the last indy???

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (shovelhead @ Mar 25 2010, 04:51 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>On race day,
Indy gets about 90000+ attendance,
Valencia last year got a bit over 60000.

I'd say that attendance in Indy is acceptable.

Attendance on Sunday at Valencia was just under 100,000. That's what it said on the piece of paper Dorna handed out in the press room.

I think they should drop indy and drop valencia, catalunya, Aragon and san marino.

Its a world championship so we should have 5 different countries.

Back in the day we had finland, sweden,south africa, brazil, argentina to name a few..

Proper world championship rather than the spanish motogp championship

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Dion @ Mar 26 2010, 08:13 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>I think they should drop indy and drop valencia, catalunya, Aragon and san marino.

Its a world championship so we should have 5 different countries.

Back in the day we had finland, sweden,south africa, brazil, argentina to name a few..

Proper world championship rather than the spanish motogp championship

Back then those tracks were pretty atrocious mate.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Otis Driftwood @ Mar 26 2010, 09:03 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>Back then those tracks were pretty atrocious mate.
Thats a very good point Craig. We all pine after these tracks of yester year but how many are up to today's safety standards .

Maybe not the same tracks as in the past, but I believe MotoGP shouldnt be visiting the same country more than once in a season. Call me old fashioned..

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Dion @ Mar 26 2010, 05:40 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>Maybe not the same tracks as in the past, but I believe MotoGP shouldnt be visiting the same country more than once in a season. Call me old fashioned..
who gives a rats ... where they have a race? as long as the track is safe & is capable of producing some good races i could care less if we have 10 races in spain... the tracks there are good & with maybe valencia being the exception, they produce good races.... aragon is an unknow but we shall see soon enough.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Dion @ Mar 26 2010, 11:40 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>Maybe not the same tracks as in the past, but I believe MotoGP shouldnt be visiting the same country more than once in a season. Call me old fashioned..

I sympathize entirely with that thought, however, the problem is finding tracks that are both safe and would attract sufficient attendance. Take Qatar: It's outside of Europe, in a different country, but given that the attendance is no more than a handful of ex-pats, a couple of rich sheiks and a stray goat, the added value of the round is minimal. Spain will get four races this year, and at each round, 100,000 fans or more will turn up on Sunday to watch the races. In theory, having four races in one country is a bad idea. In practice, it keeps the circus running.

Why not have all the races Stateside, and still brand it the World Championship? It worked for 'World Series' Basesball

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (frosty58 @ Mar 26 2010, 11:02 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>who gives a rats ... where they have a race? as long as the track is safe & is capable of producing some good races i could care less if we have 10 races in spain... the tracks there are good & with maybe valencia being the exception, they produce good races.... aragon is an unknow but we shall see soon enough.

Frosty its the MotoGP World championship, not the MotoGP National championship.
Whats wrong with you ?

If they could sort out Hungary and Turkey we could be back to only two Spanish rounds.....

The reasoning behind the Spanish saturation is easy to understand. It is interesting to note that when motogp goes to the uk or Germany they also get huge attendance numbers......these countries also have multiple world class venues. There must be other factors, but you would think that holding two rounds in the uk or Germany would certainly be better for the sport than a third or fourth Spanish round....

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Talpa @ Mar 27 2010, 03:59 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>If they could sort out Hungary and Turkey we could be back to only two Spanish rounds.....

The reasoning behind the Spanish saturation is easy to understand. It is interesting to note that when motogp goes to the uk or Germany they also get huge attendance numbers......these countries also have multiple world class venues. There must be other factors, but you would think that holding two rounds in the uk or Germany would certainly be better for the sport than a third or fourth Spanish round....
Just a guess but maybe there is a notion that two rounds in the UK or Germany would cannibalize the venues. Whereas additional rounds in Spain are far less likely to do so. Just my guess, although I would think if that were the case then there would be an additional Italian round rather than four Spanish rounds. Probably a combination of that theory coupled with all the sponsorship money available for the sport in Spain.

Homestead!!!!!!!!
The track sucks but our South Beach talent is unmatched. This place would be kryptonite for Rossi and DeAngelis might never make it to the race.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Austin @ Mar 26 2010, 07:48 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>Road America.

Shovel, are you sure on your attendance figures? When I was there in 2006 the reported attendance was 140,000 on Sunday. I can't imagine it's dropped that much since then.


A bit more research proved me to be wrong.
Here's the stats for Valencia 2009

MotoGP Stat of the Day

Posted on Tuesday, 10th November 2009

Sunday’s attendance for the season finale at the Valencia circuit was 94,177.
The 3-day total was 175,240.

United States has the most awful venues of all countries. Somalia probably has a better suited venue to host a MotoGP event. Anddon't start naming tracks like Road America and crap saying how it's soo scenic and long because the layout is beyong horrible... it offers no overtaking strategies at all and is unsafe. An ex-F1 driver by the name of Cristiano DaMatta ran into a deer at Road America while testing an open wheel car and went into a coma for some time, luckily he is still alive and last I heart was trying to make a come back into open wheel racing.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (SuperShinya56 @ Mar 28 2010, 07:40 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>United States has the most awful venues of all countries. Somalia probably has a better suited venue to host a MotoGP event. Anddon't start naming tracks like Road America and crap saying how it's soo scenic and long because the layout is beyong horrible... it offers no overtaking strategies at all and is unsafe. An ex-F1 driver by the name of Cristiano DaMatta ran into a deer at Road America while testing an open wheel car and went into a coma for some time, luckily he is still alive and last I heart was trying to make a come back into open wheel racing.
I'd agree that the majority of tracks in the states aren't up to world class standards. Even Laguna and Indy have their gnarly points. But Miller Motorsports Park is brand new, state of the art facilities, great layout with multiple configurations, and is safe.

Obviously Road America isn't up to the safety standards and never will be because runoff can't be extended because of the topography on the outside of the kettle bottoms. It's unfortunate. Listen to any rider riding in the AMA who spent a fair bit of time in world championship racing and they'll tell you that Road America is the closest thing to a flowing, European style race track in the country. At least before Miller was built.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (SuperShinya56 @ Mar 29 2010, 01:40 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>United States has the most awful venues of all countries. Somalia probably has a better suited venue to host a MotoGP event. Anddon't start naming tracks like Road America and crap saying how it's soo scenic and long because the layout is beyong horrible... it offers no overtaking strategies at all and is unsafe. An ex-F1 driver by the name of Cristiano DaMatta ran into a deer at Road America while testing an open wheel car and went into a coma for some time, luckily he is still alive and last I heart was trying to make a come back into open wheel racing.
You're back...hooray

I agree with Austin about Miller, and I'd add Barber to that as well.

You can't legislate against fauna straying onto the circuit for crying out loud. Should we not visit Brno any more after what happened to Masao Azuma? or Sepang based on the large reptile that was squashed on the home straight during practice a few years ago.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Arrabbiata1 @ Mar 29 2010, 02:44 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>You're back...hooray

I agree with Austin about Miller, and I'd add Barber to that as well.

You can't legislate against fauna straying onto the circuit for crying out loud. Should we not visit Brno any more after what happened to Masao Azuma? or Sepang based on the large reptile that was squashed on the home straight during practice a few years ago.
That was the craziest thing i have ever seen at a sporting event. A ....... Cobra in defense mode, right in the racing line.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (povol @ Mar 29 2010, 08:25 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><div class='quotemain'>[/b]
That was the craziest thing i have ever seen at a sporting event. A ....... Cobra in defense mode, right in the racing line.
God I remember that too!!! It reared up and struck at a riders kneeslider.

But this was during qualifying - something the size of an Iguana was squashed by Capi, and subsequently Gibernau finished the job - right alongside the pitwall. I'll see if I can find it on You Tube.

Of course nothing rivals the GIANT ants and spiders at Barber. Run of there and they might never see you again9263:barber_spider.jpg]

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Can't find it - but this is what you probably remember Pov
<object width="425" height="350<param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Ic0ZzSQNHNA</param><param name="wmode" value="transparent</param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Ic0ZzSQNHNA" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="350</embed></object>

Does anyone recall a large lizard being squashed after wandering accross the circuit during qualifying at Sepang four or five years back? I haven't imagined this. I remember Messrs.Mamola and Ryder being quite upset, and berating Toby for joking about it.

Come in Mick?

I also remember a rabbit or a hare darting within inches of the 250 front runners a few years ago at Le Mans