No US F1 race in 2008

[tsafficianado]

Bernie and Tony were unable to reach an agreement so there will be no F1 race in the US in 2008 and the future of US F1 is questionable. The word is that Bernie wanted $30million to sanction the race, twice what he charges for Euro races, to accomodate the extra expense associated with the travel and logistics issues. Tony wants to maintain his independence and didn't want to open his palm for any financial support from the local or statte governments. The bottom line is we get screwed.
On Wind Tunnel last night Bob Varsha said 'F1 needs the US', so I think there is some hope out in the future. It's too bad that the Indy venue is optimal for the race because the track sucks.....an F1 race needs elevation change. And hopefully, before he grinds the whole thing in the ground, Bernie will disappear and somebody a little less schizo will get the helm.

[TJ347]

Sad situation. Maybe Long Beach will make a return, but I doubt it. Vegas would be a better bet, if they could make a decent circuit.

[ILuvGurls]

years ago i use to go to road atlanta for the SCCA rallies. always like the track as the twists and turns made for great race watching.

seems i heard that they were doing a lot of improvements to the track. perhaps this is a place that could host the race.

[tsafficianado]

i ran superbikes at road atlanta and for bikes it's great but for F1 no way. the track is too narrow, the esses are too tight and there is no run-off virtually anywhere. they have done massive improvements but it isn't close to F1 standards, the facilities are minimal, the access is pathetic and they couldn't pack enough people in to pay the freight. Bernie wants $30million to run in the usa and that's a lot of mail to haul. in a lot of ways indy was a logical choice, with massive facilities already in place and its location right in the heart of the 'city'.
nascar has plenty of money....they ought to do something altruistic for once and build a purpose-built track in a prime access location (like virginia maybe?). i give tony a lot of credit for the effort and the money he put into bringing F1 back and the attendance was massive at first and if not for a couple of lousy races it might have held up, but apparently Tony isn't willing to let in any outside cash for fear they will want to look at his books. usa needs a great track, one with elevation changes and fantastic facilities, and that takes a lot of money. building the track will take deep pockets, but coughing up the annual $30million would be nothing for nascar and it would certainly endear them to more purists. on the other hand, the nascar folks are used to throwing their weight around and that won't work with Bernie in the big chair.
what to do? sad day for USF1.

[ILuvGurls]

it was a thought....

[tsafficianado]

and a good thought it was iluv, since i live suburban to atlanta :<}
maybe they could get ted turner and coca-cola to hand over a few dozen sacks of cash to make the track F1able.

i don't really know how the finances work for a race track, RA gets a lot of SCCA and bike club races and an AMA weekend and they have some schools, but it has to be an expensive proposition. i don't even know who owns RA now but they have done a lot of improvements including removing that horrible dip at the foot of the hill leading up to the bridge turn. back in the day it was owned by the Whittington brothers of Indy infamy, and the rumor always was that the track was occasionally used to land small planes bringing in herbal imports in a duty-free manner snicker snicker. by the way, if you're in the SE and have never been to Barber MS Park over in Bama you should check it out, it is a sweet track.

[mbf]

bring back Long Beach!!!

i was like 6 ys old when i watched f1 at long beach (on tv tho) and i am still remebering john Watson winning from like 22nd on the grid. awesome race.

[StaggerLee]

I like the idea of Nascar stepping up, even if it seems against their own interests. But who's to say that crazyBernie won't then ask for 45 million? As long as it's his show, noone can win.