Indycar 2019 - Round 13 Pocono [Ovale]

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Interesse alle stelle per Pocono ma tant'e'...

Sabato piovoso, qualifiche cancelate...

Newgarden parte dalla pole.

 

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[aleabr 996]

.....this incredible....

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[aleabr 996]

Buonasera ragazzi, vi inoltro le considerazioni di un fan yankee sulla situazione di Pocono. Me le ha passate un amico che segue molto da vicino tutta la INDY. 

 

The bad news is there is very little track activity, and that brings us to the larger question mark hovering over this weekend… that of the future of this race. It’s no secret that the future of IndyCar at Pocono has been hanging by a thread for many years. There was talk around 2016 that INDYCAR might be running its final race at the 3-turned oval that was built specifically for Indy cars, but a three-year deal was soon announced that secured the race’s future through 2019. Now the cycle has begun again. Although I personally love coming to this race and this facility, the race has never really drawn a huge crowd and corporate support doesn’t seem to be overly flush. If I’m being brutally honest, there really just isn’t a whole lot of buzz for the event, even in the area of the track. Staying in Wilkes-Barre, the largest metropolitan area within 50 miles of the track, I have seen zero promotion of the race or any indication whatsoever there was an event in town. Perhaps I’ve just missed it, and I’m sure the good folks here at Pocono Raceway are trying their best to promote the event, but I haven’t seen it in my short time here. I was also in New York City for five days last week and saw no signs of the race anywhere there either. That being said, I’m sure advertising in NYC is stupid expensive and probably has very little return on investment. Of course, with nearly 9 million people in the city and a metro area significantly larger, it doesn’t take much of a percentage to get more fans from the area. Regardless of the advertising I have not personally seen, the fact remains this race has been a tough sell since the return of the series in 2013. Initially run on or near the July 4th weekend, the race shifted to its current August date prior to 2016. Attendance has been decent, maybe 10-15,000, but not spectacular. Combine the already difficult draw for attendance that is usually the case for very rural oval tracks with the seemingly annual anti-rain dance that is necessary here and it isn’t terribly difficult to see why the future of this race seems to constantly be in doubt. But to me, the biggest problem with getting casual fans to come to Pocono isn’t about rain or the rural setting or lack of advertising. Quite honestly, it comes down to the fact there is really just very little going on at the track during this weekend. Since I made my second trip here in 2016 (and possibly before… I honestly just don’t remember back that far), the NTT IndyCar Series will be the only series on track this weekend. No Indy Lights. No NASCAR anything series. No ARCA. No anything. It’s just IndyCar. To me, and other die-hards, that’s just fine. But when you’re trying to grow a fan base, especially in an area that has had difficulty drawing crowds even for their NASCAR races, expecting fans to sit in the stands from 9:30 am to 5:00 pm to watch two hour-long practice sessions and a 75-minute, single-car qualifying session is a difficult ask. It’s too much downtime and not enough track activity, plain and simple. I’m honestly not sure who is to blame for this problem. I’m not sure if this is an issue of Pocono not being willing to pony up extra funds to bring support series to the event or if other series aren’t interested in running on such a big track, or if INDYCAR has somehow dropped the ball with this. No matter who is responsible, it’s a huge problem and one that is weighing down this event. Over the years, major selling points of road and street races on the IndyCar schedule are the festival-like atmosphere and the constant on-track activity. For most road and street courses, cars of one form or another are usually running from early in the morning (usually well before most fans arrive at the track) until long after most fans are ready to call it a day. Rarely do 15 minutes pass when fans don’t see cars on the track. Here at the ABC Supply 500 this weekend, the IndyCar schedule has a scheduled practice from 9:30-10:30, qualifying from 12:30 to 1:45, and a final practice from 4:00-5:00. Scattered between those sessions are periods of vintage cars on track, some on the big oval and some on the southern portion of the interior road course. These aren’t races or preparatory sessions but more of hobbyists and moving displays. They are cool to see for die-hard race fans who are into the history of the sport but do nothing for enticing fans to come visit the track for the full day. I honestly can’t say what the best solution is. As is typical, I’m good at pointing out problems but significantly less adept at coming up with solutions. Be that as it may, the best solution I have is one that I haven’t heard yet discussed anywhere. With all the talk surrounding the possibility of INDYCAR and NASCAR finally pairing up for a weekend doubleheader, it seems to me Pocono would be a perfect venue for such a weekend. With struggling attendance at both

[Malefix 5027]

La gente di NYC è troppo impegnata a twittare per dare peso ad eventi barbari e retrogradi come questo. 

Stesso problema del Glen tra l'altro. 

Se poi gli organizzatori non si impegnano un minimo allora il destino è già segnato, con i fan duri e puri non avrebbero riempito le tribune neanche ai tempi d'oro. 

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Oggi un pò meglio...

[aleabr 996]

2 ore fa, Malefix ha scritto:

La gente di NYC è troppo impegnata a twittare per dare peso ad eventi barbari e retrogradi come questo. 

Stesso problema del Glen tra l'altro. 

Se poi gli organizzatori non si impegnano un minimo allora il destino è già segnato, con i fan duri e puri non avrebbero riempito le tribune neanche ai tempi d'oro. 

Malefix io non voglio ne mi sento di essere così negativo anzi! Pocono è una classica ci si corre dal 1971 ed è uno dei ring più belli al mondo! 

[aleabr 996]

Più vedo Pagenaud, più mi accorgo che somiglia in tante cose a Castro-Neves. Dei piloti Penske è quello che ha 'ereditato' il lascito del brasiliano in squadra...

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Tra poco start your engines...

 

[aleabr 996]

Ho appena sentito da Robin Miller in diretta da Pocono la possibilità che nel carniere McLaren-Schmidt ci possano essere anche Daly e.... Kanaan!!!! 

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Ordinary people in griglia...

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PORCA PUTTANA!!!

[KingOfSpa 1942]

Direi discreta fagiolata di Sato

[bazzigo 366]

NO non Rossi, mannaggia 

Bene che Sato e Rosenqvist siano usciti illesi

[Ferrari F1 11315]

Sato a cannone

I piloti sembrano tutti ok fortunatamente

[Ferrari F1 11315]

Red flag

[aleabr 996]

Sato chiusura un po troppo repentina... con Hinch e Rosenqvist totalmente incolpevoli colpiti dal gran macello.... ed ora.... NewG ha modo di fare il colpo....

[leopnd 29663]

Mamma mia!!!

 

Poi, gli onboard sono orrore puro...

[KingOfSpa 1942]

Solo io trovo queste reti molto poco sicure?

L'auto può "impigliarsi"e paradossalmente  fare ancora più danni.

 

Non c'è un'alternativa?

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