The 12 Hours of Indianapolis?

[rdjones]

Well it might happen in 2005 and it might be a round of the FIA GT Championship. If it does happen it will be on the road course.

Well there was a story in yesterday's Auto-Hebdo and they reckon it might happen. We shall wait and see what happens.........

[Fab]

That's great news, and great expectations !!! The wedding between two of the greatest races ?

[73_Gstock]

I could see FIA GT getting a date before ALMS gets one there. It would definitely add to the F1 weekend as the support race was a little weak. I love the Jellybean SuperCup, but I see enough of them at ALMS events.

I don't think ALMS wants to run there or that Tony wnats them there. I would think Bernie/Max would have a much easier time of adding it to the F1 weekend.

I hope the Saleens are still running as they were few and far between on this side of the pond this year.

[veeten]

don't be so sure, remember as to the chassis builder that's in the IRL presently.

a hint; his name starts with "P"...

[KA]

Originally posted by 73_Gstock
I could see FIA GT getting a date before ALMS gets one there. It would definitely add to the F1 weekend as the support race was a little weak. I love the Jellybean SuperCup, but I see enough of them at ALMS events.

FIA GT isn't exactly short of them either.....

[KC]

Why wouldn't TG be interested in having an ALMS round at Indy? Don Panoz has ties within the IRL system as the Panoz G Force chassis is used there. The cars certainly draw enough crowd to warrant a race.

[pirenzo]

oh, on the road course. Yawn.

It would be like that race they had at Homestead in '98....

[73_Gstock]

I know Panoz owns G-Force.

I also know that Panoz does not want to run Rovals, and that is what he considers Indy's GP course. (Based on a Fan Forum at Mid-Ohio in 2001)

I don't see how adding ALMS at Indy would be a good thing. Or FIA-GT with the F1 race either. ALMS has plenty of races in the Midwest (Mid-Ohio and Road America), they should concentrate on thet North East or Texas markets before adding another race in the midwest.

If the FIA-GT would run with F1, it would be the week after LeMans. Some of the top teams do run at LeSarthe, I doubt they'd want to take three days to get to Indy for a round after the 24. They can't add the GT to the Brickyard or Indy 500 races because they need the parking areas on the infield. Having a road course race during an oval weekend may work at Homestead and California, but I don't think it would work at Indy.

The last possibility is to add a seperate weekend. I don't think the draw is there. It takes a lot of people and money to staff the speedway. I don't think that Tony would be willing to make that investment for a crowd of 50,000 to 70,000.

As far as the JellyBean Supercup comment, at least FIA-GT has a lot of other cars besides the endless assault of Porsches.

[Tim Northcutt]

Some notes from "the Racing Capital of the World"

(You KNEW I couldn't pass this one up!!!!!)

1. The USGP is going to run in June next year...so Indy's schedule runs as follows:
May -- the Indy 500
mid-June -- USGP - F-1
TBD July -- NASCAR tire tests, etc.
1st wk of Aug. -- NASCAR
Thus, this would have to run either with F-1 (no 12 hrs.) or in September

2. the MotoGP SuperBikes were testing at IMS in early Oct....a friend of mine who has a contrqct for signage out there for all events watched them run while he was taking down his F-1 stuff...
This one is very likely to happen...so it'll have to go in some kind of slot somewhere....I'm guessing September????

3. ALMS, because of the Panoz ties with IRL, would be just as likely as FIA-GT...don't bet agianst it...

4. ALMS said in their "State of the Series" info in Atlanta, they are looking for promoters to present events in their series, and not to take on the risk and burden of "co-promote" or "ALMS-run" events...
Tony has MORE than enough $$$ to do this....

5. Finally....the circuit IS rather boring...but in previous threads, I have suggested a "revised Indy" for the ALMS...and I proposed a 6-hr. or 8-hr. event Labor Day weekend

This is currently an "open spot" in the ALMS schedule in 2004 that follows Road America in Wisconsin and precedes Petit...are you reading this, Don and Tony??????

The circuit should be enlarged on existing roads in the infield that are wide, flat and paved already to connect into the 3rd Turn and use all of that turn plus the backstretch and Turn 2...the result would be a 4.6 mile course...2 miles longer than the current F-1 tack there..

the green line shows whre the current road circuit jouns the oval,,,the red lines are the track I am proposing to allow all of the spectator mounds in the infiled, plus all 275,000 seats to watch the racing action....

[gttouring]

Tim that is your best yet- an outstanding track plan, and you can see so much of it! a rival to Daytona 24?
It would be key if they had a full weeks support speed GT, speed world challenge, trans am- and ALMS, then the F1
it would be a wonderful weekend or week? how cool the brickyard 400 should be moved to spetember then.

[Tim Northcutt]

That stretch that goes back toward the turn 3 & 4 area is called "Shaw Boulevard" and it runs through the golf course that has a few holes inside of the track...the connector from Sahw to the 3rd turn is an acces road for the safety crews to put them in position for ttrack service for accidents, etc....it would beed to be widented, but it would be easy to do...

One Last Note:

I would run them counter -clockwise on this circuit so that the prototypes and/or the top 24 qualifiers would be able to use the F-1 garages at the head of pit road...but more important, so that the prototypes could fly down the main straight, through turns 1 & 2 and down that backstretch at full throttle!!!!

I want MY seats to be near the end of the backstretch on Turn 3...that way I can see them pass and race down the backstretch, plus throgh the infield section on Shaw Boulevard....

Can I put it on my MasterCard right now????

[paul-collins]

Tim, what kind of limit have you got on that card?

