Nobody

This race was a huge disappointment to me and here's why:

1) Horrible planning:
* 4' wide walkways and one way bridges for XXX thousand people?
* In the most strategic areas (like turn in points) the course was only one car wide.
* Crappy ass food (more sausage vendors than sausage fights at a San Jose club on a Friday night)
* Directions on website were good if you happened to be one of the 6 people in the Bay Area familiar with lightrail.
* Garbage cans strategically placed to all but stop pedestrian traffic.
* Very few places to see more than 20' of track and 1' of car unless you paid the premium for a solar cooker grandstand seat.

2) Open Wheel Racing:
* Until the 8 min. of Formula D started I thought the crowd would be crushed by boredom.
* Aside from the incredible soundtrack, open wheel racing is just plain boring unless you're driving.
* The geriatrics in the ADA grandstands who fell asleep during the Atlantic race were raising their hats and standing from their wheelchairs during the drift exhibition (no joke).

3) Amateur Day:
* Perhaps I'm spoiled with the lack of 'em at BW and TH (and to a large extent Laguna Seca), but man even with earplugs I got sick of hearing whining kids and wives.

4) Hot Car Babes:
* Were event organizers forced to employ corpse-make-up models for a few days due to sponsorship from the anti-cremation league of SJ?
* Or maybe they struck up a deal with the Over-40-ex-con.com website?
* Perhaps, as a friend suggested, they only supplied saddle-bag exposing outfits to 10 runner-ups of the "All You can Consume Hot Dog and Crank" championship?

My suggestions for '06:
*Hold the race in one of many commercial zones in SJ where there's ample space to spectate and to race (that's where most of us practice anyways);
*Invite D1 here and pencil 'em in for a few hours instead of a few minutes;
*Recruit hot chicks from Bebe's in Valley Fair instead of Sizzler in Milpitas;
*Change the name from "Thomas Kinkade San Jose Housing Project Grand Prix" or whatever the hell they called it to simply "Silicon Valley Grand Prix"
*Pay the Drift guys huge amounts of cash for their skills and force the open-wheel guys (and girl) to sleep on the floor of the houses of fans.

That's it for my .02.

silviaks

haha....yea...its only the first year....give them a break.

I was watching from the adobe campus...it was awesome, we actually got free admission by going thru one of the main entrance of the building...

UnkieTrunkie

I had fun. However, it was obvious that the whole thing was held together with duct tape and bailing wire.

I do hope that they pull things together more for next year.

I guess It'd also help if the City Council and the city's planning committee listen to CART early, often,and not change the course 4 months before the race (and after they paid all the residents for the inconvenience).

-B

crs2000

I went today as well, and agree with everything Nobody said. However, while there were problems, I still enjoyed the little that I saw of the cars. The sound on the front straight and seeing them practically airborn going over the train tracks was just awesome!!!

Due to the lack of a view, we ended up outside the track on the 5th story of a parking garage and saw a heck of a lot more there than inside the track.

I'm sure it will be better next year, and I'll be at that one also. Probably in a suite at the Hilton with a view.

Chris

arrrmand

I agree. Horrible planning and awful seating/viewing. I had gold passes that we didn't use because the "best seats" were behind the pit and away from any sort of fast driving. I'm glad I didn't have to pay for tickets/food. I watched from all around and then in the citibank building & parking garage.

jasonw

Sounds like it was put on by "The Apprentice"

s2kennmark

i know how you guys feel, but give them a break this is the first year.

for me, i think it's not bad at all.... Well i am with SCCA and we did pass control and track control, we had a blast coz we had access to the "no man's land" (walkway between the spectator and the track).... i know that almaden bridge was a narrow bridge and that where people cross a lot. we had to open the ADA access to people too for overflow, letting people cross the track in between breaks.

but all in all, champ car loved the turn out and will do better next year. SCCA will make things go smoother and better next year.

iceple

Here's my .02

The event wasn't bad i enjoy myself, sure it could be a lots better.
I got free vip pit walk threw etc. and seating on grand stand suite(free beers food). I had fun, i am sure next year it would be a lot
better.

RWD_RCKT

I did not attend, but I saw the news recap. I am surprised that each driver is not going to the chiropractor after racing over the lightrail "bump." I thought each car was going to break apart!

Tony Yeung

Will there be a next year?