2011 Likely Schedule

[Scotty G.]

3-27 St. Pete
4-10 Alabama
4-17 Long Beach
5-1 Brazil
5-29 Indianapolis 500
6-11 Texas (night)
6-25 Iowa (night)
7-3 Milwaukee
7-17 Toronto
7-24 Edmonton
8-7 Mid Ohio
8-14 New Hampshire
8-21 Sears Point
9-4 Baltimore
9-17 Motegi
10-2 Kentucky
10-16 Las Vegas


-Only 2 night races.

-They will race on the same day as Cup 7 out of 17 times. The 7 are St. Pete, Long Beach, Toronto, Mid Ohio, New Hampshire, Sears Point and Kentucky. I don't count Indy (with Charlotte at night) and Baltimore (with Atlanta at night) with that total.

-I'd look for Loudon and Kentucky to both be run at 4:00 EST (after the Cup race, which will likely be run at 1:00).

-Look for off-season open tests to be run at Las Vegas (oval) and Barber (road).

[GRW1983]

3-27 St. Pete
4-10 Alabama
4-17 Long Beach
5-1 Brazil
5-29 Indianapolis 500
6-11 Texas (night)
6-25 Iowa (night)
7-3 Milwaukee
7-17 Toronto
7-24 Edmonton
8-7 Mid Ohio
8-14 New Hampshire
8-21 Sears Point
9-4 Baltimore
9-17 Motegi
10-2 Kentucky
10-16 Las Vegas


-Only 2 night races.

-They will race on the same day as Cup 7 out of 17 times. The 7 are St. Pete, Long Beach, Toronto, Mid Ohio, New Hampshire, Sears Point and Kentucky. I don't count Indy (with Charlotte at night) and Baltimore (with Atlanta at night) with that total.

-I'd look for Loudon and Kentucky to both be run at 4:00 EST (after the Cup race, which will likely be run at 1:00).

-Look for off-season open tests to be run at Las Vegas (oval) and Barber (road).

According to Curt Cavin, 17 races will be on next years schedule. 16 of them are confirmed at present, with the season finale the exception. It will be Las Vegas, but if a deal isn't struck the finale will be at Fontana. Last night, Versus mentioned the return of a popular, well-known racetrack so I would not be surprised to see Milwaukee return. Chicagoland, Homestead, Kansas & Watkins Glen are out. Baltimore, Las Vegas (or Fontana), Milwaukee & New Hampshire are in. 8 ovals and 9 road/street tracks, the same as this year.

[Easy Drifter]

The Toronto Honda Indy site does NOT show 17/07 but 10/07. 17/07 would be one week before the ALMS race at Mosport. That makes no sense whatsoever. Even a 2 week gap is going to hurt both big time.
ALMS gets a big crowd for an entire weekend and is far more fan friendly.

[BrentJackson]

The Toronto Honda Indy site does NOT show 17/07 but 10/07. 17/07 would be one week before the ALMS race at Mosport. That makes no sense whatsoever. Even a 2 week gap is going to hurt both big time.
ALMS gets a big crowd for an entire weekend and is far more fan friendly.

Fan friendly if you can handle the primitive facilities. I love Mosport (I practically grew up there :) ), but its facilities really do suck.

[Easy Drifter]

Primitive? Running water washrooms, showers available for spectators, quite a few snack bars with hot food. I guess that is primitive.
I drove on the track before it was paved!
I raced there for many years.
It certainly was primitive in the early years with just a few portable cans and no running water except in the tower.
I was a senior organizer in the last years of F1 at Mosport.
I was there when the food was almost inedible. Ever had a steamed in tinfoil Burger? Even the seagulls didn't like them.
The food is not bad now and not way overpriced.
There are portable toilets brought in for the ALMS race.
Yes there could be more improvements but Dr. Panoz is doing more every year.
The big thing is I do not understand why the two series are running dates so close together which will hurt both when they co-operate at many venues.

[Easy Drifter]

Aside from everything else a July 17 date in Toronto would put it into the start of the 3 week Caribana Festival. The Caribana is far far more important than the Toronto Indy and brings huge numbers to Toronto in both tourists and dollars. The race is small potatoes compared to the Caribana.
The July 10 date is far more likely.

