San Jose to be cancelled?

[paul-collins]

http://www.gordonkirby.com/categorie...t_is_no89.html

Of course, Champ Car now finds itself in the invidious position of turning to Europe for growth and income. The dream of the series becoming a North American street racing festival is fading fast with Denver going out of business last year, Phoenix failing to get off the ground, many people questioning the future of the Vegas street race, and an announcement expected at the end of this week that San Jose is getting the axe after only three, fitful years. Maybe they'll go back to Laguna Seca...

Laguna Seca is allowed 5 big events a year. AMA, MotoGP, Historics, Grand Am and ALMS.

I suppose CC could piggyback with ALMS but I'd prefer not. Get your own crowd, I say.

Grand Am might leave, though:

http://www.motorsport.com/news/artic...238&FS=GRANDAM

Look for: A couple of prominent and, some might say, "historical" venues to be gone from the 2008 Rolex Series schedule with the NASCAR connection playing a very large role in its sportscar series come next season.

[Dutton]

Well, piggy-backing with more popular series is a good way to get your product out to more eyes. I am not sure ChampCar can afford to be fussy.

I would be rather glad to see San Jose go (I just cannot describe how much I dislike the track). However, this wish is only wanted provided another venue takes its place.

As much as I dislike the SJ track, I would much rather CC went there than be less one more round.

[Knowlesy]

Oh dear.

[roachy101]

what about champ cars doing a round at brands to replace SJ

[Dutton]

Which version?

[Alwaysfirst]

Well it would have to be the long one, wouldn't it? The short version again just wouldn't quite cut it.

It wouldn't surprise me if there is no replacement. They seem to want to cut down to 15 rounds next year so it would be no surprise. However, if it is to be replaced then Laguna Seca must be the obvious option. Saying that, the obvious option seems to mean very little to CCWS managment at the moment...

[Tony Clifton]

UGH

More bad news if CCWS loses San Jose.

Can't we just open open wheel racing back to one series?

NASCAR is taking all the sponsorship dollars and it is killing BOTH open wheel race series.

[2112]

Apart from St.Pete and Detroit, Champ Car is going to increasingly mirror an ALMS schedule in America. The street race model is falling apart.

I suppose this is good news if you want to know some of the CC schedule before April.

[Alwaysfirst]

I've been thinking about this a bit now & IMO it's not as bad if we know that it's cancelled before they actually release the calendar. CCWS just cannot afford another year like this one with all the cancellations.

IMO CCWS has really managed to ruin this year, the year that was supposed to be the showing of all the potential that all the series officials were on about. Not once this year has CCWS seemed to be making progress on numbers of cars out there. They havn't looked close to hitting 20 whilst in the last IRL race they managed 22. A different kettle of fish I know as it was the season finale & a few of those were being diretly paid for by TG...but who if their right mind believes KK & others when they say that no car on the CCWS grid is paid for by series officials?! However, that in the big scheme of things just doesn't matter. To the casual race fan the IRL has 18-20 cars reguarly, with that occasionally going up to 21 or 22 & still, somehow, 33 for Indy. CCWS appears to be really struggling to keep 17.

All the rumours of new teams other than PCM have come to nothing & given the supposedly cheap chassis deals this year that cannot be good.

After the season has started 3 tracks are dropped with rumours of more for next year with a reduced calendar. Crowds at the events have been nothing to write home about & one of the best attended was Assen. Good, but not the supposed target audience in the states that the series has been trying to woo.

Sponsorship seems in some cases to be limited to minor sponsors with few big names willing to commit much to the series...and that's not even looking back to the CART days. That's just in comparison with a series like WSR or F3 Euroseries. The supposed series sponsor fell through. Phoenix cancelled due to lack of money with rumours (not sure whether to believe them) that Las Vegas may be going the same way. And who believes that the calendar that the series will publish will be the complete one that we actually get?

I've always preferred CCWS slightly over the IRL but CCWS seems to have lost all the potential carried into the season. To be honest, most of the people in managment in the series look as if they can't wait for it to all be over for the year & that doesn't exacly inspire a lot of confidence. If a new chassis with a promising calendar & some really good drivers can't manage to outperform a series that has lost 2 engine suppliers & a chassis supplier over the last couple of years & that is running with an old chassis, then I just don't know what they can do.

