Motorsprt F1

Author
Discussion

stc_bennett

Original Poster:

5,252 posts

274 months

Saturday 13th April 2002
quotequote all
Who here thinks that F1 is boring???

I have been lucky to get tickets for Silverstone for tha pass 6 years free but just tried to get a sunday ticket for my fiancee £240. I got the ticket last year for £110. way the increase.

This also leads me on to th erace it self, just been watching the qualifying for tommorows race and guess what schumacher (crout) first.

does anyone think that there should eba shakeup in the sport by imposing weight penaties for teh faster cars (like they do in BTCC i think?) so that the lower teams can have a chance and make it more interesting for us to watch.

Also Bernie Eclestone in the rich list why doesnt he take a pinch out of his profits and lower ticket prices so that al can go and enjoy the speed and sound of the cars!!!

End of moan

Steve

angusfaldo

2,801 posts

281 months

Saturday 13th April 2002
quotequote all
quote:
Who here thinks that F1 is boring???

I have been lucky to get tickets for Silverstone for tha pass 6 years free but just tried to get a sunday ticket for my fiancee £240. I got the ticket last year for £110. way the increase.

This also leads me on to th erace it self, just been watching the qualifying for tommorows race and guess what schumacher (crout) first.

does anyone think that there should eba shakeup in the sport by imposing weight penaties for teh faster cars (like they do in BTCC i think?) so that the lower teams can have a chance and make it more interesting for us to watch.

Also Bernie Eclestone in the rich list why doesnt he take a pinch out of his profits and lower ticket prices so that al can go and enjoy the speed and sound of the cars!!!

End of moan

Steve


Wow Steve, F1 must really get on your goat!

I'm not sure you can blame anyone but British Racing Drivers Club for the price hike at Silverstone. It has been done so that the maximum gate entry number can be reduced, thereby taking pressure off the appalling road system around the track. After the traffic fiasco of the last few years this has to be a good thing.

Not sure what your point is with the Schumacher comment, or if indeed your reference to his nationality has any bearing on things. Care to elaborate?

And if Ecclestone did give all his money away to support charitable ticket prices you'd probably moan because you'd only be surrounded by numpties freeloading at a sport they don't understand.

End of response to moan

Bodo

12,415 posts

273 months

Saturday 13th April 2002
quotequote all
I do think that F1 is boring: the F1 lot is guided by publicity and therefore by profit and not by fun and ambition.
Advertising, high driver salaries, expensive broadcast rights, ...
Everybody who watches that in TV or pays a lot of money to see that live supports a development which has nothing to do with sports!

I have not seen any race since Schuhmacher won first time.

If I want to feel motorsport, I visit Goodwood or Nürburgring classic car events!

mtmrop

53 posts

274 months

Saturday 13th April 2002
quotequote all
quote:
Who here thinks that F1 is boring???

I have been lucky to get tickets for Silverstone for tha pass 6 years free but just tried to get a sunday ticket for my fiancee £240. I got the ticket last year for £110. way the increase.

This also leads me on to th erace it self, just been watching the qualifying for tommorows race and guess what schumacher (crout) first.

does anyone think that there should eba shakeup in the sport by imposing weight penaties for teh faster cars (like they do in BTCC i think?) so that the lower teams can have a chance and make it more interesting for us to watch.

Also Bernie Eclestone in the rich list why doesnt he take a pinch out of his profits and lower ticket prices so that al can go and enjoy the speed and sound of the cars!!!

End of moan

Steve


To be honest I think you're waaaaaaay off the mark - F1 is supposed to be about the cutting edge of automotive technology and the limits of human driving ability. If that makes it necessary to pay drivers a fortune (ref M. Schumacher) and have teams with multi million pound budgets, then so be it.

The FIA does recognise that not all teams have massive budgets to play with, hence the introduction of new rules to be introduced in the next few years (thinking esp. of the one engine only rule).

I can only say, if you think it's boring then don't watch it!

JMorgan

36,010 posts

291 months

Saturday 13th April 2002
quotequote all
Boring follow the leader slot car racing. I prefere to watch racing where overtaking is allowed.
Rather that they pull a number out of the hat for grid positions, that would be better.
Don't watch it anyway.

