Q: I saw your opinion article on Austrian track limits. It almost became an issue at Silverstone again. My main question is, why does it matter? I don’t see it as a safety issue at either the Red Bull Ring or Silverstone. I side with the tracks on this with regard to having to cater to different cars/bikes to make the track viable. If it is not a safety issue, then just get on with it and let the drivers drive. They are low in cockpits that really can’t see the white lines, especially if they are fighting with someone.
It just seems like we’re making an issue out of something that should not be an issue. Penalizing everyone after the fact in Austria was just bush league. If it were a safety issue, then maybe I’d see the point. But I’m not seeing it that way now.
Jeff Smith, State College, PA
CM: I know what you’re getting at Jeff but you’ve got to extrapolate it a bit more. If you say no track limits on those corners, then drivers will work out the quickest way through the corner and that could be miles wide and then ducking back just before grass starts that could launch the car. In Austria’s final corner the wall has to come back in towards the track as well before the main grandstand, so if you got it wrong there or had an issue, an accident could be catastrophic.
There’s a balance to be had and if they all just took the lines they did at that race last time (and at Silverstone at Stowe like you mention) then it wouldn’t be a big deal at all, but it would be far quicker to carry way more speed and run a lot wider, and then the track stops conforming to FIA safety standards as that’s not what the barriers and run-offs are designed for.
Q: Do you know who are the significant backers/investors for Andretti’s F1 bid? As an avid F1 news reader, I don’t recall a name or names being dropped since their initial announcement.
I’m definitely in the minority (especially as an American) but I’ve always had little to no faith in his bid succeeding. My primary source of doubt was where Andretti was getting his investment from. I’m no businessman but the fact Andretti’s primary business is running a motorsports organization (unlike, say, Penske, who owns various other non-motorsports companies), I don’t believe he can make enough profit himself to bankroll an F1 bid, thus the need for outside help, and thus the need to drop an investor’s name or two in media circles to relieve some of the doubts in the paddock. The skepticism doesn’t surprise me at all when it sounds like he barely has enough to put his foot through the door, let alone add value to the sport. I don’t know how rich the current teams need to be to not care about losing X million dollars per year in prize money.
Andrew
CM: The main one that is known is Gainbridge, which is part of Group 1001. They were already backers of the team through Colton Herta in IndyCar, and it was revealed earlier this year that Daniel Towriss (the Group 1001 CEO and president) is now part of the Andretti Autosport ownership group.
But don’t discount the clout of General Motors, too. This is very much a collaboration given GM’s huge involvement in racing already and the resources they have for that. It’s true you might not have heard much recently though, because Andretti has heeded the advice of F1 and stopped talking publicly about its entry efforts.
I had it explained to me this week at Silverstone that it would take up to nine years for a mid-to-lower midfield team in F1 to start losing money after a new team came in, thanks to the $20 million each team would receive as an anti-dilution fee from that new team (that’s the $200m figure that gets referenced). Being given that money as a lump sum up front easily covers any financial impact based on the prize money for a number of seasons.
As the rules currently state new teams can enter, the bigger return for the existing teams is if the sport is totally closed off as a 10-franchise setup, and then they will all instantly become more valuable. I want to see new teams added but you can’t blame the current 10 for looking out for themselves — they’ve got businesses to run.
Q: Masterful job by van Gisbergen! Just amazing. Has anyone expressed interest in bringing him back? Does he have any predisposition against ovals?
Don Hopings, Cathedral City, CA
KELLY CRANDALL: There haven’t been any rumblings about a team other than Trackhouse Racing that I’ve heard. The night that van Gisbergen won in Chicago, Justin Marks reiterated he’s being methodical about how the No. 91 car competes because of the toll it takes on the rest of the company to field a third car without it taking away from the efforts of Ross Chastain and Daniel Suarez. But then Marks said, “I’m pretty confident that it’s Shane’s seat right now.” So, time will tell if the resources are there for Marks to make the team a full-time entry. As for van Gisbergen competing on ovals, he has stated his interest in coming to NASCAR when his time with Supercars is done, but he knows it’ll be a tall task as oval races “would be a completely different world.” But he would “love to try it.”
THE FINAL WORD
From Robin Miller’s Mailbag, July 6, 2014
Q: I say we need at least one oval prior to Indy and go deeper into the year with scheduling. Run Saturdays with a Sunday back-up. (Saying this because I think more people watch pro football than college football). Also, pay attention to what the individual races are up against regarding other events in the same area at the same time. I know a person who doesn’t like road or street courses because she says she just sees the cars go by — gone, then come again — and only watches ovals. Bring “retired” race cars ahead of a race in malls or grocery stores with former or current drivers. Let people have a Q&A session, pass out hats and cater to kids. Wine and dine local sports media guys/gals with some drivers in attendance.
Dan Gallion, Ft. Worth, TX
ROBIN MILLER: I remember Johnny Rutherford and Chuck Rodee coming to slot car Indy 500 one year at Southern Plaza and they probably made more fans in two hours at that shopping mall than can be imagined. I’d bring back something like the Champion Spark Plug High School Safety Team (Indy drivers speaking to schools during the off-season). And I’ve never met a sportswriter who’d would turn down a free meal with a driver. It’s promotion and it’s all been done before, but it’s not being done anymore. At least not enough.