MotoGP Round 12 - Indy (SPOILERS)

[bdfinally]

Anyone else notice Kevin Schwantz' prediction of the new track surfacing helping to make it a more multi line race fail to come true? I was wondering through qualifying and the race what happened. Checked out the BBC broadcast and was shocked to see this



It was even more prevalent in other sections of the infield...holy crap.

[DanTheMan]

Yeah sorry, why do they race at that track? Bad viewing, narrow, no passing zones, fake curbing. Im sure the guys at indy know how to host an event, but its a shit track.

[Jester]

Yep it pretty much looked like an F1 race.  The surface completely covered in marbles except the racing line.  It makes passing under brakes virtually impossible.  I think that's part of the reason most of the passes had riders stuffing their bikes into one another since there was so little room to work with.

[MadDuck]

Yeah sorry, why do they race at that track? Bad viewing, narrow, no passing zones, fake curbing. Im sure the guys at indy know how to host an event, but its a shit track.

Just wait until the track at Austin is finished and ready to go! 

[Jester]

Just wait until the track at Austin is finished and ready to go! 

I'd have a hard time believing the Austin track will be a bad facility, plus it will actually get used so the surface conditions will be pretty good by the time the bikes arrive.

[Raux]

think that's what he meant.

the Austin circuit from what I've seen is incredible. totally planned for everything.

[Jester]

think that's what he meant.

the Austin circuit from what I've seen is incredible. totally planned for everything.

 

[Drjones]

I'd have a hard time believing the Austin track will be a bad facility, plus it will actually get used so the surface conditions will be pretty good by the time the bikes arrive.

For what it is worth the GrandAm series will start running the Indy road course next year, so at least it'll get some more use and rubber down before the MotoGP weekend.

[duccarlos]

If MotoGP comes back next year. From what the parties involved are saying, it doesn't seem like they're trying very hard to make a deal.

[ZLTFUL]

Indy will have a 2012 GP.
The biggest reason is the fans.
You are going to alienate a large fanbase by only having one race next year and having that clear at one end of the country.

Indy is convenient for a LOT of people. The track isn't awesome by any means and I can think of several other tracks I would rather see MotoGP at but it also has the infrastructure in place already. The track is obviously better than it has been as is evident from lap records not just being broken but literally shattered.
And while it still isn't perfect, there were far less bikes being tossed around than in previous years due to track conditions.

[Narflar]

Indy will have a 2012 GP.
The biggest reason is the fans.
You are going to alienate a large fanbase by only having one race next year and having that clear at one end of the country.

Indy is convenient for a LOT of people. The track isn't awesome by any means and I can think of several other tracks I would rather see MotoGP at but it also has the infrastructure in place already. The track is obviously better than it has been as is evident from lap records not just being broken but literally shattered.
And while it still isn't perfect, there were far less bikes being tossed around than in previous years due to track conditions.

If does come back next year then it'll be the last.  I'm gonna hate to see it go, Indy is a great venue.  The race itself may suck but everything else is good.  I'm not going to summer race in Austin.  Sitting in 100 degree heat isn't fun. 

Also, from what I've seen of the proposed Austin track, it doesn't look much better.  A lot of straights with only a few passing zones.  The same guy that is responsible for all the terrible F1 tracks lately designed it.  I'm hoping they shorten up the track for MotoGP but they keep saying how the track was designed to be run at full length for both F1 and MotoGP.  I just see another spread out single file race with little to no passing.

[Drjones]

It was actually Hellmund and Swantz who had the most track layout influence on CoTA not Tilke.  Tilke's job role is to pen the design into reality, which he has a lot of experience doing.  They've also designed the straights such that they widen out at the ends to enable more lines through the corners.

[Ducatiloo]

If you look at the number of fans, Indy is keeping up with Laguna Seca.   Not that harleys are the best indicator but I noticed a big difference in how they were passing in the Sat vs Sunday race.  On Sunday there were multiple 2-3 wide passes.  If it comes back next year I think track will be better.... but even if stoner wins by a 60 seconds he's still going to pregnant dog about the us tracks.

[zooom]

  I'm not going to summer race in Austin.  Sitting in 100 degree heat isn't fun. 

"....when MotoGP comes to Austin, Texas. That race will either take place in early spring or late autumn, as the searing Texan summer would be a terrible time for a motorcycle race. ...."

http://motomatters.com/analysis/2011/08/29/2011_indianapolis_motogp_post_race_round.html

[Ducatiloo]

The Austin track just announced that they will have F1 in 2012 now instead of 2013.  This may make it easier for Dorna to dump indy next year