Brands confirms loss of CART fixture

[ScottDay]

That I will,

You think they will make an appereance at Brands!

[Stephen Green]

They will certainly be at one of the UK circuits next year, whether it's Brands I can't say.

[ScottDay]

Hopefully it will be!
Brands is my favourite circuit and its local for me!

[ScottDay]

Just at times I find it hard to get there.
I have no transport of my own any more!

Can be an experience to get there, for instance me and a mate thumbed lifts from Dartford when the Ferrari Maserati Festival was on!

[spider]

It's just a shame that CART and Brands did the race so half-heartedly - Champ Cars are WAY to powerful and BIG to be able to properly open-up on the Brands Indy Circuit...but on the GP track they would have looked AWESOME...

[kingfloopy]

That stinks that there won't be a CART race at Brands Hatch next year. I only got to see the race this year on tv here, but it was a great race.


J.D.

[Stephen Green]

They were supposed to be on the GP circuit next year

[spider]

Well, I’m gutted. The first race went down very well over here, ok in the race there was practically no overtaking, but that’s cos they were running strange Pit Window rules, which meant stretching to 2 stops was better than sprinting to 3. This lead to all the drivers cruising around. But the cars were a pleasure to see.

There were so many things that were done incorrectly: the race was run on the Indy Circuit, not the GP track. The promotion of the event was low-budget and poorly done. The really arty, mildly strange advertising in Autosport wasn’t SPECTACULAR, VIBRANT, NEW, or A UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY TO SEE AMERICA’S TOP OPEN WHEEL SERIES ON A ROAD COURSE FOR 20 YEARS FEATURING PAUL TRACY, JIMMY VASSER, DARREN MANNING, SEBASTIAN BOURDAIS etc etc – none of that, just bland, arty pix from pre-season testing with Tracy and Fernandez - it’s only cos I knew the series that I knew who they were, your average punter wouldn’t have known!?

I don’t know who was incharge of the marketing but we do (without trying to plug it) a Hot Rod mag here at my company, and it’s a highly American-car-orientated/inspired mag. Now, I would have run a FREE ad for the event to publicise the CART cars and the HUGE American display, but were any of us informed here?! Nope. Our Editor who would have given the race ads, a preview and review didn’t even know there would be a car display there – pathetic.

I’m on my high horse now, but I feel so p*ssed off as it was the highlight on my calendar, but cos of Brands’ awful financial state and poor management, coupled with CART’s laughable planning/marketing the race is now possibly gone forever…useless, absolutely useless – both the circuit and CART.

Not that I have an opinion on it or anything…!

[spider]

I heard that a big named buyer had bought one of the houses behind Hawthorns, from the main 'moaner' who protested at the 'noise of cars' behind the Motor Racing Circuit - don't know about you, but I think that guy has a case, what are Brands playing at by allowing cars to race around a purposefully built circuit that has been there for (I don't know how long but I'll guess at) well over half a century. I mean, it just came out of nowhere, the guy couldn't have known that they were planning to race around that track when they bought the circuit!? Anyway, I digress, what I'm getting at is that now that pr*ts gone they were planning to run the CART cars around the GP Circuit - they changed the profile of Dingle Dell to make the circuit more CART-friendly too. Ok the track would have had to invest £200k in heightening the fences, but I'm SURE a buyer would have done that to keep such a well respected series at such a prestigious track. I'm sure they could have got someone to 'sponsor' developments, by re-naming a corner or something - such as Dingle Dell - as it's nothing like the exciting corner it was.

So, I'm up on that horse again, and I'm not coming down! It could have been done so much better, but the plonkers incharge of the marketing did a completely cr*p job over here.

I think I need to turn the Air-Con down...

[gttouring]

CART's schedule isn't living up to anything, the announcement Dec. 19th is so far away, and the doom and gloom is washing over the series again. this is dreadful. Champcars are really spectacular, and the total mismanagment of a series has lead it to this state of affairs. the brand's race looked awesome, watching them dive down Paddock...oh

[Stephen Green]

Spider just a couple of points.

1. To my knowledge the house that used to be owned by "the Major" the guy who used to sit with a noise meter was I believe bought by Brands Hatch/Octagon, along with many other houses that bordered the track.

2. I think you will find that Dingle Dell was re-profiled to accommodate the FIM for World Super Bikes.

3. I think you will find it was CART who paid for the debris fence you speak of, not Octagon/Brands Hatch. Much of the fencing has since been taken down as it caused more safety issues than it cured.

[spider]

Interesting stuff Stephen. It is interesting that the only OFFICIAL excuse I've heard for the race not being run on the GP track was because of the catch fencing...? I don't believe that to be the only reason and Pook's excuse of 'we don't want to be running on GP territory, we need our own arenas' - I mean, come on Chris, at least he eventually came out and said that he would have 'loved' to run CART on the long circuit - why didn't they?!

I wasn't aware that the guy was so completely obsessed with monitoring the noise - it's just ridiculous. The guy clearly leads a frustrated existence.

Well, if it wasn't for the Superbikes Brands would be in serious trouble. I used to love watching the F3000 cars fly through Dingle Dell - Zanardi in his Il Barone Rampante Reynard in '91 was AWESOME through there...

[Stephen Green]

As far as I am aware the contract with CART was for 5 years. The first year to be run on the Indy Circuit due to the lateness of the deal being done and the cost of the debris fence. The following four years were to have been held on the full Grand Prix circuit and like you, I would have loved to have seen the cars at full throttle through the GP loop.

This years race always looked a little fragile as soon as it was noticed there was no German round on the calendar for 2004. I don't think anyone really expected CART to make the trip just for one race.

