Getting tired of racing...

[chernaudi]

Over the past few days, I've grown more and more dissatisfied with the motorsports landscape. Series becoming more and more spec, or being dominated with one way to do things to ensure success. Series becoming fashionable rather than relevant, series being too expensive for their ROI returns and how many fans they attract. And racing series relying on gimmicks vs actual racing.

To me, over the past 5-6 years, racing has lost a lot of what drew me into it in the first place. Maybe racing just isn't the sport for me anymore.

[rich07]

Didn't you post this earlier this week after Audi pulled the pin? Maybe I'm thinking of someone else instead.

I'm getting serious dejavu out of this post that's all.

If you're sick of spec racing etc you've ever looked into time attack or hill climb? There's not much spec there and thank goodness.

[TzeiTzei]

Yes, we have noticed. Time to cheer up and maybe do something else.

[ederss7]

I fear for our future in general, and motosport is one of them. All sports I like have changed into something I don't like, so it's just a matter of time until I stop watching any kind of sport. Le Mans may be the only exception.

[S griffin]

It's a shame a lot of the series are losing what made them special to begin with, but it's not all bad, there's some good racing out there, so I'll keep watching

[Acid09]

Honestly, I'm not even sure motorsports will exist in its current form 20 years from now.

Between all-electric vehicles, self-driving cars and other nonsense, I can see a lot of people lose interest in the sport. For me, the thin red line are all-electro cars...as soon as cars stop making a pleasing noise I'm out.

[fieldodreams79]

This time of year, I'm pretty much over motor racing of all kinds (perhaps because all the seasons are over) and I'm getting tired of many other sports in general as well. Oddly enough, I find the future of IMSA to be most fascinating, but I fear I'll be more interested in Bee farming and perhaps, knitting soon.

[MaskedRacer]

Well perhaps the original poster feels this way as well because the season is near the end. But the excitement will get going again very soon as we get near the Roar before the 24. And then Dubai, Daytona, and Bathurst and quick succession.

I dont like how the biggest area of growth right now is a quasi spec LMP3 category. I do like that GTE is stable and strong world wide and that we have a great variety of GT3 cars. I dont like how the costs are increasing for that though. Which helps the P3 mentioned above. I think there is a bit of a battle right now going on for customers between GT3 and LMP3.

The Audi WEC withdraw does not bother me at all. A shakeup is needed in fact from that aspect. Especially because that 2016 Audi R18 was a very ugly car.

[chernaudi]

With the WEC, I've gotten burned out because of rules I don't understand (EOT in LMP1, BOP in GT), having a love/hate relationship with the way the cars look (respect and love the tech, but hate the narrower LMP1/LMP2 cars, and miss the simpler lines and long tails of the LMP900 cars, even if there was a good reason to cut back on it from a safety standpoint).

Also, I feel that a lot of the creativity and innovation has been driven out of the sport in general. Either everyone is going spec, or everyone's gravitating to one solution because it works best and it's easier to imitate than find something new. But then again that's also the law of diminishing returns. All the "good" ideas have been tried at least once, and most have been done almost to death to the point where so many resources have to be spent to get less and less out of something in the end.

All I can say is that I've had more fun looking at the history of racing and reading up on that stuff, all pre-2014, than most of what I've watched and followed since 2014. Also, I had a lot more fun yesterday going up to Cleveland on a road trip with friends than I did watching any races this year.

[Speed-King]

Also, I had a lot more fun yesterday going up to Cleveland on a road trip with friends than I did watching any races this year.

Dude, that's the way it's supposed to be! Real life fun should always be better than watching a stream on your computer!

[chernaudi]

I don't watch the streams. I usually watch on TV, but I've grown tired of that, to be honest.

Maybe I should just give up and do things that actually bring some joy into my life.

[Akrapovic]

Yes, you should. If you don't enjoy it anymore then stop trying to enjoy it. Forcing yourself will end up hating even more. Its meant to be a hobby, and if a hobby isn't fun then it isn't really worth doing.

I finally dropped F1 after years of watching it out of habit. Now I'm much happier watching elms, WEC and Blancpain. If you don't enjoy any racing at all then find something you do enjoy.

Or take a break over the winter and see how you feel about the new look IMSA next year.

[J Jay]

Originally Posted by chernaudi

Maybe I should just give up and do things that actually bring some joy into my life.

Do it.

And I say this without any malice, scorn, pity or sarcasm.

Motorsport will change, and the fans it gains, retains and loses will change with it. We seem to be on the cusp of a particularly turbulent period, but I know that there's enough to keep me invested in endurance racing (i.e. watching more than "just" the big enduros) for next year and beyond.

