How old are you
Poll: How old are you
Total Members Polled: 424
Discussion
1st GP I saw was at Brands in 66 when Jack Brabham won.
3rd on the grid was Dan Gurney in an Eagle with a 2.7 big banger Climax.
Can't imagine anything like that happening now.
I was 13 then. I think I've only missed a dozen or so races that wre televised since.
3rd on the grid was Dan Gurney in an Eagle with a 2.7 big banger Climax.
Can't imagine anything like that happening now.
I was 13 then. I think I've only missed a dozen or so races that wre televised since.
Edited by Smollet on Sunday 16th November 00:01
Gaz, you know you can really go off people!
First you change my thread title now you ask for my age, I had to really think and I'm not sure I like the answer!
But I don't have to act my age do I?
First GP live was 1970 Brands aged 13, Rindt drifting around Clearways in the 49. I was hooked.
I was devastated a few months later but I still love motor racing.
At the moment I'm worried about F1. Time will tell if F1 survives or not.
First you change my thread title now you ask for my age, I had to really think and I'm not sure I like the answer!
But I don't have to act my age do I?
First GP live was 1970 Brands aged 13, Rindt drifting around Clearways in the 49. I was hooked.
I was devastated a few months later but I still love motor racing.
At the moment I'm worried about F1. Time will tell if F1 survives or not.
I'm 56 & have followed F1 since I was around 14/15 years of age.
My first live GP was Silverstone in 1973 - the years of Mr Scheckters first lap 'incident'.
I was in the pit lane that day so I didn't see the accident. Indeed I think it was 2 or 3 years after was that I saw the accident for the first time.
Attended virtually every British Grand Prix between 73 & 2004 when the cost started to get silly - and also because my supply of complimentary 'access all areas' passes dried up thanks to Bernie turning the paddock into a fortress where only the great & the good could get in.
Long gone are the days when the pit entrance would be left open all night for people to wander in & watch the mechanics re-building the cars, we could see the drivers casually hanging around the garages chatting with the mechanics, team managers &, best of all, allowing us mere mortals to take photos whenever we wanted too so long as didn't get in anyone's way.
My 9 year old son loves F1 & he can't wait for Abu Dhabi next week.
As for the future of F1 - I fear for it as Bernie seems hell bent on destroying it for his own vanity. The bloke is a compete knob who is totall out of touch with the fans.
If he alienates the younger fans then god help us in the future.
So please Bernie. Just go.
My first live GP was Silverstone in 1973 - the years of Mr Scheckters first lap 'incident'.
I was in the pit lane that day so I didn't see the accident. Indeed I think it was 2 or 3 years after was that I saw the accident for the first time.
Attended virtually every British Grand Prix between 73 & 2004 when the cost started to get silly - and also because my supply of complimentary 'access all areas' passes dried up thanks to Bernie turning the paddock into a fortress where only the great & the good could get in.
Long gone are the days when the pit entrance would be left open all night for people to wander in & watch the mechanics re-building the cars, we could see the drivers casually hanging around the garages chatting with the mechanics, team managers &, best of all, allowing us mere mortals to take photos whenever we wanted too so long as didn't get in anyone's way.
My 9 year old son loves F1 & he can't wait for Abu Dhabi next week.
As for the future of F1 - I fear for it as Bernie seems hell bent on destroying it for his own vanity. The bloke is a compete knob who is totall out of touch with the fans.
If he alienates the younger fans then god help us in the future.
So please Bernie. Just go.
Started watching F1 when I was 10. Am 46 now. Have only missed 2 races on the telly since I was about 18.
As an anorak I try to fully immerse myself into the season.
I nearly faltered in 2012/2013, not because of RBR's dominance, but because I felt the tyres had too great an influence on the race, I want to see "flat out , on the edge" not "preserve, preserve, preserve, drive to the time predicted by the simulator" .
Fortunately 2014 has been a cracking season as rarely have we heard "the cliff" and more importantly "dirty air"
But try as I might I cannot inspire my kids to watch with me.
As an anorak I try to fully immerse myself into the season.
I nearly faltered in 2012/2013, not because of RBR's dominance, but because I felt the tyres had too great an influence on the race, I want to see "flat out , on the edge" not "preserve, preserve, preserve, drive to the time predicted by the simulator" .
