Overheard in Zolder

UPDATE #2 A reader writes, Dear AutoRacing1.com, Your hypothetical future schedule for Champ Car that moves the late season races to the front of the schedule is brilliant. How come Champ Car didn't think of it? Oh wait, that requires one to think outside of the box. Denny Jake

Dear Denny, It's not a matter of thinking outside the box. It's a matter of having a can-do attitude and working with the race promoters and cities involved to understand why it benefits everyone and make the changes. Maybe not next year – but pick a year, plan for it, and get it done. The schedule as it currently exists is unworkable. Just when they get some traction they hit yet another gap and it goes away. The only race we see that could have an issue would be Australia which has a lot of date equity, but let's not forget that the race used to be in March and it was changed to the October and it never really missed a beat.

08/24/07 We accidentally forgot Road America on our hypothetical best case scenario future Champ Car schedule. It has been added below. The schedule makes too much sense, therefore it won't happen.

08/24/07 As budgets are being established for 2008 we hear that Champ Car is looking to hire one of the top-3 marketing firms in the USA to help move Champ Car from a largely unknown entity to more of a household name. They are also looking to strengthen the PR end of things as well…….The series is hoping to announce their 2008 schedule in late September. We hear only 15, maybe 16 races in 2008 with some races being dropped and some being added. More races in Europe are possible. If true this is the same number of races as 2007 and indicative of Champ Car's goal to eliminate races that are not cutting it and replacing them with others that hopefully will. However, recall Tony Cotman's statement that the series was looking to stabilize its schedule and make the existing races all profitable, so we don't expect wholesale changes.

One albatross that is hanging around Champ Car's neck is the spaced out race schedule. Having Phoenix so late into the season (early December) is ludicrous because it contributes to the problem. The season should start in late January and be done before October for all the obvious reasons. This isn’t rocket science. Contracts need to be renegotiated with the following dates, and yes, we know the Las Vegas and Phoenix races are supposed to bookend the season by contract, but it simply does not work and that race promoter and those two cities must be made to recognize that.

1. Phoenix: Late January
2. Mexico City: Early February
3. Australia: Late February
4. China: Early March
5. Houston: Late March
6. Las Vegas: Early April
7. Long Beach: Mid April
8. Europe 1: Early May
9. Europe 2: Mid May
10. Cleveland: Early June
11. Mont-Tremblant: Late June
12. Toronto: Early July
13. Edmonton: Mid-July:
14. San Jose: Late July
15. Road America: Early August
16. Europe 3: Late August
17. Europe 4: Early September
18. Orlando: Late September (Season finale – night race under lights)