Wishing I was in Surfer's

[dataman1]

Reading to day about the six ICS drivers in Surfers. Briscoe was fastest. With Ryan are Power, Franchitti, Castroneves, Tagliani and Dixon.

I loved going there. Yeh, the plane ride was long but the town, the people and their beer made it all worth the sore butt.

[Enjun Pullr]

Must have been a great trip. Do you know much about current data acquisition?

OOps, I just acquired the data from your profile. Can I ask you some questions on the subject?

[dataman1]

My knowledge would be limited to my memory of CCWS and CART sytems (Pi). I have not had a related position in racing since 2008. I officiate in tires plus work timing/scoring in ALMS now.

[Enjun Pullr]

Awesome, thanks for the response. Rather then my twisting this thread, please have a look for a PM. If it's something you care to discuss I'll start a different thread about DA.

[DBell]

Reading to day about the six ICS drivers in Surfers. Briscoe was fastest. With Ryan are Power, Franchitti, Castroneves, Tagliani and Dixon.

I loved going there. Yeh, the plane ride was long but the town, the people and their beer made it all worth the sore butt.

I'm curious to see how they'll do against the regular V8 drivers.

Always was a goal to make a Surfer's trip at some point, but was never able to do so.

IndyCar wouldn't go there without a date change because it would be bad for the series to end the season there and would suffer bad ratings and no press in the US. After finally getting around to watching Homestead on my DVR and seeing the massive crowd, the big ratings and all the press coverage the final race got here in the US, I can certainly see the harm that ending the season in Surfer's would have caused. :rolleyes:

Alright, my sarcasm mode is off. Dataman1, do you have any good stories you can share on your trips Down Under? At least ones Starter won't have to delete. :p

[dataman1]

DBell,

My best recollections are related to the walks to work each morning. Sun rising off the ocean, fresh salty air in your face, bright sun, etc.. The hotel was a few blocks from the beach and pit lane which had temporary garages directly behind with suites above them. The whole area was a park so everything was purpose built with temporary methods.

Of course there were the ladies, posing on our cars in pit lane the first few days. Later other ladies would dance on balconies of condo's. Great eye candy.

The V8's had their own pit lane and trips through there were educational with friendly team members willing to share their knowledge and give tours, swap uniforms, etc.

The whole town was colorfull with banners of support for drivers, sponsors and series. If you wore your uniform out to eat, we seemed to get offers for free drinks from fans. Heck, they wanted to buy the shirt off your back, which was a big no-no to the Ausie customs people.

The people couldn't get enough of us. They were so eager to get closer, learn more, suck up as much as they could. Yet, they were also very courteous and kind in their requests.

I was an official in CART & CCWS so my working hours were different than a team mechanic who might spend a whole night doing an engine change. I could see their vision being different.

My worst recollection was the big pile up on the main straight during a heavy rain. I have forgotten which year that was. I recall Fernandez being upside down for what seemed to be forever.

Give me a ticket and I'd go again for sure.

[SUBARUTEAM]

I've been there twice, once in the early 90s and once to see the last race in the old champ cars (before the DP01 was introduced).

great track, great crowd, great air show, great party. it was great. i went to the gold coast a month ago to get away from the earthquakes we had here in Christchurch - I wish we were over there this weekend (its only a 3 hour flight from here).

it will be a great weekend - the indycars should be there (even if it was a non points scoring post season race). otherwise, what is there stopping indy car from finishing the series in two weeks time on an oval in Las Vagas?

[DBell]

DB ell,

My best recollections are related to the walks to work each morning. Sun rising off the ocean, fresh salty air in your face, bright sun, etc.. The hotel was a few blocks from the beach and pit lane which had temporary garages directly behind with suites above them. The whole area was a park so everything was purpose built with temporary methods.

Of course there were the ladies, posing on our cars in pit lane the first few days. Later other ladies would dance on balconies of condo's. Great eye candy.

