Champ Car zurück nach Laguna Seca 2008

      Champ Car zurück nach Laguna Seca 2008


      ich sage nur: back to our roots, sie haben endlich zugehört, was die Fans wünschen und besinnen sich auf die Champ Car Tradition:

      Laguna Seca kehrt nach 3-jähriger Pause (letztes Rennen war 2004) im nächsten Jahr 2008 auf den Rennkalender zurück! Hurra!! Endlich wieder Corks Crew und Sand :D
      Dafür fällt das Stadtrennen in San Jose weg. Ich meine Rennautos gehören auf richtige Rennstrecken. Ich bete nur, dass auch die Fans wieder nach Laguna Seca pilgern. Wenn ich an die letzten beiden Rennen 2003 und 2004 denke, waren da keine Herrscharen von Fans wie ganz früher. Jeder hat gejammert, dass sie Laguna Seca aus dem Kalender genommen haben, aber die dicken Zuschauermengen sah ich auch nicht.

      So ganz grundlos fällt San Jose jedoch nicht weg, sondern in der Stadt selbst sind einige Massnahmen geplant, die ein Rennen nächstes Jahr behindern würden oder eventuell sogar verhindern würden. Also von daher, kam die Entscheidung zurück nach Laguna Seca zu gehen nicht ganz freiwillig - aber das meine persönliche Meinung.

      Da ich zu müde bin, packe ich das Release mal unübersetzt hier rein :D


      CHAMP CAR WORLD SERIES TO RACE AT HISTORIC LAGUNA SECA IN 2008

      Indianapolis, Indiana (September 11, 2007) – The Champ Car World Series announced today that its 2008 race in northern California will move from the streets of San Jose to the road course at historic Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey.

      “We’re pleased that Champ Car will be able to maintain a strong event in northern California,” said Steve Johnson, Champ Car President & CEO. “While it’s always tough to leave one city for another, in this case, it makes sense strategically for us and works for San Jose given the on-going developments of their downtown. We enjoyed three great years in San Jose, and certainly anticipate that the fans there will head south to enjoy Champ Car racing at the beautiful Monterey Peninsula’s Mazda Raceway circuit.”

      Considered one of the finest permanent road courses in North America, the 2.238-mile Monterey Peninsula’s Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca will host its 23rd Champ Car World Series event next year at a date to be announced later. The first Champ Car event was held at Laguna in 1983, and though its long run of races ended the past three years, Champ Car returned there this year to conduct its pre-season testing. The testing also served as the official kick-off for the Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca’s 50th Golden Anniversary season this year.

      “Needless to say, we are thrilled to announce during our 50th Anniversary season that Monterey Peninsula’s Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca will once again host a Champ Car World Series event,” said Gill Campbell, CEO/General Manager of Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. “Our fans loved the 2007 pre-season testing, and they will certainly enjoy Champ Car’s return with a race next year. Our mutual affiliation with Mazda made this relationship a natural one for us, and we all share in the excitement. While we look forward to announcing our entire 2008 schedule soon, we wanted to share this exciting news with our fans as soon as possible.”

      Organizers of the Grand Prix of San Jose recently informed the Champ Car World Series that on-going residential developments in and around the 1.5 mile downtown track would hamper next year’s race. For 2008, new housing developments on Balbach Street would affect the back straightaway, while upcoming construction in the Boston Properties lot would mean the loss of the race’s main “Gold Grandstands” on Almaden Boulevard.

      “The reality of racing on a temporary street circuit is that change happens continuously and this is especially true in a dynamic and growing city center like downtown San Jose,” said Grand Prix President Dale Jantzen.

      The Grand Prix provided the city of San Jose with world-wide exposure as part of the Champ Car World Series. Broadcast internationally in each of its three years, the city of San Jose estimated that the economic impact to America’s 10th largest city was approximately $70 million over the three-year period.

      Champ Car’s announcement that they would race in Laguna Seca in 2008 is the first of what is expected to be several exciting announcements in the months ahead regarding 2008 race venues. The full 2008 Champ Car World Series calendar will be announced later this fall.

