Write to Randy: "Please Replace Motegi with an Oval"

IndyCar announced Wednesday morning that they would no longer race at Twin Ring Motegi after this year.

I was not saddened by this because, no disrespect to the fine people of Japan, the racing at Motegi was putrid every year. Street oval. Festival of fuel strategy. Danica won there, sure, but the race was always nap-inducing, consumed three weekends of the schedule (with travel) and got .00002 television ratings.

The main threat now that Motegi is gone as of 2012, of course, is that IndyCar will replace Motegi with a road/street race. Not that I don't like road/street races, but IndyCar should hold to its policy of shooting for a 50/50 oval/twisty split. Losing a 1.5 mile track (after losing Kansas and Chicagoland last year) for a street race through downtown Wherever ... not cool. More to the point, here's an opportunity to replace bad oval racing with quality oval racing.

So write to IndyCar CEO Randy Bernard, right now, and tell him you want an oval to replace Motegi. Oval for oval. That's fair. Suggest one an oval if you want. But make yourselves heard.

Randy's email (he says he reads them all, and I believe him): rbernard@indycar.com

He's on facebook HERE. I already started the Please Replace Motegi with an Oval wall post.

IndyCar PR News Release on Motegi below ...

IZOD INDYCAR SERIES WILL NOT RETURN TO MOTEGI IN 2012

INDIANAPOLIS (Feb. 9, 2011) - The IZOD IndyCar Series announced today that it will not return to Twin Ring Motegi in 2012.

The series will hold its final event at the 1.5-mile egg-shaped oval located north of Tokyo on Sept. 18, 2011.

"We've enjoyed a great run at Twin Ring Motegi and thank our friends at Mobilityland and Honda Japan for hosting a great event over the past eight years," said Terry Angstadt, president of the commercial division for INDYCAR, the sanctioning body of the IZOD IndyCar Series. "While our businesses move in different directions, we will keep the door open for future events at the track.

"As INDYCAR and the IZOD IndyCar Series continue to evaluate their long term plans, we must look to build the sport and its viewership. We believe it is important that the final few events on our schedule give us the opportunity to be broadcast live during times that maximize our viewing audience as we build up to the championship. We will continue to meet with promoters domestically and internationally that want to pursue an IZOD IndyCar Series event.

Scott Sharp won the inaugural IZOD IndyCar Series race at Twin Ring Motegi in 2003. The racetrack also was the site of Danica Patrick's historic win in 2007. Helio Castroneves and Dan Wheldon are two-time winners of the 200-lap race, while Scott Dixon and Tony Kanaan also have recorded victories. Castroneves has started from the pole four times, including in September 2010 when he went on to lead 153 laps and claim the victory.

It was the first international event added to the IZOD IndyCar Series schedule. Twin Ring Motegi, which opened in 1997 and is owned by Mobilityland Corp., played host to Champ Car events from 1998 to 2002.

Comments

[Dylan]

I don't know of what better Indycar news to wake up to other than this! YES YES YES!!!! With Motegi gone, a 2nd Brazilian race fits in the schedule better. But, you're right, the desperately need to fill in another oval or two. I'd say, Charlotte Motor Speedway or Atlanta motor speedway, it helps them attempt to break into the NASCAR market, and they're both SMI ovals. That, or patch up the relationship with ISC and get back to Phoniex/Michigan/Chicagoland/Fontana. Bernard's said he want's a 50-50 mix... so I'm going to guess they'll find something. Since it's good news time, maybe they'll trade Infenion with Charlotte, since they are both SMI tracks.

[redd]

Interesting that Motegi is gone while talk of a race in Aussieland is heating up. I always thought they might pair those up on the schedule.

I'm a firm believer in the 50/50 split, yet I also believe that racing at a good track of any sort is preferable to racing at a bad track of any sort.

To add Fontana (for example)--a race nobody wants to attend in the desert wasteland of East Mini-Mall, Los Angeles--just to balance the schedule might not be so cool.

In that case I'd be more interested in a road race in, say, Great Britain.

It certainly limits your oval possibilites if you won't (or can't) race at a Nascar track.

[redd]

Also had a question...with Honda dropping their support of Mutoh and now Motegi being gone, does this indicate a newfound lack of enthusiasm for Indycar from Honda?

[pressdog]

Many good ovals out there in the U.S. I think racing overseas at this point in IndyCar's life would be a mistake. Didn't work for Champ Car. Too expensive to stage and not enough return, again IMO. Randy seems to be down with the ovals:
http://bit.ly/gSRVsH

BUT KEEP WRITING. You KNOW there are nine street race groups all up in Randy's business today looking for the Motegi spot.

[Travis R]

With the new IndyCar office in LA, I imagine that Fontana might be at the top of the list. Considering it was also rumored to be the season finale if Las Vegas didn't happen (although that hasn't been made official yet, has it?), it seems like it could be a pretty likely candidate.

When I used to watch NASCAR, Fontana was boring, but maybe the quicker IndyCars will be more fun to watch.

[Chris Lukens]

Let me be the first to suggest PPIR>

[Mike Rice]

Fontucky in September is hotter than hell, a miserable place to attend - but it would provide a major market with both types of IndyCar racing at more-or-less bookends on the season, what with LB in April. Since it's a 2 mile track it wouldn't be quite so much of the despised 1.5 cookie-cutter Cup track feel.
Atlanta is one of the few 1.5s in the Cup schedule that could provide a pretty unique venue for the series. A good oval in the South (besides TMS much further West). Another major market in an area that has a clear preference for oval track racing. Not sure how far Atlanta is from Kentucky, so maybe it's a moot point.
While we're talking about schedules...I know that Labor Day weekend was a major Coup for Baltimore, but if the series is interested in cutting costs, why are they scheduling in a way that has the teams schlepping back and forth from one coast to the other and back (Loudon, Infineon, Baltimore). I used to ask the same question when we'd run Milwaukee, Portland, and Cleveland to no avail.

[Chris]

Actually, since I find ovals intensely soporific, I wrote and asked for RA, Cleveland, Surfer's or another twistie.

Thanks for the link, though.

[pressdog]

Certainly everyone should express his or her opinion to Randy, no matter what it is. So you are welcome.