Fontana & Miami off the schedule!?

[Dov]

From Champweb.net:

Schedule Update posted on 12-17 16:30

Paul Gentilozzi stated today that OWRS will release the updated 2004 Champ Car schedule in the next few weeks. The schedule is expected to be reduced to 16 events, with a minimum of 15 and a maximum of 17, depending on some contractual obligations.

Expected to be dropped are Miami and Fontana.

St. Petersburg's assets have been purchased by OWRS, and the group is looking at rescheduling that race for a May event. However if a May date does not work out, then a Fall date will do.

Seoul, Korea and Las Vegas, Nevada are both expected to stay on the schedule. However, the Las Vegas venue has not yet been selected. The choices are whether to race at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, which has had trouble marketing open wheel racing or finalize negotiations with a casino and race near the strip on the streets of Las Vegas.

[The Snout]

No surprise to see Miami get the arse, best thing for the series there, but we need to be back there someday.

Fontana, well, if it's such agro then I'd rather it gone too.

[Dov]

From Champweb.net:

Miami and Fontana Off Schedule posted on 12-17 16:17

Paul Gentilozzi and Kevin Kalkhoven stated in today's media teleconference that OWRS has not purchased the assets to both the Miami race as well as the Fontana.

Gentilozzi did say that OWRS wants to be in Miami, but they need to find a venue that makes both logistical sense as well as financial sense for the series.

[Flatspot]

My condolences to macdaddy regarding the Fontana race. We all know it was one of his favorites. I too would like to see it back on the schedule one day.

[Testure]

If they drop Fontana, I'd hope they race the oval in Las Vegas. It's good to keep the diversity. Can't quite understand why Seoul is still on the cards? If it makes money, sure, go for it. There's no guarantee it will, though, so it's taking a potentially nasty risk. Miami? Won't miss it.

[Dov]

Originally posted by Testure
If they drop Fontana, I'd hope they race the oval in Las Vegas.

Very good point, Testure.

[BootsOntheSide]

At this rate Milwaukee could be the only oval if not. That'd be a disaster. It's sad to see CART go so far in the road/street direction,w hen diversity has always been the main selling point.

[racefanatic]

OH NO!!! That's awful!!! I love Fontana! It was bad enough at the beginning of last season when everyone was saying that the 2003 Fontana race would be the last one ever... and as we all know, that race was non-existant! I totally agree, CART needs to run the Las Vegas oval. It won't make up for losing Fontana, but it would be a good race.

[GP Racer]

I don't get the Korea race either. It seems like a real gamble at a time when they really shouldn't be. What are they trying to gain from it? Has Hyundai promised them something, or is the Korean govt. subsidizing the race to ensure profitability?

Maybe OWRS needs to go to a Gamblers Ananomous meeting...

[Tailwind]

I'm disappointed about the Miami and Fontana races, but I'm not surprised. Hopefully we will be back in those markets in the coming years.

[Tenoch]

There's just too much bad blood with Dover enterprises for those races to be on the schedule as for Miami I'm glad its gone all it did was break cars, as for Fontana I have only seen last years race but i really wish there be more ovals to mantain diversity. About Seol I will offer a conspiracy theory just for the hell of it, Daewoo another Korean manufacturer just got baught out by GM and so GM is the one that wants the races there because they will supply an engine in 2005.

[cartpix]

As far as Miami goes, a fellow motorsports photographer told me it was very hot & VERY humid this year. I had no intention of going anyway, so I won't miss it, other than having 1 less race to watch, on TV. Fontana, on the other hand, is in my backyard (about 60 miles from me). It's not a great track to shoot, compared to street & road courses, I did enjoy going there. I guess I'll have to replace it with Las Vegas.

Jeff

[Snrub]

Let me explain it:
Fontana = -$$$
Korea = +$$$

[macdaddy]

Sympathy from Flatspot:
My condolences to macdaddy regarding the Fontana race.

Thanks. Yours was the first post after the "official" notice. Funny because just as I began to scan down to your post, I was slamming my fist upon my desk.

In fact, I'm still slamming my fist on my desk.

Is it safe to assume that it may take some time to reinstitute the "TripleCrown"?

That's it. I know what I've gotta do. I'm gonna win the lottery this weekend, build a supertrack, and run three CART 500's a year.

Enough of my whining. Testure brings up an excellent point in that LasVegas should certainly be an oval. For people like me, and to keep the diversity that the series has always prided itself upon. Of course, Gentilozzi etal are no fools, and a street race near the Strip would likely make much more economic sense.