Paceracing

729 posts

273 months

Saturday 13th April 2002
quotequote all
I don't know what anyone else thinks, but the 1970's did it for me in Grand Prix terms. James Hunt, Nikki Lauda, Mario Andretti, Peter Revson, JYS and David Purley to name just a few. The cars were exiting Ford's DFV sounded better than anything else in the world and racing was always entertaining.
I am sure many others think the same. A couple of years ago I was working at Brands during one of the BTCC races, one of the support races was thoroughbred GP cars. I was lucky enough to be working in the pits, and during the BTCC feature race I had to tow Mario Andretti's JPS Lotus's and then James Hunt's M23 McLaren back to the paddock. Each time we came through the link tunnel from inside the circuit, spectators stopped watching the BTCC to turn around and photograph the cars as they passed by. It was a 'hair on the back of the neck stands up' moment for me, and talking to spectators afterwards it was the highlight of their afternoon as well. Incidentally spectators could walk about the pits and paddock during lunchtime.
If only GP's these days allowed the punters to get as close as that to the cars.

Jas.

stc_bennett

Original Poster:

5,252 posts

274 months

Saturday 13th April 2002
quotequote all
F1 i agree is about cutting edge technology but only a handful of the teams can afford to get that technology from the Aerospace Industry.

I work for a company that manuractures the drive shafts for several F1 teams. and to be honest want goes into making them is so cheap but we charge F1 teams 10x the amount fo production cause thats what they will pay.

but for a lower team we reduce the amount it costs depending on there budget etc.

The races over recent years have become a follow the leader event, with Montoya arrivng has made it a little more intersting but he get penalties for doing what schui does to everyone else but when someone does it to schui they get a penalty.

I do like formula 1 but things can be done to make it more interesting...

Ticket prices Silverstone £240 but if you venture into Europe you can get weekend Tickets for £90.. Lookslike rip off the english yet again...

You cant get close to the cars you, the drivers cant sign your autograph book if you are using t he wrong pen whering someone elses cap etc

its just turning into a beurocrats event.

>> Edited by stc_bennett on Saturday 13th April 18:54

ultimapaul

3,942 posts

271 months

Saturday 13th April 2002
quotequote all
Could you imagine the BIG MAN Bernie allowing us Numpties to wonder arround his holly ground when he can get sponser's to PAY for the privilage .... THINK NOT !!!!

smeagol

1,947 posts

291 months

Saturday 13th April 2002
quotequote all
I used to be a big F1 fan, however they have made technology too good for racing. It is supposed to be part of the entertainment industry but now the aerodynamics, traction control, auto-gearbox, just make it boring.

Its harder and harder for the guy behind to overtake. The "dirty air" causes a car to be slower and the idea of drafting is dead because the technology has destroyed the "pocket". So all the cars just spread out from the first corner, never to see each other again.

I'm sure I'm not the only one that has moved away from F1 and towards bike racing in which there can be more overtaking in one race than there can be in a whole season of F1 (thats no exageration).

Anyone in connection with F1 should start talking about removing some of teh aerodynamics and drivers aides. Then we would see how good the drivers really are and perhaps get back to racing rather than parading.

stc_bennett

Original Poster:

5,252 posts

274 months

Saturday 13th April 2002
quotequote all
smeagol, the reason i posted this was to see if anyone else has gone away from F1 to Superbike etc.

istead of buying 1 ticket for my fiancee for Silverstone (F1) we can go to the majority of the GT and Tuscan Races in the UK and you can get closer to the action, see more overtaking etc plus its a goo day out for us.

As i said before i work for a company that makes Driveshafts and it is so silly how much they pay for a matching pair.

But when i change jobs i will not be going to any F1 race until the tickets come down in price and are affordable

>> Edited by stc_bennett on Sunday 14th April 02:18

ErnestM

11,621 posts

274 months

Saturday 13th April 2002
quotequote all
At least you guys don't have to worry about NASCAR fans (Of course there is plenty of overtaking there)

Cheers

ErnestM

Marshy

2,749 posts

291 months

Sunday 14th April 2002
quotequote all
quote:
I'm not sure you can blame anyone but British Racing Drivers Club for the price hike at Silverstone. It has been done so that the maximum gate entry number can be reduced, thereby taking pressure off the appalling road system around the track. After the traffic fiasco of the last few years this has to be a good thing.


Er, is this really the case? Limiting numbers, not by reducing the number of tickets on sale, but by ensuring only the rich (or cashflow-positive) can afford it?

Mind you, at a saving of 12 quid per grand prix for ordinary vs Sky-bells-and-whistles TV coverage, times how ever many grans prixes there are in the season, er,... that's probably one Silverstone ticket.

I give up.

smeagol

1,947 posts

291 months

Sunday 14th April 2002
quotequote all
stc bennet. I quite agree, Tuscan racing is excelent and you get to watch the whole season for the same price as F1. There used to be a program late on ITV that showed highlights I think it was called chequered flag. Excelent show. The only problem with the TV version is you didn't get the noise and the smell beutiful

stc_bennett

Original Poster:

5,252 posts

274 months

Sunday 14th April 2002
quotequote all
Tuscans are now on sky sports and GT are on Saturday mornings about three weeks after each meeting. But can go to the next few of Race meets as fatherhood is iminent. Just gotta keep looking on here for race reports and wait for the Tv Coverage

McNab

1,627 posts

281 months

Sunday 14th April 2002
quotequote all
Just for the record the British Racing Drivers' Club has nothing to do with the Slverstone GP ticket prices! Although we (the BRDC) own Silverstone, it is leased to Octagon, and Octagon set the prices.

