If you’re an open-wheel racing fan, should you be concerned that Detroit cancelled its 2009 Indy Racing League race, reducing
the IRL schedule to 17 races? You bet.
Sure, Detroit—with all the tumult surrounding the Big 3—is among the hardest hit U.S. markets as the economy is bottoming out. But it appears that reports that there are no layoffs in the IRL and that all is well in the land of open-wheel were a bit premature.
Series and Speedway sources today told IBJ today that both the IRL and IMS are looking to make staff cuts. And these will go much deeper than the 15 people who lost their jobs in the Brickyard Crossing Inn closure. The IMS also has instituted a hiring freeze.
Series sources are also chirping that teams—including Vision Racing—are looking at tightening their belts and may be laying staffers off before year’s end. The belt tightening and even a few staff cuts doesn’t make me necessarily think the sky is falling.
But here’s what does worry me. An economist told me in August that we’d see real serious fallout by year’s end, and that he wouldn’t be surprised if at least one professional league folded. I scoffed. Then this week, the Arena Football League folded its tent. No, the AFL is no NFL, but it had the likes of Jon Bon Jovi, John Elway and Ron Jaworski behind it, and it had two decades of history to lean on. AFL officials said the league could return. Few sports business experts think that it will. That same economist told me once the first shoe dropped, others would follow.
The NFL’s move to eliminate 150 jobs—14 percent of its work force—over the next 60 days is a stark reminder that no sport, even the most popular U.S. pastime, is immune to the slowdown.
It’s true the IRL had only been in Detroit since 2007. Still last year, race officials said more than 100,000 fans attended the weekend of events including the race. The race had 69 corporate sponsors this year, up from 59 in 2007. Roger Penske poured $7 million into the Detroit facility to ready it for the IRL race held each September. According to a joint study conducted this year by the event and the Detroit Metro Convention and Visitors Bureau, the Grand Prix generated over $55.2 million in economic impact for metropolitan Detroit in 2008. I’d say it’s possible that more than the first shoe has dropped.
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Amazing how one race drops from the schedule, and that is in one of the hardest hit cities and the chicken littles come out.
Tought times require touch actions and it happens everywhere. Why, if the cash cow NFL must trim, what in sports in exempt? Such a shame that the NBA and Major League Unions don't ever face reality. Look at the NBA players getting paid millions for sitting on their cans. Wouldn't happen in the real world and those people had better wake up. Sponsors will no longer spring for the cash it will take to feed their habits.
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Maybe it's good that the US will not meet its self-imposed ethanol mandate for 2022. According to a new study by Mark Jacobson, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at Stanford, ethanol - whether derived from corn or cellulose - is the worst form of renewable energy. Ethanol's numbers were put to the test against solar-photovoltaics (PV), concentrated solar power (CSP), wind, geothermal, hydroelectric, wave, tidal, nuclear, and coal with carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology. The energy types were rated on their ability to power new-technology vehicles (plug-ins, flex-fuel ICEs and fuel cell vehicles). Ethanol lost. Big.
The study, called Review of solutions to global warming, air pollution, and energy security, found that wind-powered battery electric vehicles and wind-powered hydrogen fuel cell vehicles are the cleanest ways to drive. The big problem, naturally, is that it's awfully expensive to drive a wind-powered BEV today. Still, the study is already having an effect. The Kansas City Star has already said that, It's time to ban all federal subsidies for this wasteful taxpayer investment in Midwest farmers and this inefficient use of corn to power vehicles across America.
http://www.autobloggreen.com/2008/12/18/ethanol-turns-out-to-be-the-worst-type-of-renewable-energy/
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Depends if you are viewing ethanol as a green power or a way to lessen our dependence and our subidizing of terrorist states. If you want green power, the only thing the greenies will accept is solar. It is the only one that does not produce greenhouse gasses. Of course solar is far from being effective for cars. So there is no fuel that will make the greenies happy that will work.
Of course cellulose ethanol appears to have the best chance of providing us with a large degree of energy independence. They can grow it on marginal land and use waste cornstalks and cobs to make it. So it does not adversely affect food prices. So I am not sure what you mean by TG backing another loser.
Now if you meant c>rt/ccws/owrs fans, then yes they continously backed losers.
For once I agree with you. There should be no federal subsidies for much of anything, especially using food crops for fuel. It makes no sense. Lastly, the insistence that we are facing a global climate crisis is coming under increased scruitiny and question by knowledgeable scientists. Since the entire scenario was promoted by Al Gore, whom also invented the Internet, well that's enough for me to begin to question its validity.
Guess they see a real threat to their exclusive monopoly on energizing the worlds transportation system with new ethanol and electric alternatives.
Expect the rhetoric meter to rise as the new state and national legislative sessions convene.
So yes, as a racing fan, I am concerned. Concerned that only Detroilet is off the schedule so far, and that the idiotic 'league' is still a going concern. 17 more to go.
FTG.
And those '100,000 fans' they are claiming for the attendance, well it looks like a conservative estimate would put at least 90% of those tickets as promotional freebies (meaning they got 'sold' for like $1) since Penske is now claiming it never made money.
I'm sure the charity that was supposed to get the profits from this are thrilled with his accounting. :lol:
Nice... run down anyone who tries to do something worthwhile. Oh, but it's ok because you put a cutesy little smiley face on it. Perhaps its time to call Tony Kanaan, since you always like to run him down too. He'll come over and pour about a 55 gallon drum of whoop a## on you heads.
Nice… run down anyone who tries to do something worthwhile. Oh, but it’s ok because you put a cutesy little smiley face on it. Perhaps its time to call Tony Kanaan, since you always like to run him down too. He’ll come over and pour about a 55 gallon drum of whoop a## on you heads.
So you want to send Tony 'cement head' Kanaan to fistfight me and Brett instead of you? :lol: Like that would settle anything regardless? Brilliant earlriffic logic.
Why not Greg Ray or Sam Schmidt? Or you? :lol:
What exactly about the earl is 'worthwhile'? I'll answer that for you - nothing, so your idiotic premise is completely effing worthless. As is FTG's 'league'. And you. And jug-head and his AGR super-special friends.
But your threats and delusions are high comedy, so please keep them coming.