[Scotty G.]

Change Toronto to July 10th.

I think everything else though, will be what you see.


Las Vegas will be the 16th of October, because the Trucks are racing at Vegas on the 15th. Same deal with Kentucky. Trucks on Saturday and Indy Car on Sunday.

I think the season needs to start a month earlier and end a month earlier. Going into mid October is dumb. Starting in late March (and giving NASCAR almost a 2 month head-start) is very dumb.

Start in late February and end around Labor Day weekend. And somehow, someway get Motegi off of there. It just screws up your schedule, no matter where you put it. Sponsors don't care about that race. And there will be literally 10 people watching it, at 12:00 midnight, when its on TV.

Get Phoenix and another warm weather event for the beginning of the season. Dump Motegi. 18 races would be nice for 2012.

[anthonyvop]

Dump Motegi.

What part of "Honda" don't you understand?

[GRW1983]

What part of "Honda" don't you understand?

Whether we like it or not, Motegi will always be a part of the schedule as long as Honda are providing the engines.

[Chamoo]

Whether we like it or not, Motegi will always be a part of the schedule as long as Honda are providing the engines.

My one hope for multiple engine manufacturers is that Honda loses it's Motegi date. My concern for multiple engine manufacturers is that who ever else decides to join in the fun, gets to have a date on the calendar at their home track.

[anthonyvop]

According to my sources ISC and IndyCar are still talking.

[ICWS]

I'm curious as to why the Alabama race would be April 10th. That day is when the final round of the Master's Golf tournament takes place. That would add even furthur damage to the already poor T.V. ratings (the race would probably be on Versus). Plus, wouldn't it be logistically easier for travel to go from St. Petersburg to Birmingham in one week (March 27th to April 3rd) in comparison to going from Birmingham to Long Beach (April 10th to April 17th)?

The same could be said with going from New Hampshire to Sonoma in a week. I would've suggested placing the Sonoma race on July 31 and move the Mid-Ohio race to August 28: Edmonton - July 24, Sonoma - July 31, New Hampshire - August 14, Mid-Ohio - August 28, Baltimore - September 4. Perhaps the don't want to place a race on the 31st in order to avoid competing with the Brickyard 400.

Thoughts?

[Dr. Krogshöj]

I'm curious as to why the Alabama race would be April 10th. That day is when the final round of the Master's Golf tournament takes place. That would add even furthur damage to the already poor T.V. ratings (the race would probably be on Versus). Plus, wouldn't it be logistically easier for travel to go from St. Petersburg to Birmingham in one week (March 27th to April 3rd) in comparison to going from Birmingham to Long Beach (April 10th to April 17th)?

The same could be said with going from New Hampshire to Sonoma in a week. I would've suggested placing the Sonoma race on July 31 and move the Mid-Ohio race to August 28: Edmonton - July 24, Sonoma - July 31, New Hampshire - August 14, Mid-Ohio - August 28, Baltimore - September 4. Perhaps the don't want to place a race on the 31st in order to avoid competing with the Brickyard 400.

Thoughts?

As for the Alabama race, I wondered about the same thing back in April, because the situation was exactly the same in 2010. But I have no idea. The Mid-Ohio date has to remain August 7 because it is a double header with the American Le Mans Series and the August 28 wouldn't work for them. They race at Road America on the 21st and Baltimore on Labor Day weekend.

[DanicaFan]

Who cares about the golf tournament....boring...lol ;)

[Civic]

I'm doing a half-marathon the day of Long Beach. =(**************

[Easy Drifter]

I agreee with you on the boring part Chad but an awful lot of people watch it. Bunch of guys with clubs hitting a hunk of white rubber all over a cow pasture trying to put the hunk of rubber in a gopher hole.

[Otto-Matic]

Who cares about the golf tournament....boring...lol ;)

ugh, i hate golf. soooooo boring :o

but for some reason tons of people watch it ?!? i have no idea why

[DanicaFan]

ugh, i hate golf. soooooo boring :o

but for some reason tons of people watch it ?!? i have no idea why

Me either. Its as bad as watching tennis and soccer. I would rather watch paint dry than any of these sports.

