Usless autosport and motoring news reports

[halecmini]

yet again motoring news has excelled itself with a completely crap report from croft last weekend. why is it that no matter what you manage to achieve at our 'club' level your lucky to even get a mention...

People have achived some fantastic results this year not only in the monoposto but also in the formula jedi series and not even a mention!



Dc

[Ian Sowman]

I've not seen this week's yet, but the format MN are running with this year can be difficult to work with. It is fine if you are the 'featured' race (which is rotated around the championships as far as possible) but it leaves you a very small word count for the remaining races. Of course, yours might not be a meeting with space for a 'featured' race - last weekend being one of the busiest of the year. Sometimes contributors don't get space to mention some categories, and sometimes the end of the report is hacked off due to there being space for less words than had been budgeted.

[andy97]

In my opinion, Autosport should concentrate on the more "glamorous" national and international racing with in depth reports and analysis (with an emphasis on UK Drivers and teams) whilst MN should cover those events relatively superficially - photo reports and a few well chosen paragraphs only - whilst covering club racing in far more detail. They are competing in the same market at the moment.

[halecmini]

here here, that would make it all much better! I think there coming from the same building anyway aren't they???????

[Triple J Motorsport]

Originally Posted by andy97

In my opinion, Autosport should concentrate on the more "glamorous" national and international racing with in depth reports and analysis (with an emphasis on UK Drivers and teams) whilst MN should cover those events relatively superficially - photo reports and a few well chosen paragraphs only - whilst covering club racing in far more detail. They are competing in the same market at the moment.

Not seen stock cars, oval racing, club rallying, karting etc in Autosport

The MNs on the selves WH Smiths city branch is dated 07/09/05 when I pointed this out the manager just shrugged. He probably knows no one buys it we all just read it!

[Raltracer]

It was dissapointing to see the Croft report this week. MN does seem to try and cover all aspects and mention lots of drivers .. perhaps it is trying too hard. Yet the main thrust of reportage at this time of year is for racers yet only the rally lads seem to use the ad section. MN does seem to have lost its way for me. Raltracer

[SpawnyWhippet]

Has anyone offered to submit the club race reports to Autosport / MN? They may be pleased to get free copy, as long as its submitted early and in the correct format for them.

[ascarmarshal]

Originally Posted by RayFF

Not seen stock cars, oval racing, club rallying, karting etc in Autosport

The MNs on the selves WH Smiths city branch is dated 07/09/05 when I pointed this out the manager just shrugged. He probably knows no one buys it we all just read it!

I have and there will be a Stock car report in Autosport this week ie the SCSA meeting on the OVAL at Rockingham

[John Turner]

Originally Posted by Andydickens

Has anyone offered to submit the club race reports to Autosport / MN? They may be pleased to get free copy, as long as its submitted early and in the correct format for them.

I'm afraid it doesn't work like that, Andy. They have reporters at every race meeting but those reporters, because of space constraints, are only allowed very low word counts to cover some of these events. See, Ian's earlier post; he has first hand knowledge of these restrictions! When a magazine (In Gear)was produced giving more detailed accounts of club racing, sadly it didn't last very long, due, I believe, to insufficient sales volumes.

[verglas]

Autosport has been in steady decline for a few years now, and with the advent of the 100 Best Crashes in F1 'feature' earlier this year followed by the totally tasteless cover last week depicting the accident on Margam stage of the RAC rally I would say that it is in freefall as far as the motorsport purist is concerned. My reaction? I cancelled my direct debit the other day after 30+ years of readership. ps. anyone want 30 years of Autosport, pm me. You collect it though!!

[Ian Sowman]

Originally Posted by Andydickens

Has anyone offered to submit the club race reports to Autosport / MN? They may be pleased to get free copy, as long as its submitted early and in the correct format for them.

Yes, John Turner's response is correct. HOWEVER, if you have news, make sure it gets to the magazine, in one of two ways:

1) Call or email the staff directly - Richard Rodgers/Glenn Freeman at MN and Richard Asher/Steve English at Autospor;

2) Find a journalist at a circuit.

The more news that is submitted the more space it will get - hopefully, in the long run. So whether it is news of a championship being resolved; a new car; a landmark for a particular driver or whatever - let us have it. If we don't know, in the mag it will not go. The best person to do this is probably the championship co-ordinator, if no press officer has been appointed.

