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Moto GP to Indy in '08, new road course layout
#2 - ajp71
Looking on the Indianapolis website it appears they only have 3 races a year?
Quote from ajp71 :Looking on the Indianapolis website it appears they only have 3 races a year?

Yep, its one of the least used tracks in the country... amazing aint it.
#4 - DeKo
The new road course looks... interesting, to say the least. Looks a fair bit better than the old one, Although now that motogp is there, there is very little chance that F1 will be.
#5 - ajp71
Quote from srdsprinter :Yep, its one of the least used tracks in the country... amazing aint it.

Why does it hold so few events? Noise issues? I assume it runs track days and probably has a racing school but that still doesn't explain how such a facility could be financially sustainable.
Quote from DeKo :The new road course looks... interesting, to say the least. Looks a fair bit better than the old one,

Isn't it basically the old one run in reverse with an extra wiggly bit on the oval turn?
#7 - DeKo
Quote from thisnameistaken :Isn't it basically the old one run in reverse with an extra wiggly bit on the oval turn?

well, yeah, but it doesnt have the frustratingly slow section, and the first part of the old road course was fairly decent. No idea what the new bit is actually going to be like, but if it stops everybody whinging about the banking, its good, surely?
Nope, no track days or anything.

For the longest time it was JUST the Indy 500, but then NASCAR got their race too. The Indy Lights/Pro/Whatever series got a race too around the time NASCAR came. This is the series that almost broke that 90210 guy's neck. IROC raced there ocassionally, but IROC is gone.
Quote from DeKo :well, yeah, but it doesnt have the frustratingly slow section,

Oh yeah, they've made it less ridiculous. I didn't spot that.
Quote from srdsprinter :Nope, no track days or anything.

For the longest time it was JUST the Indy 500, but then NASCAR got their race too. The Indy Lights/Pro/Whatever series got a race too around the time NASCAR came. This is the series that almost broke that 90210 guy's neck. IROC raced there ocassionally, but IROC is gone.

Any reason why it doesn't host anything else? It just seems nonsensical to have such a facility and not use it 49 weeks a year.
#11 - DeKo
is it just me or has the paddock been shifted to the other side of where it usually is, and iirc where a grandstand was?
Quote from DeKo :is it just me or has the paddock been shifted to the other side of where it usually is, and iirc where a grandstand was?

Given the fact its got a penthouse sweet shoved on the back of it I think it's a grandstand called paddock (because it over looks the paddock?). If you look over on the infield there's a building with 'Moto GP Paddock (2nd Floor)' marked on it so either they're using a different meaning of the word or they're not only putting the paddock inside but upstairs to make it really fun. No wonder Bernie can't cope with Indy's paddock if he couldn't cope with the fact Spa was hilly
Quote from ajp71 :Any reason why it doesn't host anything else? It just seems nonsensical to have such a facility and not use it 49 weeks a year.

Part of the prestige of the place came from the fact that only a select few events were held on it. Many cried foul when NASCAR was added in 1994 to be only the second annual event on the track.

Also as far as finances go, a place as large as Indy can't afford to open its gates for small events such as club races or grassroots stock car series, etc. The operating expenses would be too much given the small crowds such events would draw.

Add in the expenses associated with changing the facility from oval to road course configuration (moving walls, crowd control barriers, etc) based on what's racing there and it's just not worth it unless an event can draw at least 150k fans (The track seats 267k in oval config, prolly 220k or so in road-course config).

If Bernie wasn't so arrogant about his series' worth to America, F1 could've stayed and Indy would've had 4 high-profile events worth running at full operation for.
^^ Opening its gates needent be a financial burden, changing from road course to oval layouts should only be the case of putting a few cones out and IIRC in Indy's case it also had an extra tire wall added to the oval turn entry. Rockingham is a speedway/road course track in the UK, it's been a complete financial disaster because it can't attract anything to race on the oval but to give it credit it can be swapped between road course and oval in about 30 seconds. Rockingham doesn't have any of its facilities open at club meetings other than the burger bar, medical centre, race control and the pit garages, they don't always even bother to open the cafe. Similarly Silverstone has a vast number of buildings and facilities that aren't open at club events but it's the small events that keep it ticking and financially viable and can to an extent allow it to get away with barely breaking even on the big events. The beauty of club events for circuit owners in the UK is the club provides most of the expensive administration and normally all the marshals as well and only requires a handful of circuit employees to keep the place ticking.

Obviously Indy's got it sussed if it can be doing well enough on three events to not want to do any more.
Quote from ajp71 :Obviously Indy's got it sussed if it can be doing well enough on three events to not want to do any more.

That's just it.

Roughly 600,000 fans for the 2 oval races at an average of $100-$200USD for race day only.
Practice/Qualifying day tickets for the oval races
Food vendors (even though they allow fans to bring their own)
Whatever MotoGP will draw at approx. $100USD a head for 3 days
Museum (open year-round)
Drive-your-own-car-around-the-track days
Indy car 2-seater rides (approx $400USD each)

And it's been operating like that for decades. And while the profit margin may have been higher before the major upgrades and installations to do with the road course, the IMS coffers are very full.
Interesting. Was thinking how mad it would be if they drove bikes around ovals yesterday while watching the 250 cc race from Sunday.
Quote from Blackout :Interesting. Was thinking how mad it would be if they drove bikes around ovals yesterday while watching the 250 cc race from Sunday.

Well, something's gotta race there. Indy was unusual, and provided some decent races, but it was painful to see the cars going around that tight section. And no, I'm not keen on that antiquated circuit called Monaco either.
Quote from RacingSimFan :
And it's been operating like that for decades. And while the profit margin may have been higher before the major upgrades and installations to do with the road course, the IMS coffers are very full.

What I can't get my head round atm is what possessed them to build a road course to hold one event a year, especially seeing as F1 is often unprofitable for organizers. I had always imagined it was built primarily to open Indy up to the steady income generated by track days and club meetings.
The George family is a bunch of wacko's. They own the track and are morons.

They couldn't seal the deal with Bernie (another wacko) and lost the f1 deal.

Oh yea, they're the ones who started the breakaway IRL from CART, and doomed Open-wheel racing in America into nothingness.

Freaking Idiots.
That it's not used that often (i heard) have something to do with the infield of Indy. There is a golf areal, which cannot be used when races on the Automobil- / Motobike GP- / Oval track taking place. It would be too dangerous for the drivers and players... Imagine an accident (for example) where someone crashes caused by a golf ball or one golf player hit by the wheel of some cars...
Quote from TFalke55 :That it's not used that often (i heard) have something to do with the infield of Indy. There is a golf areal, which cannot be used when races on the Automobil- / Motobike GP- / Oval track taking place. It would be too dangerous for the drivers and players... Imagine an accident (for example) where someone crashes caused by a golf ball or one golf player hit by the wheel of some cars...

Well if a golf course would be more profitable than running smaller events you've either got a very profitable golf course or a very badly organised race track!
Quote from srdsprinter :IROC raced there ocassionally, but IROC is gone.

IROC ... such a great idea, shame it died really
It'll be back, i have a feeling nascar is going to start their own version of it though, so who knows if it'll be better or worse
Quote from DodgeRacer :It'll be back, i have a feeling nascar is going to start their own version of it though, so who knows if it'll be better or worse

Probably giving all the places to NASCAR drivers.

In the UK NASCAR wouldn't be able to exist owning almost all the tracks.
Duke what is this issue you have with NASCAR?
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Moto GP to Indy in '08, new road course layout
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