I'm at a loss with CCWS at the moment, and the loss of another race for next year really doesn't make me want to look forward to next year. Let's just pray that San Jose, if it does go, will at least be replaced by Laguna Seca as god does this series need a few more recognisable names in it.


Rant over....for now!

[2112]

Disect the Gordon Kirby article a bit more. They are looking for 4 races in Europe, The owners get all that money. The smallers teams have to pay to race there because their is no sponsorship because American sponsors can`t be found who care to race in Europe. Intresting isn`t it?
KK needs to spend some more of his money on stablizing this thing.

[D.R.T.]

Originally Posted by paul-collins

http://www.gordonkirby.com/categorie...t_is_no89.html


Laguna Seca is allowed 5 big events a year. AMA, MotoGP, Historics, Grand Am and ALMS.

I suppose CC could piggyback with ALMS but I'd prefer not. Get your own crowd, I say.

Grand Am might leave, though:

ChampCar back at Laguna would be ideal. Maybe as the last race in the calender like the good old days.

[Rob29]

Originally Posted by Dutton

Well, piggy-backing with more popular series is a good way to get your product out to more eyes. I am not sure ChampCar can afford to be fussy.

I would be rather glad to see San Jose go (I just cannot describe how much I dislike the track). However, this wish is only wanted provided another venue takes its place.

As much as I dislike the SJ track, I would much rather CC went there than be less one more round.

This is very bad news.I would like to say how much I like this circuit.Its my favourite,watching on TV anyway.Hoped to go sometime.

[marcel82]

yeah, I liked the race there too, I would definately miss it.

[D.R.T.]

Yeah 2007 turned out to be a pretty exciting race. I dont mind the San Jose track, sure it has its drawbacks which are obvious but what I like was the short lap Almost like an oval, you had the cars flashing past you regulary.

Maybe the answer could be, run both San Jose and Laguna Seca. Use the San Jose event to draw in the casual fans and use Laguna to turn them into race fans.

[climb]

well alwaysfirst has the main point IMO.
When a series drops two scheduled races throughout a single season, and another one will be dropped next year, well the main problem is not which track may replace it, but why an increasing number of places find it not interesting to host a CC event.

[paul-collins]

San Jose is in trouble, the answer isn't to "run both." Laguna Seca is a Hail Mary, just as Mont Tremblant was. I'm still somewhat surprised (and pleased) they were able to negotiate the politics of that one, frankly.

[JamesRamone]

in exactly how much trouble are champ car in? Or is this event just struggling on its own? I hear so many contrasting stories, and never know whether to believe champ car is on its way back, or about to die out.

[Dutton]

I think CC is struggling along in the same pathetic state it has been in for the last two or three years.

If there is any difference, then it is for the bad rather than the good.

It is terribly sad to say it, but it is the case nonetheless.

[Knowlesy]

Don't say that Dutton, you've effectively thrown a grenade into this forum with that.

[paul-collins]

It would appear that the resolution to this is coming tomorrow, and that they'll announce that they're joining Grand Am for their May 16-18 date at Laguna Seca.

[Dutton]

Good stuff.

Piggy-backing is one way to get schedule stability, combined with the series getting out to more eyes.

I am in favour of this.

[HCForums]

I thought they couldn't go back to Laguna because it was too close to another track, which had an agreement with CCWS that in a radius of ... miles there couldn't be another CCWS race. Testing however can be done there.

[Fogelhund]

San Jose cancellation, and Laguna dates as mentioned by Paul are both official now.

[Dutton]

This is an overall gain for the series, IMO.

Well, the cancellation thing in the first place is not outstanding from a credibility perspective...but, for me, joining GA at LS is a much better situation than running at SJ.

[JohnSSC]

Yes, another Great Moment in American Open Wheel Racing! When you cancel 3 events in one season and then piggy-back onto the NASCAR-sponsored Grand-Am series to secure a date, why boy and howdy you are on top of the world!