PortugueseS2K

Hope they do another track in either locale. If they build it, i will come! Anything has got to be better than the "cow pasture" track

Triple-H

Vegas is too far for me to drive...

I even rember the rumors of maybe New York city.
NOVEMBER 3, 2003
Another plan for New York?

SportsBusiness Journal in the United States is reporting that New York City officials have once again been exploring the possibility of building an open-wheel racing venue in the city to bring motor sport to the Big Apple.

The article quoted Ken Podziba, Sports Commissioner of the New York saying that "in the past we would get a proposal and we would respond; now the city of New York, through various city agencies, is working together and exploring various venues around the city." The authorities are believed to have ruled out the possibility of a street race. Podziba refused to discuss with whom the city has been talking but it is almost certain that Formula One is one of the groups that could host the race. It is also worth noting that Bernie Ecclestone was in New York last week, ostensibly to fly on the last Concorde flight back to Europe.

Bernie Ecclestone has never made any secret of his desire to have a race in New York.
With the construction of a purpose-built facility expensive and difficult in a big city, the only real option would be to have a temporary facility in one of New York's parkland areas, based on the model created so successfully in Melbourne. The sanction fees may be high but there is no doubt that the city would make the money back and such an event would boost New York's international profile.

Honestly I hope Indy holds onto it for a bit longer. The crap that happened last year was not Indy's fault and it would be nice if they are givent he opportunity to fully recover from the debacle.

Marco

^^^ umm Doug, in case no one told you, they have airplanes now days..most have JET engines.. you can rent a PU truck and Sleep under the smog and 100 Deg Ambient evening Vegas nights

karwath

The idea of taking the USGP to Vegas for anything other than one-off gimmick, as opposed to a long-term or permanent location, is silly. This talk of LV is BE posturing and positioning for negotiations post 2006 in a country where (especially post 2005) has much less leverage and muscle than in most countries.

Here are some logical reasons why BE really does not want to move the USGP from Indy and why LV does not want F1 nearly enough to pay anything close to what BE would want to allow it to be in LV:

1. A street circuit is never ideal for the modern F1 cars and can you imagine the set up time and tear down time if one were to do it? Logistically speaking it is a nightmare and Las Vegas would not put up with it. Even Monaco has to shut down many streets and recently had to relocate and build an area for modern garage area and a pit lane. The tradition of the Monaco GP and the culture there supports this as F1 is to Monaco like the Indy 500/IRL is to Indy. Vegas has the money to do this if it wanted, but it will not spend the money as the event will actually cost it money in lost gambling revenues (see No. 2).

2. The Casinos make their money keeping people inside the windowless rooms with the tables and machines -- i.e., masses of gray-haired reitrees in pant suits pulling the levers on the slots. Having race fan people come to town to spend the better part of their visit sitting on bleechers outside on the street is contrary to the LV business plan. The F1 circus would actually be a distraction and a huge inconvenience to the Casinos. They do not need F1 to make millions every day, and would actually lose money due to decreased traffic to and among the casinos for hours if not days during the event. LV has enough conventions and other large events that do not mess up the streets and take people indoors, to their machines and tables, to want to pay what Bernie would require for the privilege of having F1 in their city just to take people outside and screw up traffic for days.

3. Unlike Monaco, LV is full of large neon and illuminated ads for casinos and hotel companies that would be getting free TV advertising if the race were run on the strip. BE is such a control freak and a miser he would not give away the free TV advertising to millions across the globe.

4. Vegas is a Nascar/Monster Truck kinda town, even more than Indy, and a "fancy-pants" European racing series like F1 is hardly known in LV, and it simply would not be warmly received or desired by the locals.

Let's face it, until some other world class race track in the US invests the millions in a state of the art garage and paddock, and modern road course, with sufficient spectator seating to support paying BE the price for an F1 event, BE's best bet is Indy. After last year, he lost a lot of negotiating position and leverage to Tony George, and if he wants to keep F1 in the US, he needs to deal with George, or find some patsy who will throw money at him like George did to get the USGP in Indy in the first place.

After 2005, no one who owns or controls any possible road course track replacement location in the USA would touch F1. As a result Bernie is stuck dreaming up a street course farce in a city he thinks is stupid enough to pay him the money he would demand. Vegas is too smart to be BE's patsy. Instead of Vegas, I think it is more likely to be some down on its luck city thinking that F1 will boost its image. Maybe Detroit will take him back! Perhaps we can have the Trenton NJ USGP or even better the Gary, Indiana USGP run in the parking lot of a shuttered steel mill!

If LV was receptive to or doable for a non-oval, open wheel racing series on its city streets, CCWS would have already been there.

Perhaps the owners of the race track outside of Las Vegas will invest the millions to make a modern F1 suitable road course with F1 suitable garages and paddock area, but I doubt it. They'd have to run the race early in the season or late in the season due to the heat but I think those times are already when the Nascar/Craftsman series events are held each year. With no other real race facility available to him, BE is left to threaten a street course, which I think shows just how bad of a negotiating position he is in.

Those of us who enjoy F1 and want to keep it in the USA should want it to stay in Indy until the 2005 debacle is forgotten and the event actually makes enough money for the host that someone else is willing to compete with George for the right to host the event.

Triple-H

Interesting...

It could be Indy has a bit more in their hand than some believe. Reading this article seems to indicate a lot of the decision may indeed be up to Tony, as in maybe the FIA wants the race to stay at Indy.

[QUOTE]Indy will wait until after '06 GP to decide on race's future

Triple-H

1,000%

ICEMAN666

[QUOTE=mav,Feb 17 2006, 12:29 PM] They should come to Miami.

Honda F1

Having F1 return to Long Beach would be great. I'd only have to drive 30 minutes to go watch Not going to happen though...

Well, even if there's a race in LV, it would be nice not to have to fly out so far to attend a race.

Marco

BE said recently to Forget Long Beach. so thats out.
Indy for me is close..350 miles, but the track, city, is so boaring, even thought from your seat you can only see 5 seconds of cars. I remember as a kid, they way they talked how "grand" Indy was, then in 02 i attended the race, and was shocked watch a crummy place it was. This year i took 2 friends with me(1st ever GP) and they said the same thing, so it cant be just me.

Is there ANY track in the USA besides Indy that meets the FIA specs?
There has to be a few doesnt there? What about that track they specifically built for MotoGP in Alabama, Barber Motorsports Park? Even thought they chose Laguna to hold the race, that track is FIA approved or is it just for MotoGP FIA Specs

You know, Michelin never said what the cause of the tire failure was, and if they did I missed it. PD said they tried to make the same thing happen at the factory but no matter what they did, could not reproduce the same problem. What if the 05 thing happens again in 06?? Doesnt matter about new tire change rule, because last year they didnt want them to do any laps.
Now with several teams running Bridgestones, there would be more cars on track, but the import teams (Honda, McLaren, and Renault) would be screwed again along with there fans.

Honda F1

[QUOTE=Marco,Feb 23 2006, 06:35 PM] You know, Michelin never said what the cause of the tire failure was, and if they did I missed it.