Suzuki and Subaru out of WRC, Honda out of F1, who's next and where does it end?
Williams have also announced that they will not test during 2009 season.
Also heard that there is only Vauxhall/Opel left in BTCC next year, not sure if that is true or not? Not sustainable if it is!
I view the manufacturer teams with mixed feelings - in the days before they where as all pervading the privateers gave just as good a show but now the
show is about the team and finance not driver skill.
So yes - they might be essential for television level sport - but no - the privateers will keep the sport alive and in many ways make it more
interesting and varied.
I agree... the manufacturers are the ones who've driven the cost of motorsport through the roof!
Maybe it's not a bad thing to go back to privateers and the wacky world of the innovators!
Have to agree, no bad thing. For many years now, it more how big your wallet is, rather than how good your driver is.
I think more teams should follow the Mclaren way and nuture young talent, rather than throw huge sums of money at developement..... BTW I'm not
a Mclaren fan at all (not even that keen on young Hamilton) but what they do for young drivers is to be commended.
[Edited on 16/12/08 by phoenix70]
I wonder if Vauxhall/Opel will be there next season as the workers at Vauxhall at Ellesmere Port have been ?given a nine month sabbatical at 30% of
their salaries.
Mike
I can remember when Team Lotus won world championships with only two mechanics !
I think you want one of two situations in the BTCC / F1 / WRC.
You either want lots of makes or just one.
IMHO having Seat in the Championship last year was a bit daft. Different category in the race, different fuel type etc etc.
I'd like a set-up where everyone in BTCC is in a make of car (personally I'd make 'em BMWs cos they're more exciting to watch).
Then the only deciding factor would be skill.....
Finally motorsport might become interesting again, F1 became coma riskingly boring with their Buck Rodgers cars and zero action, blind over 70's pensioner Scaletrix racing held more thrills
quote:
Originally posted by Mr Whippy
..., blind over 70's pensioner Scaletrix racing held more thrills
I've always thought that club-level racing was the most exciting. Unfortunately you rarely see it on the TV.
British Eurosport occasionally show some other championships, e.g. I saw the Caterham racing last year (and very good it was, too!), the mini racing
and I always love watching the Legends cars.
Much more entertaining, plus you know that the driver/owners paid for the cars out of their own pockets, in most cases.
I agree with almost every comment posted so far. Can I steer everyone back to the core of the thread as I saw it. Whose going to fall by the wayside
next? There is not many left in WRC, will Ford or Citroen pull out? Could they both pull out?
Come the Australian F1 race, how many cars will there be on the grid? If I look from a glass half empty perspective, I could see it being as low as
12 cars!
What do you think, am I mad?
I doubt Ford will be able to justify to the US govt spending millions on motorsport while taking a multi billion dollar loan so I think they're
likely to be next. Who knows what citroen will do, but not much point running in a class of one as the tv won't be very interested.
As for F1 I don't much care, but the cull certainly doesn't seem to be over yet - though I'm sure the terrible twosome are pulling
strings and twisting arms like only they can.
I'm sure with respect to F1 that if BE and MM ploughed just 50% of their take into starting money the grids would be full and all the
manufacturers would be clamouring to be part of the money fest. And they could forget about lowering development costs.
I think personally that this may just be the begining of the end for many many "sports events/sponsorship".
Big wages football teams sponsored by multinational companie/banks.
Events sponsored by big companies/institutions all look set to suffer in the near future. IMHO
Hard times ahead for many methinks especially the highly overpaid prima donna types.
[Edited on 16/12/08 by omega 24 v6]
Agree with the above. This is just the start of a global downturn, people all over the place will be looking at what exactly they can spend their
money on, and paying out umpty-thousand pounds to see your company name flash by a TV camera isn going to be seen as an unecessary luxury. Widen this
out to football shirts, racing yachts, hoardings around rugby pitches, tennis playes logo'd-up sportswear etc etc.
Some form of the sport will survive but it'll look very different I think.
Maybe the A1 GP format will look more attractive? A national team from competing nations rather than several teams from one country?
[Edited on 16/12/08 by Browser]
I don't think it'll affect just sports - on the local news tonight a Norfolk brass band has lost its sponsorship from Bernard Matthews. It
was only £13,000, but the band may have to pack it in as a result.
I think lots of little organisations that use sponsorship to survive are going to struggle.
Subaru out....maybe because they have achieved what they set out to do years ago and become a mainstream car manufacturer and not just a 'farm
vehicle' manufacturer - which they have done. Quite successfully.
Other manufacturers will inevitably pull out of competition in the face of the global downturn so as not to appear out of touch with their own
employees and shareholders - if nobody is buying cars in the first place what's the point of funding and using motorsport as an advertising
tool??
As for other sports that pay outrageous wages to individuals - no change there in my opinion, greed never goes away in today's culture, it's
in all of their interests to keep on the gravy train, paid for by the punters!!
I just pray that Holland's pies don't pull out of our chippie!!!
[Edited on 16/12/08 by richard thomas]
quote:
paid for by the punters
thursday there is a global announcment by charlos gohsn (head of renault / nissan group) supposed to be a significant announcment - hmmmm see what he
comes out with.
big motorsport has never been about drivers - but purely about advertising - think of it this way - how much does it cost for a 30 second slot during
a tv break?? when you could get on tv for an hour once a fortnight flashing your name across the screen - thats the whole business purpose - not much
else is as important