I watched it

[Hard Driver]

I watched the IRL race replay today. I have a confession.... I enjoyed it... :saywhat: Yes, there are a bunch of futile drivers. Yes the frickin series is owned by an idiot. But I watched it more like a football game where I hate the Cowboys. I rooted for Justin Wilson, because I like him and he stuck with Champcar and I wanted Dale Coyne to win. I rooted against Penske and Andretti because they are both turds.

I watched the F1 this weekend and it was a pretty good 1/2 race. Sure I liked the idea of Button winning. But the new F1 cars are so ugly they seriously might even be as ugly as IRL cars. And while I moved a little more towards being an F1 fan as Champcar struggled, I do think what is left of Champcar is swallowed by the IRL and if Dayle Coyne can race there, then I can watch. (I haven't gone so far as to post on trackforum yet, so don't be too harsh.)

Of course what I really had to do to enjoy it was to ignore those fricking announcers. Also having VersusHD and this being the first race I have watched in HD, maybe that is why I enjoyed it.

[Rogue Leader]

I watched it too... I enjoy cheering on any Champcar guy, and rooting against IRL guys... Especially Justin and Graham.

[Michaelhatesfans]

I watched the IRL race replay today. I have a confession.... I enjoyed it...

I didn't watch it. I bet I enjoyed myself even more than you did.:cool:

[shaggy_socal]

I watched the IRL race replay today. I have a confession.... I enjoyed it... :saywhat: Yes, there are a bunch of futile drivers. Yes the frickin series is owned by an idiot. But I watched it more like a football game where I hate the Cowboys. I rooted for Justin Wilson, because I like him and he stuck with Champcar and I wanted Dale Coyne to win. I rooted against Penske and Andretti because they are both turds.


Sunday's race was decent. Some really stupid driving at the end, but on most street races, all hell breaks loose in the last 20 laps anyway.

I did want Justin to notch DCR's first victory. Dale deserves it, regardless of the series he's in.


(I haven't gone so far as to post on trackforum yet, so don't be too harsh.)

I can't say I'll ever post their either. A little too pro-IRL.
Without CC to root for any longer, all that's left at CCF is negative energy towards the IRL. I find that I have less to contribute there everyday when I see some of the threads over there.

It's nice that there are still a forum where I can freely jeer and cheer without getting counted down or booted for going against the party line.


Of course what I really had to do to enjoy it was to ignore those fricking announcers. Also having VersusHD and this being the first race I have watched in HD, maybe that is why I enjoyed it.

IMO, Robbie and Jon are definite improvements over Reid and Goodyear.
I think they could do without Jenkins though or at most limit him to more hosting duties and keep him out of the play by play.

FYI, you can skip the high banked ovals unless you need something to put you to sleep.

Long Beach will be a bit difficult to watch this year, though.

[pchall]

I forgot about the "race". No Versus. I don't even know enough about it to wrap up The Foyt Futility Watch.

[Rogue Leader]

I can't say I'll ever post their either. A little too pro-IRL.
Without CC to root for any longer, all that's left at CCF is negative energy towards the IRL. I find that I have less to contribute there everyday when I see some of the threads over there.

Thats why I stopped going there. For all the cool things that place had (nemick, etc), you had so much paper, and if you say anything vaguely against CC you get counted down. Theres so much drum beating and whining and crying about it its like they are a man who walked in on their wife banging 4 men and STILL wants to work it out. Its over, move on!

[dando]

I caught about 5 minutes while taking a breather from yard work. Boob Jenkins and The Root are going to be deal breakers for me from watching much of this shizzle. :irked: :saywhat: :yuck: :thumdown:

-Kevin

[dando]

I forgot about the "race". No Versus. I don't even know enough about it to wrap up The Foyt Futility Watch.

Danica wreck, Danica pout...that's all there is to know. :)

-Kevin

[High Sided]

fkqPAQE-43A

[STD]

In my midnight confessions
When I tell all the world that I love you
In my midnight confessions
When I say all the things that I want to
I love you
:yuck:

[stroker]

No Scott Goodyear is refreshing.