The V's had their own pit lane and trips through there were educational with friendly team members willing to share their knowledge and give tours, swap uniforms, etc.

The whole town was colorfully with banners of support for drivers, sponsors and series. If you wore your uniform out to eat, we seemed to get offers for free drinks from fans. Heck, they wanted to buy the shirt off your back, which was a big no-no to the Aussie customs people.

The people couldn't get enough of us. They were so eager to get closer, learn more, suck up as much as they could. Yet, they were also very courteous and kind in their requests.

I was an official in CART & CAWS so my working hours were different than a team mechanic who might spend a whole night doing an engine change. I could see their vision being different.

My worst recollection was the big pile up on the main straight during a heavy rain. I have forgotten which year that was. I recall Fernandez being upside down for what seemed to be forever.

Give me a ticket and I'd go again for sure.

It sounds pretty good Atman. It makes me wish I had been able to get over there, particularly in the CART days. That was an event that had atmosphere, one that even came across on TV. It's hard to create that from scratch and CART was a big part in doing that. To me, it was a mistake for the IRL to abandon that event.

[garyshell]

Awesome, thanks for the response. Rather then my twisting this thread, please have a look for a PM. If it's something you care to discuss I'll start a different thread about DA.

I, for one, hope he says yes. As an IT guy, I would love to learn more about this aspect of racing.

Gary

[DBell]

DBell,

My best recollections are related to the walks to work each morning. Sun rising off the ocean, fresh salty air in your face, bright sun, etc.. The hotel was a few blocks from the beach and pit lane which had temporary garages directly behind with suites above them. The whole area was a park so everything was purpose built with temporary methods.

Of course there were the ladies, posing on our cars in pit lane the first few days. Later other ladies would dance on balconies of condo's. Great eye candy.

The V8's had their own pit lane and trips through there were educational with friendly team members willing to share their knowledge and give tours, swap uniforms, etc.

The whole town was colorfull with banners of support for drivers, sponsors and series. If you wore your uniform out to eat, we seemed to get offers for free drinks from fans. Heck, they wanted to buy the shirt off your back, which was a big no-no to the Ausie customs people.

The people couldn't get enough of us. They were so eager to get closer, learn more, suck up as much as they could. Yet, they were also very courteous and kind in their requests.

I was an official in CART & CCWS so my working hours were different than a team mechanic who might spend a whole night doing an engine change. I could see their vision being different.

My worst recollection was the big pile up on the main straight during a heavy rain. I have forgotten which year that was. I recall Fernandez being upside down for what seemed to be forever.

Give me a ticket and I'd go again for sure.

That sounds like a good time. That race had a level of atmosphere that is hard to create and it came across on TV. To me, it was a mistake by the IRL not to continue going over there. Like I said, I really wish I could've gone to a Surfer's race, especially in the CART era. (But not the year it rained like hell.)

[SUBARUTEAM]

i hear that the track has been reduced to just over 2.2km (down from a little over 4km) the track is probably too short for indy cars now in any case.

[AussieV8]

If the Indycars did return, then I don't see why the track couldn't be lengthened back to the old layout. AFAIK they haven't closed off the other streets.

[Lousada]

IndyCar wouldn't go there without a date change because it would be bad for the series to end the season there and would suffer bad ratings and no press in the US. After finally getting around to watching Homestead on my DVR and seeing the massive crowd, the big ratings and all the press coverage the final race got here in the US, I can certainly see the harm that ending the season in Surfer's would have caused. :rolleyes:

No they don't go there anymore because the sanction fee didn't even cover the travel costs.

[DBell]

No they don't go there anymore because the sanction fee didn't even cover the travel costs.

That's not the reason I remember given at the time. I remember the IRL wanting to change the date to September and the Surfer's people not wanting to move it because of the current date was on a Australian holiday weekend.

[Enjun Pullr]

Note that the article's date is Oct. 2009, but this best lays out IndyCar's position at the time. Mr. Griffin is no longer in the building.

http://www.racer.com/indycar-series-still-open-to-surfers-paradise-return/article/155863/

The question of the Australian government officials' ability or interest to currently make a similar offer is a debatable one.

