Post by Spin on Jun 3, 2018 10:11:27 GMT -8
From Graham Rahal on Reddit
Interesting rumor. You know how I feel about the Cleveland Grand Prix.
A lot of replies talk about how close it is to Mid Ohio and Detroit, but it worked before (along with Michigan Speedway). You're talking three major markets here, plus the fact that IndyCar fans generally have the resources to attend more than one race a year. Or two. In fact the promotion of those two events during Cleveland Grand Prix week brought those other events lots of views in Cleveland from potential fans. You have the TV channels that get behind anything CLE.
You HAVE to have the right people in charge. Not the yahoos who failed in Milwaukee, Loudon, Phoenix, NOLA. The race ran 25 years, until TG couldn't figure out how to schedule it during reunification. Seriously, the Cleveland Air Show gets 6 figure attendance.
Something that was overlooked by most folks, that I can tell, is one of the Q/A's in Miller's Mailbag this past week. On the second page, an aircraft pilot says he flew a person into Burke Lakefront Airport who was part of a promotion group working to get Cleveland back on the schedule as early as 2019, but definitely 2020.
I had the great opportunity to attend the CHAMP CAR race their in 2004 and had an absolute great time. To my knowledge the traditional weekend was right around 4th of July. The troubles at Phoenix and avoiding the duel Detroit races makes this a serious opportunity I don't think should be passed up on, AND falls right into the bread basket geographic growth that IndyCar HAS to take advantage of.
It's just my opinion, but I think adding Cleveland, Laguna Seca, and Mexico would be a huge step in the right direction. Yes, I know all of those would be road/street circuits, but it's been proven pretty consistently that those are the events that draw the people with a full weekend/festival type atmosphere. That puts us at 20 races if they keep the duel and 19 if not. Just food for thought to the masses.
It just needs the right people in charge and a sponsor.
I had the great opportunity to attend the CHAMP CAR race their in 2004 and had an absolute great time. To my knowledge the traditional weekend was right around 4th of July. The troubles at Phoenix and avoiding the duel Detroit races makes this a serious opportunity I don't think should be passed up on, AND falls right into the bread basket geographic growth that IndyCar HAS to take advantage of.
It's just my opinion, but I think adding Cleveland, Laguna Seca, and Mexico would be a huge step in the right direction. Yes, I know all of those would be road/street circuits, but it's been proven pretty consistently that those are the events that draw the people with a full weekend/festival type atmosphere. That puts us at 20 races if they keep the duel and 19 if not. Just food for thought to the masses.
It just needs the right people in charge and a sponsor.
Interesting rumor. You know how I feel about the Cleveland Grand Prix.
A lot of replies talk about how close it is to Mid Ohio and Detroit, but it worked before (along with Michigan Speedway). You're talking three major markets here, plus the fact that IndyCar fans generally have the resources to attend more than one race a year. Or two. In fact the promotion of those two events during Cleveland Grand Prix week brought those other events lots of views in Cleveland from potential fans. You have the TV channels that get behind anything CLE.
You HAVE to have the right people in charge. Not the yahoos who failed in Milwaukee, Loudon, Phoenix, NOLA. The race ran 25 years, until TG couldn't figure out how to schedule it during reunification. Seriously, the Cleveland Air Show gets 6 figure attendance.