There's enough pressure on most people's time to not be wasting what free time they have doing something they no longer enjoy. There's nothing wrong with leaving the table before you have nothing left.

Maybe it's just a break that you need - in which case I can relate after going back to F1 this year following a 3-year absence - but if the new year rolls round and you still feel like your support is a chore then stay away until the joy returns. If that means you don't return to motorsport, so be it; it's your life and your time, so it should be your passion.

Nothing lasts forever.

[Speed-King]

We seem to be on the cusp of a particularly turbulent period

Gleefully looking forward to that, actually. Seems like I sometimes like the politics of racing more than the actual on track product.

[Maelochs]

Originally Posted by J Jay

Maybe it's just a break that you need - in which case I can relate after going back to F1 this year following a 3-year absence - but if the new year rolls round and you still feel like your support is a chore then stay away until the joy returns. If that means you don't return to motorsport, so be it; it's your life and your time, so it should be your passion.

Maybe you will come back with renewed appreciation .... I took a summer off, mostly, and enjoyed WTSC a lot more when I gave it a second try. or maybe, you will find something new and better which will give you the emotional and rational fulfillment racing once did.

Originally Posted by J Jay

Nothing lasts forever.

But six hours Seems like forever if you don't enjoy the on-track action.

Seriously, "forever" is really, practicably, "your lifespan," and that is ridiculously short even for the longest-lived of us. Don't waste time.

[Coach Ep]

You're just around the corner from Mid-O, go out more often and visit the perhaps less fancy stuff going on there, nothing beats the live experience!

[FGE]

Originally Posted by chernaudi

...Series becoming more and more spec, or being dominated with one way to do things to ensure success. Series becoming fashionable rather than relevant, series being too expensive for their ROI returns and how many fans they attract. And racing series relying on gimmicks vs actual racing...

Same to me. I don´t see (real) competition anymore.

It´s maybe i´m getting blind?

Or I´m getting old - you know, this it-was-always-better-the-old-days-thing...

[chernaudi]

I'm not even 30 years old, and I've felt that way the past 5 or 6 years at least, pretty much across all motorsports. I had sworn off NASCAR after '06 and my enjoyment has been going slowly downhill ever since, but especially the last 5-6 years where I feel that people in motorsports have been making changes for the sake of making changes, throwing crap at a wall, and seeing if it sticks.

Not to mention that I've battled depression my whole adult life, in fact longer than that (since junior high school), have been trying to do stuff for my family, dealing with my grandmother having dementia the past few years, and feeling like my life wasn't being fulfilled. At least now I've started hanging out with high school friends and I'm also in therapy.

I've just also been having a big rose tinted glasses time the past couple of years, seeing the rise of budgets and the tech that drives them. Even 2013 seems like a simpler time compared to now. Maybe in hindsight I should've scaled back then.

[MoMedic9019]

Originally Posted by Akrapovic

I finally dropped F1 after years of watching it out of habit. Now I'm much happier watching elms, WEC and Blancpain. If you don't enjoy any racing at all then find something you do enjoy.

I've also done the same. F1 is just exhausting to watch. I have NO passion for it whatsoever. I watched more Indycar this year than before.. the rest. meh.

[MoMedic9019]

Originally Posted by chernaudi

Not to mention that I've battled depression my whole adult life, in fact longer than that (since junior high school), have been trying to do stuff for my family, dealing with my grandmother having dementia the past few years, and feeling like my life wasn't being fulfilled. At least now I've started hanging out with high school friends and I'm also in therapy.

As someone who also struggles... Having a sense of purpose is very important. And, it sometimes is VERY hard when you don't, or you spend all of your time giving to someone else. When you take time for yourself, it can be a very important reset button.

It's not that you are probably dispassionate about motorsports in general, but, probably more so with life in general. If you don't have a purpose to watch, you won't have a passion to drive you there.

Take care of yourself, and things improve.

[helgi]

It's normal if some hobbies become not as attractive as they used to be. A great thing about motorsports - they force you to study physics, history, strategy (even geography to get known the landscape and weather forecasts better). It's not just a two-hour show with snacks.
And it has to be seen live, not only via streams. I was happy to watch GTs and DTM live - and it's such a great experience even if you have no clue who are the lads in those shiny roaring bangers (I was told so by friends who were not interested in racing but went to track with me).
My fan's career is not that huge. I was growing on DTM (1994) articles in our magazines, then started to watch new DTM and via FIA GT locked on ELMS and FIA WEC. Today I'm frustrated by the way ACO rule the championship and I getting more and more interested in Super GT instead.
And one of the problems why people gave up with watching racing - we have too much information, too much news, too much racing. Just 10 years ago this site was a miracle for me. I found tons of wonderful info here. Today I'm not hungry in news or racing. I really can live without it. I think we handle with information not as careful as in the past.
And spec series is a real shame. It's TV who kill autosport. All that BoPs are only for TV and Internet viewers. If you are at the track you do not need 0,1 seconds photo-finish to be happy.

