The ‘Perfect Storm’

The racing was too close, too exciting, at Fontana. There was no way a track owned by NASCAR could risk having their series upstaged again.

It's been something of a slow period in racing lately. Yes, NASCAR has continued its weekly approach towards The Chase. However, for those inclined towards racing of the single-seater variety, Formula One and IndyCar have been off the past couple of weeks. Still, that doesn't mean there hasn't been news to chew on, and we'll get to some of the news from IndyCar and F1 soon.

For now, the lull in the single-seater schedule allowed for this journalist to do something a little different this weekend. And if you checked in with AutoRacing1 over the weekend you know I was on site at RFK Stadium for Red Bull Global Rallycross Washington D.C. Presented by Volkswagen.

There were many things that stood out about the Rallycross event that would differ from NASCAR or IndyCar races I covered. I sent a text to the President of a very prominent motorsports publication this weekend saying I felt like I was attending a flat-brim hat convention. I also noted that a few times over the weekend, I was passed by skateboarders walking to wherever I needed to go.

Yes, a little different than what I am used to. But good nonetheless, for reasons we'll get to. For now, we'll start with the team that captured their first GRC win Saturday.

SH Rallycross

[adinserter name="GOOGLE AD"]About a half hour after the race, I caught up with SH Rallycross team owner James “Sulli" Sullivan. IndyCar fans likely know Sullivan as the SH in Sebastien Bourdais' #11 KVSH Racing IndyCar effort. After the race Saturday, outside the very impressive SH Rallycross hospitality area the music was blaring, the drinks were flowing and the celebration was on after Nelson Piquet Jr. recorded the team's first GRC victory. A doused-in-champagne Sullivan was kind enough to take a few minutes away from the party to speak with me.

“I felt like we were almost trying too hard," said Sullivan about the team's journey to score their first win “We've been fast, we've had podiums; we started looking at things a little more objectively, and it's made a difference." Our conversation then moved to the business side of Global Rallycross, something Sullivan believes has much to offer sponsors and participants.

Sullivan noted the operating annual budget for a one-car GRC operation was reasonable $1.5 million. “I can't speak for anyone else, but that's about what we're spending." To Sullivan, that's a good value for a series that is “100% on network TV" and appeals to a “younger demographic." As an aside, Michael Andretti made this point the day about the younger demographic noting, “that's why we're here."

“Road-relevance," according to Sullivan is another plus. “This is one of the few series where ‘win on Sunday, sell on Monday' is still true. We run Ford Fiestas, there's a Volkswagen Beetle, there's a Chevy Sonic" said Sullivan pointing elsewhere in the paddock.

In closing, Sullivan very simply stated about Global Rallycross, “we dig it."

More on the weekend

I dig GRC too. And what Sullivan noted about GRC and a younger demographic, which racing so desperately needs, is absolutely true. However, I wouldn't go so far as to say I dig everything about it.

Now, let me be clear that I'm well-aware media bitching about media problems such as having to park in lot B as opposed to Lot A, or the Wi-Fi not being fast enough, are just that: media problems. I would not waste your time with such trivial issues.

That said, what I believe to be a legitimate grievance would be the lack of basic things that can assist the media in covering the event better. For example, there was no driver media availability this weekend (note my discussion with Sullivan was outside the SH hospitality area). While I had the luxury of a previous connection to Sullivan, Andretti and others from IndyCar events, someone from the local newspaper or another publication that does not regularly cover racing would have certainly benefited from having some built-in access to the participants.

Also, with so many heat races, semifinals, last chance qualifiers and the like, it was difficult to keep track of who was racing when (the media center not having a television screen exacerbated this). Either email updates or simple printouts of results would have been helpful. Also, these results were not always posted on the series website or Twitter account either.

[adinserter name="GOOGLE AD"]Granted, I know these are made for TV events, and I know GRC has come of age in an era when print and even online media are diminishing in relevance. But wouldn't you want to at least give your event a chance for coverage from print or online journalists?

Again, my overall experience was a good one. The media relations people were friendly and made an effort to assist me and others. I would go back, as I see potential value in AutoRacing1 devoting more coverage to the series. I just think the above are a few basic things that would help media provide better coverage for fans, which would in turn build more interest in the sport.

As for the fans

Due to some of what I mentioned above, I consumed the event much like many fans would on a race weekend, and in turn experienced some of their frustrations.

For example, the schedule of events was to put it mildly, rather loosely followed. Part of this was due to understandable matters such as track delays. However, such delays were often not announced to the paying customers, or the media. There were a few times, the race would start and you would see people rushing to the grandstands as they learned of the race start time, because well, the race started.

Again, just a simple: “We're delayed for track repairs. Heat 1A will start in 15 minutes," would have been nice for the paying customer.