Tenoch's post was pretty fun. His "conspiracy theory" of Daewoo/GM/CART is what Silly Season is really all about! But perhaps he's not really all that far off-the-mark. Like I say, I don't take OWRS to be dummies, and the very fact that Seoul remains on the sched makes me believe that they know something that we don't.

[macdaddy]

Paul Collins... I was just thinking... Those vidtapes CART sent last year may just be collector's items.

[The Snout]

I think that Seoul is like Surfers, the Champcars aren't going there for free like Europe so because Seoul is a paid gig it's on. Plus I'd say there a Korean company or 2 interested in Champcars for 2005, 2006ish. Just MO.

[indycool]

On Seoul: That deal was cut for a big sanction fee plus team expenses similar to Surfers Paradise. The event is going to be paired on the same trip as Surfers, thus cutting travel costs in half for both promoters, similar to the pairing of the Canadian and US GPs.

On Vegas: Gentilozzi said on the CART teleconference that he'd be finalizing something there within two weeks and AR1 says Forsythe's been working with a casino on a street course there for two years. I find it very hard to believe, if a street race was going to happen there, that some details wouldn't have leaked out by now if it was even under serious consideration, with all the permits, local grease and everything else that would need to be done. If they can patch back together a track rental for LVMS, fine, but a street race for '04, IMO, isn't going to happen.

On St. Petersburg: OWRS purchased the assets and said yesterday it's looking at a May date but Begley has sued everybody -- CART I and II, OWRS I and II, City of St. Pete, Pook, Dover, everyone. That suit could be an impediment to that happening.

On Fontana and Miami: Both places which are owed a lot of money by CART. Fontana owned by ISC, Miami race owned by CART. It'd be fruitless to even try with the acrimony that has been created with those two venues.

Gentilozzi said 15-17 races and a new schedule would come out shortly. In adding 'em up, I can't see close to 15 with Portland, Cleveland and Denver up in the air. Time will tell.

[jjspierx]

I know I'm a minority on this, but I say good riddance to Miami and Fontana. Miami was not an ideal track for Champcars. Too short, too tight, no long enough straights, not very conducive to passing. And as for Fontana, well I've never been a fan of oval racing, and I think Superspeedways are dangerous especially for openwheel racing. I feel no loss for Champcar losing a Superspeedway race. But again, I know I'm probably alone on this, so I'll shutup now.

[rustyfan]

OWRS should bring in Texas World Speedway (http://www.texasworldspeedway.com/) to take Fontana's place.

[Dov]

Originally posted by JJSPIERX
I know I'm probably alone on this, so I'll shutup now.

Yes, pleas do! I'm only joking! I understand why some of you guys don't like the Super Speedways....yes it can be dangerous, but for guys like Macdaddy & myself, who have been watching ChampCars since the late 70's/early 80's, it's in our blood and we can't get rid of the thrill of watching 18-24 ChampCars battle it out for two and half hours, wheel to wheel at speeds between 215mph - 245mph. It doesn't matter what type of racing car or series races on a Super Speedway...it's going to be dangerous! That said, I think the IRL aero package (chassis design) does tend to be a bit unbalanced, which could lend itself to more extreme accidents!? At least they are trying to slow their cars down a bit for this season, so that May help some!?

[Dov]

Originally posted by rustyfan
OWRS should bring in Texas World Speedway (http://www.texasworldspeedway.com/) to take Fontana's place.

Hey rustyfan, don't you think that the ChampCars will have the same or close to the same problems (Drivers & G-Forces) as they did back in 2001!? While the cars today have less HP, they also have more torque and I don't think the speeds and G-Force loads would be that much improved?

[rustyfan]

Originally posted by Dov
Hey rustyfan, don't you think that the ChampCars will have the same or close to the same problems (Drivers & G-Forces) as they did back in 2001!? While the cars today have less HP, they also have more torque and I don't think the speeds and G-Force loads would be that much improved?

If they went to Texas Motor Speedway, then yeah, but if they went to Texas World Speedway (which is the one I mentioned above), being almost a Michigan clone (but not owned by either ISC or SMI), I doubt it.

Guess you didn't even bother to check the link, since if you had, you would've noticed TMS and TWS are two completely different tracks

[Dov]

My mistake... I will now check the link!

[Dov]

Looks like a good track, but I think they may have to add some grandstand seating!

[kingfloopy]

Wasn't there a lawsuit or something from the Fontana race being cancelled? I'd like to see a race at Texas World Speedway, it'd be nice to see a major racing series go back to College Station again.


J.D.