Indycar Iowa June 22/23 Night Race

Interesting thoughts but not reality. I served time with Indy Cars and spent considerable time with the Cosworth DFX during the late 70's-early 80's. Was friends with the late Gordon Smiley (killed at Indy in 1982) Spent time developing equipment for two auto manufacturers during that period. Hold 3 US Patents related to Automotive Electronics direct related to both Indy Cars & Formula Atlantics. As for misconceptions, it is you that is misdirected. Current attendance & TV viewership is down. WAY DOWN. During the CART years Indy Car was considered to rival Formula One for both attendance & technical expetise. Just recent I had this conversation with Gordon KIrby via email and he concurred that the lack of innovation, failure of leadership and the "spec class" format has done serious harm to Indy Car racing. Would also care to explain as to noted individuals such as Tony Cicale, Steve Horne & Derrick Walker have effectively removed themselves for competition. Mr Cicale did an article with Gordon Kirby and has effectively stated the same reasons I have. You might wish to reconsider you position as I do speak from experience. Here are just a few examples:

http://www.gordonkirby.com/categories/columns/theway/2009/the_way_it_is_no195.html

http://www.gordonkirby.com/categories/columns/theway/2011/the_way_it_is_no316.html

http://www.gordonkirby.com/categories/columns/theway/2011/the_way_it_is_no310.html

 

Take a deep breath, I'm sure you will be insulted by the reality of what I'm about to say.

Thanks for your contributions 35 years ago... I can appreciate your passion to make the sport better.

MY position stands. I'll spare you the hotdog measuring contest, my relationships with drivers, team owners, league officials, track presidents, sponsors, manufactures blah blah blah. I am a fan of the sport and respect what these people do and the forward progress they are making.


I ask again, When have you recently been around a Driver, a Garage, a Team, or a Race Go give it a fair shot then come back and try and tell us what they are doing isn't impressive. I guarantee it will exceed your expectations.


Don't come here expecting to thread crap and be received with open arms Every freakin week there is some one who stops by for a nostalgic trip down memory lane. This is about the race it self the present. There are true fans still out there, ones who havent jumped ship.

Feel free start another thread on how Indy isn't living up to its potential, id be happy to stop by and i'm sure there would be a lot of good discussion in the process..

 

In answer to your questions:
1) Yes I have and it is not a sport in which I would care to participate in.

2) No, a question was put in front of me, What makes a great Race car? I answered.

3 And it wasn't about starting crap, it was a statement about how great the racing is. I have seen better racing at the friday night midgets.

Now in all fairness to you, I simply prefer to acknowledge the fact that the racing prior to the IRL/CART split was World Class. Proof of that is the amount of drivers, cars & teams that came from other forms of world class racing. Instead of trying to call me out, why don't you look at the history of open wheel racing and see that the product today is far from what it once was. And yes, I do care, I believe the young people today should have the same chance to make history as their formers. I will ask one simple question....When was the last time you heard the words......"Its a new track record" A top tier motorsport those words are used frequently. Unfortunately, you won't under this rules packeage. And that is why people aren't watching or attending. So please understand It is about a charade being played, not about an individual or teams. The best simply means one thing..."true competition". And with that, I will leave it there. I hate to think I am ruffling any feathers.

 

No doubt! New car, engine competition, versatile drivers, aero adjustments, turbos, road/street/oval racing. IndyCar is the total package. The new car in speedway trim is beautiful.

Went to Barber, Indy and Milwaukee so far this year and have watched every single lap of every race. Excellent racing.


Coming back home from Milwaukee, we were passed on I-94 by Bobby Rahal driving a Shelby Cobra.

 

Sorry but you are wrong:

Derrick Walker is the GM for IndyCar team Ed Carpenter Racing. ECR uses Derrick's race shop as their HQ. Derrick is still highly involved with both IndyCar and his Falken Porsche team.

If you need proof, pictures are worth a thousand words and I was in his shop in Feb.
https://picasaweb.google.com/ZUL8TR83/ECRGarageTour22012

As for your comments on IndyCar management, Randy Bernard is doing a heck of a great job in moving this sport forward. Just like anything that has had a slump, it doesn't turnaround overnight. Beaux Barfield is a seriously welcome addition to race control.


