200 to zero in 73 laps

American racing fans learned a valuable lesson Sunday during the U.S. Grand Prix at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway: the Formula 1 product is disorganized, uninteresting and a flimflam cloaked as an international spectacle.\nUnlike the half-a-million spectators who attend the Indianapolis 500 each May and the hundreds of thousands race fans who attend the Brickyard 400 each August, the U.S. Grand Prix attracted about 100,000 F1 fanatics who forked over about $100 per ticket to witness six cars slither around the IMS road course, in an automotive rumble mirroring a sprinkle of American wigeons waddling across the majestic row of bricks one by one.\nF1 racing fans worldwide were robbed of their burned rubber and gasoline smelling fix by F1, the Federation de I'Automobile (FIA) -- F1's governing body -- and Michelin tire company, after 14 competitors of the 20 car field parked their multimillion dollar machines before the start of the race. Their Michelin-brand tires, or "tyres" as the international community labels them, were reported unsafe for the high-speed banked conditions of turn 13 -- known as turn 1 for the Indy 500 and Brickyard 400. The six competitors who trickled across the finish line after the lackluster 73-lap debacle were guided by Bridgestone tires. \nMany race fans worldwide have criticized F1 CEO Bernie Ecclestone for failing to compromise with Michelin competitors and track officials since Sunday. F1 condemned the FIA for not modifying their rules to allow racing at the IMS since Saturday. FIA has criticized Michelin for bringing the wrong race equipment and no backup spare tires to the race since Friday. Michelin, who has claimed dangerous tire wear in the name of "driver safety" because "unknown" tire failure caused two drivers to crash in turn 13 during Friday morning's practice session, denounced the IMS's track configuration -- and one F1 race fan filed a federal lawsuit Monday indicting F1, the FIA, Michelin and the IMS for victimizing race fans throughout the weekend.\nIMS officials claim the F1 fiasco on American soil was beyond their control, and they treated 2006 US Grand Prix ticket renewing Hoosiers and others to a victory lap of appreciation around the road course in their personal automobiles. A full-refund of 2005 U.S. Grand Prix tickets could cost the IMS more than $10 million in addition to the estimated $15 million they paid F1 to host the event. Ticket sales for the race have plummeted since the inaugural 2000 U.S. Grand Prix was attended by about 200,000 fans.\nIndiana, Indianapolis and the Indiana Motor Speedway should welcome the F1 circus back to the crossroads of America in 2006 and then help pack-up and ship the International racing hoedown abroad where it belongs. The estimated $175 million in race-weekend revenues generated from the U.S. Grand Prix should be replaced by NASCAR and Indy Racing League road course races. \nIndiana and Indianapolis might collect revenues well-beyond $300 million or more if both events sell-out as the Indy 500 and Brickyard 400 often do. The IMS could then offer race fans more multi-team competition, occasional photo-finishes, full-track cautions, rolling starts, fans' access to drivers and the media's access to everyone -- common features of both IRL and NASCAR racing that fuels the American automotive race scene.\nThe international F1 scene, on the other hand, scorned U.S. open-wheel racing star Michael Andretti's 1993 F1 tour, chastised IMS and Indianapolis for lack of U.S. Grand Prix fan growth and slumping ticket sales, mocked American race fans by insisting they care which teammate beats the other in a six-car duel and -- as Indianapolis resident Jim Howser said in an Indy Star editorial -- Ecclestone believes Indy 500 newcomer Danica Patrick belongs in the "kitchen" with the other appliances.\nIMS should dump the U.S. Grand Prix product down the garbage disposal and let Patrick flip the switch. That might excite U.S. race fans more than paying $100 a piece to witness F1 injure and insult the IMS's reputation of hosting the greatest spectacles in racing.