The Future.........????

[Peter Mallett]

Hmm,

I've left my thoughts on this until I saw some other opinions.

Let's look at merged championships first.
The main objection from organisers seems to be that the general public don't understand class structures and how can a champion come from someone who didn't win outright?

Well to me that's a cop out. Any spectator who understands racing will understand a class structure. If you are just there to enjoy the racing, chances are you like to see the cars passing and being passed. You won't care if its class a or d? A good example is the CTCRC (sorry couldn't resist) or the Saloon and Sports Championship (Northern?).

Promotion.
I used to issue all sorts of promotional material to local newspapers before we (the CTCRC) turned up at an event. We once got the TV news to Silverstone *ahem*. But if you phoned the circuit to see what they were doing? "Well its just a club meeting so we don't do too much".

The funny thing is that the BARC, by and large, is helpful in this respect. Whilst they don't go out of their way to promote things, if you give them a bell they'll tell you who to talk to. I guess its free PR work for them but we all have to make an effort if this thing is going to carry on.

However the clubs themselves do have a responsiblity. Mention of the 750 MC reminds me of the Hot Hatch championship. With due respect to the majority of those who race in it, this one attracted some of the worst club racers I've ever seen. Gawd knows how many re shells in a season that one used to promote. It seems to have calmed down now (does it still exist?) but I never saw the 750 mc doing anything constructive to improve standards.

Don't know about their general attitude though because I haven't been to, entered or spectated at any of their meetings for some years.

Celebrity races? Great at something like the GP.

But in the end are we running just too many formulae? Two grades of FFord for goodness' sake.

There are many "historic" formulae too. Take touring cars. The CSCC started the ball rolling in 1975. Now we have the HSCC note "Historic Sports Car Club" who run the Historic Racing Saloon Car Register. These regs are based on Appendix J 1965. (I stand to be corrected) and therefore do not necessarily clash with the CSCC but why is it necessary to have this championship? Just because people want to race the cars is not really good enough in the context of this thread.

We then say in another thread that the promolgated V8 championship for 2004 will dilute grids. You see my point.

Therefore it seems to me that just because a few people want to race a certain type of car doesn't mean we should have a championship solely for them.

Top Hat (I confess this confused me at one time) can bring the earlier CSCC and HSCC cars together and does. So Snapper's comments concerning amalgamation have some validity in this case.

What's happened to Monoposto and (dare I say it) Libre? for all those single seaters?

So I think at the end we are talking amalgamation. It might also be said that we should never talk motorsport and "cheap" in the same breath. This concept has thrown up all sorts of er, interesting championships. And whilst 2CVs are good fun and provide entertainment the old Road Saloons (you got points for driving your car to and from the circuit) was just touring cars with a lot (but not everybody) of tiptoeing around.

Everybody should get real. Motorsport isn't cheap. There are no cheap formulae. There's only hard work and if those people who think they'll be racing on the cheap in a competitve interesting championship do so then they're the lucky ones. Interesting and Cheap are also words which don't go together in this context.

So. Amalgamate or die seems to me to be the solution for the race organisers. And promote, promote, promote are the watchwords for the individuals and the clubs.

Phew!

[Redlake27]

The circuits could do more. The organising clubs could do an awful lot more....but frankly, so could the drivers.

A basic PR course for every driver from their Championship Coordinator means that you could have 300 drivers at each race meeting all trying to get media coverage on their home turf..... Whether F1 or Stock Hatch, drivers have to shout about their activities.

(By the way, I offer a PR course for championship organisers and competitors if anyone is interested - sorry about the plug!)

[Stephen Green]

How eloquently put Peter.

I think I have mentioned this earlier in this or another thread, but in the 'good old days' Brands Hatch Racing Club as it was then, used to organise events such as the 'Radio 1 day out' the 'Kent Messenger Race Day' and so on and so forth. The beneifit of days like those were that they introduced new spectators to motor racing and yet at the same time, provided a good days entertainment with fun fairs and lunchtime track activity. Then there were the AirTrack days which comprised of a multitude of different races, trucks, cars. bikes, karts all coupled with air displays etc. In short, a family day out with something for everyone. How I would love to have the job of trying to bring back days like those at Brands or another circuit. As has been said before, the CSMA can do it, so why can't we?

[PTs Bro]

This is all very well and good and I agree with Peter on the amalgamate or die theme but drivers are already finding pastures new in short ovals, rallying and grass events and they are prepared to spend quite large sums of money to do it, Why??.... Because the racing is close, exciting and maybe a bit dangerous, the atmosphere is relaxed, the entry fees are extremely low in short ovals and Autograss and it is very much more "family" orientated. Its all for mainly the same reasons that spectators flock to these meetings as well!!!

Maybe some of you dyed in the wool circuit bods need to check out some short oval and grass meetings to see what its like........ I used to be staunchly against them but believe me the entertainment is excellent and the driving standards / skills leave a lot of "top" quality circuit drivers looking like "maureen" from driving school.

The previous criticisms of the 750 mc are harsh....just look at the Marshals forum to see how well run and popular their events can be(Cadwell 28th & 29th June 03). The driving standards may be a bit dodgy at times but the same drivers come back time after time and the crowds follow suit, especially if Cadwell last weekend was anything to go by.

People like a spectacle, close racing and, like it or not accidents and panel bashing, sadly the majority of national racing does not provide this and even with amalgamation will most likely not provide it either. Joe public does want good facilitiesat tracks but will be prepared to accept less if the entertainment is good.......That is sadly a long, long way off and will be so until drivers, national clubs and associated hangers on take a much less high handed and narrow minded view of their sport and some of its clubs and fellow competitors........... Get crashing a bit more and the crowds will flood in!!

[Chris Y]

Originally posted by PTs Bro
The previous criticisms of the 750 mc are harsh....just look at the Marshals forum to see how well run and popular their events can be

That's the thing - the 750 club do look after the marshals - so they would write a glowing report. However, there's only one 'championship co-ordinator' for all 750mc series - so the drivers feel neglected, and often ignored.

I speak from experience, after being a Hot Hatch competitor myself! I can vouch for some of the bad driving too - every series has its share, but the Stock/Hot Hatches have more than most..