nhrubin said "...imagine if F1 called the SC every time a car exited the track"

Did you see Silverstone last week? That race was booring and ruined because they did NOT use a yellow for that huge debris field; this year F1 has shown they are clueless.

http://www.racer.com/2009/07/paul-tracy-blog-july-5-6-–-we-sucked-i-screwed-up/

So, hey, I recorded the coverage on ABC and it skipped about 30 laps. Now, I'm no fan of road races, but if they're going to cover a race shouldn't they cover all of it?

westsideclay - 05 July 2009 04:48 PM

The only thing wrong with this race was that it waasn't Road America. At least they used the full grand prix course,but please please lose that dumb ass chicane...

The simple solution is to replace Richmond with Elkhart Lake - Then the series would appear at two world class road circuits...

The purist in me agrees with you about chicanes, but consider this:... In the current era of overdone aerodynamics on the IRL (and F1) cars, chicanes are one of the few places where overtaking occurs... Indeed, the approach to the "Inner Loop" is where Justin Wilson made his pass for the lead... Chicanes are a necessary evil that contribute to keeping drivers alive (we lost way too many in the 60's and 70's), and also contribute to excitement... I camped at the "Inner Loop" for last year's IRL race, and I can tell you that, in person, it's a fun place to be... The cars go through there at something like 115 MPH, and it's impressive... TV just doesn't do justice to what it's like being there in person...

katamb - 06 July 2009 09:00 PM

So, hey, I recorded the coverage on ABC and it skipped about 30 laps. Now, I'm no fan of road races, but if they're going to cover a race shouldn't they cover all of it?

Hmmm... they seemed to cover all of the race where I live (New England area), so I'm not sure what happened in your case... 30 laps is half the race - sounds very strange to me...

bentfocus - 06 July 2009 12:38 PM

nhrubin said "...imagine if F1 called the SC every time a car exited the track"

Did you see Silverstone last week? That race was booring and ruined because they did NOT use a yellow for that huge debris field; this year F1 has shown they are clueless.

I watched that race, and have to agree... F1 is being too stubborn about calling full course cautions... It will only be a matter of time before some horrendous accident occurs due to debris on the track, or safety workers are killed trying to move a car out of the way under a local yellow...

rodtanner - 06 July 2009 12:21 AM

I don't hate ovals either. They're perfect for series such as NASCAR and Outlaws, but they're not fitting for open wheel or sports cars.

That's the thing: bikes or sprint cars on dirt are a completely different animal from essentially going in a straight line on high banking for 500 miles.

PKaiser14 - 06 July 2009 07:20 AM

OMG! I'm turning BLUE from laughing my A** off at all you Road Course pansies

If I'm a road course pansy, then you're an oval-track mouth breather.