Motor Racing And Economic Gloom

[St Landrew]

Motorsport is feeling the pinch. Well, actually Motorsport isn't feeling it, so much as F1. The big spenders of motorsport find that people are having short arms and deep pockets. The French have pulled out:

 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/formula_one/7672931.stm

 

I wonder if Bernie gives a toss..? He probably does. It's the only thing he hasn't made a decision in his favour about in the last le-god-knows how many years. But even this inadvertently works in his favour anyway, as he doesn't like the track. Tbh, I never liked it, preferring its predessor, the Paul Ricard Circuit.

 

Apparently, Bernie wants a new circuit near Disneyland Paris. Personally, if I was French, I'd tell him to f*** off, and use a circuit that already exists. There's plenty of them needing revamping. The one in Montreal is available, and it's French too.

[Ponty]

Using Paul Ricard would mean Bernie paying himself to stage a GP as he's the owner, so I can't see that happening. Magny Cours is, sorry was, the worst circuit on the calendar, but I don't think Renault are going to like losing their home GP.

 

We'll have to see how this pans out but I predict the British GP will be the next to disappear, there's no way Donny will be GP ready in 18 months, they still have no planning permission!

 

Bernie is happy to move the GPs to the Asian and Sub-Asian continent. That's where the money is at the moment.

 

Bring on India and Russia.

[Colinjb]

Well, one of my clients. SEAT Sport, of Northampton, and the Diesel entrants in the BTCC are closing down. Spain no longer wishes to know. 39 good people out of work. Not the only ones i'm sure.

 

All areas are feeling it. F1 needs to get some kind of perpective. Smaller guys are suffering, and how.

Edited 16 October, 2008 by Colinjb

[Ponty]

Well, one of my clients. SEAT Sport, of Northampton, and the Diesel entrants in the BTCC are closing down. Spain no longer wishes to know. 39 good people out of work. Not the only ones i'm sure.

 

All areas are feeling it. F1 needs to get some kind of perpective. Smaller guys are suffering, and how.

I don't think F1 can be blamed for problems in BTCC. If anything sky-high F1 prices are pushing spectators towards alternative series.

[Colinjb]

I don't think F1 can be blamed for problems in BTCC. If anything sky-high F1 prices are pushing spectators towards alternative series.

 

No way trying to blame F1, I was simply pointing out that the financial situation is causing motor sport to become an expensive luxury, even for stable companies with sucessfull teams in smaller competitions. (Second in the championship with a Diesel Leon.)

 

This may be the first of many such pull outs. If the fans are turning away from F1 due to costs/perceived corruption etc and the lower formulae are dying, what are they to do?

[Ponty]

I've no idea mate. It's a sad state of affairs but the wider picture actually shows some growth in lower formula racing. Witness the advent of the Superleague racing and forthcoming Formula 2 racing. It's not all doom and gloom.

[OLYMPIC]

I think some of the main problems in any formula always stem from when the organisers start to take take advantage of the spectator,normally the ticket pricing is first to go up and in the end this drives fans away who can't afford it.Then as fans stay away you get less coverage then it's harder to get sponsors interested.