Without a crystal ball it is impossible to know the exact reason for the price-hike. Part of it may be to reduce the number of spectators until all the new facilities have been completed, and that won't be until 2004.

The main reason is perfectly clear though. Even with the high prices Octagon will lose at least £2,000,000 for the privilege of staging the GP this year, and that isn't something an American company likes very much.

The real story behind the GP/Silverstone/Brands Hatch/Octagon saga would make a good book, but don't expect it to be written for another ten years at least!

It's a pity F1 has become such a procession - the FIA rule changes haven't helped at all, and I find Moto GP and CART far more exciting. Put it this way; you won't get much out of F1 unless you understand it like the back of your hand, and even then it disappoints.

tvradict

3,829 posts

281 months

Sunday 14th April 2002
quotequote all
The thing that really gets my back up is, although the drivers are worth a fortune (Schumi) and the top ones are obviously the best in their field (schumi) and they do alot for the sport (schumi), Octagon raises prices to 'Toff' levels, means that the true enthusiast, the ones with every 1/48th scale model ferrari/williams/mclaren/brm sitting lined up on a shelf, with entry tickets to every BGP since they were in nappies, the ones who, come rain, shine, sleet, snow, mud or hurricanes, will stand beside the fence holding a 10ft pole with a ferrari flag on it, the people who would climb mountains, swim oceans, and divorce three wives to be there, can no longer afford to go, which means they are effectively forced to sit infront of a 24" box and see what some overpaid, undersexed, glasses wearing, snot running director thinks "Ooooh, this is intersting watching Michael Schubox driving round and round and round and round not overtaking anyone pretty much coasting with the clutch in half the time!"
Which of course then puts Mr DieHard Fanatic off the sport and he never goes to another race!
If Big Man Bernie wants to keep F1 alive, he needs to make sure the circuit owners/operators keep prices at reasonable levels for everyone, other wise, the fan base will be lost and F1 will very quickly die!

Just a wee example of how stupid the price is - I looked into going to Le Mans this year for week, leave UK on the overnight Portsmouth - Caen on the monday, come back following monday, Split between 5, it would cost £120! Thats Ferry, Camping, Entrance, A Damn Hire Car, and petrol allowance there and back!
Compare that to a Sunday Ticket to the BGP...

Nuff Said!


Ahem, no offence is intending to people with sight problems or a cold, or people who don't get enough...well...you know!

>> Edited by tvradict on Sunday 14th April 03:19

ErnestM

11,621 posts

274 months

Sunday 14th April 2002
quotequote all
quote:

Ahem, no offence is intending to people ... who don't get enough...well...you know!

>> Edited by tvradict on Sunday 14th April 03:19


Tabs

996 posts

279 months

Sunday 14th April 2002
quotequote all
I remember going to Silverstone in the 60's, and seeing the likes of Jim Clarke and Graham Hill having a good thrash around in Mk 1 Lotus Cortinas, and then jump into their G.P. cars for the main race! Let's see todays drivers in a one make class to see who really is the best........... Or have a scatch style grid, slowest on pole and Shumi at the back.

stc_bennett

Original Poster:

5,252 posts

274 months

Sunday 14th April 2002
quotequote all
No offence McNab but how the hell are they losing 2million this year cause of staging the F1/GP.

There income is based on
1) Ticket Prices
2) Catering stand Fees Not cheap on GP weekend reported to be in excess of £1200 for each hot dog wagon
3) Stall Fees (Caps etc)of over £1800
4) hospitality units i enquired about one for a client of mine and for the smallest one on the pit entrance was £60000 for the weekend that was for 20 VIP's
5) Garage Fees for F1 Teams
6) Track Sponsorship etc

I cant belive in my head that they are losing 2 million for having the GP. Also if they are losing this much they should obviously take advice from the Other Venues around the world Like France/Germany/Belgium etc. But the cost of them losing the money could be the American Managment paying them selve large sums of money and take them selves on an all esxpenses payed trip to the Gp on behalf of Octagone Motorsport. Or it shows the compitence of the management team there.

Marshy

2,749 posts

291 months

Sunday 14th April 2002
quotequote all
tvradict: nice rant Cheered up my Sunday morning.

Oh... it's the afternoon. Haven't had lunch yet, still counts as morning in my book.