[Race] A Korean GP after all?!

[JamesH]

Originally Posted by bjohnsonsmith

Agree about the cars, as for tracks at least there are no Tilkedromes in Indy.

As for your preferring to watch a race void of spectators etc, why not get yourself a copy of rFactor and create your own series? If you feel so inclined you can even create your own tracks; problem solved.

And do either of you go to many club races at any of the circuits in UK ? Where the racing is better than both F1 and Le Mans? Or do you just go 'for the location' -forget the racing.

My suggestion would be go to a club meet at Cadwell Park or Oulton - better circuits you are not likely to find. Entry fee, about £15, great viewing, chance to walk round the pits, talk to the drivers, watch great racing. F1/Indy/LMP are not the only or best forms of racing you know.

With regard to S. Korea - spent some time there last year - they have a work ethic that would put Europeans/Americans to shame. Not sure about their motor racing interest though - although the guys I was working with were interested in pictures of my race car. Saw some kart tracks I think, and they have a lot of cars (because there are a lot of people in Korea)

[Bryan Degerlund]

Originally Posted by JamesH

With regard to S. Korea - spent some time there last year - they have a work ethic that would put Europeans/Americans to shame. Not sure about their motor racing interest though - although the guys I was working with were interested in pictures of my race car. Saw some kart tracks I think, and they have a lot of cars (because there are a lot of people in Korea)

At the turn of the century, marshalled the Korean F3 Superprix with 20/30 other British marshals for four years (missed the first one). Drivers included Button, Hamilton and many other young "hot-shots". 4 or 5 local support races -- GT, saloons, single-seaters -- so there is experience

It was a street-circuit in Chongwan, near to Pusan (SE corner) and the majority of marshals were students shipped in from Seoul. As James says, they were all keen to learn and we had no problems with work attidude. If British marshals had been invited to assist at the GP (as in Abu Dhabi), I am sure there would have been no problem in getting the numbers required.

[dsg]

Originally Posted by JamesH

And do either of you go to many club races at any of the circuits in UK ?

UK is a bit far from Australia, so no.

Originally Posted by JamesH

Or do you just go 'for the location' -forget the racing.

Your kind of missing the point anyway. As I said earlier I watch most F1 races on TV (as you do by the sound of it) so the geographical location of the track and crowd at the circuit are of little importance to me. Its what's on the track that matters most.

[bjohnsonsmith]

Originally Posted by JamesH

And do either of you go to many club races at any of the circuits in UK ? Where the racing is better than both F1 and Le Mans? Or do you just go 'for the location' -forget the racing.

My suggestion would be go to a club meet at Cadwell Park or Oulton - better circuits you are not likely to find. Entry fee, about £15, great viewing, chance to walk round the pits, talk to the drivers, watch great racing. F1/Indy/LMP are not the only or best forms of racing you know.

With regard to S. Korea - spent some time there last year - they have a work ethic that would put Europeans/Americans to shame. Not sure about their motor racing interest though - although the guys I was working with were interested in pictures of my race car. Saw some kart tracks I think, and they have a lot of cars (because there are a lot of people in Korea)

I go to Brands, which is my local track over here and Laguna Seca in California but I've not been to any club races this year, or any races for that matter, as my ankle got broken.

Though you are certainly free to make your point, it isn't really relative to the discussion I was having with dsg, which was about locations and race tracks pertaining to F1.

[NaBUru38]

Originally Posted by bjohnsonsmith

Agree about the cars, as for tracks at least there are no Tilkedromes in Indy.

F1 Tilkodromes feel like the same, but IndyCar have this year four cookie-cutter 1.5-mile ovals, which have the very same layout.

[bjohnsonsmith]

Originally Posted by NaBUru38

F1 Tilkodromes feel like the same, but IndyCar have this year four cookie-cutter 1.5-mile ovals, which have the very same layout.

Indeed there are those cookie cutters but they are looking to bring more variety as far as tracks go next season. There's the Baltimore race and lots of talk with regards to returning to some of the tracks that were raced in the CART era, e.g. Cleveland.

However if they must run the cookie cutters I wish they spread them out more, rather than having a block of them, one after the other.

[wnut]

Originally Posted by JamesH

And do either of you go to many club races at any of the circuits in UK ? Where the racing is better than both F1 and Le Mans? Or do you just go 'for the location' -forget the racing.

My suggestion would be go to a club meet at Cadwell Park or Oulton - better circuits you are not likely to find. Entry fee, about £15, great viewing, chance to walk round the pits, talk to the drivers, watch great racing. F1/Indy/LMP are not the only or best forms of racing you know.

