IRL Club Racing BONANZA in the Bayou!

[Chief]

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IndyCar commits to New Orleans race at NOLA Motorsports Park in 2015

IndyCar will race in the New Orleans area in 2015, Gov. Bobby Jindal confirmed through a spokeswoman Sunday. The open-wheel race will come to the 2.75-mile road course at the private NOLA Motorsports Park in Avondale, about 14 miles southwest of downtown New Orleans. Jindal's office told The Associated Press that the governor plans to make a formal and detailed announcement at the track Monday.

The headline should be "Indycar to be COMMITTED for New Orleans Race in 2015". :shakehead: :p

http://www.nola.com/sports/index.ssf/2014/05/indycar_commits_to_new_orleans.html

[chop456]

:laugh:

[Elmo T]

Google Earth view:

https://goo.gl/maps/8Dzv7

Seriously? :confused:

[cameraman]

I can't believe that they would try to race there. The "big" track is a squiggly oval. The photo above is the Kart track. They have completely lost what little mind they have if they go there.
:shakehead:

[indyfan31]

Where do they expect "everyone" to park? (... fill in punch line here ...)

[cameraman]

Where do they expect "everyone" to park? (... fill in punch line here ...)

I don't think there is room for even IndyCar's greatly reduced paddock let alone the massive crowds the event would draw:rolleyes:

[Elmo T]

I can't believe that they would try to race there. The "big" track is a squiggly oval. The photo above is the Kart track. They have completely lost what little mind they have if they go there.
:shakehead:


Given a choice, I'd rather seem them run on the kart track! :thumbup::saywhat:

[opinionated ow]

I can't believe that they would try to race there. The "big" track is a squiggly oval. The photo above is the Kart track. They have completely lost what little mind they have if they go there.
:shakehead:

I concur...looks like a really crap circuit! The idea of racing in New Orleans is itself not completely daft but the choice of circuit makes you wonder. If the full thing is built in time it might have a chance:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9a/NOLA_Motorsports_Park_-_Facility_Map.jpg

[JoeBob]

Here's the whole place. In context.

http://www.m1powersports.com/skin/frontend/moto/default/images/ES-NOLA-Motorsports-Park-7-17-2012.jpg

[Tifosi24]

They still need to build half of it, and my thoughts are that you could make some modifications to the proposed other half to make things better. It is good to see it is next door to the horribly boring TPC Louisiana gold course. Boring sports is what they are into in this part of New Orleans.

[SteveH]

One access road? Not expecting much of a crowd then.

Oh, nevermind.

[cameraman]

Well knowing that half the track doesn't exist yet somewhat excuses the squiggly paperclip design of the part that does exist. But it further reinforces the thought that there is really no way that $4.5 million will even come close to finishing the job.

The existing track doesn't look like an F1/CART/Indy track at all.

[Tifosi24]

Well knowing that half the track doesn't exist yet somewhat excuses the squiggly paperclip design of the part that does exist. But it further reinforces the thought that there is really no way that $4.5 million will even come close to finishing the job.

The existing track doesn't look like an F1/CART/Indy track at all.

Well, I read things a bit more closely, and it would appear that the 2.75 mile circuit is the track that is currently constructed. At least, that is what the information appears to state. The place still needs some work though, and hopefully it is vaporware, because this circuit looks like nothing more than an average, at best, testing facility.

[NismoZ]

Yeah, very much like Autobahn in Joliet...2 shorter circuits when joined become the "long circuit." It IS a club circuit, a testing facility and not unlike a few others around the country. In it's present state New Orleans is nowhere near ready for an IndyCar event but that map shows a layout that is far different, longer and more challenging than what we first saw. As noted, a big time race facility is more than just a ribbon of asphalt and 4.5m $ seems to be a VERY optimistic figure to put it into acceptable shape in a year's time. Saw F-Atlantics, Star Mazda and FF2000 at Autobahn and it was great! (Connor Daley was outstanding...and Simona!:thumbup:) Indy Cars at Autobahn would work but the FACILITY would need major and expensive upgrades. Same with NO but, hey, it's a road course. Let 'em go for it!

[Duroc]

Check the scale on the map. 2.75 is certainly with the other half built.


Hapless.

:laugh:

No longer content with mimicking dysfunctional 1970's USAC, they're devolving into the American Indycar Series. Is Hallett still open?

[chop456]

^ Maybe this figures into the NOLA/Hallett/Gingerman triple crown. :tony:

[TKGAngel]

Anyone else think that the grassy islands on the kart track look like a mini-golf course waiting to happen?

Also, where do the "spectators" sit? All I see are the fancy-schmancy villas.

[stroker]

Mosquitoes, you think, maybe?

:eek:

[G.]

Mosquitoes, you think, maybe?

:eek:

gators.

[opinionated ow]

Check the scale on the map. 2.75 is certainly with the other half built.


Hapless.

:laugh:

No longer content with mimicking dysfunctional 1970's USAC, they're devolving into the American Indycar Series. Is Hallett still open?

I think it is. I've always thought that could be a challenging track to race an indycar on but it would need a significant facilities upgrade

[cameraman]

I think it is. I've always thought that could be a challenging track to race an indycar on but it would need a significant facilities upgrade

That's something of an understatement

http://www.hallettracing.net/sites/hallett/uploads/images/Track/_thumbs/hallett-lg-696-298-crop.jpg

[SteveH]

It's like Road America Lite.

It was home to the last Can Am race.

[Tifosi24]

I wasn't aware of Hallett before, but it certainly looks like a quality circuit. It reminds me of a circuit you might see the V8 Supercars use in Australia.

[Andrew Longman]

Could they possibly race somewhere with some elevation changes? Flat tracks are cool in an oval. Road courses not so much

[opinionated ow]

7i9Ja4ILF1o

Give it a re-surface, some proper safety barriers and a decent pit lane and I think it would be a winner. Imagine a circa 1995 Indycar on that with their propensity for wheel spin...

Turn 4 looks interesting. Seems to a blind apex, offcamber sweeper!

[NismoZ]

Nah, Tifosi has it right...Aussie V-8s to KANSAS!;):D