Overall

Generally speaking, the experience was more positive than negative. I saw drivers such as Tanner Foust, Patrik Sandell, Ken Block and the very marketable Collete Davis in the GRC Lites category make time for fans. Instead of bugging out of town the very instant the race ended, I saw numerous drivers stick around to sign autographs. I spoke with many knowledgeable fans, who wore shirts claiming allegiance to drivers such as Block and Foust.

While I personally would prefer a main event longer than 8 laps, that could be the old-fashioned race fan in me. Clearly, the shorter races seem to hold an appeal for others. And you can't dispute that Red Bull Global Rallycross is drawing a demographic the sport so desperately needs.

Speaking of Red Bull

It will be a cold day in hell before Mercedes allows Red Bull to beat them with Ferrari power. May as well get beat by their own engine.

It has been reported lately that Mercedes is considering supplying Red Bull with engines starting next season. While I predicted back in March that the very frosty Red Bull/Renault partnership would continue, largely because neither really had much of an option beyond each other, the partnership appears to be headed for divorce after all.

Now, if I'm Red Bull, this is simple: I move heaven and earth to obtain Mercedes power. And while I'm not privy to the finances involved, from a competitive standpoint it's very simple from Mercedes' perspective, as well: I don't supply engines to any competing organization which employs Adrian Newey.

And don't give me the ‘Newey has taken a step back,' or ‘they would be customer engines' stuff. Do you not think Newey's batteries might suddenly recharge if he could get his hands on Mercedes power, even if it's down 20 horsepower on the factory team?

Right now, and for the foreseeable future, Mercedes is the dominant force in Formula One. Why they would allow a somewhat down and out, yet potentially formidable threat to that mantle, which so happens to employ the greatest aerodynamicist of all-time, access to their dominant power-units, customer or factory, is beyond me.

Fontana

News broke late last week that INDYCAR would not be returning to Auto Club Speedway in 2016. I suppose that news was somewhat offset by reports indicating the series may be returning to Phoenix next season. But considering both are ISC properties, where Indy car racing has endured significant challenges, the transaction taken as a whole, has something of a rearranging the deck chairs stench.

Fontana drew huge IndyCar crowds until Roger Penske sold his tracks to NASCAR. Every successful IndyCar race has died after NASCAR took control of Penske's tracks. The Captain sold IndyCar's soul to the enemy.

ACS of course played host to one of the more exciting and controversial races in memory this past season. However, a late June Saturday date proved to be a box office disaster, as race attendance was estimated by some to be as few as 3,000. This likely proved to be the final nail in Fontana's coffin.

Of course, how exactly this all came about is a rather long discussion unto itself. In fairness, it should be acknowledged that aside from the track's first few events during the CART era, ACS has long been a difficult draw under ideal circumstances.

While there was optimism when the series returned to the track after a seven-year absence in 2012, four different dates comprising four separate months over four years certainly didn't help matters. Granted, the decision to hold a blazing-hot late-June Saturday race in 2015, brought on in part by Hulman & Co. CEO Mark Miles' desire to end the IndyCar season by Labor Day, helped produce one of the most memorable races arguably ever. However, it was quite predictably, a tough sell.

Now, from all indications Miles was willing to have a late September race, as the track reportedly had requested, and willing to move off his previously intrepid Labor Day drop-dead policy. Although no one is saying this, one has to imagine Fontana was reticent to risk another financial bloodbath in staging an IndyCar race.

Whatever the case, track and sanction were unable to reach an agreement. And sure, many will be upset after the riveting race in June. However, at the end of the day the constant changing of dates probably doomed what was an iffy proposition to begin with. And you can Fontana to the very large, very depressing ash heap of failed Indy Car events…for the third time, that is.

A Perfect Storm

Great racing will never happen again at Fontana. Until IndyCar owns its own oval tracks, there is no way a NASCAR owned track wants IndyCar to succeed.

IndyCar fans have expressed their frustration over Fontana's demise, which I understand. However, it should also be noted that the notion of replicating this year's race is quite farfetched when you think about it. For one, a large part of what made Fontana so memorable was the fact it was so unexpected. That lack of expectation is amongst the numerous circumstances amongst a confluence of them that could not have been recreated. After all, if people knew what kind of show they were being treated to, wouldn't more than 3,000 people have showed up?

Also, without going into specific detail, previous discussed factors such as the cooler than expected race day temperatures and the drought in California were forced series and teams to adjust on the fly and certainly contributed to the race's unpredictably.

In other words, the notion that Fontana going forward would have been like Fontana 2015 is at best incredibly optimistic, and more likely unrealistic. While the Fontana race will be a matter of discussion for years to come, you don't recreate perfect storms. Rather you simply appreciate the unique factors that brought them to life, and as we can in this case, the fact everyone emerged in one piece.

Brian Carroccio is a senior motorsports columnist for AutoRacing1. He can be contacted at BrianC@AutoRacing1.com