[Hard Driver]

Danica wreck, Danica pout...that's all there is to know. :)

-Kevin

That is the usual. In this particular case she was not to blame and she didn't even pout. So she might be maturing as a driver, although it doesn't seem to have made her any faster.

[TrueBrit]

I lasted one and half laps...no Goodyear is the only redeeming feature..the addition of Junkins and Rooty cancels that out..fugly cars, no talent drivers...why wouldn't I concentrate on Neckcar, the series that already excels at that?

[STD]

^ You made it much further than I did. :laugh:
Great summation.

[Methanolandbrats]

I did not watch. Reading this confirms why I did not. Arooty, Uber Gomer Jenkins, slow ugly cars, boat anchor motors, Penske, etc... and the highlight seems to have been The Princess crashing and not having a tantrum. Racing at it's finest. I agree that no Scooter is positive.

[pchall]

Thanks for the recap. Doesn't Princess Permapout ever check her mirrors?

Here it looks like she went nose first into the tires in front of the Porta Potties. Maybe she thought it was time to negotiate her next contract with Mikey?

http://img25.imageshack.us/img25/6628/13300780.jpg


Danica wreck, Danica pout...that's all there is to know. :)

-Kevin

[Methanolandbrats]

Thanks for the recap. Doesn't Princess Permapout ever check her mirrors?



http://img25.imageshack.us/img25/6628/13300780.jpg Check her mirrors? Why, nobody is going to overtake her, she's that quick.

[Wally]

No Scott Goodyear is refreshing.

Very true....but not only is Buell a wanker driver is a complete rambling idiot...... good god. :shakehead

[Don Quixote]

I just couldn't watch it, due to my apathy X 100000000. I am done for now.

[Insomniac]

Thanks for the recap. Doesn't Princess Permapout ever check her mirrors?

Here it looks like she went nose first into the tires in front of the Porta Potties. Maybe she thought it was time to negotiate her next contract with Mikey?

http://img25.imageshack.us/img25/6628/13300780.jpg

How come Danica finished ahead of Matos? Seems like his wreck is further down track.

[Don Quixote]

How come Danica finished ahead of Matos? Seems like his wreck is further down track. :rofl:

[Gnam]

When does the IRL forum reopen? :gomer:

It would be the place to talk about and enjoy the IRL with folks who see the IRL for the contrived, slow, ridiculous racing series it is. A malveolent abomination based on a lie, run by morons, destined to destroy everything it touches.

But hey ya gotta watch sumpthin' right? :thumbup:

[Trevor Longman]

Exactly, I will also admit that I enjoyed it. It wasn't great but it's racing and after watching the ALMS race the day before, I must say that this was the better of the 2 races. Aside from the announcers (which I didn't have to mute because my Dad's snoring drowned them out anyway), my only complaint was that the opening was so retarded it was almost funny. Honestly, I think :tony: was on crack again when he thought that was a good idea. Who else would have thought that making a video where all the cars suddenly turn into antalopes, tigers, and bulls would be a good idea? Anyway though it was nice to see Versus allow the spectacle to run overtime and cut into the rodeos and fishing they usually have on there. As far as the race goes, it was good. Would have been better if Coyne won but oh well, it was good to see Hunter-Reay finish 2nd. BTW, everyone on here needs to figure out how to enjoy a race again. It seems that no one can just sit down and just watch a race without finding something catastrophically wrong with it. Yes the announcers were annoying but I enjoyed it none the less. :\

[Methanolandbrats]