)

This is why I get so frustrated with F1 in particular!
It suck all the resources out of the rest of motor racing and then puts on such a POOR RACE!
Instead of being a motor racing show piece and encouraging people to watch and participate in local motor racing they take one look at the "big show" - GP and decide that motor racing is boring and not worth the effort!

This is what some other big formulae also do on a more local level.

Imagine what $1.2 billion dollars or whatever is invested in an asphalt parking lot would do for local motorsport. Then Indy car loses $27 mill in a year and is theoretically not viable - go figure!

[JamesH]

$1.2bil would resurface every track and circuit car park/paddock for every track that needed it in the UK. With cash left over to improve spectator facilities. Probably even some left over to reduce track hire costs to get more people racing.

Is F1 killing motorsport?

[wnut]

Originally Posted by JamesH

$1.2bil would resurface every track and circuit car park/paddock for every track that needed it in the UK. With cash left over to improve spectator facilities. Probably even some left over to reduce track hire costs to get more people racing.

Is F1 killing motorsport?

Scary thought!

All for the price of a Tilkedome!

[Sodemo]

Originally Posted by JamesH

Is F1 killing motorsport?

F1 is certainly killing race tracks.

I lose count of the number of classic tracks that have been destroyed / redeveloped to cater for F1.

Recent victims; Fuji, Donnington, going further back...Imola, Osterriechring.

[ECW Dan Selby]

Yeh it's true. I mean what's next? It's very sad. I love seeing tracks develop, I don't think there's much wrong with that, but butchering is another thing.

Hockenheim is a crying shame. Was that done for F1?

Selby

[bjohnsonsmith]

Originally Posted by Sodemo

F1 is certainly killing race tracks.

I lose count of the number of classic tracks that have been destroyed / redeveloped to cater for F1.

Recent victims; Fuji, Donnington, going further back...Imola, Osterriechring.

There's that new section at Silverstone but from what I've heard it works because they really thought it out, when designing it.

[duke_toaster]

We'll have to wait and see really - however that section was put together when they got the bike GP, rather than when they regained the car one.

[NaBUru38]

Hockenheim was a tragedy. I do like the current Imola and the A1-Ring.

[bjohnsonsmith]

Originally Posted by NaBUru38

Hockenheim was a tragedy. I do like the current Imola and the A1-Ring.

Hockemheim certainly was but I don't like A1-Ring, give me the Österrichring any day.

[Quintin03]

Seeing as Silverstone has been kept nearly intact I wouldn't call that a butchering. Only club has been changed permanently and I've heard positive sounds from one driver at least.

[Sodemo]

What I dont fully understand, is that we have all these massively safe tracks now, with acres of run off that look like a car park with painted white lines on it, yet the F1 circus turns up to Monaco or Montreal and can somehow turn a blind eye to the close barriers and zero run off in some sections...

[MikeManNZ]

If a replacement race run or not will come down to TV dollars and the contracts for such.


If CVC have to run 19 races under the TV contract they will have to run an additional race somewhere.

[duke_toaster]

That's a thought. The question is where ...

[Peat]

Originally Posted by NaBUru38

Hockenheim was a tragedy. I do like the current Imola and the A1-Ring.

Really? This is what the current A1 Ring looks like: http://fc06.deviantart.net/fs26/f/20...y_sevenpix.jpg

[fourWheelDrift]

Originally Posted by Peat

Really? This is what the current A1 Ring looks like: http://fc06.deviantart.net/fs26/f/20...y_sevenpix.jpg

Oh No, Gillet has been their too.

[bjohnsonsmith]

Originally Posted by Peat

Really? This is what the current A1 Ring looks like: http://fc06.deviantart.net/fs26/f/20...y_sevenpix.jpg

What a mess.

[duke_toaster]

I'm pretty sure Red Bull are in the process of rebuilding it to host DTM events.

[ECW Dan Selby]

Did that get put on the shelves though? I'm sure I heard they ditched that idea.

It's definitely a shame. I always quite liked the A1 Ring too. It made for some great racing, and yes, although a complete shadow of its former, it was still entertaining and nice that they at least raced in the same area as the Osterreichring.

Saying this, would it not have been possible to use a corner or two of the Osterreichring and encorporate that in to the A1?

EDIT - Just checked out a map of the two. I didn't realise how much of the A1 used Osterreichring! They actually share some of the same tarmac.

Selby

[bjohnsonsmith]

A1-Ring is in red: