The Failure of Sports Car Racing

Now, Even the U.S. Grand Prix has Pooped Out!

By Bill Moore

Obviously, the South has won the racing war. In a world of racing cars, the racing began in Europe where the Formula One Grand Prix scene is second only to the infernal 24-hours-a-day coverage of soccer.

Here, the Southerners in general and NASCAR in particular rules the roost. Sports cars, those descendents of the MG-TD that came to these shores following World War II, have been overwhelmed. NASCAR gets all the attention.

It shouldn't be that way!

The glory days of road racing in America can be seen in two, maybe three series. The first was the Can-Am series, with outrageous no-holds-barred Group 7 sports cars that drew enormous crowds from coast to coast and on up into Canada -- thus the name: the Canadian-American Challenge. The second was the Trans-Am, sanctioned by the Sports Car Club of America, where the muscle cars (Pony cars) of the late '60s and '70s fought it out from one side of America to the other with names like Mark Donohue, Parnelli Jones and Jerry Titus on the marquees. Finally, there was IMSA's Camel GT, run by that SCCA renegade John Bishop, starring a vast collection of drivers spearheaded by the professionalism of Peter Gregg and his Brumos Porsches. In the end, vying head-on with the Trans-Am, IMSA whipped butt.

So popular were these series that the cars are still running around racetracks. Recently, Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, California, held its annual Wine Country Classic -- and you'll see photos of some of those cars elsewhere in this issue of SpeedMachines. The stars of this weekend were, yup -- Can-Am cars, Trans-Am cars and the machines that ran in the IMSA series of the '70s and '80s.

Once upon a time the Formula One World Championship was a big deal in the United States, especially when it was held at Watkins Glen in upstate New York. Now, the Glen was a marvelous place -- but the drivers and the snooty band of F1 followers felt the Glen was a visit to Siberia. So, it has been shuffled around . . . to places like Las Vegas and Phoenix where it failed.

Now, it has also failed at that fabled American racing venue, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. I blame both Tony George, who owns the track, and Bernie Ecclestone, the guy who controls Formula One -- a guy who can be seen in the same grubby light as Al Davis of the Oakland Raiders (you know, contankerous, offensive to the NFL and its officials . . . and Al can't figure out why he always gets the short end of virtually every important officiating call).

But, if you don't believe me, listen to what Butch Noble, the Motorsports Editor at DRIVE! Magazine has to say about the F1 race at the Brickyard: "In the first two years the race was held at Indy, crowds were over 200,000. More than enough to make it work! But then several things contributed to its demise. Ticket prices went up. At the time there were no American drivers involved (Scott Speed’s first year was in 2005. He drove for the Red Bull team only during Friday’s practice sessions.). Most F1 races are held in or near high-end, upscale cities . . . which Indy is neither. Then, the biggest blow was the Michelin tire problem in 2005, when only six cars raced. That, in my opinion, was the nail in the coffin. The race just never recovered."

While I deeply respect Butch's opinion, I have to disagree on one point -- Indianapolis. No, it's not Montreal, but good lord, man, Formula One didn't work in Las Vegas and there are a zillion things for you to do if you get bored with racing there.

More, I think Indianapolis -- smack-dab in the middle of America -- is still the ideal spot to draw a huge crowd of American spectators. You don't need the jetsetters to fill the hotel rooms or the seats in Speedway, Indiana.

More, this whole thing with sports cars (okay, throw formula cars into the mix along with Porsches) hasn't been handled properly. The week of the U.S. GP should be a celebration of American racing, with all of the major race series competing in and around the spectacle of Formula One. Promoters from every race series should be on hand, hyping their product. Drivers from all of racing should be out there, with extended hands to spectators for a little personal contact.

And, today there is a ton of good racing at road courses as far flung as Laguna Seca, Infineon Raceway, Road America and little Lime Rock Park, not to mention all those races between New Jersey barriers on city streets like San Jose and Long Beach. And, here's what Butch has to say on these events: "For open-wheel stuff, the Champ Car vs. IRL (can we mention Tony George AGAIN?) feud still hurts both series. The IRL has Indy. They have Penske, Andretti, Ganassi. They have some really big-name, good drivers. They have a pretty good TV deal. And they have Danica. They’re drawing a bit better this year, but overall their attendance sucks. The cars are now pretty dated and long in the tooth. But to their credit, they realize what road racing means and have added more road races this year.

"Champ Car is headed in the right direction. New cars (that are very fast), a TV deal, expanding to Europe this year, great races. They’ve got some fabulous drivers, unfortunately these drivers aren’t very well known to the American racing fan. How many fans at the San Jose GP will know the names like Dornbous, Jani, Power etc? But they’ve got Bourdais (probably his last year in Champ Car) and Tracy. Those two alone are worth the price of a ticket.

"As for sports cars, well, the American Le Mans Series is a product known world-wide. Every fan in Europe knows the series because the same cars run at Le Mans. And they have their own series of races in Europe. The ALMS has tons of manufactures involved -- Audi, Porsche, Ferrari, Corvette and more, all with names the consumer can buy. Now, with Peugeot involved and challenging Audi at the 24 Hours in France, the series will grow even more . . . not to mention they have the best sports car drivers in the world and an open pit area. They even open the grid on the track itself to fans just before the race! What’s not to love?

"The Grand-Am has the 24 hours at Daytona. They have some unbelievable drivers. But they draw no crowds. The cars are ugly and pretty slow. That being said, they do have some really good races."

So, what can you do? Easy -- look at the schedules ( www.indycar.com www.champcar.com www.americanlemans.com www.grand-am.com ) and order some tickets. Get outta the city, take a ride in the country, pitch a tent if you must, and enjoy a few races in the sunshine and fresh air for a change. Hey, American sports car racing needs you . . . and even historic racing is fun!

Photos are by Jorge Briones (Scott Speed at U.S. GP), Butch Noble (action in the streets of Long Beach) and Bill Moore (an assortment).