Exactly, I will also admit that I enjoyed it. It wasn't great but it's racing and after watching the ALMS race the day before, I must say that this was the better of the 2 races. Aside from the announcers (which I didn't have to mute because my Dad's snoring drowned them out anyway), my only complaint was that the opening was so retarded it was almost funny. Honestly, I think :tony: was on crack again when he thought that was a good idea. Who else would have thought that making a video where all the cars suddenly turn into antalopes, tigers, and bulls would be a good idea? Anyway though it was nice to see Versus allow the spectacle to run overtime and cut into the rodeos and fishing they usually have on there. As far as the race goes, it was good. Would have been better if Coyne won but oh well, it was good to see Hunter-Reay finish 2nd. BTW, everyone on here needs to figure out how to enjoy a race again. It seems that no one can just sit down and just watch a race without finding something catastrophically wrong with it. Yes the announcers were annoying but I enjoyed it none the less. :\ Dad, you better de-Gorman your kid right away.

[shaggy_socal]

How come Danica finished ahead of Matos? Seems like his wreck is further down track.

He never got the pass done prior to the shunt, would be my guess.

Matos' pass was a little overzealous IMO, but Danica's not innocent in this either.


"It's not exactly the ideal spot to pass," she said. "We were going into the fast chicane there and there's no room, there's no room for two people. ... I was looking in my mirrors and I saw him. He just wasn't all the way up next to me."

Hey Princess, if you saw him, how come you didn't leave any room for him? Ill advised or not, he was there, you pinched him into the wall and took each other out of the race.

[Hard Driver]

He never got the pass done prior to the shunt, would be my guess.

Matos' pass was a little overzealous IMO, but Danica's not innocent in this either.



Hey Princess, if you saw him, how come you didn't leave any room for him? Ill advised or not, he was there, you pinched him into the wall and took each other out of the race.

Because there is only one possible line through those corners at 130. And if the guy only gets his front wheel to your sidepod, then it is 100% up to the guy to tap the brake and back out before taking them both out, which is NOT what Matos did. Danica's only choice was to trust that Matos would do what a driver should do or get out of the line, onto the marbles and crash into the outside wall just to let Matos pass. I am no Danica fan, but if that was Justin Wilson in the car, my guess is that the blame would be falling on Matos.

[Insomniac]

He never got the pass done prior to the shunt, would be my guess.

I was just wondering. I just noticed in the picture where there cars are aren't the same as their finishing position. I don't know the rules on scoring in those situations.

[extramundane]

BTW, everyone on here needs to figure out how to enjoy a race again. It seems that no one can just sit down and just watch a race without finding something catastrophically wrong with it.

I enjoyed the F1 race just fine, thanks. The online LeMons stream was a blast too.

[Michaelhatesfans]

Having gone over this thread, considering the descriptions and having evaluated the photos, I think that I can conclude that the most interesting thing that happened was that a porta-pottie fell over.


http://img25.imageshack.us/img25/6628/13300780.jpg

[High Sided]

I was just wondering. I just noticed in the picture where there cars are aren't the same as their finishing position. I don't know the rules on scoring in those situations.

ask Paul Tracy ;)

[dando]

I think that I can conclude that the most interesting thing that happened was that a porta-pottie fell over.


I sure hope no one was in the shitter when it toppled. Having recently watched Slumdog Millonaire (sic).... :yuck: Great flick, horrible scene in the shitter early in the movie (think Trainspotting if you saw it). :eek:

-Kevin

[Michaelhatesfans]

I sure hope no one was in the shitter when it toppled.

**** boxes crashing, **** boxes falling over... The parallels are endless.

I was confused for a while. As I couldn't tell the difference, I was afraid that one of the cars had cleared the fence.

[Don Quixote]

**** boxes crashing, **** boxes falling over... The parallels are endless.

I was confused for a while. As I couldn't tell the difference, I was afraid that one of the cars had cleared the fence. But the porta pottie has more sponsor decals.

[emjaya]

How come Danica finished ahead of Matos? Seems like his wreck is further down track.

It goes back to what positions they were on the the last lap they completed.



(which I didn't have to mute because my Dad's snoring drowned them out anyway)

:laugh:

[shaggy_socal]

I am no Danica fan, but if that was Justin Wilson in the car, my guess is that the blame would be falling on Matos.
You would be correct, because we like JW.
:)
I guess I'll give DP a pass this time.

[NismoZ]

Looks like "I watched it" beats "More Idiocy" 35-18. Of the "18" none are about a race, so I guess we could score the OC "interest" in open wheel racing this past weekend a 35 -0 drubbing of F-1 by the IRL! Log in next time to see if the Long Beach race continues the League's forum domination of F-1!:p

[pchall]

I doubt that the entire OC membership watching could have measurably changed the 60% loss of viewership for this event from 2008 to 2009.

[Michaelhatesfans]

Looks like "I watched it" beats "More Idiocy" 35-18. Of the "18" none are about a race, so I guess we could score the OC "interest" in open wheel racing this past weekend a 35 -0 drubbing of F-1 by the IRL! Log in next time to see if the Long Beach race continues the League's forum domination of F-1!:p

Flav in butt floss. How far could it go?

[oddlycalm]

Flav in butt floss. How far could it go?
Yep, that killed it for me...

I was watching Ben Spies fall off in World Superbike after winning both races his last time out. :(

oc

[NismoZ]

60% loss of viewership?! Heck, 58% of THOSE couldn't even find it to VIEW!:D (if the drop was only 60% the program probably outperformed expectations!)

[oddlycalm]

60% loss of viewership?! Heck, 58% of THOSE couldn't even find it to VIEW!:D (if the drop was only 60% the program probably outperformed expectations!)

That's kind like 60% of nil isn't it...? :laugh: I'm guessing we've both been to races that had better attendance than that broadcast had viewers.

oc

[Sean Malone]

So as I sarcastically mentioned in my 'giddy with anticipation' thread, I went.
the 'event' (and I use that term loosely) was, to put it bluntly, 'phoned in'. There was definitely a lack of effort by AndrettiGreen Promotions this year from last. Without going into each aspect of the mediocrity let me sum it up and say that once again, no matter what Tony George and his talking yes men say, it's ALL ABOUT INDY for the IRL. They played clips from past Indy 500 races over the loud speaker, they showed old Indy 500 winners montage on the big screens before the race. Indy, this, Indy that.
Indy was everywhere. The races prior and after Indy will dry up and blow away. I can't wait to see what team owners start a new series. :) It's '79 all over again.

If F1 is a circus, the IRL is a county fair in the middle of Indiana. The cars were slow and seemed too heavy. They can't get a good run off of a corner which is really saying something coming off the final turn onto the front stretch where the only overtaking was done at the expense of some kid named Stanton Bartlett who has as much business out there as I do.

Phoned in event, boring race with slow cars...it wasn't fun. Honestly the worse race I've ever attended. It's nice to have Justin, Graham, Coyne and even Vasser to root for but the IRL needs new cars and needs them now!:yuck:

The highlight of my day were the nice photo ops I got from walking back to my car.

[pchall]

NHL still gets more viewership per game than the IRL and there are rumors that people actually buy their tickets to the events!


60% loss of viewership?! Heck, 58% of THOSE couldn't even find it to VIEW!:D (if the drop was only 60% the program probably outperformed expectations!)

[High Sided]

clipped from elsewhere

From Autoracing1.com
http://www.autoracing1.com/hotnews.asp

St. Pete IndyCar TV Rating plummets: As we predicted, regardless of how good the production of the TV broadcasts on Versus will be, viewership for IndyCar races will be disastrous. Our prediction, as unfortunate as it is, has come true. Last Sunday’s Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, the first-ever IndyCar Series race on Versus, earned 233,000 viewers. Last year’s IndyCar season opener, the Gainsco Auto Insurance Indy 300 from Homestead-Miami Speedway, earned 1.1 million viewers on ESPN2 on a Saturday night in primetime. That means this year's season opener was down 79%. The '08 race from St. Pete, which was that season’s second telecast, earned 575,000 viewers on ESPN for a Sunday afternoon telecast, representing a drop this year of 60%. No matter how you slice it or dice it, a disaster for someone trying to sell sponsorship.

[Methanolandbrats]

clipped from elsewhere

From Autoracing1.com
http://www.autoracing1.com/hotnews.asp

St. Pete IndyCar TV Rating plummets: As we predicted, regardless of how good the production of the TV broadcasts on Versus will be, viewership for IndyCar races will be disastrous. Our prediction, as unfortunate as it is, has come true. Last Sunday’s Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, the first-ever IndyCar Series race on Versus, earned 233,000 viewers. Last year’s IndyCar season opener, the Gainsco Auto Insurance Indy 300 from Homestead-Miami Speedway, earned 1.1 million viewers on ESPN2 on a Saturday night in primetime. That means this year's season opener was down 79%. The '08 race from St. Pete, which was that season’s second telecast, earned 575,000 viewers on ESPN for a Sunday afternoon telecast, representing a drop this year of 60%. No matter how you slice it or dice it, a disaster for someone trying to sell sponsorship.:thumbup::laugh:

[Insomniac]

ask Paul Tracy ;)

When he and Bourdais collided in Denver in 2006 PT finished ahead of Bourdais. He was behind him when they collided (trying to make a pass he'd never pull off unless Bourdais just gave it to him), but his wrecked car ended up a little further down the track. So PT would say whichever car was closer to the finish line. :)

[Insomniac]

I sure hope no one was in the shitter when it toppled. Having recently watched Slumdog Millonaire (sic).... :yuck: Great flick, horrible scene in the shitter early in the movie (think Trainspotting if you saw it). :eek:

-Kevin

I laughed at that scene. Amitabh! Amitabh!

[Insomniac]

It goes back to what positions they were on the the last lap they completed.

Ahhh, I didn't know that.

[Insomniac]

clipped from elsewhere

From Autoracing1.com
http://www.autoracing1.com/hotnews.asp

St. Pete IndyCar TV Rating plummets: As we predicted, regardless of how good the production of the TV broadcasts on Versus will be, viewership for IndyCar races will be disastrous. Our prediction, as unfortunate as it is, has come true. Last Sunday’s Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, the first-ever IndyCar Series race on Versus, earned 233,000 viewers. Last year’s IndyCar season opener, the Gainsco Auto Insurance Indy 300 from Homestead-Miami Speedway, earned 1.1 million viewers on ESPN2 on a Saturday night in primetime. That means this year's season opener was down 79%. The '08 race from St. Pete, which was that season’s second telecast, earned 575,000 viewers on ESPN for a Sunday afternoon telecast, representing a drop this year of 60%. No matter how you slice it or dice it, a disaster for someone trying to sell sponsorship.

Think NASCAR. Build interest in Indy (Daytona) and hopefully it builds interest in everything else. I doubt it will work at this point, but I don't know what else they have left to work with or build on.

[pchall]

Might work if they hadn't destroyed the Indy 500 and The Month of May so comprehensively. There's no cachet to Indy these days without new lap records, interesting cars, and a variety of engines. The IRL doesn't offer anything to build on. If they had 1978 circumstances as a do-over point I'd think better of their chances, but they've got nothing compared to that.


Think NASCAR. Build interest in Indy (Daytona) and hopefully it builds interest in everything else. I doubt it will work at this point, but I don't know what else they have left to work with or build on.

[NismoZ]

Gosh...I just wish we could have seen this coming!:tony:...:rofl:

[dando]

Aside from the announcers (which I didn't have to mute because my Dad's snoring drowned them out anyway)

:gomer: :laugh:

Trevdog, glad you enjoyed the racing. Unfortunately you'll understand how cynical most of the racing fan vets here are in a few years. :( If I hadn't watched Indy and other OW races in the 70s, 80s and early 90s, I wouldn't know any better either. :cry:

-Kevin

[miatanut]

Without going into each aspect of the mediocrity let me sum it up and say that once again, no matter what Tony George and his talking yes men say, it's ALL ABOUT INDY for the IRL. They played clips from past Indy 500 races over the loud speaker, they showed old Indy 500 winners montage on the big screens before the race. Indy, this, Indy that.
Indy was everywhere. The races prior and after Indy will dry up and blow away.

