www.atlantic-championship.com/index.php

So if you haven't already heard, formula atlantic will not be running this year. Thats just great... more unemployment for everyone. I wonder which series is next.

Posted By Horsewidower on 03-05-2010 09:24 AM
Open wheel is all but dead in the US. It absolutely sucks that we can't have professional open-wheel racing here.

The IRL is next.

  There's three other successful open wheel feeder series in the US that are at the level of Atlantic.  I don't think open wheel is dead in the US.  The IndyCar is at its low ebb, and this economic turndown couldn't have come at a worse time for them.  I do think they will come back.  Once they get rid of the current chassis/engine combo and move to something better I think interest will start to come back. 

Posted By Mark on 03-05-2010 09:38 AM
Yep. This was my primary area of support.

Ahh that sucks, hopefully they move you someplace else like f1. You could always do support for usf1..... o wait, nevermind.... their dead too...

Horsewidower- Star Mazda is still around

Posted By Horsewidower on 03-08-2010 10:24 AM
Gentlemen, my point is not that there aren't other feeder series. Open wheel in the US is predominantly non-spectator events with pay drivers. Nobody watches and they are run predominately to separate the eager and hopeful wannabe F1 racer from his wallet. Or as an ego boost to the doctor/lawyer set. Nothing worng with that, its just the way it is. Hell, even F1 is beset with a large portion of its drivers as pay to play.

My lament has more to do with the lack of public interest and the inability of accomplished drivers to make a living doing it.

Bob

Bob, when you mention the ego boosting doctor/lawyer set, that reminds me of World Challenge and their ready to run Porsche cup cars. They are definitely nice cars, but basically a bunch of "gentleman drivers".

Formula Atlantic was always cool because it was the FASTEST of the feeder series. Hell at Mid-Ohio, the FA cars would have smoked some of the big IRL cars and were way faster than the Indy Lights cars.  Here's a cut and paste I got from an email last year:

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08/07/09 In Atlantic Series qualifying today Jonathan Summerton clocked the fastest lap at 1m12.970s.  John Edwards was 2nd at 1m13.150s.  The IndyCars were generally faster, 1m08.2s for Scott Dixon being the fastest, but Summerton and Edwards were both faster than Milka Duno’s IndyCar time of 1m15.8764s, and nearly as fast as Richard Antinucci's 1m12.5210s.

And you wonder why Tony George didn't want to pick up the Atlantic Series when he bought Champ Car?  They would have embarrassed the Indy Lights cars and on occasion embarrassed some IndyCar drivers.

Posted By Mike Kojima on 03-09-2010 08:32 AM
I hope NASCAR dies. Did you guys see the thing on the new last night on how the officials are encouraging contact and off the track conflicts resulting in on track incidents to help drive ticket sales? I wonder if thats true or typical media hype?

X2

And yes its true. 

But it ain't going to die.  The number of open-wheel guys (including F1) who are now trying to make it good there is unfortunate. Yet another canary in the coal mine singing about the decline of roadracing and open wheel racing in the U.S.  Bummer.

Posted By Mike Kojima on 03-09-2010 08:32 AM
I hope NASCAR dies. Did you guys see the thing on the new last night on how the officials are encouraging contact and off the track conflicts resulting in on track incidents to help drive ticket sales? I wonder if thats true or typical media hype?

Posted By Mark on 03-10-2010 03:07 PM
As for nascar and all professional racing, it is entertainment first and foremost. Without tv and sponsors wanting tv time and exposure, there would be no racing. Although that sucks, it is the truth.

Sooo true unfortunately. Here's part of a quote form Mr Ecclestone in regards to the lack of passing last weekend in Bahrain "I had a meeting witht the teams and tried to explain to them what our business is about- racing and entertaining the public. It's not about playing with computers and going fast over one lap."

ALMS has some really good 'headline' battles that make it interesting; Audi-Peugeot being the big one.  And the GT class is just nuts!  Ferrari-BMW-Vettes!