No Cart in Europe for 2004?

[Claire]

Just seen an article that states that there may not be any European Cart rounds in 2004 due to cutting costs.
I for one would not be sorry to see it go, I found this years race to be quite boring and it stopped me from being able to enjoy walking round the paddock and seeing the BTCC teams and drivers because I didn't have the right pass.
It was good that the BTCC was seen by 40,000 people and some may have come back since but I still feel we are better off without them.

[McKay]

i agree. tow hours of cart was rather dull, seeing as nothing happened part from tracys blow up

[Paul Rayner]

I agree that this year's CART race was boring, and I also think that it would be a mistake for CART to return to Brands Indy as, without rain, it is very unlikely that that circuit will produce a decent race for them. Another dull procession would make CART appear very bad, and I don't think you'll get anywhere near 40,000 back for Touring Cars & CART next year, unless ticket prices are the usual BTCC price.

I do think it'd be a great shame if they don't come over though, because it's a great series and the racing would be fantastic at Donington, Silverstone or, best of all in my opinion, Rockingham. It does sound like the world's most varied single-seater championship is dying, and that's a damn shame.

[Jamie P-E]

I agree with everyone else the Brands CART race was as entertaining as watching paint dry. I lasted three laps before I got bored.

I am not sorry that it may not be back in 2004:D :D

[Peter]

Originally posted by Claire
Just seen an article that states that there may not be any European Cart rounds in 2004 due to cutting costs.
I for one would not be sorry to see it go, I found this years race to be quite boring and it stopped me from being able to enjoy walking round the paddock and seeing the BTCC teams and drivers because I didn't have the right pass.
It was good that the BTCC was seen by 40,000 people and some may have come back since but I still feel we are better off without them.

I feel this response demands a reply.

CART has provided me with many years of great happiness. Its current financial situation, caused by the power-hungry Tony George, has left the series to shrink to a shadow of its former great self and I am not even sure the championship will be alive next year.

I blame CART's current financial problems for the somewhat uneventful race at Brands Hatch, as it caused Chris Pook to move the race to London in the desperate hope of attracting sponsors. Meanwhile, CART struggled to attract respectable attendances at Rockingham, as it could not afford to promote the series effectively.

Whilst I fully understand that the London Champ Car Trophy prevented you from entering the paddock (maybe a new pitlane could solve that in the near future), I think CART, as it heads to its coffin, deserves a little more of your sympathy, as opposed to this feeling of good riddance.

[MAINEMAN]

I think it would be very disappointing if cart did'nt have a european round next year.I think alot of fans seem to be judging champcars on what they seen at brands hatch,i was there yes the race it self was'nt great but i think it has the potential to be a great event.Getting to see two of my favorite motorsport championship's at the one meeting was fantastic and i can't understand how only 40,000 can only turn up at a great event like this and 120,000 turned up to see the world superbikes which are in decline and have lost alot of there stars from last year.Is it because champcars have no big british interest in the series,i no darren manning is in it but most british motorsport fans probably don't even no he exists.Touring cars and champcars have one major big thing in common they both are spectator friendly series and there's a great atmosphere around both series.Im a huge cart fan and the series to me is one of the best going it has great racing i mean come on every series has a couple of bad races every season and brands hatch was one of them having seen all the cart races this season it was without doubt the only race so little action was seen and i think they will work very hard to make sure they provide a better race next year.Cart will hopefully get bigger and stronger in 2004 along with the excellent touring cars aswell.

[Toto]

CART around Brands Indy was dull. No question. Lesson learnt. However, reponses such as 'I'm glad it's not coming back' smack of modern society's to give something only one chance before consigning it to Room 101. Shame on you. The race should be at Rockingham - that's why they built the place, first and foremost - but the series is going through tough times at the moment. If not, then switch it Brands GP. Now that Dingle Dell has been restored to its former self. In fact, why not both, back to back? Anyone who genuinely loves motor racing should be hoping the cards fall in favour of Chris Pook - a real racer, after all, the man behind the fabulous Long Beach Grand Prix circuit. This is a proper racing championship: the cars can run on all kinds of circuits, not just go round and round in circles (although I'll admit I do even sometimes find that very entertaining). CART has a long and famous history and deserves to survive. Now what was that Russian saying Ray Mears mentioned last night: to live life looking back at history makes you blind in one eye. To live life ignorant of history makes you blind in both eyes.

[Peter]

Originally posted by Toto
CART around Brands Indy was dull. No question. Lesson learnt. However, reponses such as 'I'm glad it's not coming back' smack of modern society's to give something only one chance before consigning it to Room 101. Shame on you. The race should be at Rockingham - that's why they built the place, first and foremost - but the series is going through tough times at the moment. If not, then switch it Brands GP. Now that Dingle Dell has been restored to its former self. In fact, why not both, back to back? Anyone who genuinely loves motor racing should be hoping the cards fall in favour of Chris Pook - a real racer, after all, the man behind the fabulous Long Beach Grand Prix circuit. This is a proper racing championship: the cars can run on all kinds of circuits, not just go round and round in circles (although I'll admit I do even sometimes find that very entertaining). CART has a long and famous history and deserves to survive. Now what was that Russian saying Ray Mears mentioned last night: to live life looking back at history makes you blind in one eye. To live life ignorant of history makes you blind in both eyes.

Couldn't have put it better myself :D

[Stuart]

I bet if F1 was £40 everyone would flood in!
I only watched the CART race on TV, and yes it was pretty dull, but then how many F1 races are equally dull?
CART produces some amazing racing on the Ovals - the race in Germany a week after Brands Hatch was an absolute cracker.
Rather than shoot them down, we should be encouraging them back, but to race at Rockingham - where they belong!

[lauz]

the CART race at brands hatch was boring! the cars didn't really have an oppertunity to overtake and the race seemed to last for days rather than a few hours.

[kevin ritson]

Last year's Belgium GP was dull, but I bet you all miss Spa on the World Championship

[Paul Rayner]

Yeah, but there's a difference - Brands Hatch Indy is just crap for single seaters with slicks and wings. Fantastic for Touring cars, but as you move up the formulas (FRenault > F3 > CART) the racing gets worse, because the cars get wider and they're more dependent on wings. Wrong circuit for the series. Or right circuit (ie Brands), wrong circuit layout. But I can't see the GP circuit being much better.

[motormouth]

A big part of the reason that this year's CART race at Brands Hatch was so dull was because of the fuel strategy the cars were forced onto. This resulted in a fixed two-stop strategy for everyone, with some careful fuel-efficient running between the stops.

Had they been free to choose their own strategy you would have seen some excellent wheel to wheel racing along with F1 style strategy coming into play (number of stops, traffic / backmarkers, different handling / straightline speed / tyre wear - do I have to go on?).

CART has the capability to produce some phenomenal racing in the right circumstances and Brands Hatch is an ideal arena for it. Rockingham would be too, as has been proven in the past, but purely oval racing gets a bit boring after a while.

I'm all for as much variety as possible on the BTCC support card, partly because I love racing in its purest form, and partly because of the extra publicity (and therefore fanbase) it attracts.

Personally I hope that CART can sort out its current woes and make a return to Europe in 2004. I for one will welcome them with open arms.

[Claire]

I was just giving my opinion which is what this forum is all about, it is a shame that CART are having problems doesn't stop me from being pleased that it may not be with us next season. I have watched some of the other rounds and the racing has been good, I also attended the round at Rockingham last year and found it not to my liking but agree it should be hosted there rather than Brands. I hope they are able to sort out thier budget problems.