Barber Motorsports Park signed for 3 years

[NickFalzone]

I like Barber supposedly the drivers say it's a very fun track to drive, but I worry about the lack of passing. Even Edmonton was kind of weak in passing zones, and Barber is significantly more narrow. They say that they're working on this with the track, hopefully it's enough.

http://www.indycar.com/news/?story_id=14737

Article also mentions that during the VS qualifying telecast this friday Angstadt will announce the entire 2010 schedule.

[Mark in Oshawa]

Good that they are at a venue that wants the series, that is always a plus. I don't think this deal is signed and announced or even going to Barber if Tony George was still running the shop.

[DBell]

It will be interesting to see how an Indycar race fairs there. It sounds like the drivers like the track, but don't think there will be a lot of passing opportunities.

One part that bothers me is the part about limiting attendance to 30k. That may be a non factor if the demand isn't very high, but isn't one of the big reasons a deal was done the fact that around 10k (or 20k as stated in the press release) showed up to an open test? So say there are 50 or 60 thousand who want to attend the race. The promoter is going to tell all those people that they only want 30k to attend? If this is the "finest road track in North America", as they stated in their press release, then they should be able to handle more than 30 thousand at a major event. Otherwise, it is simply a good club track.

[nigelred5]

I've got to think that they don't want to fundamentally change the character of the facility too much. I suspect they would have to erect a lot of grandstands to accomodate a crowd like that. I've neve been there for an event but I have visited the facility and it is a beautiful facility. It's pretty obvious to me though that it was not built for big time professional racing. teh grounds are lush but somewhat tight and I don't remember the layout particularly well configured to handle a terribly large crowd. The track isn't that narrow, but it will put passing at a premium. It's a shame that they will have to ring the track with tall ugly safety fencing because it is a pretty facility.

Hopefully being about three hours from my inlaws I can talk my father in law to drag their hoopty RV over to the track for the weekend and catch a cheap ticket into Birmingham on Southwest.

[Mark in Oshawa]

If they are going to limit attendance to 30k, they will have to charge a lot to make money unless the IRL isn't asking for a big fee to show up.

My thought on the track is that it is too tight for faster cars and now that I hear about this 30K stuff, I wonder what the local promotor is thinking.

I want the series to go places it is WANTED but the economic health of the series dictates that the partners the IRL takes on understand everyone has to make money and the product on track has to work for the TV audience.

I remain an optimist things will work here, but I must admit, I am growing skeptical.

[grungex]

Somehow I doubt that the IRL could get even 30K to show up to Barber, which, when all is said and done, is a club track, albeit a very nice one.

[Mark in Oshawa]

Somehow I doubt that the IRL could get even 30K to show up to Barber, which, when all is said and done, is a club track, albeit a very nice one.

I think they might get past the 30 K if they price and promote the race properly. What bothers me is this nonsense of limiting yourself....THAT is just dopey...

[NickFalzone]

If they got 20k as they state for the open test back in March, 30k won't be a challenge for the race. I do wonder about limiting to 30k, but it may have to do with their ability to simply handle more visitors than that, it IS basically a high end club track.

[chuck34]

Seeing what they draw for the Grand-Am race, and especially what they drew for the Mustang Challenge race earlier this year, I don't think that they should have any problem with 30k. That is if they don't put it in July (when the Grand-Am race is, it's HOT and they still draw, but it could be better) and they do at least some minimal promotion. From what I've seen the people in Birmingham are nuts about racing in general and that track in particular.

[Chamoo]

Seeing what they draw for the Grand-Am race, and especially what they drew for the Mustang Challenge race earlier this year, I don't think that they should have any problem with 30k. That is if they don't put it in July (when the Grand-Am race is, it's HOT and they still draw, but it could be better) and they do at least some minimal promotion. From what I've seen the people in Birmingham are nuts about racing in general and that track in particular.

The rumored date is at the beginning of the season.

I think they might just not have time to set the track up in time for 2010 to handle more then 30k fans. They might not want to tear up the landscape in trying to do a quick fix to fill the area with more fans. I'm thinking in 2011 they will have stands set up and pathways that are better suited to handle more then 30k fans.

At 50$ for a General Admission ticket, they would make 1.5 million bucks if they limited themselves to 30k fans.

