What next for Motorsport?

[*Unkle*]

Over the years I have been lucky enough to watch lots of motorsport, I've been to 24hr races, Lemans races including the Welsh hills to follow WRC cars sounding like some wild beast making it's way through the forest.

But in the the last week these maunfacturers have started to jump from the slowly sinking ship:
Honda in F1
......... in F1
Audi in USA LeMans
Suzuki In WRC
Subaru in WRC (announced today)


I personally don't think WRC will survive the season, Citroen and especially Ford can't afford it, not with the "Big 3" in the US claiming Millions from the tax payer. (Although you can bet that motorsport in the US will continue and mainly overseas racing will be reduced) The American consumer values Nascar the same as baseball, and it would be a brave car manufacturer that withdraws from that one.

Alarm bells are ringing, BMW stop production last month, Toyota in the UK today, Honda, VW, Audi, Porsche all stoping production.

But thinking about it I now wonder whether we have peaked? Will we ever see the years of motorpsort so lavishly treated by the car companies as they chase kudos more than podiums again?

 

[SteveTDCi]

hopefully it will become more basic and give better races, i still think some of the lower ends of the motorsport ladder offer better racing. WRC has been poor for the past few years, although I put that down to the lack of drivers rather than the cars. F1 will survive hopefully BTCC to. Last years BTCC showed that you didn't have to be a manufacture to win.

 

[Gti Jazz Blue]

BTCC a good weekend out with a good range of support races and you can get right up close to the cars (well you can at Thruxton). Wondering round the paddock area last year we bumped into a certain Damien Hill who was having a close look at the damage to his sons Ginetta race car.

Murray Walker is also a regular visitor to the BTCC at Thruxton.

Paul

 

[lil_coz]

I'd say that its just a phase as things are getting quite tight. After things have pushed through then we'll probably see companies advertising through motorsport again.

As for F1, hopefully it'll become more of a sport again and not a business. Generally speaking, the more basic a race series is, the better the racing becomes. I can see David Richards buying Honda which may explain why he's taken Subaru out of the WRC. It'll be ironic if he does. Buying back the team that sacked him and went downhill even since. I want him to come back and bring the team back up to where it should be. Be a nice 2 fingured salute to Honda for getting rid of him.