Champcar Grand Prix of Houston

[nyrmetros]

Anyone know anything about this?

http://www.grandprixofhouston.com/


Maybe there could be some cross promotion between Houston Champcar and Houston MLS ??

[newtex]

I know something about it. It is a couple of races over a weeekend on a road course laid out in the Reliant Park parking area. Reliant Park is the complex that includes Reliant Stadium, the Astrodome, and Reliant Center, a convention hall.

The races are a sports car race on Friday night and then the Champ car race on Saturday night. Champ cars are what used to be CART, similar to Indy cars.

The sports car race includes multiple classes all racing at the same time.

There will also be music, food , and vendor stuff going on from May 11-13.

Not sure why this would be connected with the Houston MLS team. They are at FCDallas that weekend.

[texgator]

It should be pretty big, Champcar has been getting upwards of 200,000 people out for their inner-city race weekends. If it wasn't for the game here in Frisco I would have considered going to Houston that weekend. It would have been cool to combine the trip with an 1836 home game......damn shame the schedule doesn't line up. If the race is a success (this is the first year that Champcar has come to Houston) then they should try to schedule a game for that weekend in the future and do some cross promotion. I wish we could get a Champcar event here in Dallas, but with Texas Motor Speedway all we get is NASCAR and IRL.

[newtex]

I'm thinking about going to the LeMans race on Friday night. I've never been to one of those races. It looks interesting.

Houston has had Champ car races before. They had races from 1998 to 2001. I guess it was still called CART back then but it was essentially the same.

[texgator]

I'm thinking about going to the LeMans race on Friday night. I've never been to one of those races. It looks interesting.

Houston has had Champ car races before. They had races from 1998 to 2001. I guess it was still called CART back then but it was essentially the same.
Ohh..I didn't know that. Haven't been following open wheel that long.

[TOTC]

How to have a futbol tie-in? Have them run 1,836 laps.

[texgator]

How to have a futbol tie-in? Have them run 1,836 laps.
Open wheel racing is traditionally an international sport, as is soccer. I would think there is some crossover potential.

[newtex]

Open wheel racing is traditionally an international sport, as is soccer. I would think there is some crossover potential.

I don't think Champ cars are considered much of an international sport. Certainly IRL, another U.S.-based open wheel series, is not.

The American LeMans Series race on Friday night is neither open-wheel or international.

It may be that these races will attract similar fans and there is some crossover potential but I don't see much.

[texgator]

I don't think Champ cars are considered much of an international sport.Yes, they are. By their fans, by the media, by the racers and the ownership teams. This is open wheel racing on street courses. They have races in Mexico, Canada, Australia and Japan. It's the most international of any racing circuit in the US.
Certainly IRL, another U.S.-based open wheel series, is not.
And that's because it's open wheels on an oval track......a distinctly American brand of racing.

The American LeMans Series race on Friday night is neither open-wheel or international.The big draw is the ChampCar race on Saturday, not the Le Mans on Friday. And "Le Mans" doesn't sound international to you?? I think you need to look up where that term came from.

It may be that these races will attract similar fans and there is some crossover potential but I don't see much.You've got 200,000 people going through Reliant Park in a weekend, and you don't think it's a good idea to try and reach out to a small portion of them? How often do you get than number of people together in one place in Houston? You aren't in marketing, are you?

[newtex]

I didn't say there was no marketing potential. I just don't see the connection to the soccer team. If you do, that's fine.

Any event drawing 200,000 people is worth consideration. I'm a little suspicious of that 200,000. I'd be surprised if they could get 200,000 people into Reliant ParK.

The rodeo draws 2,000,000 over 21 days. That's about 100,000 per day. I'd be surprised if the race has twice as many people in there as the rodeo.

Is that 70,000 to 80,000 a day for three days? Won't that mostly be the same 70,000 people? Still might be worth attempting to reach depending on what it will cost.



I know where LeMans comes from. I said the American LeMans Series is not international and it isn't. It may sound international and on that point you might be right. It might attract the same sort of fans.

And I could be wrong about all of this. I've often been wrong.

[texgator]

I didn't say there was no marketing potential. I just don't see the connection to the soccer team. If you do, that's fine.
Even if it's 5% it's worth it.....again, there aren't many opportunities to reach that number of people in one place over a short period of time. These are people who are clearly open to sporting activities that are outside the mainstream. That, right there, is your potential American soccer fan. They aren't scared of international style sporting events.....if they were they'd be at a NASCAR event, not an open wheel street race.