Fortunately 2014 has been a cracking season as rarely have we heard "the cliff" and more importantly "dirty air"
But try as I might I cannot inspire my kids to watch with me.
I started watching at about 11 and am 42 now, I've had spells away from it though. My kids (8 and 9) are interested but they prefer the highlights to the full races. They seem to enjoy motogp a little more but I think its because of the rider personalities and the general way it comes across as fun, where F1 comes across very serious and business like - next weekend will be incredibly tense and serious.
Smollet said:
1st GP I saw was at Brands in 66 when Jack Brabham won.
3rd on the grid was Dan Gurney in an Eagle with a 2.7 big banger Climax.
Can't imagine anything like that happening now.
I was 13 then. I think I've only missed a dozen or so races that wre televised since.
That was my first one as well. They were filming Grand Prix when I was in the paddock and I pushed my way to the front of a crowd around a F2 Ferrari. I was in shot and eagerly awaited becoming famous. I was in it but only from the waist down to my knees.3rd on the grid was Dan Gurney in an Eagle with a 2.7 big banger Climax.
Can't imagine anything like that happening now.
I was 13 then. I think I've only missed a dozen or so races that wre televised since.
I spoke with John Cooper while he was working on a car. I was with my father and he told us to stand back and if the engine, the Maserati, fell on us we'd be crushed.
"I've heard it's the heaviest engine in F1." said my dad and the two of them got on from then on.
Saw Jim Clark, Rindt, Stewart, Brabham and more. No wonder I was sold on the sport.
I'm 31 now and started watching F1 when I was about three. At the same time my dad started taking me ti clubbies at Oulton Park. This was the mid-80s so of course I pored over Autosport every week, obsessed with Group B rallying and Group C sports cars as well.
As a result, I've never become totally emotionally invested in F1, simply because I have equal adoration for so many other branches of the sport.
My primary issue with Bernie's current stance on, well, just about everything is how utterly contemptuous he is of his audience. To deny the importance of youth to the future of his sport is terrifyingly short-sighted.
I've spent some time considering the matter of how to better engage with the so-called Generation Y - and written about it. My experience suggests that you simply need to endeavour to engage with young people. The best examples I've seen have all involved big personalities actually taking the time to chat to young people, give an autograph, etc.
Ken Block is perfect example. He's older than half the F1 grid put together but watching him interact with his fans at Goodwood is great. The kids love him and he treats them respectfully.
Hamilton is another great example: at Austin he must've spent about half an hour signing autographs. The young folk there adored him.
What makes me sad is that attending a grand prix still remains an awesome way to pass a weekend. I've been immensely fortunate to see virtually every kind of live motor racing and the spectacle of an F1 car through a fast corner is as good as it gets. If F1 alienates all thw older fans and fails to attract any new ones, where does that leave us?
And heaven help WEC and WRX if their respective ascendencies continue. He'll smite them, just as he did with Group C, ITC and FIA GT...
As a result, I've never become totally emotionally invested in F1, simply because I have equal adoration for so many other branches of the sport.
My primary issue with Bernie's current stance on, well, just about everything is how utterly contemptuous he is of his audience. To deny the importance of youth to the future of his sport is terrifyingly short-sighted.
I've spent some time considering the matter of how to better engage with the so-called Generation Y - and written about it. My experience suggests that you simply need to endeavour to engage with young people. The best examples I've seen have all involved big personalities actually taking the time to chat to young people, give an autograph, etc.
Ken Block is perfect example. He's older than half the F1 grid put together but watching him interact with his fans at Goodwood is great. The kids love him and he treats them respectfully.
Hamilton is another great example: at Austin he must've spent about half an hour signing autographs. The young folk there adored him.
What makes me sad is that attending a grand prix still remains an awesome way to pass a weekend. I've been immensely fortunate to see virtually every kind of live motor racing and the spectacle of an F1 car through a fast corner is as good as it gets. If F1 alienates all thw older fans and fails to attract any new ones, where does that leave us?
And heaven help WEC and WRX if their respective ascendencies continue. He'll smite them, just as he did with Group C, ITC and FIA GT...
chevronb37 said:
I'm 31 now and started watching F1 when I was about three. At the same time my dad started taking me ti clubbies at Oulton Park. This was the mid-80s so of course I pored over Autosport every week, obsessed with Group B rallying and Group C sports cars as well.
