$2,000 ticket for Thermal indycar race?

[racerxf12004]

What do you guys think about the $2,000 per ticket cost for Thermal in March? That is the only ticket that can be purchased. Parking and lunch is included.... you think there will be more than 100 people at it?

[broadrun96]

Well given they aren't trying to sell it to everyone there price is fine, it's offered to club members first and then the public. And they are trying to limit the fans on site, it's intentionally priced to promote the club profits and pay for the event. They don't have any infrastructure and couldn't support more than they're offering.

[NaBUru38]

For that price, I want an assistant that puts fruit slices in my mouth.

[Adam43]

Interesting euphemism.

[Rob29]

Where is this event? never heard of it before

[joeb]

Originally Posted by Rob29

Where is this event? never heard of it before

It is a relatively new private track in California. Indycar had a test there last year I believe and now they are doing this one off, non-championship round.

[Adam43]

I’ve driven it! It’s fun. Not really sure what it’ll be like for Indycar, but it was quite interesting. A couple of false apexes that kind of thing.

It’s a weird place. It’s basically a private race track. It also has a skid pan and stuff like that.

You purchase a subscription and land near it. Where you have to build a mansion on it, but it is right next to the track and you’ll probably have a balcony to look over it.

That is the real way to watch this race. So actually $2k is cheap!

[broadrun96]

Think if you own a property I think it is included in that package, 2k is just for us peons. But you get a lunch so there's that

[racerxf12004]

Looks like they couldn't sell many tickets and lowered the ticket price to $500

[joeb]

More on the race format:

https://racer.com/2024/03/18/the-ind...ng-at-thermal/

It will be 10 laps, then a break, then 10 more laps for some reason. Drivers think it is an odd thing too

[broadrun96]

And the payout is halved because originally it was going to be like Ferrari Challenge and each car would have a member "sponsor" who got 500k for their car winning. Yeah, you heard that right a rich guy was gonna get as much for "his car" winning as the winning driver got. Oh but they cancelled that and kept that money so is still 500k to the winner not the million they advertised. Turning in to an absolute joke and hope the ratings are in the dumps. 40 min of racing isn't even an F1 sprint race and at least that's one race, there's more time on track for amateurs at a local short track than this.

[Teretonga]

Given the attitude of Dixon, Power, and Veekay, regarding this event at Thermal, I wonder if the 20 laps with a break (sounds like the 10 min on, 10 min off in practice at St Pete's) is just IndyCar taking a very conservative view about the race portion of the test because no one in the teams, drivers nor owners, is particularly enthralled about risking their cars and equipment for a race that promises nothing of any meaningful value to them.
Ok, it's a testing opportunity, fine. But a test with some prize money at the end of it, but not really enough of an incentive to count for very much.

A 100 mile race would actually mean something but two ten lap sprints is like a warm up and a cool down.

The twenty laps is really nothing. If the thermal residents aren't particularly enthralled, nor the drivers or teams, then twenty laps seem very much like a token to the whole idea, which is unlikely to ever be repeated.

[broadrun96]

Yeah, it strikes me as a chance for the backmarker, never won yet kids to end up costing teams even more money for a probably low visibility, low positive outcome event.

[joeb]

Originally Posted by broadrun96

Yeah, it strikes me as a chance for the backmarker, never won yet kids to end up costing teams even more money for a probably low visibility, low positive outcome event.

Could be, or it could be Stingray's chance at a victory!

[Adam43]

Wouldn’t that be something.