It always amazes me how people that complain they hate IndyCar so much can't help themselves but pay attention to it and complain constantly about something that happened years or decades ago.

 

When people mention attendance and tv viewership I think many are missing out on a major factor in the decline in most sports on why. CABLE TV ! While it once helped fuel the rise of motorsports and introducing many that may not have it near them , it has since diluted the sports with the introduction of so many newer "extreme sports" much like being in a town with so many options , just look at baseball teams in FL home attendance being weak with so many options for entertainment whether it be sporting events to boating ,beaches or whatever.

 

Gee, you FINALLY figured it out: Yes, it IS a 'spec' series.

Cosider this:

Cost of IRL: $$$$

Cost of F1: $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

Any questions?

Listen, I don't like what open wheel racing has come to in this country any more than anyone else, but the costs, or more precisely the ROI for open wheel racing in this country simply IS NOT THERE.
It's not there for any series, really, but who watches Indy racing? Few. THAT is the problem. It isn't the 60's or 70's anymore.

 

It is just a degradation over time, it didn't happen overnight.

And the other person is also quite correct: too many options to watch on TV, being on TV pushed the cost to compete up in a huge way - look at nascar - went from nothing to where it is now - because of TV. And so have the costs to compete. Same with F1.

It is what it is, no other way around it.

 

I certainly agree that there is a great deal of competition for a person's attention. When it was just 3-4 stations, it was pretty easy to pick up on what was going on. Not so anymore.

Upside is NBCSC broadcast 6 hours of IndyCar on Sat, then replayed the race again yesterday. Yes it is a cable channel and people need to subscribe accordingly. Most folks have internet access and IndyCar is putting the full races up on their youtube channel after every race.

As far as ESPN/ABC's coverage, please don't get me started on how poorly they have been broadcasting.

 

Interesting thoughts, but again not all accurate.

1. Mr Walkers involvement has been limited to some activity with the Carpenter Racing team. His renting of the shop is about money pure and simple. He has also been approched by Indy Car management and has turn them down TWICE!

2. Indy Car attendance and TV rating are down for one reason ...they lost their market. This same arguement about variety and cable was around during the 80's and 90's. Ever heard of a product called Sponsor's Report? They were ones who provided most Indy Car teams information as to camera time, focus time and evalution to teams for their sponsors. Similar services exsist today. Bottom line....Product value (Indy Car racing) does not meet sponsor requirements based upon Indy Cars current market value. In short, fewer eyeballs means fewer dollars. And by the way, the market was and still is college educated, 35 and over, annual mean income $75k and over. Guess what guys......they don't like the product.

3. In regards to Mr Bernard, that is an opinion. Care to explain why a group of owners lead by Panther Racing Pres. John Barnes is looking to give Bernard the gate? They ain't happy guys and when owners aren't happy they generally do something about it. Roger Penske stated recently.." They will look at it at seasons end". Does that sound like an endorsement for said leader?

4. As for watching or paying attenion....Hardly. My interest is from a business stand point only. My information comes from reliable sources within the racing community.

Politely put...things aren't so grand in Indy Car land. As stated earlier, if you enjoy it please continue to watch. But don't dilute yourself into think that this is going to improve and the racing is great. People that know are staying away for one reason....it isn't

 

Hopeful it will continue. With the loss of Formula Alantic it did do some damage. American drivers do need a race series similar to the Europeans. Any forward step that provides both oval track & road course experiece will help solidify American particapation in racing series like F-1.

 

Some recent pictures from real Indy fans...

It's ok TPanz we won't tell anyone that you actually looked..

http://ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=371420

 

Turbopozer...
1. You specifically stated that Derrick Walker was not involved in IndyCar what so ever. You were shown you were wrong, or could it be you were purposely misleading people because you now say you know DW is minimally involved? I find that odd.

2. No one is arguing that viewership/attendance is down. Point is that it is starting to increase. It is trending the correct direction now. That is a positive.

