USGP Cancelled??

[SurfaceUnits]

This is a blurb from last Friday:

Indy to reveal USGP 'F1 future' next Thursday (1/11)

The future of the United States grand prix at Indianapolis could be clearer by the end of next week.

The president of the famous Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Joie Chitwood, will address "the future of formula one in the US" next Thursday at the city's Marian College, the newspaper Indy Star reported.

Race officials and Bernie Ecclestone last August penned only a one year deal for a United States grand prix in 2007.

Speedway CEO Tony George at the time cautioned that the deal is short because "there are too many unanswered questions to commit any longer than that".

He was referring to the sport's previously unresolved commercial and regulatory situation, but F1's relationship with Indianapolis was badly damaged when fourteen Michelin-shod cars pulled out of the 2005 race.

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The press conference didn't happen I guess, spindystar doesn't have a report of it.

[Spicoli]

that sounds awfully similar to the "blurb" of last year. Where did you find this?

[SurfaceUnits]

I fount it lazz friday from a google search; could prolly find it agin. http://news.google.com/news?q=Joie%20Chitwood&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&sa=N&tab=wn

[Spicoli]

I fount it lazz friday from a google search; could prolly find it agin.

found it on a bunch of different places (google: usgp , marian college). paddocktalk for one.

wow, who know wtf this is. maybe they got too busy putting fTG back together and forgot about it. :D

[Spicoli]

absolutely nothing in the local media i can find today.....

[chop456]

http://www.pitpass.com/fes_php/pitpass_news_item.php?fes_art_id=30269

[NismoZ]

That sounds like a good/honest answer. (but I bet it's still year to year for awhile.) What happened with the tire fiasco is exactly what :tony: means when he talks about wanting to "control what goes on at the Speedway." He's never going to have that "IRL" kind of control with F-1 but a better money deal will go a long way toward keeping the USGP around. Bernie may say he doesn't need F-1 in the US and will talk in disparaging terms about it but I believe he WANTS to be here.

[pchall]

Bernie may say he doesn't need F-1 in the US and will talk in disparaging terms about it but I believe he WANTS to be here.

In the early 80s Bernie Ecclestone thought the US was the answer to F1s economic doldrums. I remember a quote in English publication -- probably The Autocar since I'd been buying copies for the European race results since I was a kid -- where Bernie said that he envisioned a future where the US had as many as five regional GPs. Of course, Bernie kept uping the price for a race and blew his chances after races like Long Beach, Detroit, Dallas, and Phoenix deserted F1 for CART or failed outright.

[NismoZ]

Yes, and with the direction things ($$) are moving I believe CC is looking for places like Athens to perhaps duplicate successes like Long Beach. Athens is irked Turkey gets an F-1 race so the promoter is trying to sell something similar for much cheaper? Remember the days when CART was viewed as a serious F-1 threat? Perhaps it could happen again. (PS-I'm not wishing for it OR holding my breath:) )

[Jervis Tetch 1]

I don't think it will get canceled.

[devilmaster]

Bernie doesn't blame himself for the tyre fiasco, so I don't expect anything to change in the deal, except Bernie asking for more money.

And Tony ain't savvy enough or smart enough to fight it. I suspect the meeting will go like this.

BE: give me 'X' amount.
TG: umm, ok.

[chop456]

Not enough umms.

[SurfaceUnits]

Yes, and with the direction things ($$) are moving I believe CC is looking for places like Athens to perhaps duplicate successes like Long Beach. Athens is irked Turkey gets an F-1 race so the promoter is trying to sell something similar for much cheaper? Remember the days when CART was viewed as a serious F-1 threat? Perhaps it could happen again. (PS-I'm not wishing for it OR holding my breath:) )
Read the other day where Bernard had talked about Greece for F1. But there's no way he can compete with CC on costs alone. The director of Nurburgring said he was in the black except for F1, which put him $22 mil in the red.

So figure a (positive cash flow + F1( credits - debits - Bernie Fee) = -22 million) and the Bernie fee has to be 25 million + at the min.

The folks in Greece are already saddled with the 12-15 Billion dollar debt from the olympics.

[devilmaster]

Not enough umms.

sry. my bad. ;)

[SurfaceUnits]

Bernie's '06 Visit to Athens
Ecclestone talks up former Olympic site as home for future Greek grand prix

The possibility of a Greek grand prix joining the formula one world championship calendar increased at the weekend when Bernie Ecclestone, the sport's commercial rights holder, made a private visit to Athens to discuss the prospect.

Ecclestone, who has made no secret of his desire to get rid of existing fixtures on the calendar to accommodate new events, went to view the Hellinikon Olympic complex to judge whether it might be possible to adapt the facilities to host a formula one event. It is understood that he was the guest of a private business consortium which wants Greece to construct a facility capable of hosting a world championship grand prix.

The venue under consideration is on the site of the former Athens airport which closed in 2001 and became the centre for the basketball, baseball and kayak events during the 2004 Olympic games. It has been suggested that the grandstands used for those events could be utilised for a formula one race."It is a beautiful location," said Greek motorsport journalist Dmitris Papadopoulos. "It's overlooking the water and could be made into a parkland circuit like the Albert Park track in Melbourne. It would be the best possible prospect for a Greek grand prix."

It is understood that Ecclestone does not support mooted plans by the Greek government to build a track on a new site, either near Patras, about 200 kilometres (125 miles) from the capital, or at Orchomenos, near Livadia, about which he said at the end of his visit: "Why do you look for a place for a circuit that is a further 80km from Athens? You have everything here."

He would like to reduce the number of races held in Italy and Germany from two to one in the longer term to offer the possibility of new fixtures elsewhere. "I am not against a formula one race track being built in Greece, but not in a residential area and only with the appropriate infrastructure and facilities," he said last year.

[stroker]

Y'know, I'd think that by now BE would be taking the perspective that he'd made enough money and that doing something for the benefit of the sport and the fans might be just the ticket.


Naaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh... ..................

[pchall]

Y'know, I'd think that by now BE would be taking the perspective that he'd made enough money and that doing something for the benefit of the sport and the fans might be just the ticket.


Naaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh... ..................

F1 needs a helicopter crash as much -- or more -- as IMS...