South Africa is world champions. Lewis Hamilton clinched his sixth World Drivers' Championship with a runner-up finish to Mercedes-AMG teammate Valtteri Bottas in the United States Grand Prix. Marc Márquez and Álex Márquez were runner-up finishers in the MotoGP and Moto2 race respectively and Álex's result locked up the Moto2 world championship, his second world championship and first since Moto3 in 2014, a year where Marc also won the MotoGP world championship. Jenson Button called it a career in Super GT after two seasons. NASCAR had some races in Texas. Here is a run down of what got me thinking.
IndyCar's Decade of Failing to go Abroad
One of the things that will stand out from the 2010s for IndyCar is all the talk the series had about flying around the world and bringing the series to different countries but ultimately ending up with really nothing to show for it.
IndyCar's failed international plans will not be the biggest takeaway from the decade, one that saw the introduction of the DW12 chassis, the introduction of two new engine manufactures, the exit of one of those engine manufactures, the rise of American drivers after a dormant period for domestic talent and success attracting title sponsors when contracts expired, but with IndyCar again playing footsies with an international partner, this time Sydney, Australia, we must remember how the last ten years have played out.
There was a successful international event, São Paulo. Successful as in the race happened. IndyCar ran on the streets of São Paulo four times and the races were pretty successful. The race drew a nice crowd, the likes of Tony Kanaan and Hélio Castroneves brought out locals and the races were quite good. A few races had rain significantly hamper proceedings but it was a track with a few passing zones and the final time IndyCar went there it put on one of the best street courses in series history.
Unfortunately, the São Paulo race only had a four-race run despite the contract being extended through 2019. IndyCar sued the promoter Grupo Bandeirantes because the promoter was responsible for finding an alternate venue.
While not able to survive half the decade, São Paulo at least got off the ground and put on a race. No other international race joined the calendar in the 2010s despite a few venues being penciled on the schedule and repeated talks about an international series of races to lead off a season.
The first mishit was Qingdao, China. That was scheduled for August 19, 2012. It was a big winner for then-IndyCar CEO Randy Bernard. IndyCar was going to the most populous country in the world, it was going to be a cash infusion to the series and the rug was pulled out from underneath the series two months before the race was scheduled to take place.
While São Paulo was discontinued, a new Brazilian home for IndyCar was found in Brasilia for the 2015 season opener. However, six weeks before the March 8th race date, the newly elected officials cancelled the race.
Brasilia wasn't the only failed trip in 2015. Though never on a drafted schedule, a street race in Dubai was significantly linked to the 2015 IndyCar calendar but that never happened.
With the redevelopment of Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in Mexico City the track that hosts the Mexican Grand Prix and Formula E was a rumored venue for the 2018 IndyCar season but the two sides could not come together on a possible date. With the rise of Patricio O'Ward there was some hope IndyCar could return to Mexico but nothing was put together for 2019 and all has gone quiet about a trip south.
After the 2018 season, IndyCar re-ignited talks with Surfers Paradise about a possible return after having last raced on the street course in 2008.
There has been some hurdles over Surfers Paradise. IndyCar would like the race in February but the Supercars weekend is in October. The city is not going to shut down the streets twice and Supercars isn't open to moving the race to the front end of the schedule.
With Surfers Paradise in flux, Sydney has swept in as a potential IndyCar host. Sydney Motorsports Park was not on the 2019 Supercars schedule but will return for the last weekend in August in 2020. The difference between Sydney Motorsports Park and Surfers Paradise is the former is a permanent circuit and can host multiple race weekends over the course of the year.
IndyCar's track record is not good on this topic despite it being a stated desire for the series to have a larger international footprint. Mark Miles was promoting an international series of races before the North American season would begin at least five years ago and that has never occurred. IndyCar is batting 1-for-5 on these events and the desired surge of funding from an international sanctioning fee has not filled any wallets.
There might not be much to show for all these international talks but IndyCar is arguably doing it the right way. I doubt anyone wants IndyCar to have a bunch of one-and-done international races. The series wants a place where it knows it is going to see the money and can be there for an extended period. The dying years of CART and Champ Car saw the series swinging for the fences with international races hoping to keep the series afloat but it had no long-term strategy. IndyCar is not doing that. It is not hyping one international race only for it to be gone after a year and then trying to wind up the circus to get excited for another race in another part of the world in the same breath.
While not falling back on an international race IndyCar has focused on the domestic schedule and making sure that is at its strongest. We have seen Road America, Portland and Gateway all return to the schedule and all bring strong crowds. In 2015, none of those three tracks were on the schedule. Heading into 2020 those are three of the most anticipated weekends of the season because the crowd is electric. These are places that want IndyCar and support the series.
Putting together a schedule is not an easy task. No one has ever found the perfect schedule and can kick his or her feet up for the next 25 years. Schedules are fluid. It is something that must constantly be managed and IndyCar has done the best it can.
It is hard to get excited for any proposed international race after the last decade because it is not worth getting excited. These races have either been nothing but hot air and mirages. It is unfortunate that it has been such a difficult thing for IndyCar to grasp but it is not the fault of the series. The series is trying to do good business and look out for itself. I am sure there has been international money out there but it is on the series to make sure it is getting a fair price and the funding is stable.
While failing to go abroad, IndyCar has made gains. It is looking for the right international venue. It does not want to find itself on an international merry-go-round with no clue where it will end up next.
Champions From the Weekend
You know about South Africa, Lewis Hamilton and Álex Márquez but did you know...
The #6 Lexus Team LeMans Wako's Lexus of Kazuya Oshima and Kenta Yamashita won the Super GT G500 championship with a second place finish at Motegi.
The #55 ARTA Honda of Nirei Fukuzumi and Shinchi Takagi won the Super GT GT300 championship with a fourth place finish at Motegi.
Winners From the Weekend
You know about Valtteri Bottas but did you know...
Maverick Viñales won MotoGP's Malaysian Grand Prix. Brad Binder won the Moto2 race, his second consecutive victory and his fourth victory of the season. Moto3 race.
NASCAR Cup race from Texas. Christopher Bell won the Grand National Series race, his eighth victory of the season.
The #37 Lexus Team KeePer's Tom's Lexus of Ryō Hirakawa and Nick Cassidy won the Super GT race from Motegi. The #11 GAINER Nissan of Katsuyuki Hiranaka and Hironobu Yasuda won the GT300 race.
Coming Up This Weekend
NASCAR's penultimate weekend of 2019 from Phoenix.
Supercars final endurance round of 2019 from Sandown.
FIA World Endurance Championship has its third round of 2019-20 from Shanghai.
Covering All Motorsports. From Indianapolis to Le Mans, Daytona to Monaco.