[chunder]

Simply put

Find something else to watch racing wise.

there is more to life than circuit racing, watch a rally, go toa drag race, an off road event, a dirt oval, an enduro event, a bike speedway. Anything.

Simply limiting yourself to one form of motorsport or even to 4 wheels is not the greatest way to get enjoyment form motorsport, believe me

You wont be disappointed, but in my experience dies in the wool circuit fans are very snobbish and very hard to please

[MaskedRacer]

Originally Posted by helgi

It's normal if some hobbies become not as attractive as they used to be. A great thing about motorsports - they force you to study physics, history, strategy (even geography to get known the landscape and weather forecasts better). It's not just a two-hour show with snacks.
And it has to be seen live, not only via streams. I was happy to watch GTs and DTM live - and it's such a great experience even if you have no clue who are the lads in those shiny roaring bangers (I was told so by friends who were not interested in racing but went to track with me).
My fan's career is not that huge. I was growing on DTM (1994) articles in our magazines, then started to watch new DTM and via FIA GT locked on ELMS and FIA WEC. Today I'm frustrated by the way ACO rule the championship and I getting more and more interested in Super GT instead.
And one of the problems why people gave up with watching racing - we have too much information, too much news, too much racing. Just 10 years ago this site was a miracle for me. I found tons of wonderful info here. Today I'm not hungry in news or racing. I really can live without it. I think we handle with information not as careful as in the past.
And spec series is a real shame. It's TV who kill autosport. All that BoPs are only for TV and Internet viewers. If you are at the track you do not need 0,1 seconds photo-finish to be happy.

I certainly agree in the context of the WEC in 2016. I think this series has not been interesting at all this year. Audi pulling out along with the new P2's and Porsche coming back to GTE Pro does make 2017 promising though.

2016 in IMSA and Blancpain GT has been fantastic the vast majority of my racing viewership has been those races. As far as not being hungry for racing news. Don't for the L.A auto show is coming up along with the first Daytona tests.

I find it funny that first 2017 season IMSA test comes before the 2016 WEC season ends.

[FormulaFox]

Motorsport to me is about man and machine vs man and machine at the end of the day - as long as there are drivers in the car and they go fast, I'll continue to watch. I like open, I like spec, and everything in between.

As for your issues... Something I cannot recommend enough is to follow Coach Ep's recommendation. Go to Mid-Ohio for one of the less important events such as the SCCA Majors(or rather, "Super Tour" as it will be known next year). Take a closer look at the Runoffs(all of them since 2009 are viewable on-demand on the SCCA website).

If your issue is that things are too spec, grassroots racing has a lot of interesting and very open classes. Prototype 1 and 2 in particular, but other classes are quite the hotbed of variety in spec as well - the Production, Touring, and GT classes in particular are all wonderfully diverse with a lot of open specs to work in. While there are a lot of spec classes as well, the variety of machinery and creative approaches in most classes is a wonderful thing to behold - particularly in person.

Yeah, the SCCA doesn't have an anything goes class the way NASA does(they really should, though - that'd be a GREAT thing to see at the Runoffs!), but what it has is really worth the look.

Put simply, if that stuff can't rekindle your fire, you truly are burned out on racing and it's time to find another thing to enjoy.

Spend 2017 going to every grassroots event you can at Mid-Ohio, and see if any of it lights that fire you used to have. They're generally $10 a pop - you won't be out a whole lot of money for trying.

These events can be a really eye-opening experience - My viewpoints of racing have changed a LOT since I started visiting the Majors race at Mid-Ohio each year, and I'm going to miss it next year after I move(I sadly won't be in range of any Super Tour event).

[Lanky Turtle]

Like some of the other guys said, I'd look into attending some other forms of racing in person just to get out of the rut. I'm planning on going to the Gatornationals the day after Sebring next year. I've never been to a drag race other than local amateur stuff a long time ago and I don't follow NHRA at all but I bet it will be a blast.

If you have any other hobbies, try to focus on them for awhile, or try out some new ones. I don't follow any sports besides racing but I've always enjoyed music, watching and playing in bands, and very recently I've got into mountain biking, actually woods riding on a bike since they don't grow mountains in Florida. Today I zipped through the WEC race on the DVR in about an hour and then went on a 4 hour bike ride in the woods and it was great!

You might just be temporarily burned out on it and need to take some time off.