3. Team owners are never happy. It is impossible to please everyone all the time. Randy put the stop to nonsense pretty quick. Not a single owner came out publicly to discuss trying to fire Randy. Why? They can't fire him. Randy does not work for the owners. He works and reports to the Board of Directors. He has stopped the money loss. The series attendance and viewership is increasing. New chassis and engine competition. He has brought in Beaux Barfield for Race Control. Yes, there have been a few hick-ups there, but they are working to fix past rules and bring consistency to handling violations.

4. You say you are not "watching or paying attention". Since you are not doing either, then you cannot speak to anything about the sport. Why? You aren't paying attention, thus your words have no merit. Additionally, you don't know me personally and most likely don't know others on this forum, so you have zero idea who our contacts are.

Politely put, based on what you keep posting, you come across as someone locked in the old CHAMP/CART days. They both failed and are long gone. If that is what is so important to you, go put in a VHS or BETA tape and watch the recordings of the past.

Oh yea, "Kid, get off my lawn!"

 

SMS...keep up the posting! Otherwise we need to head back over to Webby's site and argue politics. LOL!

 

Again interesting but not quite accurate:

1. As for Mr Walker , you are correct. My information was that he was acting as an "advisor" and not involved with the day to day operations. Information provided was inaccurate.
2, You state that viewership is increasing. Please note:

1.IndyCar Opener Down a Quarter: The season-opening IndyCar Series Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg drew a 0.9 final rating and 1.279 million viewers on ABC March 25, down 25% in ratings and 31% in viewership from last year (1.2, 1.840M). Rained out coverage in 2010 drew a 0.6 and 814,000 viewers.(DWN)
2.IndyCar Draws Just 218K on NBCSN: The IndyCar Series Honda Grand Prix of Alabama drew 218,000 viewers on NBC Sports Network last Sunday. Through two races on ABC and NBCSN, IndyCar viewership has declined 27% from last season. (Sports Business Daily) (DWN)
3.Viewership Rises For IndyCar From Long Beach: Sunday’s IndyCar Series Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach drew 468,000 viewers on NBC Sports Network, according to the Associated Press, up 45% from last year (323K). NBC Sports Network has had a 9% increase in viewership for IndyCar races this season. (The Associated Press via nj.com) (UP)
4.Though down only slightly from last year, the 2012 Indianapolis 500 earned one of the lowest overnights ever for the event. The IndyCar Series Indianapolis 500 drew a 4.1 overnight rating on ABC Sunday afternoon, down 5% from last year (4.3), but up a tick from 2010 (4.0) The 4.1 overnight is the second-lowest for the Indy 500 since the race began airing live in 1986. As recently as 2008, the race drew a 5.1 overnight. Though the race itself was down from last year, the prerace portion of ABC’s coverage earned a 1.9 overnight — up 46%. For some perspective, the rain-delayed 2012 Daytona 500 drew a 7.7 rating in primetime.
5.The IndyCar Series Indianapolis 500 drew a 4.3 fast-national rating and 6.8 million viewers on ABC Sunday afternoon, up 8% in ratings and 1% in viewership from last year (4.0, 6.711M), and up 19% and 17% respectively, from 2010 (3.6, 5.793M).(UP)
This marks the highest rated and most-viewed edition of the Indy 500 since 2008 (4.6, 7.245M).
Even with the four-year high, the race lost once again to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Coca-Cola 600 on FOX (4.4, 7.405M). Over the past decade*, the Coca-Cola 600 has drawn a higher rating than the Indy 500 in every year but one (2005), and has had more viewers every single year.
6.IndyCar Earns 0.7 on ABC: Sunday’s IndyCar Series Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix drew a 0.7 overnight rating on ABC Sunday afternoon — down 22% from the network’s first telecast after the Indy 500 last season (Milwaukee: 0.9), and down a tick from the first such telecast in 2010 (Watkins Glen: 0.8). After a lengthy track delay, the race concluded on ESPNews. (Sports Business Daily) (DWN)
7.Recent IndyCar Numbers, Including Texas: Rain-affected coverage of Sunday’s IndyCar Series Milwaukee IndyFest drew a 1.0 overnight rating on ABC Saturday, up a tick from the same race on the same weekend last year. Race coverage lasted one hour on ABC before moving to ESPNEWS. The previous weekend, the Firestone 550 from Texas drew 384,000 viewers on NBC Sports Network, down 27% from last year (525K). This year’s race aired opposite Game 7 of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals and Game 2 of the NHL Stanley Cup Final. (Sports Business Daily, NBC Sports) (DWN)
8. From IndyCar.com and ESPN PR .. ABC’s telecast of the Milwaukee IndyFest Presented by XYQ showed an increase in national ratings and viewership over the same race in 2011. Based on data numbers provided by Neilsen Media Research and ESPN, the race delivered a 1.0 household rating and 1,409,000 viewers -– an increase of 14 percent over 2011’s race, which was also televised by ABC. The start of the 2012 race was delayed 90 minutes because of rain. The rating is a 20 percent increase among households (1.0 vs. 0.8) from last year’s race (UP)
9. Iowa-not received yet.