Any event drawing 200,000 people is worth consideration. I'm a little suspicious of that 200,000. I'd be surprised if they could get 200,000 people into Reliant ParK.They got similar numbers in Denver, St Pete and San Jose for the ChampCar downtown races in the past.
The rodeo draws 2,000,000 over 21 days. That's about 100,000 per day. I'd be surprised if the race has twice as many people in there as the rodeo.You'll be surprised.

Is that 70,000 to 80,000 a day for three days? Won't that mostly be the same 70,000 people? Still might be worth attempting to reach depending on what it will cost.A lot of overlap, yes. Probably around 120,000 distinct fans over the weekend.

I know where LeMans comes from. I said the American LeMans Series is not international and it isn't. It may sound international and on that point you might be right. It might attract the same sort of fans.It's the American version of an International style racing event.....I don't know why that's hard for you to understand.

[bford]

All I know is I went to one of the races set downtown a few years back, and it was a really fun time... I may go again..

rock
bford

[fireman451]

DANG! That's awesome. When I was working in downtown Houston (Wells Fargo Building) years ago, the city had this same Grand Prix series set up near the HR Brown (CART). You could hear those engines all around downtown . . .nothing like it. That race was awesome!!!! I may have to come back just for that, and attend a Houston SC game as well.

With all the new offerings in downtown and midtown, I think a race like is needed in Houston. Here's hoping OLuck and co. make the most of it and advertise as much as possible along the crash walls. Open wheel GP race fans may be a good market for a soccer club.

[newtex]

OK. I thought I conceded that I might be wrong in my last post.


I will try to check out the LeMans race on Friday night and I'll let you know if I see any sign of promotion by Houston MLS.

I was thinking of coming up to Dallas to see the Houston-Dallas game that Saturday. I haven't been to PHP yet and that would be an excellent opportunity. So I wouldn't be able to get to the Champ car race.

[texgator]

OK. I thought I conceded that I might be wrong in my last post.Yes you did, sorry if I sounded rash.


I will try to check out the LeMans race on Friday night and I'll let you know if I see any sign of promotion by Houston MLS.Thanks.

I was thinking of coming up to Dallas to see the Houston-Dallas game that Saturday. I haven't been to PHP yet and that would be an excellent opportunity. So I wouldn't be able to get to the Champ car race.Make sure you and the rest of the Houston FC fans come to the Inferno tailgate before the game. While we are rivals inside the stadium, there is no reason we can't enjoy a few beers outside it.

[nyrmetros]

Champ cars are what used to be CART, better than Indy cars.



fixed. :)

But like some othere hers, I think a connection could be made between Champcar Houston and MLS Houston. Champcar is international, and soccer is international. Champcar fans are often highly educated with good disposable cash to blow. MLS wants people with cash to blow. I think if they offer some type of cross promotion it could be a good thing for both organizations, and the sports fans in Houston as well.

San Jose had a similiar opportunity, but it was not taken advantage of, probably cause AEG knew the team was leaving.

[texgator]

fixed. :)
Darn tootin'. Hopefully the IRL will begin to die an overdue death soon, so we can get back to one open wheel circuit.

[nyrmetros]

Darn tootin'. Hopefully the IRL will begin to die an overdue death soon, so we can get back to one open wheel circuit.

wow. You're my new Texas friend. :) But we can further discuss this in the CHampcar thread in the other sports forum.

Back to Houston specific issues..

[Flyin Ryan]

Darn tootin'. Hopefully the IRL will begin to die an overdue death soon, so we can get back to one open wheel circuit.

Reports from Autoweek a week ago suggested that Tony George (head of IRL) and Kevin Kalkhoven (head of ChampCar) were talking about a merger where each would be co-chairman heading an IndyCar series. Apparently, unlike previous attempts, this is pretty serious.

[texgator]

Reports from Autoweek a week ago suggested that Tony George (head of IRL) and Kevin Kalkhoven (head of ChampCar) were talking about a merger where each would be co-chairman heading an IndyCar series. Apparently, unlike previous attempts, this is pretty serious.
Yeah, I've seen that. I'm betting it breaks down in the end. ChampCar needs to just keep on doing what they are doing. They are headed in the right direction and IRL isn't.