      Quelle: Champ Car PR



      Ist sehr erfreulich, dass die Champcars dort wieder fahren. CC hatte aber eigentlich keine andere Wahl. Nach dem Wegfall von San Jose braucht man dringend ein US-Rennen als Ersatz. In unserem "Schwesterforum" wird der mögliche Kalender für 2008 diskutiert: Von 15 möglichen Rennstrecken befinden sich gerade mal 6 in den USA. 8o
      Hmm, so hab ich das noch gar nie betrachtet. Für mich war CC eigentlich bisher eine US-Rennserie... Jedenfalls meiner Ansicht nach eine falsche Richtung, davon profitiert höchstens die IRL... ein Konkurrent weniger. Die US-Sponsoren werden jedenfalls kaum groß in eine Serie investieren, die gerade mal 6 Rennen in den USA fährt.
      Aber das Investment amerikanischer Firmen hängt nicht nur mit dem Ort der Rennen zusammen, sondern viel mehr mit den amerikanischen Zuschauern am Fernsehen.
      Deshalb besteht letzendlich natürlich auch ein Zusammenhang zu den Rennstrecken. Wobei amerikanische Sponsoren sowieso sehr rar in der Champcar-Serie sind und demnach auch, wie bekannt, wenig amerikanische Zuschauer vor dem Fernsehen hocken.

      Dieser Beitrag wurde bereits 1 mal editiert, zuletzt von „Topa“ ()

      moin

      wie geilllll!!!!!! :clap: :clap: :clap:
      ich werd die CC auch nie als weltserie sehen. die sind und bleiben eine amerikanische serie. deren problem ist aber, das sie glauben: nur amerika, reicht nicht zum überleben. leider sehen die fans das so, das man als "weltmeisterschaft" nicht überlebt.

      nun muß nur noch eurospocht back to the roots!

      tschau norman
      Original von Topa
      Aber das Investment amerikanischer Firmen hängt nicht nur mit dem Ort der Rennen zusammen, sondern viel mehr mit den amerikanischen Zuschauern am Fernsehen.
      Deshalb besteht letzendlich natürlich auch ein Zusammenhang zu den Rennstrecken. Wobei amerikanische Sponsoren sowieso sehr rar in der Champcar-Serie sind und demnach auch, wie bekannt, wenig amerikanische Zuschauer vor dem Fernsehen hocken.


      Das sehn aber leider nichtmal die teams der serie so und zwar gerade zwei große teams einmal N/H/L (ja ohne Y das wirds wohl nicht geben) und wohl auch walker ist laut rumors sehr unglücklich über diese entwicklung in einigen US-forum wird sogar von wechseln oder in zwei serien gleichzeitig starten also ICS+CC ( nein ich persönlich glaube nicht dran und will auch niemanden provozieren damit ist aber nurmal so das es solche diskussionen und rumors seit 4 wochen schon im umlauf sind und das nicht nur im TF oder ICO sondern auch bei speedtv forum ect.

      hab mal nen kleinen ausschnitt aus nem interview mit N/H/L's general manager Brian Lisles

      "Overseas races make money for the series owners, but lose money for the teams," Lisles explained. "Champ Car is paid a lot of money for those races, but they are expensive for us to do and they don't bring us any sponsorship. Our sponsors are American divisions of companies, not international divisions, and when we have an overseas race the international or regional division gets the credit for the exposure, not the American division that's paying the bills. So it's a loser for us, all-round."
      "Um IndyCar-Racing wieder dahin zu bringen, wo es einmal war, bedarf es sicher noch einiger Saisons. Dank der Vereinigung ist es wieder möglich, dieses Ziel zu erreichen. Das war es vorher nicht."

      Alex Zanardi
      @topa

      ups hab garnicht geschaut wollte eigentlich petra zitieren mit
      6 USA Strecken reichen doch, ich würde sagen max. die Hälfte des Rennkalenders sollte in den Staaten sein, sonst wäre der Name Champ Car WORLD Series nicht gerechtfertigt, oder?
      "Um IndyCar-Racing wieder dahin zu bringen, wo es einmal war, bedarf es sicher noch einiger Saisons. Dank der Vereinigung ist es wieder möglich, dieses Ziel zu erreichen. Das war es vorher nicht."

      Alex Zanardi
      und noch ein bericht der wie ich denke den stand der serie derzeit gut wiedergibt

      vom San Jose Mercury

      Big promises for S.J. Grand Prix and, in the end, little to show

      The politicians and promoters were spinning fast Tuesday. They were spinning faster than the San Jose Grand Prix cars spin past Cesar Chavez Plaza.

      Or, rather, used to spin. Because the grand prix has spun out.

      Such a coincidence. As soon as the city's heavy financial subsidy for the event stopped, so did the event.

      The grand prix promoters took $4 million of taxpayer money over the past two summers and made a promise: Once the race got into gear with a little help from City Hall, the grand prix would survive on its own. It would bring benefits to San Jose for years to come. Downtown merchants would prosper. The city would receive international exposure. Also, everyone would get a puppy.

      Never mind.

      So what was the spin on things Tuesday? Here is what the promoters and local officials said with a straight face: Downtown San Jose is just too darned dynamic a place to be a long-term home for a street race.