Lets hope the new owners, whoever they are, will be committed to motor racing and developing the track for future generations.

[spider]

I've got my fingers crossed...

You're correct about the 5 year deal, I was at Autosport International when that was announced...

Wasn't CART speaking to some French towns/cities re. running an event around the streets? I think Pau was mentioned...whatever happened to that?!

[Stephen Green]

I hadn't heard that one.

I'm off home now so chat about it some more tomorrow...

[TuscanR]

It's such a shame if the race at Brands is scrapped, I have been fortunate to see all of the recent CART races in the UK, I thought that they were all good to watch. But it does also mean that Brands wont charge me 75 quid for someone else's tickets and take two months to refund me the money!!! ( Anyone else experience that? )Hope we get a decent new owner for Brands and the rest of the Octagon circuits and not another fly by night bunch of money grabbing cowboys. If they can sort out it's problems then we will soon see the grand prix circuit used to its full potential in no time.
And to the idiots who complain about the noise coming from the circuit MOVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Dov]

Originally posted by spider
Wasn't CART speaking to some French towns/cities re. running an event around the streets? I think Pau was mentioned...whatever happened to that?!

Hi spider, I think this article is what you're referring to. http://tentenths.com/forum/showthrea...&pagenumber=31

A rumor from Champweb/Autosport UK:

>> The Pau street circuit in France is pushing to host a round of the Champ Car World Series.Pau Grand Prix president Jean Paul Pasquet admitted that he has already had preliminary discussions with Champ Car boss Chris Pook about a race.
"It could happen," said Pasquet. "we have had a dialogue with Chris Pook and a Champ Car race in Pau would be very good. We are making a lot of improvements to the track to take us forward all the time. For 2006 we are planning to build modern new grandstands on the start-finish straight and smash the old ones up."

Pau is also angling for a round of the DTM, as well as the Eurosport Super Racing Weekend package on which the European Touring Car and FIA GT Championships run. But Pasquet wants to keep the Formula 3 Pau GP, which has become a popular fixture since it replaced the circuits round of the FIA F3000 championship in 1999."Our commitement is to stay with F3" he said. "After that, we will see what we can bring to Pau".

For next year, the rack will undergo its most radical extension since it became a regular venue in the 1950's. The fast sweepers before the start-finsih straight will be replaced by a left turn onto a new loop that uses residential roads. French F3 ace Nicolas Lapierre backed the move. "It will create some new corners," he said. <<

... and who likes to drive a lap around Pau Arnos Circuit:
http://www.bearn-online.com/circuit...ais/circuit.htm
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[codename_47]

Well, I'd like to be there when they "Smash up" the grandstands!

Still....can't remember what the Pau circuits like, would it be good for passing/overtaking etc?? :confused:

(Only ever seen it on the Havoc tapes...so that doesn't bode well!)

[jjspierx]

Originally posted by spider
The race was pretty poor cos of the rules, but the cars were more impressive than anything I've seen before - more so than F1, Can Ams etc - the sound of those Turbo V8's and the gorgeous sight of seeing a pack of Champ Cars nose-to-tail on the opening lap will be something I'll miss next year. Oh well, that's my UK racing highlight gone

You would have been even more impressed if they raced there the year before. Champcars used to sound a LOT better, before the Spec Cosworth engines that only rev to 12,500. Now they sounds like a loud ToyoAtlantic engine. They used to be louder and higher pitched(not F1 sounding or anything). That is my only gripe about the Spec engine.

[jjspierx]

Another reason for not using the long BH circuit, is because the of insufficient runoff as the champcars would be traveling a lot faster than most cars use the long circuit, a lot of money would have be invested to address that issue. That was what Pook said at the Portland Town Meeting that I attended.

[Dov]

Originally posted by codename_47
Still....can't remember what the Pau circuits like, would it be good for passing/overtaking etc??

If the first link didn't work from my previous thread, then try this one......take a lap around the Pau Arnos Circuit!

http://www.bearn-online.com/circuita...is/circuit.htm

[roys1]

tgp coming to donington 1/2/3 may FIA historic event I believe also euro f3000 on same bill, BRSCC organising this event

[Snrub]

It would be great if CART could have a race in the UK, but the money situation has to be resolved. The race @ Brands really sucked so it's the best situation to lose the race.

[oily oaf]

Yeah the race itself was a bit of a procession last time out, but that was down to the crazy decision not to use the GP circuit and the refuelling regs. Also the pre race publicity was too low key with only one radio station and Autosport really plugging the event.
As a big OWR fan I,m gutted at losing Bratch '04 as it's one of the few chances we get over here to watch top notch international motorsport without having to re-mortgage the old hacienda to do it. Oh well looks like bloody Euroboss,BTCC,FIA GT and all that malarky. Better than a kick up the arse I 'spose. Signed P****d off of East London

[spider]

LOL! Couldn't agree with you more Oily Oaf! Oh well, looks like I'll be spending every weekend at Buckmore this year then. I find it difficult to be interested in and paying to watch bland UK club meets - karting is much more xciting ! Ruddy CART and Brands - why couldn't they have given the race a chance and run it for one more race. Ok, the German race was detined to fail, but there are loads of European tracks that would love to host Champ Cars! But, CART are battling just to survive at the moment. The promotion over here was probably hugely expensive, as I say if the marketing team had used their brains I would have advertised the race heavily in our titles for free, but nope. Useless marketing team = Brands and the UK lose one of the most potentailly exciting events for years. Pants Fuel Regs and using the Indy Circuit didn't help...idiots...