Kirby on Road America and American Racing Scene

[JohnSSC]

You may have misinterpreted my point re: the $2 million (or I just wrote it poorly). It is a good thing to reward the winner of Atlantics - a good step forward to remedy what has long been a weakness. I guess I am just thinking bigger in terms of taking the whole team forward and adding a car rather than just switching out a driver - see what i mean? New team and a new driver, not just Clarke out and Matos in. Not a criticism - a refinement.

[mountainstar]

Originally Posted by JohnSSC

Mountainstar,

To your point re: Gentilozzi. One need look no farther than to see what he did to the Trans-Am Series. He killed it. Can't imagine how, after watching that, the other two Amigos thought he was bringing anything to the table.

American drivers would help, but star power is never a bad thing to have when trying to generate interest. Star American drivers are in short supply.

There may have been outside influences, but his hands were on it when it died, so I would say he is responsible. It was an old tired formula for one thing. Certainly there were possibilities to do something good there like with the Manchamps mustang Ford did and wanted to get a series going but champcar blew them off. Or perhaps V8 Supercars from Australia.

I don't really care where people come from, but some American drivers to get sponsors and fans fired up would be good.

[mountainstar]

Originally Posted by JohnSSC

You may have misinterpreted my point re: the $2 million (or I just wrote it poorly). It is a good thing to reward the winner of Atlantics - a good step forward to remedy what has long been a weakness. I guess I am just thinking bigger in terms of taking the whole team forward and adding a car rather than just switching out a driver - see what i mean? New team and a new driver, not just Clarke out and Matos in. Not a criticism - a refinement.

Well 2 things. One is that other cars are on the way with Conquest and Jensen and maybe that could be an option for the award winner. Second, if we replace a lame duck "pay" driver every year with a guy there more on merit, is that not a benefit?

[Purist]

Denver lapsed for the same reason Houston did after 2001: construction on the site of the race course. I don't know exactly what was happening in Houston, but in the case of Denver, the work is in preparation for the 2008 Democratic National Convention (and taking 2 years for some noticeable construction is perfectly normal). That sort of work is something the series does NOT have control over, and if the city wasn't willing to allow them to use another site, well, that's going to be the end of it.

[MCWB]

Originally Posted by Purist

Denver lapsed for the same reason Houston did after 2001: construction on the site of the race course.

I'd always wondered why they didn't go back there, seemed really stupid not to! Thanks for posting!

[indycool]

That's not altogether true. Centrix and Bob Sutton, its chairman, both got into financial binds.The Denver staff was dismantled immediately after the '06 race and its leaders went immediately to Vegas and Phoenix (Freudenberg and Watt). Still, Denver was announced on the first CC schedule that came out. For what reason, who knows, but that race was gone long before anyone knew it.

[D.R.T.]

Originally Posted by indycool

Still, Denver was announced on the first CC schedule that came out. For what reason, who knows, but that race was gone long before anyone knew it.

Wasnt it an attempt to get money or 'more' money out of the Denver Government.

[indycool]

Might well have been.......In a San Jose Mercury-News article just before that race was approved three years ago, the Denver Mayor was quoted as saying that not one thin dime of city money would be spent, and alluded to the first Denver street race that went bust in the early '90s.

[Leighton Irwin]

First off: The amount of space taken up here shows that the press is still powerful when an article by ol' Gord generates this much response. I first knew Gord when he covered the Cdn. scene in the early 70's for Autosport.
Secondly this is the first time I have seen posts here start to get nasty to other posters. That is something I do not like. I post here under my name because it is normally polite even if there is disagreement. On another forum I do not use my name because it can get nasty. IC is the only one from here that I know posts there and he takes a lot of flack really not deserved.
Now I have been getting discouraged about CC this year for the first time. Too many great announcements and then nothing. Extremely poor scheduling. TV package not up to expectations in US. Cdn. package sucks. Australia late.
Now I know our populations are small compared too the US but both countries seem to have more fans per capita. I do not know about coverage in Europe but probably not good.
Usual front office mess with mid season changes.
If CC is going to survive then these problems need to be addressed now and not next Feb/ March.
I do not know the answers. If I did I would not be still working and running a retail store.
By the way all is not sweetness and light with the 1000 lb. Gorilla. He has lost about 100 Lbs. with TV ratings sliding and empty seats.
Now is the time to attack. All (Yuck Yuck) CC has to do is figure out how!

[blueflagger]

Originally Posted by Leighton Irwin

If CC is going to survive then these problems need to be addressed now and not next Feb/ March.
....
Now is the time to attack. All (Yuck Yuck) CC has to do is figure out how!

I'm with you all the way on this Leighton. However, I havn't any suggestions for them on how to address their problems.

[Leighton Irwin]

I posted on another forum an idea I had that might help. I believe that the Toronto and Edmonton Sun papers backed to some extent the respective races. Quebecor, the parent Co., just bought Osprey News making them the largest chain of papers in Canada covering both large and small communities. Now if CC could expand on this relationship and get regular coverage in all these (about 40 odd) papers it would help. With the internet, even local papers are now read everywhere. With regular coverage, albeit in Canada, other news outlets would take notice.
Osprey, at least in this area, carry a weekly full page NASCAR promo by Monte Dutton and I expect many US papers do as well.
Sid Priddle of CC is from TO and well known to the local media. If CC could develop something similar with the Quebecor/Osprey chain I am sure some US papers would pick up on it. It would take a lot of work and I expect money but why not give it a try.
Of course CC has fired all their good writers!

[JohnSSC]

It would be a step in the right direction, Leighton. Canada had always been very supportive of CART - something that CC has failed to capitalize on. Just as there are too few American drivers, there are too few Canadian drivers (in comparison to the past).

The hobby racers seem determined, though, to try reinventing the wheel instead of building on a strength...

[mountainstar]

Once players pulled out it seemed the number of good canadians coming in has dried up. I think champcar really needs to make a solid effort in Canada before nascar takes over the whole thing like they are doing in Mexico. Mexico used to have a thriving open wheel and sports car scene and nascar is blowing that away. Canada is next if it hasn't happened already.

[paul-collins]

Canada's problem is corporate. Too many branch offices up here with no imagination. "We'll just run the American ads and tweak them (or not)."

Off topic, but worth mentioning as an example: Lowe's is about to start expanding into Canada. First store slated to open this fall, in Hamilton, quickly followed by Brampton and Toronto. This week is the ALMS race at Mosport. Today, the Lowe's Fernandez Lola is part of the downtown showcase being put on by the Series and the track. Think Lowe's Canada is involved?

[D.R.T.]

May have been overlooked in the excitement of a Gordon Kirby story but do we know the Sunday crowd compare for CC between 06 and this season.

[ggreen29]

Originally Posted by JohnSSC

Mountainstar,
American drivers would help, but star power is never a bad thing to have when trying to generate interest. Star American drivers are in short supply.

I don't care where the drivers come from, I just want them to be good...and kept. When Allmendinger left for NASCAR it seemed to show where he thought CCWS rated compared to NASCAR. Since joining NASCAR he's seldom qualified in a race, which makes CCWS look even worse. When a CCWS surprise star can't even make the show it makes CCWS look like a dustbin for drivers.

With Sebby leaving, Tracy fading, Newman retiring, it seems like more stars are setting in CCWS than rising.

[norman-normal]

Yes: 16% improvement over last year, so far.