      Honest. It seems developers might eventually erect buildings on vacant street-side properties that are used for bleachers, luxury boxes and other grand prix functions. In one example, the Boston Properties group could construct an office tower in the large Almaden Boulevard parking lot that has held the main grandstand.

      Completely true. But it was also completely true three years ago, when the grand prix promoters first committed to San Jose. And as for that alleged Boston Properties project? There was
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      no confirmation from either the company or the city that ground will be broken on the Almaden Boulevard lot any time soon. Probably because it won't be happening.

      In fact, take this prediction to the Pit Stop Bank: that big parking lot will still be a big parking lot next July, when the non-race weekend rolls around.

      No tragedy, I suppose. Losing the grand prix won't inherently make our city any worse. But it will make late July less exciting around here. For one weekend, the grand prix turned downtown into a loud, bombastic, crazy train of stuff you couldn't see anyplace else in Northern California. If you missed the insane sight of cars screaming at 170 mph past the Center for the Performing Arts, you missed something you would have told your grandchildren about one day.

      Here's the truth: If the sanctioning Champ Car organization and chief race backer Don Listwin had wanted the San Jose Grand Prix to continue, it would have. Even if the Almaden Boulevard lot was unavailable, the race course could have been moved to the configuration that was originally announced in 2005. That setup called for the parking lot at HP Pavilion to be used for the pits and main grandstand, with the primary straightaway moving to Santa Clara Street.

      So why didn't that happen? Listwin and his Canary Foundation grew tired of losing tons of money over the past three years, even with the city subsidy. Staging a street race costs far more than using an existing racetrack. In San Jose, the promoters had to buy more than two miles' worth of cement block and fencing, rent cranes to set up the spectator bridges and turn the McEnery Convention Center into a high-tech racing paddock. Not cheap.

      And there was another problem - Champ Car itself. Three years ago, when I cautiously endorsed the grand prix, I also warned the city about becoming too heavily involved with America's third-string racing circuit. The flak I received from Champ Car supporters and loyalists was enormous. They were insulted by my "third-string" description, saying it was unfair to rank the circuit behind both NASCAR and the Indy Racing League.

      In retrospect, those folks were correct. I should have called Champ Car a sixth-string circuit - placing it behind NASCAR, the IRL, drag racing, hydroplane racing and that cute little kiddie-car ride at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. Champ Car has never found a big-name sponsor for its San Jose event. And this year alone, the circuit had to cancel races in China and Phoenix after they had been scheduled, largely because there was a shortage of community or corporate support.

      No surprise, really. If an American company wants to spend marketing dollars on auto racing, why pick a circuit with only seven of its 14 events held in the United States - with just one race east of the Mississippi River? It also doesn't help that Champ Car's marquee drivers have been steadily leaving for other circuits.

      Meanwhile, with San Jose's plug pulled, Champ Car says its Northern California event will return to Monterey and its Laguna Seca track, which was abandoned by the circuit three years ago because of drastically falling attendance. Excellent strategy.

      In the end, the biggest damage from Tuesday's announcement will be to the next sports franchise owner or promoter who tries to convince San Jose it should assist his or her enterprise. The grand prix's pullout provides plenty of ammunition to those who decry city subsidies for sporting events but who never howl when the city forks over millions to other fun but unnecessary projects such as the San Jose Improv or the San Jose Repertory Theatre.

      I've never understood that attitude. I don't think it's wrong for the city to subsidize fun events of any type that make our city a more interesting place. And one of those events just crashed because some people broke their promises. We deserved better.


      @Petra ich wollte keinen neuen Thread dafür aufmachen da ich denke er passt ganz gut hier hin auch wenn er wohl ehr ums SJ-Rennen geht wenn du anderer Meinung bist kannst du den beitrag ja splitten

      gruß smurf
      "Um IndyCar-Racing wieder dahin zu bringen, wo es einmal war, bedarf es sicher noch einiger Saisons. Dank der Vereinigung ist es wieder möglich, dieses Ziel zu erreichen. Das war es vorher nicht."

      Alex Zanardi

      Dieser Beitrag wurde bereits 1 mal editiert, zuletzt von „smurf“ ()

      Original von smurf

      @Petra ich wollte keinen neuen Thread dafür aufmachen da ich denke er passt ganz gut hier hin auch wenn er wohl ehr ums SJ-Rennen geht wenn du anderer Meinung bist kannst du den beitrag ja splitten

      gruß smurf




      yep, habe ich geteilt, weil es zum Laguna Seca Thema gehört, Laguna Seca wird ja stattdessen gefahren - ich denke, dass man die Umstände um San Jose und den Wegfall dieses Stadtrennens sehr wohl hier anbringen kann