I actually am happy we're going there. I want to see a race in that area and hopefully we can grab a couple of Nascab fans to follow the ICS. Hopefully passing areas will be constructed for 2011 and it will grow into a good AOWR track. Hopefully Tony Cotman can work hard with the track when they construct the new passing zones as he knows what he is doing when it comes to that sort of thing.

[wedge]

Glad its signed up to IRL

Lovely race track. One of the very few reasons why I pay any interest in Grand Am.

[MDS]

At 50$ for a General Admission ticket, they would make 1.5 million bucks if they limited themselves to 30k fans.

It's not as simple as all that, there's camping and sponsorship, vending, corporate hospitality and parking, all of which they're going to make money on. When you figure the sanctioning fee is probably around $1 million they're probably going to make a profit, it might not be a huge profit like NASCAR tracks make, but it will probably be a successful, sustainable event.

Also, as I understand it, they're getting some money from Alabama Tourism for promotion and the sanctioning fee.

[grungex]

If they got 20k as they state for the open test back in March, 30k won't be a challenge for the race. I do wonder about limiting to 30k, but it may have to do with their ability to simply handle more visitors than that, it IS basically a high end club track.

If they got 20K for that I'll eat my hat. They barely pulled 15K to Toronto, so "limiting" themselves to 30K in Alabama doesn't seem terribly constricting. Heck, if they actually do manage to garner that many fans they can crow about turning folks away.

[PA Rick]

They could bulldoze the banks at Atlanta and use the dirt for hillside viewing areas at Barber.
Seriously, Elkhart Lake is 28-32 feet wide and BMP says it is 45' wide so unless the lines are unforgiving there should be some passing. They may still want to add some width to some of the potential passing corners.

[MDS]

If they got 20K for that I'll eat my hat. They barely pulled 15K to Toronto, so "limiting" themselves to 30K in Alabama doesn't seem terribly constricting. Heck, if they actually do manage to garner that many fans they can crow about turning folks away.

You say Alabama, but they're only 2 hours away from Atlanta.

[grungex]

Makes no difference.

[Chamoo]

It's not as simple as all that, there's camping and sponsorship, vending, corporate hospitality and parking, all of which they're going to make money on. When you figure the sanctioning fee is probably around $1 million they're probably going to make a profit, it might not be a huge profit like NASCAR tracks make, but it will probably be a successful, sustainable event.

Also, as I understand it, they're getting some money from Alabama Tourism for promotion and the sanctioning fee.

Oh, I understand that it's not only ticket sales. But if you want to play that game, there will be overhead to be paid out as well.

And sanctioning fee's are getting higher now, apparently in the 2-3 million range.

[gofastandwynn]

Good that they are at a venue that wants the series, that is always a plus. I don't think this deal is signed and announced or even going to Barber if Tony George was still running the shop.

That doesn't really make a whole lot of sense since negations would have probably been going on for more than a few weeks and the series starting doing open tests there for the past few years.

[Pat Wiatrowski]

They could bulldoze the banks at Atlanta and use the dirt for hillside viewing areas at Barber.
Seriously, Elkhart Lake is 28-32 feet wide and BMP says it is 45' wide so unless the lines are unforgiving there should be some passing. They may still want to add some width to some of the potential passing corners.

If my memory is right. I think Road America is 44' wide. Corner 5?

[nigelred5]

Barber is a realtively tight layout, but it's not narrow. If it was unfolded a bit it would be have been one hell of a fast track.

[nigelred5]

Now we just need to move Sonoma to Laguna Seca, get Road America, Miller MSP and maybe New Jersey on the schedule once they get the construction and all finished. I'd like to see it once, but I've just never been that big on Road Atlanta.

[DBell]

I'd like to see it once, but I've just never been that big on Road Atlanta.

I used to feel that way about it until I moved out here and attended some races. I think it's a terrific track now. Huge elevation changes that are steeper than they come across on tv, a couple of passing areas and an ability to handle more than 30k in attendance puts it ahead of Barber for me, but I admit to being totally biased on this matter. :)

[NickFalzone]

They're pretty far along at NJ Motorsports Park. It's a beautiful facility but even for a club track VERY expensive to join. I'm thinking of checking out the Ferrari Challenge race they have in September.

http://www.njmotorsportspark.com/overview.html