That sir is not a increasing viewer market. It is mixed at best.

3.Team owners have more than one reason not to be happy. Please note:
http://pressdog.typepad.com/dogblog/2012/06/michael-andretti-on-team-bonding-randy-bernard-the-new-car-and-mazda-road-to-indy-1.html#more

This was brought to my attenion several months ago. One of the reasons why owners are not happy. Promised one thing and got something else. Costs were supposed to go down not up!

4. I can speak based upon what is presented to me. Roger Penske doesn't need to watch a mechanic prepare a car to know the car is being prepared. Same for this. People keep me informed as to what is happening. While I may not know every little detail about every team, I do get the broad spectrum of the problems facing Indy Car.

5. As for being locked into a past era, you are sadly mistaken. In fact I will be seeing some individuals later this year pertaining to this subject and their involement. As for who you know or I know, it is all opinion and perspective. They have their thoughts as you have yours and I have mine. As for the name calling (turbopozer)...bad form and rather childish in my opinion. As stated, I keep myself abreast of what I can but if expecting me to know every little detail.....sorry...too busy! All in all I continue to see a dark horizon for this series and with rumors swirling about title sponsorship leaving, (possible breach of contract) I prefer to listen to those who have a vested interest in the series. From those I speak with....again not the best of conditions.

 

For all of you others who are F1 Elitists like Panzer, so be it.

I have watched a ton of racing in the last 20 years, (along with working in NASCAR at NCS for 3 years) and admittedly being a road racing fan I am pleased that INDYCAR racing is focusing on just that, but I have enjoyed the racing on ovals and went to the 500 again this year and it was really fun to watch.

I like F1, but going to F1 races isn't always feasible for a variety of reasons. I will never claim Indy cars rival F1 cars for technology or performance, but as far as the racing goes it has been EVERY bit as good as F1 during the last 5 years.

F1 is having it's first truly competitive championship season in a decade, and the quality of the drivers in INDY CAR at the front of the field is very good, and I would guess that most of the folks throughout the field could hang with the likes of Senna's nephew and Daniel Ricciardo.

The bottom line is as far as racing goes (spec series or not) it is every bit as good as F1 and as you have attested (due to the nature of spec racing) we can see how good the drivers are vice watching drivers handcuffed by POS machines in F1 that can't spend enough money to keep up with the Jones'.

As a racing fan I enjoy many types of racing, including F1, LeMans, and MotoGP, but to rain **** on Indy like this is unwarranted in my eyes, but hey, that is why we all support what we like, and I will support Indy Car racing as long as they keep improving the product and put on good races. I will be going to the Baltimore race too.

 

I don't understand the need by individuals to want to drag others enjoyment down. This thread was started to discuss a specific race and people wanted to find enjoyment in sharing their interest and passion for IndyCar racing. If you don't subscribe to that, then take the hate and misinformation elsewhere. It really is that simple. I'm am officially bored with feeding the trolls.

 

Revision to number 9

 

You really need to get a life! As someone else said, please take your BS back to Crapwagon.

 

No problem. Keeps everyone on their toes!!!

 

No...you need to wake up from your fantasy....please note

http://auto-racing.speedtv.com/article/indycar-owners-series-continue-to-work-on-cost-reduction-strategy

 

Yawn

 

I put Turbopanzer on my Ignore List a couple of days ago. It's making this thread much more enjoyable.