No more motor sport .......?

[Senninha]

Well maybe the heading is a bit drastic, but will there be much motor sport left to watch next year?

Honda have quit F1 and the rumour mill suggests another team may go or merge with 'Honda' to form a better team

Suzuki have quit WRC

Seat have quit Touring Cars

Subari has announced today that it is quiting WRC too.

Audi are reviewing their LM involvement so may not be at LeMans etc

Who are next and in which discipline?

Excessive spend in motorsport, especially to the scale some of the guys were investing is an obvious target for immediate cost control. However, my concern is that if they dont redirect some of the saved $$ into marketing, they will loose further sales and ultimately close the doors.

Lets hope that the marketting budgets are already being lined up for car sales to get a much needed boost ....

[JQD84983]

I think it is inevitable given just how dramatic the sales decline has been. I have been over in Germany for the past month and BMW, Mercedes and Audi are crestfallen by the cliff their sales volumes have fallen off.

I don't think this will be the end of it either. If Ford are still struggling in US nd only them and Citroen are left in WRC I think they may go too. The terrestrial TV coverage in the UK now seems not existant!

[Kevin]

Le Mans should have a fuel cell class. Honda can be the only entrant and win it.

[markc]

Paul, you have highlighted the problem with major car manufacturers becoming involved in motorsport, they want everything thier own way when they're "playing" and attempt to outspend each other to be at the front of the grid BUT they have no allegience to motorsport per see and either take their metaphorical ball home as it suits them or they pull the plug when times get hard for them.

Rest assured there'll be plenty of motorsport to watch but the grids might be a bereft of big names and properly competitive vehicles until things settle down.

The motorsports governing bodies (FIA etc) should take note and not bow to the manufacturers desires as much in future.

It'll be nice to see Williams and Cosworth back at the front of the F1 grid. Who knows maybe the drivers will even be allowed to race hard like they used to :)

Cheers

Mark

[BlueNSX]

It'll be nice to see Williams and Cosworth back at the front of the F1 grid. Who knows maybe the drivers will even be allowed to race hard like they used to :)

Williams and Cosworth :eek: at the front, where's my sickbag.:no:

[markc]

Williams and Cosworth :eek: at the front, where's my sickbag.:no:

Spoken like a true Ferrari fan ;)

[markc]

Le Mans should have a fuel cell class. Honda can be the only entrant and win it.

I bet they (the ACO) do introduce that or a similar class :)

The ACO, who organise the Le Mans 24Hr race, have a long history of allowing alternative engine types. A diesel first competed in the late '40s, gas turbines (Rover) in the '60s and of course Johnny Herbert took the rotary engined mazda to victory in 1991.

"Group C" in the '80s was essentially a fuel efficiency formula, they intoduced a biofuel class a few years ago and now they have the Michelin sponsored Energy Endurance Challenge (MEEC).

Sadly a fuel cell powered, electric motor driven car will sound even less inspiring than dull diesels that have been winning for the last 3 years :(

Mark

[Senninha]

Sadly a fuel cell powered, electric motor driven car will sound even less inspiring than dull diesels that have been winning for the last 3 years :(

Mark

Shouldn't have to worry about the near silent diesels, with Audi out I'd be surprised if Peugeot dont follow .....

[278kmh]

Le Mans should have a fuel cell class. Honda can be the only entrant and win it.
ou yes that will be a great :quote:"motor"sport:quote:, sounding: ssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss ssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss
:laugh::laugh:

[Kevin]

Shouldn't have to worry about the near silent diesels, with Audi out I'd be surprised if Peugeot dont follow .....
Where have you read that? I have only seen Audi pulling out of the American LM series to concentrate on European racing. They have the R15 developed for 2009.

[Senninha]

AN ex colleague of mine who runs a (until recently) busy Audi group was saying that Audi is considering a withdrawal from all motorsport unless/until things change. His dealership is one of the busiest, selling over 40 cars last month, and yet it still lost >£26k.
Multiply that across the network and the dealers will be looking to Audi to support them through the coming months. Redirecting motorsport funds is the easiest option to keep the dealerships trading.

[markc]

ou yes that will be a great :quote:"motor"sport:quote:, sounding: ssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss ssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss
:laugh::laugh:

Gas turbine car (jet engines) didn't sound that great either. More off a woosh than a jet roar even on full throttle. See the Howmet gas turbine race car from 1968 here... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_dUyWlDIBs&feature=related

Rotary's can sound amazing. I've yet to hear a diesel sound any good.

Maybe the ACO should include a rule for the Fuel Cell powered formula that electric motor driven cars MUST simulate a multicylinder piston engine via electronics and speakers, a bit like this... http://www.vroombox.com/vroombox/

Mark

[Kevin]

Maybe the ACO should include a rule for the Fuel Cell powered formula that electric motor driven cars MUST simulate a multicylinder piston engine via electronics and speakers, a bit like this... http://www.vroombox.com/vroombox/

Mark

Yes, and they could turn the volume down at night so we can get some sleep.:)

What about animal noises instead for comedy effect? Imagine a diesel Audi being chased by a herd of stampeding elephants?

