[Magazines] Motorsport Magazine, is it me or is it getting repetitive?

[mountainstar]

What amazes me is that Bill Boddy still writes for the magazine. 76 years must be some kind of world record.

I think Motorsport has a lot of potential as a magazine it just has to tap into it. It seems to be getting thinner and lighter too(haven't counted to see if the page count is the same though).

[strider]

Originally Posted by chunder

I didnt realise that trhe mag had been sold by Haytrash! That is quite a shock as it used to be one of their permier titles purely for the ad revenue it used to make, the classified section used to be half of the magazine!!

Are you sure that it has? I just had a look at the website and there is no indication there about such a move. The Content details have a familar look about them, even if the address has moved down the road from, say, Autosport.

[Leighton Irwin]

I haven't bought Motorsport for about a year but was finding it of less and less interest. Two other reasons are 1: cost. over $13 Cdn. 2: Distance. over 45K round trip to nearest store with it.
I also find the US publication Vintage Racecar to be superior. I do subsribe despite it costing me about double what a US subscriber pays. Of course, it is US oriented but latterly has had extensive coverage of the Aust. scene and we Canucks are not overlooked. There is European coverage as well and the picture section awsome. Bob Harrington is one of the Photo men. I have no connection to the Mag.

[Al Weyman]

Sounds like a mag I may like, is it available in the UK I wonder.

[Leighton Irwin]

Al:Yes! UK office:9 Green Lane, Wootton, Northants, NN4 6LH. Tel.1604 766645 Fax:1604 761813. Cost:$54.95 + $35.00 US for one year airmail.

[Leighton Irwin]

ALL: Go to www.vintageracecar.com They have a sample issue on line and some of the current stories and all other info needed.

[Al Weyman]

Thanks Lieghton, Hey I only know one other Lieghton, the landlord down my local pub and he is as Welsh as the hills.

[Leighton Irwin]

Al: Note spelling: Leighton. Born in London, England of Cdn. parents when God was in diapers. To Canada in '39 and only back when Bruce Jensen was buying a new race car. Done it all. Spectator, marshall, driver, official, tech inspector, mechanic, crew chief, fabricator, designer; BUT I don't do engines!

[midgetman]

I suppose I must be a newer generation of MS readers, my latest copy arrived today and I just adore it. I think they have a good picture editor, staying away from the publicity shots and catching candid moments where the picture truly does say a 1,000 words.

The depth of articles is just right for me, I'm not into chassis numbers and build histories, I like the human stories - altho I would like to see more of the current historic racing scene, but give it chance in 07.

Yes it is definitely benefitting the move from Haymarket. I've even been persuaded to run an ad in there and it's not expensive.

[plutoman99]

With respect to those who keep all that fabulous machinery active in historic racing, I am not the least bit interested in reading about the current historic scene. I love the events for the nostalgia, but reports of the racing itself is surely only relevant to those actually involved.

Motorsport provides me with a 'fix', which the likes of Autosport has long since failed to do - its probably age. What I like about it is the variety of articles, particularly those of which I have limited knowledge - if an item interests me sufficiently, then I will go and find the more in-depth resources, and in that respect Motorsport in invaluable. The fixation with the colour of the cover is irrelevant, its what's inside that counts, and nine times out of ten its worth the cover price ten times over. Take this month's Damon Hill interview; there's a dozen direct quotes - from the horse's mouth - in that one piece that have only been hinted at in the past. I'm also now on the lookout for a decent biography of Parnelli Jones (can anyone recommend one?).

[Graham Goodwin]

Originally Posted by plutoman99

With respect to those who keep all that fabulous machinery active in historic racing, I am not the least bit interested in reading about the current historic scene. I love the events for the nostalgia, but reports of the racing itself is surely only relevant to those actually involved.

Motorsport provides me with a 'fix', which the likes of Autosport has long since failed to do - its probably age. What I like about it is the variety of articles, particularly those of which I have limited knowledge - if an item interests me sufficiently, then I will go and find the more in-depth resources, and in that respect Motorsport in invaluable. The fixation with the colour of the cover is irrelevant, its what's inside that counts, and nine times out of ten its worth the cover price ten times over. Take this month's Damon Hill interview; there's a dozen direct quotes - from the horse's mouth - in that one piece that have only been hinted at in the past. I'm also now on the lookout for a decent biography of Parnelli Jones (can anyone recommend one?).

I feel very similarly - It does appeal to a far greater degree than any of the other print mags and it has prompted me to look elsewhere for more on a couple of occasions - The depth of the articles inmotorsport though does seem to have suffered of late - My impression is that at times style triumphs over (quantity) of substance.

