2021 R1 - Grand Prix of Alabama

Including the Indy 500 and all junior series leading up to IndyCar
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MonteCristo
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#46

Post by MonteCristo »

Bottom post of the previous page:

Ruslan wrote: 2 years ago Well, first indy Car race I have watched in a few years. There was a time in the 1980s when I did watch them all and even attended a few. But that was back in the days when it was becoming Formula 1 1/2. Indy car racing has been in decline since the mid-1990s (thank you Tony George).

Anyhow, I really did not find my interest was rejuvenated. The spec cars looked kind of tame. The whole thing just seemed toned down from its peak in the 1980s. The winning driver has less of a resume than Mazepin.

I did like the facility and track. I do have family in Birmingham. Maybe I should pay them a visit next April.

I will probably watch the St. Pete race next week.
Sadly Barber isn't the best advertisement for the series. The track is ridiculously pretty. But it was designed for bikes. Not much happens there at the best of times (there have been one or two half decent races, but no more than that). But I believe this year they also repaved it, so the cars were completely hooked up (apart from O'Ward getting a bit sideways at times).

Give it another try at one of the classics... Road America, Portland, Long Beach, Laguna Seca... if you're in any way still interested. I'm not a huge fan of St Pete, but it does provide better racing than Barber, and is a lot more slippery.

With all that said, yes, there is no hiding that the series is a shadow of its former self. FTG.
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#47

Post by Ruslan »

MonteCristo wrote: 2 years ago Give it another try at one of the classics... Road America, Portland, Long Beach, Laguna Seca... if you're in any way still interested. I'm not a huge fan of St Pete, but it does provide better racing than Barber, and is a lot more slippery.
Yea, I used to always watch Long Beach, having been to a couple of F1 and Indy Car races there, but eventually, I even stopped doing that.
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#48

Post by MonteCristo »

Ruslan wrote: 2 years ago
MonteCristo wrote: 2 years ago Give it another try at one of the classics... Road America, Portland, Long Beach, Laguna Seca... if you're in any way still interested. I'm not a huge fan of St Pete, but it does provide better racing than Barber, and is a lot more slippery.
Yea, I used to always watch Long Beach, having been to a couple of F1 and Indy Car races there, but eventually, I even stopped doing that.
When did you stop going/lose interest?

CART was still on a high in the late 90s, though the shine was certainly off without Indy. But things were still fine until 2002 when Penske defected, then Honda and Toyota left. After that, things got grim.
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#49

Post by jimclark »

MonteCristo wrote: 2 years agoCART was still on a high in the late 90s, though the shine was certainly off without Indy. But things were still fine until 2002 when Penske defected, then Honda and Toyota left. After that, things got grim.
:twothumbs:

I'd agree 'cept I feel the end was the '80s for me. There was beginning to be even less engine and chassis diversity a-comin'.......
Those were the days my friends, we thought they'd never end.....

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#50

Post by MonteCristo »

jimclark wrote: 2 years ago
MonteCristo wrote: 2 years agoCART was still on a high in the late 90s, though the shine was certainly off without Indy. But things were still fine until 2002 when Penske defected, then Honda and Toyota left. After that, things got grim.
:twothumbs:

I'd agree 'cept I feel the end was the '80s for me. There was beginning to be even less engine and chassis diversity a-comin'.......
1998/1999 still ticks that box for me as good as just about as good as anything in the 80s.

Chassis - 5: Lola, Reynard, Penske, Swift, Eagle
Engines - 4: Mercedes, Honda, Ford, Toyota

But by 2000 it was down to two chassis and three engine manufacturers. The interest (read: the split) and hence economics just weren't there to sustain development of so many elements, and so American openwheel started to circle the drainpipe.
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#51

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With Ericsson last year and RHR this year I count two drivers saved thanks to the screen.
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#52

Post by Ruslan »

MonteCristo wrote: 2 years ago When did you stop going/lose interest?

CART was still on a high in the late 90s, though the shine was certainly off without Indy. But things were still fine until 2002 when Penske defected, then Honda and Toyota left. After that, things got grim.
It was after the late 1990s. Indy car was still
producing world class drivers like Villenueve, Zanardi and Montoya.

It quickly declined after that, especially with CART shutting down.
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