Scv8?

[neilwaynesmith]

Monday 16 February 2004

NEWS RELEASE

Business as usual for SPL as SCV8 looks forwards to 2005

Monday 16 February 2004 - Supercar Promotions Limited (SPL) the owners and management company of the SCV8 Supercar Championship today announce the move for the start of the all-new championship from this season to 2005.

“Whilst we have reached 90% of our targets and the elements and criteria required to launch the new series, the final 10% has proved difficult to conclude in time for a sensible and productive start to the Championship for this year” said SPL Directors; Andy Rouse, Pete Hall and Roger Etcell. “We are extremely encouraged and motivated by the fact that the SCV8 concept has been well received with only positive comments against its core objectives and philosophy. However, a recent series of further industry barriers were creating difficulties in concluding the calendar for this season and until last week we remained on target for a shorter series than originally planned, starting in August. However, there is now much turmoil due to the prolonged Brands Hatch circuits sale and the new owners attempts to bring promoted events back to a stable footing, much of which is well documented in recent media articles. Despite much co-operation from circuits, clubs and others, to bring a new promoted series against this unstable climate, where even existing major events are being reviewed, is a tall order. The timing just isn't right.” continued the SPL Directors.

In the interests of the SCV8 Championship and British motorsport in general, SPL will now postpone the start whilst the market settles, then hit the ground running with a full promoted 10 event (20 rounds) championship next year. The current impetus will not be lost as SPL will continue to build 5 further model type SCV8 cars with the current supporting manufacturers and franchise teams to add to the existing Jaguar X-Type. Towards the end of the 2004 race season SPL will then conduct a series of SCV8 circuit based promoted events and demonstrations with these cars driven by well known drivers, as a preview to 2005.

During its development the SCV8 Championship has attracted the endorsement and support of;

6 leading manufacturers.
6 leading UK race preparation companies as franchise teams.
Prime time terrestrial and satellite television programming.
Leading star name drivers plus British young-guns progressing through their careers.
Leading UK circuits to host the individual rounds.
Haymarket Worldwide as its marketing partner.
The MSA for the required Championship race and promoters permits.
The BRDC as its race organising Club.
The MIA for the SCV8's contribution to the British motorsport engineering industry.
Thousands of race fans who have registered their interest and support via the SCV8 website.
Recent media articles clearly indicate that the UK motorsport market is in urgent need of new product (a commercially sound and promotable series); SCV8 is that required product and can quickly fill that gap in a stable market place. Since the formal SCV8 launch in July 2003, the opportunity clearly remains to complete this exciting project during this year ready for 2005.

ENDS

[ss_collins]

Such a suprise....

AHEM

[danieljboys]

So there's no chance of any 'Showcase' style one-off races for this year, as an appetiser for 2005?

Perhaps this will go the way of Premiership Grand Prix (or whatever it's called).

[Ron Doe]

As long as Alan Gow is in the world, I have the suspicion that getting SCV8 off the ground will be as easy as winning a GP in a Minardi. The press release quotes "industry barriers". Anyone have any clues what they might be...?

[RTH]

In the past new championships in truth only get cancelled at a late stage for one reason ......... lack of entries

[racingdad]

Note the lack of mention of confirmed teams who bought and paid for their cars..... All the rest is fluff, I'm afraid

[Ron Doe]

Whatever, but the IDEA was still good. Wasn't it? Or is that just me?

[mark_l]

Sounds like another well known extinct bird,the Interactive Sportscar Championship.

talked a good talk but failed to walk the walk

[racingdad]

The world is full of good ideas but right now there are too many teams / drivers / championships chasing too little money and while the car looks fabulous, and I'm sure that the drivers would have loved it, with even the BTCC struggling (and like it or not, that is the premier saloon series in the UK) SCV8 was always going to struggle.

[james tucker]

To the team Andy,Peter and Roger at SCV8, we at Britcar know how differcult it is to swim upstream. The problems in British motorsport are the yes men, of which there are plenty. It is a great idea, maybe the UK's not ready, there are lots of 'egos' to be fed and to many conflicts of interests.
sportingly
james

[Ron Doe]

James is spot on. It was not the "lack of entries"....it was the "not in my back yard" syndrome....
Sometimes I wonder if national racing will ever move forwards....

[james tucker]

Ron as long as Drivers believe they are getting good value from their £200000 budgets from 8xone hour races at Silverstone and UK tracks, when they can go and do LeMan24/Daytona24/Spa24/and two more 24hr of their choise say Bathurst and Nurburgring for the same money and 120hours , with 500million on average at each race watching on TV and 300 thousand watching, you will not get logic or any UK International drivers apart from Grand Prix????
who won the British GTS 2 years ago and who cares, who won
LeMans in a Bently.

[james tucker]

Sorry 'Bentley'

[Ron Doe]

Who said anything about £200,000? I thought it was £75,000....

[racingdad]

Originally posted by Ron Doe
Who said anything about £200,000? I thought it was £75,000....

You won't get much in the way of a GT drive in the UK championship for £75k. And you certainly won't get anything in the BTCC for under £250k+

[Ron Doe]

75,000 was SUPPOSED to be the budget for a two-driver car in SCV8.
I would say that compares equally with Porsche Cup, Seats or a decent ride in the GT Cup class....

[ascarracinguk]

but it was a 500k set up fee......

[Ron Doe]

I was talking about the cost to drivers. If drivers had to pay for set-up costs too, then FBMW would have a pretty empty grid this season.
I am not an apologist for SCV8. I simply don't think it was given a fair go. It was refreshing for someone to at least try something different, don't you think?
We could always stick to the same old race series that we've always had and never try anything new...

[ss_collins]

It was never going to get a fair go... there are simply too many series in the UK. Some have to go. See the series cull thread.

[Ron Doe]

I agree, some do have to go.
In fact, not some, quite a lot....
But, at least this one had a different approach, some decent money behind it and cars people might want to watch....
Aw, let's forget all this. Anyone fancy ressurecting Thundersaloons? Where's Rod Birley when you need him!

[avro]

I was going to start a new thread on the very item of race series cancellations, but I will try from here.

After the postponment of SCV8 and hearing of teams pulling out of BTCC (Eddenbrige) how are the real grass roots National series fairing ?, I know it is still very early but how many series are seeing their entries / intrest in entry down on this time last year, or even the year before.

Will any national series have to fold on join up to survive ?

And with regard to Thundersaloons Ron, Formula Saloons have been shouting for Thundersaloon competitors to come out and play for years, but with limited success.

[Kicking-back]

I wouldn't say the BTCC is struggling - this year it will have its biggest grid for years - on a par with the mid nineties peak. And it's probably getting stronger as a series for not solely relying on manufacturer cash.

[Rod Birley]

There are at least two or three Thundersaloon type cars appearing this year, V8 Vauxhall and V8 Sierra, plus a Peugeot with a turbo.

[ss_collins]

The real grass roots saloon series look ok - Stock Hatch - frankly earthern - still get silly entries (3 figures), Hot hatch is healthy too.

[Smokey 6 litre]

damn, i was really hoping this was going to take off, although i predicted its death by 2006. i hope it still happens.