The fan turnout for this year's U.S. Grand Prix at Indianapolis Motor Speedway was estimated to be about 130,000 on race day. That was down from the 175,000 that showed up for last year's event, but it's still the second largest crowd at any Formula One race this season. Only the European Grand Prix at the Nurburgring (Michael Schumacher's home turf) drew more spectators with a crowd of 137,000.

What's been impressive about the fans at all three F1 races at Indy is the fan passion. Indy's crowd has already gained a reputation for being wildly enthusiastic. The first car out of the pits at the start of each practice got a massive cheer no matter who was driving it.

This year, a huge contingent of Columbian fans filled the grandstand opposite the Williams pits and cheered madly for Juan Pablo Montoya. Montoya has a lot of fans judging by the support and applause he got all the way around the track. The same was true for Jacques Villeneuve.

There was also a big turnout of Brazilians screaming support for Rubens Barrichello. And, of course, there were legions of Ferrari fans.

The fan response certainly impressed the F1 fraternity. Having the grandstands so close to the track along the pit straight means that fans are right on top of the action.

"I'm told the crowd was less than previous years, but it looked pretty big to me, and they were very enthusiastic," David Coulthard said after finishing third. "It was very similar to the sort of crowds we get in Italy in terms of the passion they have for it. I guess that was mainly the Brazilians and Colombians. I think it was great."

Once very popular in the United States in the days of Mario Andretti and the grand Prix races in Watkins Glen, N.Y., and Long Beach, Calif., F1 had dwindled into obscurity by the early 1990s.

The problem was that F1 kept changing venues and could never establish a fan base. There were two races in Las Vegas in the parking lot of Caesar's Palace in 1981 and '82, one race in Dallas in 1984 and three in Phoenix between 1989 and '91.

When F1 didn't quickly turn into a success at these tracks, the Grand Prix was dropped and moved somewhere else.

When F1 did stay in one place for a while -- Long Beach for eight years between 1976 and '83 and even Detroit for seven years between 1982 and '88 -- it turned into a popular event with a solid turnout. What killed F1 at both these venues was that it got to be too expensive for the promoters, who then opted for a CART show instead.

	The United States Grand Prix may have found a permanent home at Indianapolis.

What F1 needs to succeed in America is to be in a place that had a good fan base. Phoenix and Las Vegas not only didn't have a local fan base but also were too far away from anywhere else to be within easy driving distance. So F1 really needed to be on either the East or West coast -- or someplace like Indianapolis.

Indianapolis lies within one day's drive of nearly half the population of the USA. And Indy is a racing town -- it's name is synonymous with motorsports.

The second thing F1 needs to succeed in the U.S. is to stay in one place for a long time. And that will happen as Indianapolis has a long-term contract to host the Grand Prix.

"It is a question of more years here to stabilize F1 in America," said former F1 driver Gerhard Berger, who is now the director of BMW Motorsport. "Three years is a very short time. We need to come here continuously and give a good show. I think the Americans are going to like F1, no question about it. On Saturday I was looking at the grandstand and it looks like there were a lot of people there and a lot of interest."

Speedway owner Tony George is not going to jump off the F1 ship at the first hint of trouble. Besides, even though this year's event drew "only" 130,000 fans, it was still a financial success.

"It certainly is a success for Tony George," said McLaren Mercedes director Ron Dennis. "He has three big events. You don't have to be Einstein to work out that at 90 dollars a ticket times 120,000 people ..."

	“	It is a question of more years here to stabilize F1 in America. Three years is a very short time. We need to come here continuously and give a good show. I think the Americans are going to like F1, no question about it. ”
		— Gerhard Berger

The calculator shows that to figure to be just under $11 million. And that doesn't include the income generated from everything from T-shirts to hot dogs.

Speaking of the marketing angle, having a Grand Prix in the U.S. is crucial for F1 because it is the single largest market in the world. Plus, many of the team's major sponsors have their corporate headquarters in America.

"From a marketing point of view, this race is very important for us," said Mercedes-Benz's racing director Norbert Haug. "Secondly this race is televised in primetime in Europe, so we definitely get more viewers at 8 o'clock in the evening.

"Indianapolis is a great name. The venue is great. The friendliness of the fan culture is really amazing. They are going for it. You do not get an impression in this town that Formula One means nothing to these guys. It is very enjoyable and has been from day one in 2000. The start of that race was very impressive, even comparing it to the Indy 500. The environment is really fantastic."

Like so many in the F1 fraternity, Dennis is impressed by the enthusiasm of the F1 fans at the Brickyard.

"There is a passion for motor sport in America," Dennis said. "It attracts a pretty big audience. It is great to be here. It is nice to be around so many friendly people."

Schumacher agreed.

"Ferrari has a lot of supporters here," he said. "And it's a fantastic feeling to be out here and get the wow of the crowd. The atmosphere here is very special."

Is F1 a success in America and at Indianapolis Motor Speedway?

The roar of over 100,000 fans say a resounding yes.

Dan Knutson covers Formula One for National Speed Sport News.