(Feature Image: Indycar)
Alex Palou took home the first place prize of $500,000 at the Indycar event, but fans believe they went home empty handed.
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On Sunday morning in the sunny state of California, the NTT INDYCAR series put on the first non points race since 2008 in Surfer’s Paradise, Australia. This “exhibition” style race took place just two weeks after the season opener in St Pete. This race was hosted by the Thermal Club, an exclusive and elite motorsport club located just outside of Palm Springs.
The $1M Thermal Club Challenge: A High-Stakes Showdown
This event created a bit of excitement due to the new location, race format and the weather conditions. The NTT INDYCAR series has never raced at Thermal. These indycars have only hit this private pavement once prior to this weekend was last year’s pre season testing.
The Thermal Club is a member only facility for millionaires to drive their expansive exotic car collections. This past weekend’s format included a random draw for two qualifying groups. The order of those random qualifying groups will then determine the starting lineup for the two heat races. The top 6 of each heat will move on to the Final. This Final entailed two 10 minute sessions with a 10 minute break or “half time” in between. During the 10 minute break, the teams are only allowed to refuel, front/rear wing and wicker angel adjustments, adjust tire pressure and attend to driver. This is the first time the NTT INDYCAR series used “heat” like format since 2013.
The weather played a particular roll in the Sunday race as the cars took track at 9:30am local PST time. Despite the heat, sand and dirt became a factor as the direction of the wind consistently changed throughout the day.
At the end of the day, it was Alex Palou that took up the first place jackpot of $500,000. But they called this the $1M Thermal Club Challenge? Why did the first place winner only recieve $500,000? This is due to some adjustments that had to be made a couple weeks after the NTT INDYCAR Series announced this race. They were unable to come up with the funds to allot the winner a $1M check. Now, the purse for this race was over $1.7 million, which is the largest purse for any race outside of the Indianapolis 500. But, the change of prize money wasn’t the only thing fans had an issue with.
Mixed Reactions: Fans’ Disappointment and Critiques
Alex Palou won this race by nearly 6 seconds while also leading all 20 laps. This format was supposed to invoke similar behaviour to the F1 sprint races, an all-out brawl that did not require fuel saving or managing tyres. Based on the results, this challenge did not bring that type of excitement. Instead, fans watched the broadcast showcase upwards of $15 million mansions across the private property.
The NBC announcers made sure to highlight the pickleball and tennis courts, phenomenal food, greens, exotic cars and more. Unfortunately, this kind of lifestyle does not cater to the typical motorsport fan leaving perhaps a sour taste in some mouths. In addition to the race being as some are describing “a snooze fest” the overbearing highlights of the Thermal Club did not coincide with what makes the NTT INDYCAR Series so special, the affordability and accessibility.
Ultimately, this was the NTT INDYCAR Series’s way of creating an “all-star” weekend format to grow a larger fan base. In addition, fill a gap of 6 weeks until we race in the streets of Long Beach. As fans we can applaud the series for listening to their fanbase and attempting to put on a unique race, but unfortunately, the execution was not there.
Lessons Learned: Reframing Future Non-Points Races
The overwhelming feedback from fans is that this race was extremely underwhelming. This type of race weekend will need a major makeover if they decide to continue this style event. Many fans have spoken out on Twitter suggesting different opinions. Such as alternate formats, tiered ticket prices, involving a charity of some sort and even changing the time in season. There is a massive amount of hype leading up to the NTT INDYCAR Season opener in St Pete, yet we go straight into an off-weekend following the Florida street race. Perhaps this is an opportunity for the series to have a non-points race as the season opener.
Despite the negative feedback for this challenge, many can say it was better than having six straight weeks of no green flag racing. Fans’ opinions and the TV broadcasting numbers give leadership a good idea of how to approach this race next season. The ultimate dash for cash wasn’t as exciting on the private pavement as one may have thought. Tune in for the second street race on the calendar in Long Beach which usually guarantees poise, excitement and some unpredictability.