Well, I just got home from the Champ Car World Series (CART) Molson Indy event in Montreal. Having attended the F1 Canadian GP earlier this summer, I thought this would be a good time for a comparison of the two events at the same track (for anyone considering one or the other in the future).

1. Atmosphere - Track: Even though both events took place at the same venue, F1 weekend at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve had a completely different energy. The crowd for the F1 race back in June was easily 2 to 3 times larger, with a significantly larger international crowd. There is definitely a higher level of anticipation and overall excitement for the F1 race.

That said, for the CART race, there was something nice about being able to walk to my seat or getting a snack without being elbow to elbow with thousands of additional people. If the F1 race is like a playoff game at Yankees Stadium in late October, the CART race is like a early April day game versus the Royals. . . More relaxed, fewer people, but still lots of fun.

2. Practice/Qualifying: No comparison, F1 wins. . . Whether its qualifying or practice, F1 puts on a better show. Part of the problem is CART's whacky qualifying rules (which included using the pit-in line, not the start/finish line, for the timing of qualifying laps). Also, CART didn't show lap times/qualifying positions on the TV screens. . . Which left spectators lost until an announcer filled us in minutes later. Though many fans don't like F1's one lap qualifying system, its easy to follow and makes for some exciting viewing.

3. Race: F1 wins. . . but not in a landslide. Both races were exciting and featured some good action, but the F1 cars with more speed and better handling were slightly more fun to watch. The numbers: MS (Ferrari) 70 laps - 1 hour, 28 minutes; BJ (Newman/Haas) 69 laps - 1 hour, 39 minutes. F1 fast lap: 1:13.622, CART fast lap: 1:20.84 (which is about 2 seconds slower than the slowest F1 lap).

4. Other Races/Activities: Surprising CART wins. . . Though the F1 event had Formula BMW races and a historic F1 race, CART's Toyota Atlantic, Superbike Invitational, Formula 1600 races were more fun. CART also wins big with pit lane and car paddock access, and a drivers' autograph session (which aren't really feasible with the larger F1 crowd).

5. Atmosphere - City of Montreal: Close call. . . but the edge goes to CART. Montreal is a great city (during the summer) and provides a great location for a race weekend. Both weekends had similar activities throughout the city and the atmosphere was great in both cases. But, largely due to the smaller crowds, the CART weekend was more enjoyable when it came to navigating the streets, restaurants, bars and night clubs of Montreal. Also, hotel costs were about 50 percent cheaper during the Molson Indy.

Overall, both races were great and I'd recommend both to open wheel racing fans. But, for serious race fans there's no comparison F1's Canadian GP is the winner. However, for a casual race fan looking for a nice weekend, some good racing and a great time in a great city, the Molson Indy is the better choice.