[278kmh]

Yes, and they could turn the volume down at night so we can get some sleep.:)What about animal noises instead for comedy effect? Imagine a diesel Audi being chased by a herd of stampeding elephants?
i dont like the sound of diesel and i like the smell of real engines :) :)
http://www.maxrev.de/files/2008/12/thumbs/t_drache.jpg

[markc]

What about animal noises instead for comedy effect? Imagine a diesel Audi being chased by a herd of stampeding elephants?

Genius :)

See how motorsport can become fun again when the humourless motor manufacturing giants bugger off. Good ridence Audi, Porsche, Honda, Subaru, Ford et al bring on the wacky races :)

Mark

[AR]

Genius :)1

See how motorsport can become fun again when the humourless motor manufacturing giants bugger off. Good ridence Audi, Porsche, Honda, Subaru, Ford et al bring on the wacky races :)

Mark

More like Wacky Backy, next thing you know it will be Flinstone cars!

[markdas]

Not that I wish i'll on anybody, but the motor trade has had it pretty good for a long time. As with most things in Britain, we pay far too much for most things, car and fuel in particular, but we never do much about it. I can't help feeling the media love to hype everything up out of all proportion...most people and businesses have had it good for a long time....even the poor banking industry was quite happy to invest more than they had to make money without ever passing it on in terms of interest to the borrowers.

Maybe this is time for F1 and LM and Touring Cars and WRC to get back to basics.....the money invested into the sport is obscene, not only into R&D but also lining pockets of media channels and Ecclestone et al.....

My wife and I run our Rally team on a shoestring, we have friends who pitch in to service and we buy them some beer and a burger, the kids clean the car between stages, if we bend it, Im off to the scrap dealer for panels and drive shafts.....but its such good fun.....A single service for us at a Tarmac rally costs......between £0 - £65 (lets say a tyre or a driveshaft change)....a Subaru service (say 45 -60 minutes of work) has budget of £200,000.....hmmm and they still struggled last year.....its not proportional to the enjoyment anymore.....

I think we all sit tight, things will settle and when we get out the other side we will remember that retailers can make money by selling things at a reasonable cost (32" LCD TV Sony/Panasonic etc) all of a sudden under 300......some non brand £200......I just hope in a years time when they all want to claw back the loss of profits (not capital) we don't just go back to assuming we all have spare cash and pay the going rate....consumers are now in the driving seat and retailers will have to work for 'our' money....

rant over!

Mark

[NSX 2000]

Not that I wish i'll on anybody, but the motor trade has had it pretty good for a long time. As with most things in Britain, we pay far too much for most things, car and fuel in particular, but we never do much about it. I can't help feeling the media love to hype everything up out of all proportion...most people and businesses have had it good for a long time....even the poor banking industry was quite happy to invest more than they had to make money without ever passing it on in terms of interest to the borrowers.

Maybe this is time for F1 and LM and Touring Cars and WRC to get back to basics.....the money invested into the sport is obscene, not only into R&D but also lining pockets of media channels and Ecclestone et al.....

My wife and I run our Rally team on a shoestring, we have friends who pitch in to service and we buy them some beer and a burger, the kids clean the car between stages, if we bend it, Im off to the scrap dealer for panels and drive shafts.....but its such good fun.....A single service for us at a Tarmac rally costs......between £0 - £65 (lets say a tyre or a driveshaft change)....a Subaru service (say 45 -60 minutes of work) has budget of £200,000.....hmmm and they still struggled last year.....its not proportional to the enjoyment anymore.....

I think we all sit tight, things will settle and when we get out the other side we will remember that retailers can make money by selling things at a reasonable cost (32" LCD TV Sony/Panasonic etc) all of a sudden under 300......some non brand £200......I just hope in a years time when they all want to claw back the loss of profits (not capital) we don't just go back to assuming we all have spare cash and pay the going rate....consumers are now in the driving seat and retailers will have to work for 'our' money....

rant over!

Mark

Mark, I wouldn't call that a rant, I would call it good sense.

I would also add to that, that people have become lazy, and complaisant! Do you rememember when students would have mass matches, and women camped out side MoD establishments, not any more, a student on a march? They might get there UGG boots dirty!

I think we need a recession as some people need a good kick up the arse and a dose of reality, I mean how can somebody be worth over £100,000 a week to kick a ball for 90 minutes once a week.

Rant continued!

Paul.

[278kmh]

sure, I know those people, but there are people who work all day and now have little. still less is too little.

but if voting is again, they choose parties that promise them everything or what issued by the competent nor benefit.

[NSXGB]

http://www.sniffpetrol.com/wp-content/uploads/xmas08_jenson.jpg

[TheSebringOne]

I can see the funny side to this, but I feel sorry for JB & Honda Racing! :(

[markdas]

For me its not so much sadness at Honda leaving F1 (for now) obviously we all see something special in Honda due to our passion for cars, but its a business decission that has been taken by lots of companies in F1, always due to money pressures and the increasing squeeze on regulations and Ecclestone. But its clear the money they put into F1 is not to feed their technologies anymore, its to pay for lifestyles too.

As for Jenson Button, I dont get it, I just don't rate the guy, he tried to drop his team mid season, crawled back without an appolagy when he was made to stay and he never cuts the mustard in a race and often goes off late in the race rather than go for the finish for his team......

It will make a lot of millionaires think about how they will survive next season in the real world.