The last time an Indy car turned left at Turn Five and sped up the hill at Road America was 2007.
But the eight-year wait is over as common sense has prevailed, the date has been agreed to and the Verizon IndyCar Series is on its way back to the Kettle Moraine hills and valleys of America’s National Park of Speed.
Hector Rebaque won the first Indy car run there back in 1982, the Andretti family won six times and Jacques Villeneuve and Emmo were each on the top step of the podium with three wins. The track does have a heritage.
Times were good for the facility during the roaring 80’s and 90’s of high-powered CART racing, but CART became Champ Car and then the Indy Racing League, and with it diminished excitement and waning interest and soon the series was gone, some thought for good, by 2008.
Annual rumors of a return to Wisconsin by the series were usually met with denials that blamed lack of a title sponsor or problems matching RA dates with ICS calendar openings.
But all seems to be well now. June 24-26, 2016, will see the Indy cars sharing the 4.04-mile natural road course with the Pirelli World Challenge cars and all three Mazda Road to Indy Series.
“We know how revered Road America is by our drivers, teams and fans and we’re confident it will be a great event on the 2016 Verizon IndyCar calendar,” said Mark Miles, CEO of Hulman & Co. “We’re thankful to George Bruggentheis and his staff for their collaboration in bringing IndyCar back to one of the most iconic road courses in North America.”
But if IndyCar is happy about its return to Road America, it’s the drivers who, for years, have strongly expressed their desire to challenge the twisting, 14-turn course that opened in 1955 as the first permanent road course in the U.S.
“I am really looking forward to going back to Road America,” said 2014 IndyCar champion Will Power. “It’s a phenomenal racetrack, especially for the cars in the Verizon IndyCar Series with all of the downforce we have now. I think it will create really good racing because the draft effect is pretty big. Road America is one of those traditional tracks which has been around for years and it has so much history with our cars.”
Four-time Indy car champion and current driver for KVSH Racing, Sebastien Bourdais, was the last Indy car winner here eight years ago. The Frenchman, who is one of ten current series’ drivers who have raced these cars at RA, is all about tradition and memories of his win here.
“I am really excited to see Road America back on the 2016 calendar. This place allows our cars to stretch their legs fully and show what the Verizon series is all about. It is our duty toward road racing to continue this tradition and I could not be happier that a new deal got penciled. For me,” said the former winner, “it’s the best racetrack in North America and I have some great memories there, including the win in 2007.”
IndyCar is also on the move to increase its schedule for 2016, having already signed seven events for next year including races at two new venues.
Other announced race dates are: St. Petersburg, March 13; Long Beach, April 17; Grand Prix of Indianapolis, May 14; 100th Indy 500, May 29; Belle Isle, June 5; and the other new event, Boston, Sept. 4.
Talk in the past week has centered on the fate of the race at Milwaukee. Some have the race leaving the schedule as a new promoter could be needed. Others have indicated that the management at Road America may take over the Mile’s promotion in conjunction with their new event.
Whatever happens, IndyCar seems to be actively working to lengthen the season and expand the number of events. A return to Phoenix has been rumored, but existing races in Pocono and Fontana could be up for discussion.
Team owner Roger Penske had cars that ran at RA from the beginning and “The Captain” looks forward to a return. “We raced there through the 80’s, 90’s and 2000’s and enjoyed great support from the people of Elkhart Lake. The expansion of the schedule is important to building on the successes and growth we have seen in 2015. Road America is a world-class facility that will allow our cars to display the speed and excitement that has come to define this series.”
All of this, combined with a great crowd at Mid-Ohio recently, Honda and Graham Rahal suddenly challenging Chevrolet and Juan Pablo Montoya for the championship and record TV ratings on NBC Sports Network, bode well for the future of the sport.
The future of oval tracks in the series is of great concern to long-time fans of the sport as road course events seem to draw larger crowds and produce better racing.
Road America and its success may go a long way in settling that argument…Stay tuned.
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