Bernie looking for another US city for F1

[boom boom]

In an article By Robin Miller about the Future of Long Beach..He wrote about Bernie being at the race last weekend
http://www.speedtv.com/articles/auto...ndustry/10775/
[Asked if Ecclestone was interested in returning to Long Beach, Pook replied: "Oh yeah, I think so. But Bernie would demand a pit complex and Long Beach is very close to running out of room to do anything like that. It would require massive changes on Shoreline Drive by the city."
So, if he's not going after his old USGP West venue, what was Ecclestone doing in Long Beach?
"We are working together on another (US) city for F1," responded Pook.]

The contract with Indy runs at least to 2006, are they looking for a new site for the USGP or for a 2nd US race? Normally F1 doesn't run 2 races in one country except the "European GP in Germany", is there a rule about that in the concord agreement or something?

So what US city would you like to see a second race or the current USGP moved to? Or what city do you think Bernie is interested in? I have heard of San Francisco and Las Vegas mentioned before

[marcus]

I'd like them to return to Pheonix , was a great track and I think they would put on a great race there.

[Fish_Flake]

Come to Atlanta! I'm here, Ted Turner's here, Coca-Cola's here, Don Panoz's here...who else do you need here to get a Grand Prix date? Run a street race in Buckhead, I say.

[Big Mac]

IMHO the states are spoilt by have so many great road courses. So why not use them Bernie? Road America, Road Atlanta, VIR, Seca, Sears Point, Wakins Glen, Sebring etc etc etc. Obviously the afore mentioned would need some major work to get them up to “Bernie Scratch” however would it be much more than the infrastructure required for a new street venue?

Ahhh the thought of Webber dancing a Williams around Canada Corner...

[jj2728]

Originally posted by marcus
I'd like them to return to Pheonix , was a great track and I think they would put on a great race there.

are you serious?....phoenix was one of the biggest failures on this side of the pond....no crowds and a circuit that better suited a back alley chase....no way......

[marcus]

that may be true , But I loved it

[mp356a]

I am sure that Panoz could fix up one of his tracks to suit Bernie. I would dearly love to see them get out of Indy.
Mike

[DavidStHubbins]

The Manhattan Grand Prix!

Hairpin at Times Square, long straight down Broadway, wahey.

[Schummy]

San Francisco. It would be interesting to see JPM pursuing MS in those undulating streets as a police car pursuing a taxi in the movies

[DavidStHubbins]

I guess they'll get more AIR at San Fran GP!


Better soften the suspension.

[mountainstar]

Chicago, New York, Baltimore, Boston, Seattle, etc. I don't F1 going to any road circuits in the states(other than Indy)

[Sodemo]

I did hear something about a New York Grand Prix a little while ago, not sure if it was serious or a joke...

[BootsOntheSide]

As long as they use a proper road course, and not one of the tiresome street parades that have damaged CART so much in recent years, I'm all in favour of F1 visiting opposite ends of the US. It's a big country, with a love of motor racing, past interrest in f1, and a huge potential market.

[KOOLTRACY]

No question, San Francisco! There have been mutterings for some time to turn Treasure Island, the island in which the Oakland/San Francisco Bay Bridge crosses over, into a race track.
You already have the infra structure in place; you have a world recognized city & surround area for tourists;
San Fracisco, in my opinion, would definitely be an ideal location for a Western USA Grand Prix.
Just my opinion.

[Teretonga]

Na Get Tilke to design a road course built inside the oval speedway in Texas and hold a night race. Dallas would surely have the infrastructure Bernie would demand...

[crozier74]

Great thread

The US simply needs a 2nd GP, maybe even 3!

Long Beach is definitely the most prestigious/best street circuit in the US, but most of the rest of them are ****, as Boots already pointed out, like Denver and Miami.

Road America, Road Atlanta, VIR, Seca, Sears Point, Wakins Glen, Sebring, etc.

INDEED!!! All superb examples of what a road circuit really should be like, not any of these flat Tilke-rings They all have soul, and would probably become instant favourites with the drivers.

IMO, the Indy road course is a bit blasphemy. Either F1 races on the Indy oval, or it shouldn't race there at all. Controversial perhaps, but I'm following my heart

Regarding New York, yeah, I think I've heard many rumours of that before, and it seems Bernie is very interested in it.

Read in MN a few months ago about a new circuit being built with no expense spared, trying to lure the US GP to Texas:- http://www.racingcircuits.net/United...Boundless.html

And San Francisco. The US GP has actually been here before!! Way back in 1915, won by Dario Resta in a Peugeot:- http://www.racingcircuits.net/United...Francisco.html BRING IT BACK!!!

[Mr V]

Just put the race at Road America or Leguna Seca

[Mr V]

On second thoughts, put it at the Cleveland air port where they run CART. 150 foot wide track, should allow for a bit of overtaking

[Schummy]

Road America is one of the best road tracks ever. Probably that's the reason Maxbernie'e empire never will get there.

...

and probably it is the best for the circuit itself...

[Snrub]

While there are a lot of tracks I don't know that most of them are even close to F1 specs. Elkhart and Laguna Seca are really the only ones. Elkhart probably wouldn't draw enough of a crowd and is not that far from Indy. I think there was probably a reason F1 stopped racing at Laguna.

[Teretonga]

Elkhart's facilities are nothing like Bernie would demand plus it's in the middle of nowhere and laguna Seca is too narrow, short and lacks the infrastructure at the circuit that Bernie would want. The same goes for Mid-Ohio.
All great circuits but F1 is no longer about great circuits. It's about creating an image for itself of being the worlds premier motor racing series, to the point where it consumes a hideous amount of the motorsport worlds (indeed the western worlds )resources to the point whaere it strangles other forms of the sport and is suffocating indirectly the lower levels of the sport.
Bernie now wants governments to pay homage to the F1 idol by contributing vast sums of money the the creation of circuits that cost hundreds of millions.
If the same funds were spent on building a broader base at the bottom of the pyramid than at the top of it the sport may be a whole lot healthier.

[GP Racer]

Originally posted by The Monster
I did hear something about a New York Grand Prix a little while ago, not sure if it was serious or a joke...

You got it!

This is serious, as the Sports Commissioner of NY alluded to something to do with F1, but would not confirm they had a deal. There are a couple of suitable locations that are apparently being looked at right now, but they would take a huge amount of money and political will to get it done. Its not going to be a street course. As an aside, NASCAR is also looking to build a track here.

This would be the place for a second GP here, not only because of our huge population, but because we have a very high immigration population, with many first and second generation South Americans, and Europeans, that love F1. I think it would be huge for F1 and NY,(and being that I live 20 minutes from one of the locations

[Fish_Flake]

GP Racer, would you happen to be able to disclose those proposed locations for an F1 race in New York?

[GP Racer]

There are 2 that I've heard about.

One that seems to be a favorite is an old Army airfield in Brooklyn called Floyd Bennett Field. Its perfect, alot of room, away from any populated area, which isn't easy to find here, with decent roads in and out. Its also a very nice looking piece of property thats on the waterfront, and is only 15 minutes from Kennedy Airport. It could be fantastic, as many old airfields have been transformed into top notch raceways. 20 minutes into Manhattan, and you have all the great things that the city offers.

Another is Aqueduct Raceway, in Queens, which is a very large horse racing track now. Also alot of property, and good roads in and out, and good hotel space, as its very close to Kennedy Airport. Alot of homes nearby though, and this is a location that NASCAR is looking at also.

I've got my fingers crossed!

[BARrouette]

what about Clevland airport... lots of speed an a wide track.