Mark B wrote:
Didn't Reininger say there were 40,000 there last year, in spite of the
rain?

--
forty

“There are only three sports: bullfighting, motor racing, and
mountaineering; all the rest are merely games.” - Ernest Hemingway

Well for the most part I quit paying any attention to the official numbers a
long time ago. The only way any of them had any sense of reality is they
counted the tickets sold in bundles for people that never showed up for the
race. Even then I wondered. IIRC I would find last years race having
difficulty finding at least 20,000. The claims toward the end at Phoenix
and California were interesting.

On Mon, 04 Dec 2006 17:48:50 GMT, "Mark B" <none (AT) nospam (DOT) com> wrote:



There may have been some mutual benefit during the CART era, but don't
forget that Detroit started as a F1 race, with CART taking over when
F1 made unreasonable cost demands. Just like Long Beach. So Detroit
wasn't really a Penske show. Maybe he helped fill it, the way
Nazareth and Fontana used to be packed when Penske promoted those
tracks.

The good years at Detroit were when they ran downtown. Never quite
understood why they moved to Belle Isle. One of those "This is
working great - let's change it" deals.

Even though nobody seems to regard Belle Isle as a great track, there
was one race there in the late 90s that had everyone here going "Wow!"
for a couple of weeks. It was the one where half the field was
running nose-to-tail, balancing speed vs fuel econcomy at 10/10ths,
King Hiro in the mix and even leading for a while. I'm not sure if
anyone will ever put on a show like that again, but we can always
hope.

Ken Plotkin

Ken Plotkin wrote:
<snip>
Methinks they found that the cost of setting up the downtown circuit was
making the event less and less feasible and that a semi-permanent
circuit would be more cost effective. I think it was F1 that originally
intended to move to Belle Isle but ended up dropping Detroit altogether,
and then CART took over and still ran it downtown before going to the
Belle Isle circuit that F1 had planned.

--
forty

“There are only three sports: bullfighting, motor racing, and
mountaineering; all the rest are merely games.” - Ernest Hemingway

"Ken Plotkin" <kplotkin (AT) nospam-cox (DOT) net> wrote

Speaking of Hiro and Detroit, wasn't he the one being towed when Mario and
Michael decided to help push the wrecker back to the garage?

- Kelly

"The way to see by faith is to shut the eye of reason."
- Benjamin Franklin, Poor Richard, 1758

On Dec 5, 10:33*am, "Kelly" <K... (AT) albert (DOT) com> wrote:

I didn't like the idea when it came up and still do not care for the
event. I see enough parades on thanksgiving and new years and do not
want to see the IRL put on parades the same as ccws. If they have to
have parades at least they didn't choose a site such as Houston's
layout. Penske wanted the event and if anyone can make it work it will
be Penske. As far as Biloxi goes. You take this current group of cc
drivers down there the locals would take them snipe hunting and most
would not find their way back in time for the parade/race.

forty wrote:
My understanding was, that planned construction in downtown was going to
make the track there impossible, for either F1 or CART. So a move to
Belle Isle was necessary, even if it's not a good course.

"ncrdbl1" <mphsrick43 (AT) aol (DOT) com> wrote



On Dec 5, 10:33am, "Kelly" <K... (AT) albert (DOT) com> wrote:

I didn't like the idea when it came up and still do not care for the
event. I see enough parades on thanksgiving and new years and do not
want to see the IRL put on parades the same as ccws. If they have to
have parades at least they didn't choose a site such as Houston's
layout. Penske wanted the event and if anyone can make it work it will
be Penske. As far as Biloxi goes. You take this current group of cc
drivers down there the locals would take them snipe hunting and most
would not find their way back in time for the parade/race.

Granted I know I am feeding the trolls a bit, but so be it. You take the
current crop of Champ Car drivers down to Biloxi and they would be treated
with manners, respect and genuinely made to feel at home. Southern
hospitality still exists in 99% of most areas of the south and Mississippi
is no exception. Though I personally am not from Biloxi I am from
Mississippi and have family near there. That area has dealt with a blow
that very few can understand. Ive seen it with my own eyes the damage, but
the people there have largely rolled up their sleeves and gone to work to
rebuild their lives and their community. When they have received help, I
have also seen their attitude. It can be summed up in two very simply
words. Those words are THANK YOU. They expect nothing and are appreciative
of any help they do receive. In fact those locals would even treat with
respect those that come in with uninformed closed off minds about the
community in which they are visiting and walking around with a nose in the
air. Its something I am not sure I can do.

Bill Jonesi wrote:
exactly. I think they still could hold the race downtown, but the
construction made the setup much more expensive, ce n'est pas?

--
forty

“There are only three sports: bullfighting, motor racing, and
mountaineering; all the rest are merely games.” - Ernest Hemingway

On Dec 5, 3:39*pm, "Mark B" <n... (AT) nospam (DOT) com> wrote:
You may have a point when it comes to the politicians and the PC crowd.
But not the common folk. You are right in one way they are some of the
nicest and friendliest folks around, but they do not like phoniness or
pompous elitist and that is what you find too much of in open wheel
racing. When you talk about the common folk you are talking about
people who place names such as Petty and Earnhardt on a level just
below God and family. They will be nice and acceptable up to a point
until they take all of the European superiority snobbish attitude that
they can stand and then all bets are off. Like or not the modern open
wheel community to a certain point even those in the IRL, but
especially those in ccws have an air about them that says look at us we
are open wheel we are better than you. That attitude will wear out
their welcome very fast. I have seen more than my share of phonies with
such attitudes standing out in gullies with feed bags waiting as we
laughed our asses off back at the house.