Open-Wheel Discussion

[Frigus5]

I feel you, but unless you can fund IndyCar with a boatload of money (the size of a cruise ship), city/street courses are the only revenue-generating venues besides permaroadies, Indy, and Texas. And even that's questionable, with how far the promoters of Baltimore are in debt at this moment.

Oh how nice it would be for an oval track to actually WANT IndyCar to race there. It almost seems that all the oval tracks nowadays don't want anything to do with open wheel racing anymore. Where back in the day it was a feeding frenzy for all.

 

[Fisha695]

American Openwheel Racing has always been split pretty much 50/50 Oval/Road & Street when you break it down & 2012 is no different.

Really think about it, AOwR isn't just Indycar and the Indylights Series, it's all Openwheel racing in the USA/Canada. WoO Sprints are 80some AOwR Oval races a season then you add in USAC, all the various smaller regional touring Sprint/Midget series, local track versions of those classes, the Indycar/Formula style car Oval races, and heck you could even throw Modifieds in there if ya want.

Just like there are tons of regional SCCA type Junior Formula series that run only Road Courses, then the Indycar races at those tracks & even the Modified races at those kind of tracks too.

My take on how to fix it is get rid of the Indycar series as we know it. We need "GP2 North America" with 15 or so races a year in Canada/USA/Mexico, and then you have the WoO Sprints/USAC SilverCrown/Midgets as the top National Oval Series. Take the Indy 500 and turn it back into a 1-off race with it's own set of rules, I'm not saying it has to be Front-Engine Roadsters but it can't be these Modified Formula Cars that it's been for the past 30some years either, heck I'd be fine with the Indy 500 turning into an IROC style (still openwheel) race where the best 23 AOwR races (both road & oval) are entered and then 10 "All-Stars" which are International Drivers or NASCAR guys that want to do the double or other drivers like that.

 

[dalejrgamer]

AUTO RACING - INDYCAR: Plourde Wins Fourth Consecutive Champ Car Title In 2011

Before you ask, it's fake.

 

[dalejrgamer]

rip baltimore gp nevr 4get (unless they find a new promoter or the city runs the race)

 

[Frigus5]

Thats a darn shame. That was a great circuit.

 

[WALZ]

I think this thread has met it's end. It's gotten too long and there is too much mixed discussion. I will soon close this thread forever. In its place there will be:
2012 Formula 1 Discussion
2012 IndyCar Discussion

These will be stickied so they'll be easy to find. If there are others that are needed, go ahead and make them and let me know so I can stick them.

Thanks!

 

[Mike24]

^Thanks, Walz.

I was literally thinking the same thing the other day..."hmmm, the open wheel thread is getting crowded, we should have threads for 2012 to start fresh..."

Then I come on and see you've already done it! That's too funny... lol

 

[Frigus5]

Eh, general F1 and IndyCar threads would have sufficed. I don't really understand just the 2012 only threads. I think just general IndyCar and F1 threads would be the better route, but that's just me.

 

[celticfang]

Agreed, rename the 2012 to general ones, saves making a new one every year

 

[dalejrgamer]

Or we could just rename the threads every year.

 

[WALZ]

I decided to do years because ultimately it will lead to easier to follow discussions. Older stuff is nice for the archives, but having threads that have 200+ pages of old discussions that aren't even relevant anymore isn't very user friendly.