The concrete blocks are gone, the fencing has been put away, and the fans
have left the party
source:
paddocktalk.com - Feature by
Mike Sulka
The 2005 Long Beach Grand Prix is over. But the story doesn't end there. The
Long Beach story has only begun.
So I've decided to take a moment and examine the happenings from 'The Beach'.
Over the next few days, we'll take a look at the on-track excellence, the
off-track disappointments, and the future of the event.
Ontrack Excellence
Coming into the weekend, there was a lot to play for, and Champ Car's president,
Dick Eidswick, thought so as well. He would state the weekend's goals for the
Champ Car World Series saying, "We feel we have to deliver a quality product and
we are optimistic that we will. We want to see huge crowds and we want this to
be a very successful event."
Without question, Long Beach was a successful event between the concrete walls,
and at the ticket office.
As always Champ Car's on-track product was top-notch.
Though some would point out that the field came together at the last second, and
others would point out that there were a number of ride-buyers in the field... It
was still a great show.
Afterall, there's nothing wrong with ride-buyers. Every series has them. And
some of these 'buyers' even have the talent to earn a paying 'gig'. One thing is
for sure, in the coming year, some of these 'buyers' will surprise us. Good for
them, and Godspeed.