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In America we only watch one kind of racing, that which goes in a straight line, and maybe, and I do say maybe, has a bend at each end of the race track. Compare what Americans find exciting and quality racing, with races popular in the rest of the world - F1, MotoGP etc., and the list is quite long with the emphasis being on road courses. Yeah, NASCAR may have one or two road courses but they are definitely in the minority and the least watched by fans.
ALMS - The American Le Mans Series - is probably the most popular road course based US racing league, but it is relatively unknown, even in America. Unlike NASCAR it doesn't make it to ESPN. I don't think I've seen it anywhere on TV. Top quality motorcycle races are barely given a second look by us.
Then there are the consumer cars. Take a look at the sports cars of various other countries... Japanese, German, English, Italian, Spanish, French sports cars put emphasis on lightness, suspension, and have relatively small engines. The most accessible sports cars are hot hatches and roadsters, moving up to sports sedans. The most well-recognized sport sedan (and coupe) is the BMW M3, which didn't have a V8 until 2008. This is what people outside the US see as sporty.
The muscle cars of the 60s / 70s are the classic example here. The result of that approach is a car that goes fast, but not around corners. Only recently have Corvettes and Cadillac's received international acclaim as finally being able to compete with the Germans.
The American public just likes a different type of car and race from the rest of the world. Which I suppose is okay but look at what we are missing. Just look at this - arguably the best American hot hatch, the Ford Focus RS, was developed in Britain, is built in Germany, and is not sold in the US. And is one hell of a car.
ALMS - The American Le Mans Series - is probably the most popular road course based US racing league, but it is relatively unknown, even in America. Unlike NASCAR it doesn't make it to ESPN. I don't think I've seen it anywhere on TV. Top quality motorcycle races are barely given a second look by us.
Then there are the consumer cars. Take a look at the sports cars of various other countries... Japanese, German, English, Italian, Spanish, French sports cars put emphasis on lightness, suspension, and have relatively small engines. The most accessible sports cars are hot hatches and roadsters, moving up to sports sedans. The most well-recognized sport sedan (and coupe) is the BMW M3, which didn't have a V8 until 2008. This is what people outside the US see as sporty.
The muscle cars of the 60s / 70s are the classic example here. The result of that approach is a car that goes fast, but not around corners. Only recently have Corvettes and Cadillac's received international acclaim as finally being able to compete with the Germans.
The American public just likes a different type of car and race from the rest of the world. Which I suppose is okay but look at what we are missing. Just look at this - arguably the best American hot hatch, the Ford Focus RS, was developed in Britain, is built in Germany, and is not sold in the US. And is one hell of a car.
