Quote:
Originally Posted by Jonerz
These were killed killed in the concession of OWRS/Champ Car to the IRL. So we don't know what the future held for them. Though we can assume further futility in the Champ Car vs. IRL war.
Street courses certainly can be a risky proposition but when run well they can be successful. In spite of the IRL Long Beach continues to exist, Toronto is limping along. But yes, there is a lot of risk in a street course race, but there is a lot of risk in a road race. The two advantages road races have is the brunt of American circuits are established landmarks with solid fan bases (Mid-Ohio, Road America, Road Atlanta, The Glen etc.) and they aren't reliant on the cooperation of city governments.
Chris
EDIT: Oh, and generally the road races are in scenic national parks that promote camping and the weekend schedules can be easier to organize with test days being available in the week (and weeks) leading up to the event. On that note, I am tired of the ALMS being treated as a support series at the IRL street races and having terrible on-track times.
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What risk is there for the series though? Ok, the cities and promotion companies take a big risk because these races usually end up losing a lot of money (my guess is that people like Penske promote races so that all the potential losses fall on someone else's shoulders), but it's all good for the series so as long as the sanctioning fee check clears. The only risk is that the race won't last for too many seasons.
The point about getting 2nd class treatment compared to the IRL is true. There is usually not a lot of track time for practice. Plus, street races are usually sprints. And, like I said earlier, there may be more FCYs.