I have to admit that running the long course would be better. I'm not sure about the counter-clockwise, though, as the infield curbing is all placed based on running clockwise.

[Tim Northcutt]

The curbing is on the inside of the corner apexes...so it would not matter...before creating that layout, I went through the racing lines the drivers run out there in my own mind before creating the new circuit and the new direction to travel...

The only thing I wasn't sure about was fuel hook-ups on the cars themselves....

[KA]

Originally posted by 73_Gstock
Or FIA-GT with the F1 race either.....
If the FIA-GT would run with F1, it would be the week after LeMans. Some of the top teams do run at LeSarthe, I doubt they'd want to take three days to get to Indy for a round after the 24. They can't add the GT to the Brickyard or Indy 500 races because they need the parking areas on the infield. Having a road course race during an oval weekend may work at Homestead and California, but I don't think it would work at Indy.

The last possibility is to add a seperate weekend. I don't think the draw is there. It takes a lot of people and money to staff the speedway. I don't think that Tony would be willing to make that investment for a crowd of 50,000 to 70,000.

As far as the JellyBean Supercup comment, at least FIA-GT has a lot of other cars besides the endless assault of Porsches.

There's no way they could run on the F1 weekend- Bernie would never allow sufficient track time to fit in an FIA GT race, quite apart from all of the TV rights issues- it would have to be run as a separate event in it's own right on a different weekend-

[Tim Northcutt]

Then Sept. is the only possibility...weather is too iffy in April & Oct. (and in May and late Sept. for that matter -- it Hailed at this year's USGP...but not from a thunderstorm...the day was about 48 F and it rained...the air aloft was so cold that hail fell...only in Indiana)

It takes 2 weeks to convert the track from the oval set-up to the road course....can't do both in the same weekend...

Pesonally, I think the Sept event will be the MotoGP Superbikes....Tony wants to ring up some more $$$, and that would be like money in the bank for good crowds....

[frimoto cremasy]

what about running the alms and fiagt as 1 race in sep. as 12 hour race.

[paul-collins]

Originally posted by Tim Northcutt
The curbing is on the inside of the corner apexes...so it would not matter...

Well, the apex will be different for entry one way from the other (because acceleration rates differ from braking rates), but since the inside curbing is pretty much through the corner, no worries.

I was actually more concerned with exit curbing (outside of the corner exit, that is).

[Tim Northcutt]

Good point....but it wouldn't take much to do exit curbs...and when the Speedway does something, they do it right....minus the design of the layout of the current F-1 course...

But a note from the F-1 drivers...the quality of the surface itself for grip, smoothness, and the width of the road portions has been applauded by the drivers...except for when it was cold and very wet this year....

[73_Gstock]

The point I'd be concerned about in your layout, Tim, is the entrance to the main oval at the end of oval-turn 4. It is a pretty direct shot into the wall and they'd carry more speed there than I'd want to to face head first into a wall. You'd probably want to reduce the angle of attack to that outside wall.

As far as a joint ALMS/FIA GT race, it would be great. Why not make it part of the LMES, FIA SCC, FIA GT, and ALMS and have points count for everything! OK, so that is stretching it a bit thin.

No one has mentioned Grand-Am on this thread. Why not? How buddy-buddy are Tony G and the Frances? Could the France/ISC influence be enough to get GARRA in the door to join F1? I know it is the traditional date for the 6 hours at the Glen, but GARRA has shown they really could care less about tradition. They aren't after the 'traditional' sports car fan, anyways.

[Tim Northcutt]

The F-1 Direction takes the cars to Turn 4 up the front straight...not my course direction...

Mine wil run counter-clockwise...the same way the Indy 500 and the Brickyard 400 race on the oval....

The ALMS cars would enter the infiled on the far left side of the image in the middle, then go through the infield and come back out tat the bottom left onto the main straightaway....

Your has been one of my concerns about the F-1 cars until I saw how incredible their brakes are, but even with superb stopping power, I've seen many a driver nearly stack it up trying to make that corner with the way it is designed for the USGP race...

[theracegypsy]

I thought the infield circuit had been designed to run either direction. Certainly having worked it for 4 years I can't think of a spot where it won't work, acepting there may need to be a small amount of curbing work.

The one concern I would have about anti-clock is pit lane entry would be very tight, and cars pitting would be very slow exiting the last turn onto the front straight in order to get across to the left.

Tim, your variation looks great, wouldn't it be great to see the prototypes thundering through those banked turns.

However I recall from when Rockingham & Lautzring opened the FIA were saying they would only allow one banked turn on composite circuits. So it might have to be with ALMS. Great dream, heres hoping.

[Tim Northcutt]

If possible, I would try to use the pit exit lanes that run on the insides of Turns 1 and 2 the same way the Indy cars and NASCAR do from the pit lane....

That way they are re-joining the race course at the beginning of the backstretch and have a 5/8 mile straight to get up to speed....

Entering from that north end of the pits would get them out of the racing line, and the F-1 exit (my entrance) is father down the track than you would think....plus they will be at slower speeds coming out of that corner combination from the infield.....

I'd have to physically see it to be sure, but I think it would work fine...

[Bob Riebe]

Gee-They could put fenders on the Indy cars, call them Can-Am cars and AACHGAAAAG....
Bob

[Dauntless]

Originally posted by theracegypsy
However I recall from when Rockingham & Lautzring opened the FIA were saying they would only allow one banked turn on composite circuits.

All the better for Grand Am, eh?

[Duffacus]

Why dont the FIAGT's start the season early in February, fill the track with water and put ski's on the cars!

Ok maybe not, but you never know!