[Dr. Krogshöj]

ugh, i hate golf. soooooo boring :o

but for some reason tons of people watch it ?!? i have no idea why


Me either. Its as bad as watching American football and baseball. I would rather watch paint dry than any of these sports.

[Mark in Oshawa]

Who cares about the golf tournament....boring...lol ;)

Ya...it is just the Masters....like it gets REAL ratings...

Danicafan, it is why you prove every day you shouldn't ever be given a job in marketing and promotions for racing.....

One of the keys to any good marketing campaign in racing is to acknowledge the casual fan is the one you are trying to attract, and many race fans as well as casual watch the major golf tournaments.....I for one will watch the Masters over NASCAR that weekend and the IRL likely as well.......

[Otto-Matic]

Me either. Its as bad as watching American football and baseball. I would rather watch paint dry than any of these sports.

I agree 100%. baseball especially is awful on TV. in person not so bad but way too slow paced. but this is probbaly the wrong forum for that :s mokin:

[BobbyC]

NASCAR already has conceded Masters weekend by having the first Saturday night race being on Masters weekend. The IRL might be in trouble for that date.

The NASCAR Nationwide race at Joliet scheduled for June 4 could be changed to Milwaukee too in order to make it an NNS-IRL weekend.

[DanicaFan]

EXPECTED 2011 IZOD INDYCAR SCHEDULE

MARCH 27 – St. Pete (street circuit)
APRIL 10 – Birmingham, Ala. (road course)
APRIL 17 – Long Beach (street)
MAY 1 – Brazil (street)
MAY 29 – Indianapolis 500
JUNE 12 – Texas doubleheader (oval)
JUNE 19 – Milwaukee (oval)
JUNE 26 – Iowa (oval)
JULY 10 – Toronto (street)
JULY 24 – Edmonton (road course)
AUG. 7 – Mid-Ohio (road course)
AUG. 14 – Loudon (oval)
AUG. 28 – Sonoma (road course)
SEPT. 4 – Baltimore (street)
SEPT. 18 – Motegi, Japan (oval)
OCT. 2 – Kentucky (oval)
OCT. 16 – Las Vegas (oval)

[nigelred5]

Whether we like it or not, Motegi will always be a part of the schedule as long as Honda are providing the engines.

I would MUCH prefer the race be at Hondas OTHER home track.. SUZUKA!

How about a back to back two weekend double header- Suzuka-Motegi.

[I am evil Homer]

That would be a blood bath...some drivers struggle just turning left. Suzuka would be too much for most of them.

[Dr. Krogshöj]

That would be a blood bath...some drivers struggle just turning left. Suzuka would be too much for most of them.

I guess one the drivers you are referring to is Milka Duno, but she would be parked after a couple of laps. The other is probably Takuma Sato, but even though he's been terrible this year, he does know his way around Suzuka.

[AussieV8]

Apart from the glen being dropped (and no surfers anymore), I like the 2011 schedule. Milwaukee and Loudon = good. Only 3 1.5 mile ovals as well.

Would be nice to see Road America on it though.

However, I'm suprised there isn't an oval race before the Indy 500.

[TURN3]

Apart from the glen being dropped (and no surfers anymore), I like the 2011 schedule. Milwaukee and Loudon = good. Only 3 1.5 mile ovals as well.

Would be nice to see Road America on it though.

However, I'm suprised there isn't an oval race before the Indy 500.

I think just about everybody misses Surfers...I know the drivers do.

[Easy Drifter]

Norris McDonald is his blog for the Toronto Star is writing, among other things, about the dates of the ALMS/IC race at Mosport and Toronto. He figures the Indy Car race will hurt more from lost attendance due to the proximity of the races. I agree.

[NaBUru38]

some drivers struggle just turning left. Suzuka would be too much for most of them.

Actually, since it's 8-shaped, drivers turn right as many times as left. :D

[nigelred5]

That would be a blood bath...some drivers struggle just turning left. Suzuka would be too much for most of them.

Fortunately, the turn requiring the largest tackle at Suzuka is a left. ;)