No USGP Indy 08

[johnbull]

And before we decide that Renault will stay on the fence, remember that they are loosing their home race, too.
Cos

Good point Cossie. I was looking at the fact that they are French, and we know how they are experts at sitting on the fence, however, now that you mention it, the fact that Bernie has taken their GP could actually get them to stand up and do something.

What a shame we have to talk about white powder, stolen documents, no GP here and no GP there when there is so much exciting stuff going on relating to the actual racing.

Like David Coulthard said, this is doing F1 no good at all.

[cosworth151]

I agree completely, JB. There are so many good things going on out on the track this season, it's a disgrace to have all of these other things happening.

I've come across a few more quotes from those involved:

"We didn't reach an agreement... Let's see if we miss America," Bernie told Reuters. The Evil Troll furthermore said that no other U.S. venue was lined up to replace Indianapolis on the 2008 Formula 1 calendar.

Tony George had some kind words for us F1 fans:

"That's hard for me to say because what we've seen here the last few years is the core of Formula One fans. I think you could throw a lot at them, and they're a resilient lot. The challenge is building on that. We started in 2000 with a very successful inaugural event. The second year we were faced with our first challenge, which was run the race two weeks after 9/11. Since then we have been faced with a number of hurdles, which have contributed to our inability to get the kind of traction we had hoped. We thought it would level off after about three years and then start to build, but in that time we had date changes, controversy about a contrived finish with Ferrari, we had the Michelin situation, we had indecision about the date – another date change – and I don't think it has affected the core."

The entire transcript of Tony George's press conference is on The Speedway's website:

http://www.indianapolismotorspeedway.com/news/story.php?story_id=9451

I've been in contact with The Speedway about the fate of existing F1 ticket buyers. If the race returns, can we retain our current seats? Will we be given a chance to get our same seats for the Moto GP race? Since the Moto GP race won't be officially announced until next week, I don't expect an answer before Monday. As soon as I hear, I'll pass the info along.

Cos

[Willy]

Ok, no USGP at Indy. Ralf will be happy if he's still around.
Can someone tell me where the best alternate venue in the US might be for the race to occur in 2008. Is Watkins Glen up to snuff to host an F1 race?

[johnbull]

Is it a coincidence that the USGP was held at the Glen every year for God knows how many years, just like most other GPs, yet now, in the era of the god Bernie, one never knows what to expect from year to year.

That must be doing F1 a world of good. Talk about an ureliable git.

[cosworth151]

Right off hand, I'd say The Glen could be brought into shape quickly. Other sites might be Sebring or Road America. The new Miller Motorsports Park in Utah was built with F1 garages. The trouble with it is, while Salt Lake City might not quite be the dark end of the universe, you can see it from there.

Anyway, there is no place nearly as god as IMS.

[cosworth151]

The Indy newspaper, The Star, had a piece on how the businesses of Indy are impacted:

Grand Prix fans have pumped more than $1 billion into the local economy, according to the Indianapolis Convention & Visitors Association.

"The week of F-1 for us is the best or second-best of the year," said Ryan Nelson, executive chef for The Oceanaire restaurant. "It compares only to the second week of December with all the holiday parties. It's significant. We've had record nights on F-1 Saturday nights. It will definitely be missed."

The international crowd, however, brought a unique flavor to Downtown establishments, not to mention higher bar bills.

"The Europeans are a tad more apt to buy large bottles of wine, or expensive wine," the Oceanaire's Nelson said.

"The F-1 fans are so laid back. The year there were the problems with the tires, they were like, 'Hey, we had fun, bring us another bottle of wine.' The typical American fan would have been more angry."

credit: IndyStar.com

I'm waiting for the anouncement from the track today.

Cos

[Chameleon]

I think Tony George's assessment of the state of F1's following in America is pretty accurate.  I have been impressed by the knowledge and perseverance of American fans of F1 and I could strangle the poison dwarf for throwing everything away.