June 20, 2005
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Any chance Formula One had of capturing the American audience was crippled by Sunday’s US Grand Prix farce, according to the US media.
Most newspapers used wire reports in the ‘Other sports’ section, devoting space to the US Open golf win of New Zealander Michael Campbell and San Antonio’s overtime win over Detroit putting them on course for their third National Basketball Association title since 1999.
Even Bjorn Borg’s epic 1980 Wimbledon final with John McEnroe was judged more interesting for US readers of the New York Times.
Local Indianapolis newspaper the IndyStar summed it up.
“Formula One, a European motor sports series battling apathy in the United States, enraged an Indianapolis Motor Speedway crowd Sunday and cast doubt on the race’s future when nearly three-quarters of the cars in the U.S. Grand Prix dropped out before the first official lap.”
Speedway President Joie Chitwood said there is no commitment to bring F-1 back next year. That will be reviewed in the coming days, he told the paper.
“We’re as much a victim of what transpired today as the fans are,” he said. “(Formula One chief) Mr. (Bernie) Ecclestone is aware of our position and our unhappiness today.”
Sunday’s problems followed a week in which Ecclestone said that local race officials had not aggressively promoted the event with the 100,000 crowd only half that for the inaugural race crowd in 2000.
Ecclestone called it “a travesty” and apologised to fans who paid an average of 100 dollars a ticket — plus travel expenses — to attend.
“I feel sorry for them,” Ecclestone said. “They’ve been cheated.”
There was no immediate offer to refund tickets but more information about refunds would be available later Monday.
Former F-1 and Indy-car driver Eddie Cheever Jr. said he didn’t see how the USGP could recover from this. “It’s a nightmare, isn’t it?” he said.
Only this year the F1 bosses were talking of expanding to Las Vegas or New York, but the sport might not have a future in the US after this farce