As a result, I've never become totally emotionally invested in F1, simply because I have equal adoration for so many other branches of the sport.
My primary issue with Bernie's current stance on, well, just about everything is how utterly contemptuous he is of his audience. To deny the importance of youth to the future of his sport is terrifyingly short-sighted.
I've spent some time considering the matter of how to better engage with the so-called Generation Y - and written about it. My experience suggests that you simply need to endeavour to engage with young people. The best examples I've seen have all involved big personalities actually taking the time to chat to young people, give an autograph, etc.
Ken Block is perfect example. He's older than half the F1 grid put together but watching him interact with his fans at Goodwood is great. The kids love him and he treats them respectfully.
Hamilton is another great example: at Austin he must've spent about half an hour signing autographs. The young folk there adored him.
What makes me sad is that attending a grand prix still remains an awesome way to pass a weekend. I've been immensely fortunate to see virtually every kind of live motor racing and the spectacle of an F1 car through a fast corner is as good as it gets. If F1 alienates all thw older fans and fails to attract any new ones, where does that leave us?
And heaven help WEC and WRX if their respective ascendencies continue. He'll smite them, just as he did with Group C, ITC and FIA GT...
What a depressing post, made worse by the fact that it is so accurate.As a result, I've never become totally emotionally invested in F1, simply because I have equal adoration for so many other branches of the sport.
My primary issue with Bernie's current stance on, well, just about everything is how utterly contemptuous he is of his audience. To deny the importance of youth to the future of his sport is terrifyingly short-sighted.
I've spent some time considering the matter of how to better engage with the so-called Generation Y - and written about it. My experience suggests that you simply need to endeavour to engage with young people. The best examples I've seen have all involved big personalities actually taking the time to chat to young people, give an autograph, etc.
Ken Block is perfect example. He's older than half the F1 grid put together but watching him interact with his fans at Goodwood is great. The kids love him and he treats them respectfully.
Hamilton is another great example: at Austin he must've spent about half an hour signing autographs. The young folk there adored him.
What makes me sad is that attending a grand prix still remains an awesome way to pass a weekend. I've been immensely fortunate to see virtually every kind of live motor racing and the spectacle of an F1 car through a fast corner is as good as it gets. If F1 alienates all thw older fans and fails to attract any new ones, where does that leave us?
And heaven help WEC and WRX if their respective ascendencies continue. He'll smite them, just as he did with Group C, ITC and FIA GT...
I too loved sports cars and rally events. But the competition to F1 could not be allowed to continue.
I went to an LMES event at Silverstone. It was teaming with rain but the covered stands were not opened because, according to one team manager I spoke with, the negotiations between the circuit and Ecclestone for F1 were in a difficult phase (has there ever been an easy one). It didn't do to run an event outside the control of the FIA/Ecclestone's mini-me they said.
I was also told that advertising had been limited and it had been difficult to find the event in detail on the circuit's website.
Todt seemed to me to be pushing alternatives. The problem is, as always, TV coverage. A six-hour race is all but impossible to present live as a series, rallying even more so. Yet the Welsh forests used to be packed, in November, in the snow and ice, in the dark and with little in the way of facilities. Yet the nerds went.
My first memory of F1 was by elder brother watching the Monaco GP on the telly. I distinctly remember the hairpin. It would have been the mid to late 70s. I had a poster of the six wheel Tyrell on my bedroom wall.
I took my now wife to two or three GPs at Silverstone, around the time Mansell, Senna, Prost were near the front. Haven't been back since I started going to LeMans (first time was the second year McLaren F1s raced there).
I have two teenage children, one 9 yr old. None of them could give a rat's arse about motor-racing. But then they "can't afford Rolex watches and haven't enough money to put into the bloody banks", so why would they watch it.
I took my now wife to two or three GPs at Silverstone, around the time Mansell, Senna, Prost were near the front. Haven't been back since I started going to LeMans (first time was the second year McLaren F1s raced there).
I have two teenage children, one 9 yr old. None of them could give a rat's arse about motor-racing. But then they "can't afford Rolex watches and haven't enough money to put into the bloody banks", so why would they watch it.
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