I've figured it would eventually get to a three race series, but it could be just one.

I'm shocked at how little gumption the current generation of owners has to start their own thing. If CART had struggled in its early years, I could see some hesitation, but CART took off like a rocket.

I'll just remain a non-fan until that should happen, if ever.

[Sean Malone]

I've figured it would eventually get to a three race series, but it could be just one.

I'm shocked at how little gumption the current generation of owners has to start their own thing. If CART had struggled in its early years, I could see some hesitation, but CART took off like a rocket.

I'll just remain a non-fan until that should happen, if ever.

I tend to simplify things to a fault, but I still think it really comes down to having an aesthetically nice looking car that is fast, nimble and has the right sound. I remember standing in awe watching a still Champ Car and yet a tire smoking IndyCar leaves me grimacing.
People can say all they want about drivers and their personality's and how that garners the attention of the casual fan...I say BS. Any casual fan stops to watch a race because of the cars and how they are racing. The cars should be sleek, fast and hard to handle. The drivers are just jockey's on open-wheel Thoroughbreds. If some of the jockey's happen to get famous along the way because they win...all the better. The IRL needs a new car and a few new engines.

[pchall]

IBJ confirms that despite the viewership increase from OC, very few people watched.

link (http://thescore.ibj.com/content/?p=88)

The dire numbers and the predictable spinning:




April 8, 2009
Posted by aschoettle , trackback

IRLTV The Nielsen ratings for the first Indy Racing League race Sunday in St. Petersburg were down 60 percent from the same race a year ago. The 2009 St. Petersburg race was the season kick-off, and the first race on cable channel Versus. Last year, the race was on ESPN.

Total viewership dropped from 575,000 households last year to 233,000 this year, according to New York-based Nielsen Media Research.

“This is a number Versus research predicted, so there’s no surprise here,” said IRL spokesman John Griffin. “The fact is, when things on TV are slow, Versus is not a channel people surf onto the way they do with ESPN. We know the work we have ahead of us. The Versus ad campaign just started, so hopefully that gets us some traction.”

Household viewership did spike from a .3 rating to a .4 during the last laps of the race.

“This is just one early-season race, and there’s no reason to judge the entire relationship on this race,” said Tim Frost, president of Frost Motorsports, a Chicago-based motorsports business consultancy.

Technically, Frost gave the production good marks. “The number of cameras they used was very solid, as was the production quality and the commentary,” he said.

IRL officials said there was plenty of upside to the opening week. Griffin said feedback from racing fans that did watch the season opener was better than 90 percent positive.

“We couldn’t be happier with our opening week of race coverage on Versus,” said Charlie Morgan, president and chief operating officer for IMS Productions. “Versus’ commitment was to super-serve [IRL] fans and based on the response we have seen from our fans they are thrilled with the amount and quality of coverage available to them throughout the weekend.”

“We just have to do a better job of helping people find Versus and letting them know what Versus is capable of doing,” Griffin added.

Frost said Versus has a track record for building sports properties’ viewership. “Versus has consistently [increased] the ratings of NHL games, and I expect the same with the IRL,” Frost said.

[miatanut]

I wonder whether I will ever again have the experience I used to enjoy in the '90's at Portland, with 28 cars and about 25,000 horsepower pounding into turn one. Those cars were mind-blowing!

For the time being, I assume I will never have that experience again.

[Rosco]

FYI, you can skip the high banked ovals unless you need something to put you to sleep.


I watched the race, good to see Briscoe win.

I would keep Texas, need more like Milwaukee & Phoenix