F3 makes Autosport front page shock

[cos]

...but only for Katherine Legge's flying display at Rockingham. Does nothing other than F1 deserve a mention on the cover these days?

[Paul Rayner]

The RAC Rally of Wales does. Apart from that though, it's F1 all the way.

Did someone get a good photo of it then?

[bella]

some good ones in motorsport news yesterday, but you can never tell how good cause of the dodgy print quality...

[Mathias]

Let's hope (and, you understand, this is from the perspective of knowing that Katherine is OK, and not from being ghoulish) that F3on4 got some good shots!

On the Autosprout front, and, frankly, generally with regard to the media, how about we people who spend far too much time on this here marvellous lil ol chat forum resolve to get our act together and try to achieve something really useful. Er, I mean, even more useful, obviously.

We were thinking, while in the inordinately long queue to get into the car park at Rockingham over the weekend, about the paucity (nice word!) of information about the "junior" formulae of single seater racing (i.e. everything other than F1), and the following thought occurred to us.

ITV-F1's coverage over a GP weekend is now phenomenally long, what with 2 qualifying sessions, and the normal pre-race build-up. Given that a lot of the space is filled with often repetitive stuff and, frankly, Jim-Bob Allen spouting a load of nonsense, I reckon we should persuade them to include a round-up of what's going on in the F1 feeder serieseseses, so that when someone like Nic Kiesa appears on the scene, we have an idea who he is. All they'd need to do is a handful of 30-second slots on a selection from F3000, F3 (they'd probably focus on British, but could cover the others too), and even (your chosen deity help us) those Mickey Mouse racing leagues from across the pond. If something particularly exciting is going on in some of the other series like FRenault they could throw something like that in too.

Don't y'all think that'd be a good idea? Obviously it's only of interest to those of you who get ITV's coverage (which seems to be pretty much the whole of the English-speaking world).

Anybody got any mates in ITV?

Cheers!

[PaulSands]

Thats the problem isn't it..the only way to do it is set up a production company and start gathering film from the clubbies and though go hawking and edited weekly highlights show around...don't know where in of the UK terrestrial channles slots it would fit into...maybe 7am Saturday Channel 4. Co-ordination and co-operation between the various clubs would be absolutely essential...if the likes of the BARC, BRSCC, HSCC, 750MC et al sent a tape a piece to a holding company that company would have a chance of creating a show...initially a lot would depend on goodwill and donations of film

[Paul Rayner]

He's not talking about club racing, Paul, because F1 fans will have no interest in that whatsoever, just a 2-minute bit about the feeder categories for F1, such as Formula Ford, Formula Renault, Formula 3, Formula 3000. I guess something like they have about Porsches and such in the F3000 coverage. Hell, they could even have Murray Walker doing the talkover bit to get people interested - that'd give it some credibility.

I think it's a great idea. All except F3 are now broadcast on ITV, and if they just gave a little 30-second piece on each, with "you can see full highlights on Tuesday morning at 2am or on ITV2 at some more reasonable time", it'd get some more viewers for their coverage of the TOCA supports. I do fear that it's far too sensible an idea to ever actually happen though.

[Mathias]

Paul - "far too sensible an idea to ever actually happen though."

Cheers! Think that about sums it up!

[flexible-flyer]

well british f3 is the most exiting with the biggest talent imo. i reckon if it was given the same amount of exposure it would beat out all but the fomula one world championship.

[Mathias]

That's the funny thing. F1 is great and glamorous and everything, but I just think F3 is where it's at. These guys really are at the top of their game, and they deserve the coverage. And you get flipping European club football all night - why not British racing?

[Paul Rayner]

Originally posted by Mathias
Paul - "far too sensible an idea to ever actually happen though."

Cheers! Think that about sums it up!

I think that sums up far too much in British motorsport, unfortunately.

[Alx]

Originally posted by Paul Rayner


I think it's a great idea. All except F3 are now broadcast on ITV, and if they just gave a little 30-second piece on each, with "you can see full highlights on Tuesday morning at 2am or on ITV2 at some more reasonable time", it'd get some more viewers for their coverage of the TOCA supports. I do fear that it's far too sensible an idea to ever actually happen though.

Exactly, it infuriates me how they will quite willingly stuff adverts on the end of the F1 coverage for Football/Tour de France etc., but they never (or at least rarely, and only when the BTCC seems to follow the qulifying coverage) do the same for motor sport. Is it too much effort for them to say - we will be showing F3000 next week, so tune in for that - it won't do them any more harm than the 45 second ads they include for some football match I have no interest in! (sorry, footie fans, but I'm only really into one sport, and you're an easy example! )