[John Turner]

Originally Posted by midgetman

I suppose I must be a newer generation of MS readers, my latest copy arrived today and I just adore it.

Although I've been reading Motorsport for over 40 years, I agree; the latest copy is excellent!

Originally Posted by midgetman

I'm not into chassis numbers and build histories

Some of us are though, and I would always like to know the chassis no. and build dates of any specific racing car that they feature.

Originally Posted by midgetman

I would like to see more of the current historic racing scene, but give it chance in 07.

I would have agreed with that but I see that they are stablemates with 'Historic Motor Racing News' and are plugging them, so maybe that is where we will find proper historic reports.

Originally Posted by plutoman99

With respect to those who keep all that fabulous machinery active in historic racing, I am not the least bit interested in reading about the current historic scene. I love the events for the nostalgia, but reports of the racing itself is surely only relevant to those actually involved.

Not true for me. Much as I'd like to, I don't race them but would like to see some good accurate reporting. I'm sure that I am not alone in that. And, of course, there are very substantial numbers of old racing cars out there and they are not all expensive exotics!

Originally Posted by plutoman

The fixation with the colour of the cover is irrelevant

True in one sense but why was it changed in the first place, when it had made an earlier decision to forsake contemporary racing for tradition and history? It wasn't logical from a presentation point of view and there was a concern that the cover also reflected the approach regarding the contents. And whilst we would like to think that the cover has no bearing on sales, why do you think Autosport, with rare exception, carries an F1 related picture every week when the content includes other contemporary racing and rallying, as well national club and historic coverage at the back?

Originally Posted by Graham Goodwin

The depth of the articles in Motorsport though does seem to have suffered of late - My impression is that at times style triumphs over (quantity) of substance.

Yes, that is one of my main concerns, too, along with the issue that it does not become too much like Octane.

[ss_collins]

I'm 25 so a younger reader (a wee child by motorsport standards) but since the red issues came in the magazine has steadily mu interest has steadily delined. There have been some great articles (one one STP gas turbine car springs to mind) but since the redesign and new management I could describe it like this - the cherry from the bakewell when you want the whole cake. By that I mean its got the attention grabbing story concepts but not the depth.

I do hope track tests makes a return and there are more interesting ways to cover the more modern stuff. Graham I'm sure if you freelanced them some historic sportscar stuff it would do well.

What about some chassis stories - some cars have really interesting backgrounds the Terry Cohn Mercedes or the '38 Carraciola Merc thats rotting in a corner of a prague museum.

What about the Merc LSR from 1940??

Lola's still born IRL car?

1993 Honda F1 car.

Group S Rally cars... etc...

[Corktree]

It is not you.

MS is generally a very sorry mess and has been for about 15 or so years. Shoddy workmanship in the truest sense of the word in the form of poor research, vapid articles, and simply just not all that interesting the vast majority of the time.

The jumbled mess of recent years has not made things any better.

Maybe the new crew can make it work, maybe not. I am tending towards the latter as my assessment.

I have been a reader since the early 50's and I think that I have finally gotten weary of the shambles and will finally just pull the plug on my subscription.

Not a big fan of Vintage Racecar Journal and Market Report either. I think my subscription has finally run out -- since I am 6500 miles away from home not sure. Very much hit and miss -- some appalling articles with equally appalling "research" and more focused on the G3* crowd it seems.

I may soon be down to perhaps one automotive magazine -- Vintage Motorsports. And even with that one I am pondering as to what to do about it.






*Gordon Gekko Gang

[racer69]

Originally Posted by ss_collins

Group S Rally cars... etc...

They touched on Group S back in a 2000 edition.....though that article seemed to focus more on the death of Group B


Is it time for 'Motorsport' to go back into Pre-1997 mode?

[Al Weyman]

Well I forgot to cancel and just spent at least 10 minutes reading what I was interested in, sorry but not that interested in Damon Hill's recollections especially as he did not mention the time as a kid him and his mum watched us banger race three wheeler fibreglass Invalid cars and totally destroy them (what fun) in her campaign against them, or the time earlier when I used to fill his dad's airplane up with fuel at Elstree, no not a word, only joking of course well at least about the mention! :-)

[Corktree]

Originally Posted by racer69

Is it time for 'Motorsport' to go back into Pre-1997 mode?

God forbid. Autosport in a monthly format would be painful to even contemplate, much less read....

Motor Sport has perhaps the right idea, but is seemingly utterly and completely clueless as to how to execute that idea.

If this outsourcing of Motor Sport doesn't pan out -- and I really don't see much hope of success to be honest, then magazine will die in a maybe a year or two, perhaps three.

How aviation can support several excellent magazines on history and motor racing basically one or none is a mystery to me.