mmi16 - 01 July 2009 06:33 PM

The articles I have read about Tony's ouster focused mostly about his spending the money necessary for events such as the USGP.

I view the new leadership as being more tight fisted with the finances and as long as Bernie want a key and unfettered access to a countries treasury....we will never see another USGP at Indy.

I have no love lost for TG and the IRL. That being said he has been the only one crazy enough, and fan enough, to try to bring Grand Prix racing back to the US. Whether the track layout was all it could have been or not is immaterial....TG did bring the Grand Prix to the US, until such time as he could no longer financially respond to Bernie's insatiable demands.

+1

I went to all of the USGPs in Indy. While it wasn't perfect, it was way better than what we have now (none). Tony gave all of his money (and IMS's) to Bernie for the privilege.

macphisto - 02 July 2009 10:30 AM

Didn't the local government offer to help George bring the race back and he refused? Maybe the new team will be open to it.

TG refused because IMS has never accepted state funding.

I read a couple years back that the reason IMS didn't want the state government involved was because they would have to open up there finance books to them which may involve them paying extra in taxes & other expenses.


The only realistic shot at a USGP right now is Indy, Bernie has shown intrest in going back there & TG had shown intrest in having F1 back based on an article that was around about a year ago. Bernie is almost certainly still open to the idea & FOTA are pushing it so now its down to the new IMS management.

You really don't want to go back to that track it was relly Mickey Mouse. Go back to the Glen( the real GP circuit not that SCRAPCAR mess)or try Road America those are two great venues that lend themselves to road racing

stefmeister - 02 July 2009 05:08 PM

macphisto - 02 July 2009 10:30 AM

Didn't the local government offer to help George bring the race back and he refused? Maybe the new team will be open to it.

TG refused because IMS has never accepted state funding.

I read a couple years back that the reason IMS didn't want the state government involved was because they would have to open up there finance books to them which may involve them paying extra in taxes & other expenses.


The only realistic shot at a USGP right now is Indy, Bernie has shown intrest in going back there & TG had shown intrest in having F1 back based on an article that was around about a year ago. Bernie is almost certainly still open to the idea & FOTA are pushing it so now its down to the new IMS management.

Since the reports were that TG was forced out because he spent too much....I can't see the current management spending what Bernie is demanding, especially since TG felt the price was too high two years ago....an knowing Bernies ways, the price always goes up.

If I owned IMS I would be looking at what the track needed, not what the fans wanted (sorry.) I would be looking at keeping IRL alive so the 500 would stay alive. I would be making sure I was making money every weekend. I wouldn't think about F1 at all.

I wouldn't consider any race that wasn't going to make me good money. Paying big bucks for a race the track doesn't need would never cross my mind.

westsideclay - 02 July 2009 05:39 PM

You really don't want to go back to that track it was relly Mickey Mouse. Go back to the Glen( the real GP circuit not that SCRAPCAR mess)or try Road America those are two great venues that lend themselves to road racing

I think the parts of the Indy Road circuit that were mickey mouse were the slow hairpins at turn 10/11 that are now gone.

The only critisisms I ever heard from drivers were those slow turns. Apart from those 2 slow turns towards the end of the lap, the rest of the track was pretty fast & flowing & the drivers generally liked it.

It also produced some good racing, the run down from turn 11/12, through the banking & down the long straght to turn 1 producing some good racing & passing over the years. Equally the run down to turn 8 also produced some passing.

Watkins Glen & Road America are total Non-Starters, neither are anywhere close to having F1 facilities, not just pit/paddock but also track safety & the sort of spectator facilities for the number of fans an F1 race would almost certainly bring to the tracks.

Like the track or not, Indy is the only permanent circuit in the US that is capable & already fully prepared to hold an F1 race.

stefmeister - 02 July 2009 07:19 PM

westsideclay - 02 July 2009 05:39 PM

You really don't want to go back to that track it was relly Mickey Mouse. Go back to the Glen( the real GP circuit not that SCRAPCAR mess)or try Road America those are two great venues that lend themselves to road racing

I think the parts of the Indy Road circuit that were mickey mouse were the slow hairpins at turn 10/11 that are now gone.

The only critisisms I ever heard from drivers were those slow turns. Apart from those 2 slow turns towards the end of the lap, the rest of the track was pretty fast & flowing & the drivers generally liked it.

It also produced some good racing, the run down from turn 11/12, through the banking & down the long straght to turn 1 producing some good racing & passing over the years. Equally the run down to turn 8 also produced some passing.

Watkins Glen & Road America are total Non-Starters, neither are anywhere close to having F1 facilities, not just pit/paddock but also track safety & the sort of spectator facilities for the number of fans an F1 race would almost certainly bring to the tracks.

Like the track or not, Indy is the only permanent circuit in the US that is capable & already fully prepared to hold an F1 race.

^ Spot on Steph, and how many times have we said this? Even if the Glen or Elkhart lake were up to F-1 standards Bernie wants a cosmopolitan location, and frankly, most of middle America is shall we say too "proletarian" for his tastes.

The only thing that will help F1 coming back to the U.S. will be Bernie leaving F1.

f1racefan1966 - 01 July 2009 07:02 PM

GreyWolf74 - 30 June 2009 11:34 PM

And if they don't? Well, I heard a rumour that some years back, Bernie approached Mid-Ohio about hosting a Grand Prix. The track owners looked at what Bernie demanded versus what he wanted and said, "no thank you." Or something to that effect, in a more heated dialect of "Americanese." Suffice it to say, The Evil Elf is not a welcome sight around here.

What!?

I know for a fact Bernie never approached Mid-Ohio about hosting an F1 race. I think the good folks at Mid-Ohio once went on record as saying "if" Bernie ever approached them, there was no way they could afford to bring their facility, which is already very nice to begin with, up to their crazy lofty standards, let alone swing the sanction fee.

And if it's true of Mid Ohio, then it would have to be true of all tracks, besides it's questionable as to whether or not enough profit could be realized, at least at Bernie's rate, to make it feasible anyway. Ticket prices would border on extortion and if the Hulman and George families can't afford to lose the money GP would cost, then neither could any other promoter, whose budget would be less to start with.

Bernie's money-go-round: F1 in the U.S. isn't even on his radar at this time. Bulgaria is a higher priority since they're apparently willing to pay his tribute. I'll bet there'll be as many empty seats in Pleven as there were in Istanbul.