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'Real' race fans DO NOT pay the bills, sponsors do and sponsors will not choose that cow pasture in Schuyler County or anywhere else over Manhattan. Do you really believe India and China got GPs because they're so heavily populated with 'real' race fans? They're both emerging markets where much $$$ will be made, 'real' race fans have nothing to do with it.
You could not be more wrong, sponsors my pay for the race teams and cars but it's fans in the seats that makes a race series successful.
You may not remember when the best F1 drivers in the world were racing at the Glen along with 100,000 die hard fans cheering from the infield.
Cow pasture my ass, how many miles have you driven at the Glen?
People in sports coats and cocktail dresses are not race fans they are spectacle fans.People sitting in their yachts in Monoco while the race goes on are not racing fans, they are there because it's Monaco just like they will be in London because it's a spectacle.
Lets be honest there are many non racing fans who hear F1 and they believe it is the best form of racing in the world and yet they have never attend a race in their lives.
Just like the Derby is the best HR in the world because it's a spectacle.
Who cars about India or China having an F1 race? That has nothing to do about real racing but how much money Eccelstone can dupe out of them.
Street course races are just gimmicks no matter what the type of car. The best races are on dedicated race tracks where the fans can see most of the track. The new F1 track in Texas being the best example of a dedicated road race course for F1. Other road courses that are fan friendly are Watkins Glen, Road America, Road Atlanta, Sonoma and others that just happen to put on some of the best attended and most competitive races. There are others that I have not attended but do have a reputation for good racing that the fans can see.The Daytona Rolex 24 hrs can be seen from most seats.
Some of the big road courses in Europe have great reputations because they are long but that's all they are. What is possibly good as far as spectating in almost seeing a race on an LeMans 8 mile track or the 14 mile Nurburgring.
The 24 hrs of LeMans is a spectacle as are some others rather than a good racing venue. I think a F1 race in London is just another spectacle.
If you want to tour London fine, we did it years ago but if you want to see good racing go to a real race track.
Agreed and often dangerous if any speed at all. Purpose built tracks are always better.Even mnay originally built for motorcyles limit reacing.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by PDD
You could not be more wrong, sponsors my pay for the race teams and cars but it's fans in the seats that makes a race series successful.
"fans in the seats" are not necessarily "real race fans", i.e. people who actually give a rat's ass about racing and aren't there just to be at a 'happening' or to see crashes. IF the organizers' interest was "real race fans" we wouldn't have the artifice of gimmicks like DRS.
Quote:
Originally Posted by PDD
You may not remember when the best F1 drivers in the world were racing at the Glen along with 100,000 die hard fans cheering from the infield.
Oh, I remember seeing Jim Clark give the BRM H-16 its one and only GP victory at the Glen because I was there and for many GPs and 6 Hour races afterwards.. Whatta you got?
Quote:
Originally Posted by PDD
Cow pasture my ass, how many miles have you driven at the Glen?
Do you really believe it's the track alone that gets on the world schedule? Bridgehampton was one of the most challenging tracks in the country but the facilities were abysmal. Watkins Glen is a beautiful track but the area will likely never host another F1 race, the area simply doesn't have the facilities the sponsors desire.
Quote:
Originally Posted by PDD
People in sports coats and cocktail dresses are not race fans they are spectacle fans.People sitting in their yachts in Monoco while the race goes on are not racing fans, they are there because it's Monaco just like they will be in London because it's a spectacle.
Like it or not it's the "people in sports coats and cocktail dresses" the organizers and sponsors wine, dine, and pander to. It's all about the $$$, not about whether the seats are filled with "real" race fans or not.
Quote:
Originally Posted by PDD
Who cars about India or China having an F1 race? That has nothing to do about real racing but how much money Eccelstone can dupe out of them.
Because it's no longer a sport, it's BUSINESS, nothing more.
"fans in the seats" are not necessarily "real race fans", i.e. people who actually give a rat's ass about racing and aren't there just to be at a 'happening' or to see crashes. IF the organizers' interest was "real race fans" we wouldn't have the artifice of gimmicks like DRS.
Oh, I remember seeing Jim Clark give the BRM H-16 its one and only GP victory at the Glen because I was there and for many GPs and 6 Hour races afterwards.. Whatta you got?
Do you really believe it's the track alone that gets on the world schedule? Bridgehampton was one of the most challenging tracks in the country but the facilities were abysmal. Watkins Glen is a beautiful track but the area will likely never host another F1 race, the area simply doesn't have the facilities the sponsors desire.
Like it or not it's the "people in sports coats and cocktail dresses" the organizers and sponsors wine, dine, and pander to. It's all about the $$$, not about whether the seats are filled with "real" race fans or not.
Because it's no longer a sport, it's BUSINESS, nothing more.
Please open your eyes and follow your own advice.
So I guess we agree on something, It's no longer a sport according to your words. At least us Americans still have some other types of auto racing that still puts on a race for the fans.
Enough Street courses already unless they are not replacing another track. I wonder what will happen to Silverstone if they approved this race. F1 are just making bad decision after another and moved away from the true purpose of F1 by their new regulations since 2009. Now LMP1 cars have less regulations and more technological development I miss the old days when each car had different aerodynamics.
Frankly I think now days aero dependence and problems it creates is ruining racing. F1 has become a race of get a gap at start and keep it just like it was before they started trying gimmicks to allow passing. Except now its one second plus to have huge advantage.
The Singapore F1 Grand Prix is a Street Circuit, as is the famous Monaco F1 Grand Prix, and the Isle of Man TT a very old event is also a street circuit.
In terms of British Racing tracks there are numerous famous ones from the early days at Brooklands and Goodwood through to Brands Hatch and Donnington Park through to Silverstone. The British Grand Prix at Silverstone would continue as a separate race to the London F1 Race in the same way Germany uses both the Nürburgring and Hockenheim,
The Albert park track used in the Australian Grand Prix is also a street track of sorts. For the rest of the year it's just a major inner city park about 3km from the cities main business district, the track is driven on by normal vehicles and is also popular with joggers and cyclists etc.
It would be a bit like building a racing circuit for any potential London Grand Prix in Hyde Park, then letting the park operate as normal for the other 50-51 weeks of the year.
Last edited by danielsa1775; 03-11-2014 at 07:36 AM..
Frankly I think now days aero dependence and problems it creates is ruining racing. F1 has become a race of get a gap at start and keep it just like it was before they started trying gimmicks to allow passing. Except now its one second plus to have huge advantage.
Aerodynamic engineers have pretty much ruined all motor sport. Somehow motor sport has to take design backwards and fix the problem. Not a lot of racing in racing these days.
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