MotoGP Round 12 - Indy (SPOILERS)

[dropstharockalot]

I think Dorna keeps Indy for at least one more year until Austin has proven itself. 

I'd hate to see it go (it's in my freakin' back yard, fer Pete's sake...) but once Austin shows that it can put on a good race then the only edge Indy will maintain is proximity to the population bases on the East coast.  Anyone commuting from the NE is probably looking at an additional 16-18hrs of riding time.  That's scheduling extra days off of work for a high percentage of the fans, or choosing to fly to the event.  That may or may not be a deal-breaker for many of the fans, but I spoke with a lot of NY and PA people that were thrilled with being able to ride in.  I'm not sure that's a big enough consideration to keep Dorna interested in IMS, though.

IMS would have no one to blame but themselves if the event didn't renew.  Complaints voiced by the teams and riders are unchanged from Year One of the event, and the only action IMS took was to re-pave a portion of the infield.  IMS has done absolutely nothing to endear the MotoGP event to the people here... promotion has been non-existent, outreach hasn't occurred - this event has been completely taken for granted by the IMS braintrust.  The things that would embed the event in the local lore - track days, meet'n'greets, bikenights (how about a bike night inside the track to kick off the MotoGP week?) - nothing like that happened. Half the people I work with live within five miles of the track, three of them ride, and none of them knew MotoGP was coming until I asked for time off to work at the track.

[Narflar]

"....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

Thanks, I haven't read anything on the proposed schedule. 

[The Don]

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.

Stating a fact is not pregnant doging. In fact I hope Stoner pregnant doges more, it give this board something to pregnant dog about  

[Ducatiloo]

IMS is now selling 2012 tickets... but no announcement on the race being renewed  
NM they just posted the reorder notice on the main page.  Tickets ordered

[duccarlos]

IMS has done nothing and will continue to do nothing to keep MotoGP. The assistance has steadily declined since the innagural. You can't compare Laguna and Indy because Laguna is relatively small anyway and it's diffcult to get to and stay in a hotel. The infrastructure is simply not there to handle large crowds. IMS and Dorna would be more than happy to completely forget about this past few years.

Austin will be the next best place to see MotoGP in the US and regardless of what the locals think about Indy, it is still a shitty venue for any road racing series.

[zarn02]

My race reaction: "Meh... yeah, that's about what I expected."

The race was less of a snoozer than Brno, but still nowhere near as interesting as Moto2.

And while Moto2 was more interesting than GP, the Indy race was nowhere near as exciting as the last round.

No matter how much enthusiasm the commentators put into their voices, it's hard to make a seventeen bike field on a lackluster track interesting. Hondas to the front, Yamahas after them. Everyone else to the back of the bus. Business as usual.

[Ducatiloo]

I think the less riders the MotoGP has the Meh it's going to be.   Yam and Ducati need to figure out Honda's "clutch" if they ever want to be in front, other issues not withstanding.

[gm2]

Yam and Ducati need to figure out Honda's "clutch" if they ever want to be in front, other issues not withstanding.

they have

[Ducatiloo]

they have

Figure out as in find a solution to.   After Indy Rossi would say have some work to do.   The announcers "who I know are not engineers" were saying the honda's were saving .5-1 second a lap due to the new transmission.

[Jester]

Figure out as in find a solution to.   After Indy Rossi would say have some work to do.   The announcers "who I know are not engineers" were saying the honda's were saving .5-1 second a lap due to the new transmission.

Ducati already has a similar gearbox they introduced on the 11.1.  Its not going to make any difference when the bike can't handle worth a darn.  Yamaha I dunno on the gearbox, but I believe they are still down on top end power and lose out a few tenths a lap because of that.  Otherwise the Yamaha is still a fantastic bike.  1 second per lap is really stretching.  2-5 tenths is probably a more realistic number depending on the circuit.  Stoner commented on it earlier in the season.