chicago. With neither ISC nor the IRL promoting either race.

IRL probably has to hit 17 to satisfy TV contracts and insure full TEAM money to the owners.

Bruton Smith ruled out Charlotte. I don't think there are any real options other than the ones mentioned.

[gttouring]

The Chicago race was blisteringly fast and exciting not redoing that insanity is nonsensical a great race usually why the insane sanction fee? Not for nothing but I would certainly lower all the "fees" and all to get the stands packed and leave promotion to the track now that they have more money to do so

[Yannick]

The departures of Watkins Glen and Chicagoland are lamentable.

It's too bad that ISC seems to have an agenda that rules out financially successful open wheel events at their circuits at this point in time. Instead, they should be happy for every single great event they can stage at their tracks. It's not like The Split happened yesterday, but favoritism like that is not good for auto racing in general, be it with or without roofs.