[SpawnyWhippet]

OK, I was always quite disappointed with the club racing section in both mags, to the extent that I cancelled my subscriptions. It seems that F1 gets 35 pages of repeated news and analysis, even when there was no racing. F3 gets about 1 page in total, and the rest is just snippets from all over. Autosport should be renamed 'F1 Sport'.
Its sad that a club meeting, say at Silverstone, can have over 100 cars & many hundreds of people there, great racing, 100's of thousands pounds spent by the competitors, and the whole meeting could be summed up by ' At Silverstone, John Smith won the Mono 2000 event, Joe Bloggs headed home one of the other races.'

[Adam43]

We have seen the success that a dedicated club race report magazine doesn't have. I guess it is all the same reasons why Autosport doesn't increase its club racing coverage anymore. Although club racing does get more pages this year than last according to the editor. See thread in Armchair.

I also guess that Autosport could subsidise it's club reporting, but those are decisions for prosperous times.

MN? Is in a similar situation, although to a different degree.

There are only so many copies that you can sell by mentioning people's names and including, the holy grail, a photo of their car.

[Kicking-back]

Autosport and Motorsport News are businesses.

They are not PR sheets for motorsport.

[SpawnyWhippet]

Originally Posted by Kicking-back

Autosport and Motorsport News are businesses.

They are not PR sheets for motorsport.

This is true, but they are alienating a part of their customer base by excluding them from the club racing section. Surely it can't cost that much to type-set some freely supplied copy / pics and slap an extra sheet of A4 in the back of the mag?

[Triple J Motorsport]

Originally Posted by Kicking-back

Autosport and Motorsport News are businesses.

They are not PR sheets for motorsport.

This why they are what they are if I get a good mention they get 1 more sale!

If they run F1 shock blah blah they get hundreds more the same number of words.

[PaulSands]

Of course print is dead and the web is the place to get your news from. If not happy with whats available get in touch with a club/championship and offer to produce a site for them. Cost wise it's relatively cheap...time wise though it would take over your life.
There are many highly informative well presented sites out there doing such a thing, likewise there are some absolutely dire ones that tell you next to nothing, rarely have photo or news updates and seem to be covered in cobwebs

[Ian Sowman]

Originally Posted by PaulSands

If not happy with whats available get in touch with a club/championship and offer to produce a site for them. Cost wise it's relatively cheap...time wise though it would take over your life.

Yes, it does

[ss_collins]

if you think the web is the be all and end all for motorsport - then you really don't appreciate the knowledge and depth of the people who work on MN and AS. Without those mags you would be clueless as wouuld most websites be. DSC is the only website I know of that has better coverage of a subject area than any mag. but thats because they have professionals doing it full time - and DSC could easily spawn a print title - if there were the advertising to support it. But you have to pay for DSC...bit like a magazine...

Suggestions of 'just slapping in' an extra sheet at the end really show a lack of knowledge of these things - you cant just slap something in - it all costs - probably more than you think - and the extra sales do not justify the extra cost (otherwise they would have done it!)

In Gear has been mentioned and proves the club motorsport simply does not sell!!

[PaulSands]

I dont think the web is the be all and end all and I totally appreciate all those things that you mention but as you say if club motorsport doesnt sell inprint then an alternative source of information can be sourced through the web...I ommitted the smiley after my comment "print is dead" as it was supposed to be somewhat flippant
my point is more that if you're unhappy with what you've got do something about it

[Kicking-back]

Originally Posted by ss_collins

DSC is the only website I know of that has better coverage of a subject area than any mag

I've seen a website which covers FF1600 better than any magazine

[halecmini]

whats the dsc site? does it cover all club racing i.e. monoposto..?

[Ian Sowman]

DSC is the DailySportsCar site - so sadly doesn't cover much club racing (although I think it covers Britcar), and not, alas, Monoposto.

[Mike Holmes]

Both mag's are the same, I sometimes think they would be better just giving a link to the MST site and a byline saying can't be bothered look yourself! I have seen and been part of some stunning races this year and yet not a mention. I vote with my feet these days and don't buy either ( I still read other peoples though!)

[SpawnyWhippet]

Originally Posted by Mike Holmes

Both mag's are the same, I sometimes think they would be better just giving a link to the MST site and a byline saying can't be bothered look yourself! I have seen and been part of some stunning races this year and yet not a mention. I vote with my feet these days and don't buy either ( I still read other peoples though!)

I hear this more and more...

Originally Posted by ss_collins

In Gear has been mentioned and proves the club motorsport simply does not sell!!

surely a large proportion of the circulation of AS and MN are involved in club racing in some way, and therefore would like to see details of their skill and daring publicised weekly? I agree there may not be enough subscribers to maintain a club only mag, but this does not mean there is no interest in exanding the club sections in these mags.