The figures estimated MIGHT be useful for comparison when any international race is discussed. The lion's share of the expense is in moving the equipment and personnel, and the point of destination wouldn't make that much difference, would it? In the case of Brazil, Apex and the local TV broadcaster help to share the load.

DBell, as far as the scheduling conflicts pointed out by Griffin, I think your sarcasm makes for a far better finale. Put it on a world stage in front of a big crowd and be thankful for the opportunity.

[DBell]

Good find Enjun. So it was a combination of the two that is a reason the IRL bailed. No wonder Griffin is no longer employed. 20 Million Dollars!!?? That's damn near F1 money. If the IRL thinks anyone is going to give them that kind of money for them to come race, then they are completely delusional.

[Enjun Pullr]

Yeah, it puts the conversation in perspective when considering European or other offshore venues. But Brazil pays the freight, and Angstadt is negotiating in China for a similar deal.

[Dr. Krogshöj]

Good find Enjun. So it was a combination of the two that is a reason the IRL bailed. No wonder Griffin is no longer employed. 20 Million Dollars!!?? That's damn near F1 money. If the IRL thinks anyone is going to give them that kind of money for them to come race, then they are completely delusional.

That is actually F1 money.

[dataman1]

I read a report today that others like Bourdais, Pruett, Villaneuve along with a couple of ALMS drivers are also there. They had to practice in the rain. The event is called Gold Coast 600 if you care to google.

[dataman1]

Here's a link to the first day's results.

http://www.speedcafe.com.au/2010/10/22/winterbottom-on-top-after-opening-day/

[champcarray]

Thanks for the link, dataman. Lot's of familiary names...

[booger]

Anybody know if the Surfer's V-8 Supercar race going to be televised anywhere in the US?

[ykiki]

Anybody know if the Surfer's V-8 Supercar race going to be televised anywhere in the US?

Should be on SPEED next weekend. SPEED has been showing all of the V8 Supercar races this season on a 1-week delay.

http://www.speedtv.com/schedule//filter/program/804383

[RJL25]

The reason the IRL stopped coming was because they wanted to sift the date to early September and run the race on the day of our AFL Grand Final, AFL being the biggest sport in Australia, so essentially the IRL wanted us to do was host the event on a day equivilant to your superbowl day, it was just stupid.

The Queensland Government made it clear, they where happy to pay your money, but you needed to come out on the third weekend of October, take it or leave it, the IRL decided to leave it, and I have to be honest with you I think the new V8 only event is probably going to be better then the old indycar event in any case which had been going down hill for year and years before you guys eventually stopped coming.

[booger]

ykiiki, thanks for the heads up. I'll look up when it will be on.

[booger]

I've been keeping up on the Surfer's race through their local media and it sounds like they've done a perfect job of cloning our Long Beach event. Good for them and shame on Indycar for snubbing them. This event could have been their crown jewel international event. Now it's reported that they never want Indycar back...not for 100 years! Nice job morons!

[ykiki]

For me, this is one of those "When I win the lottery" type events. Hope to get down there someday.

[Rollo]

This event could have been their crown jewel international event.

Crown Jewel for Indycar or Australia?

As far as Australian motorsport is concerned the F1 Grand Prix in Melbourne outshines the Surfers Paradise race and as far as the touring car scene is concerned the Bathurst 1000 holds far more prestige than this ever will.

RJL25's statement about the AFL Grand Final being bigger is also true. In fact in terms of average weekly attendance for any league in the world, AFL (Australian Rules Football), is the highest.

[SUBARUTEAM]

not sure when speed will air the races in the USA, but if you do nothing else this year - i would highly recommend that you watch the races (race 2 in particular).

[ykiki]

I had the SPEED schedule linked in my earlier post, but there's probably no harm in posting the link again...
http://www.speedtv.com/schedule//filter/program/804383