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Hmm.
It's difficult to predict the life (or death) of a forum since there is little history to go on. In general lout there in Webland forums come, forums go, their population changes over time with, perhaps, a few of the original stalwarts popping up from time to time as the forum (and the original posters) age. Revisiting old ground is only good for past superstars on 'chat shows', whatever they were.
As has been suggested already in relation to magazines, content can be re-cycled BUT, absent anything new and startling, the afficianados (and a few total anoraks) will have seen and absorbed it all before. They may even remember the articles/discussions in detail.
So, for a forum to appear to be alive and fresh rather than regurgitating old content it needs new blood - both subject matter and correspondents. By definition that can be quite a tall order for historic content constrained by rules related to historical accuracy.
Why do we have Historic motor sport at all?
Obviously part of the reason is that people have an interest. No interest no cars, no sport. Will the current generations (say the under 30s) produce enough individuals to keep the whole concept going? (cars, engineering knowledge, organizations to create and run meetings, marshals who are interested enough to want to attend ....)
To some extent I think historic anything requires, if it is to achieve a viable level of popular interest, at least some continuity from now back into the past. In motor sport terms this perhaps means a route by which those who become involved at the 'present' level can, if they so choose, follow technology back to past times and enjoy the experience.
So is that still possible?
These days younger enthusiasts are weaned on one make series and vehicles intended pretty much only for dedicated use in that series. Little of the technology since the late 80s, maybe earlier, is the sort that one could dabble with in your garage rather than watching TV. Have we lost that backward link? Will recent racing technology ever be viable in historic terms with a degree of historic 'correctness' that we often see discussed here?
Those of us of a 'certain age', or at least those I have met personally, who are motor sport enthusiasts seem to be enjoying re-living the content of their younger lives. So anyone older than about 40 today can probably still satisfy that enthusiasm. But if you are thirty now and then consider what your 'historic' interest might be in about 20 years from now, what have you got that is of your era?
Now consider someone at around age 30 and that their base line might be 10 years ago. Their historic interest may be 20 yeas out from now - not too long really. What will they have going for them? Think in terms of the re-engineering that the Euroboss guys have to apply to 10 year old F1 cars to be in a position to put them on track.
The carbon fibre computer control age seems to be shifting the basis for the ground rules and costs against a background of eco-nonsense and urbanization creep that is not going to make involvement any easier.
Today we have one make (or virtually one make) series dominating much of the 'current modern' sport. This is not a totally new development - there have been non-manufacturer originated one make series for some decades - think original Minis for example, though perhaps not the FordSport Mexicos.
How many 'Historic Mini only' races have there been? (Yes I know that old style Minis still have active series of their own but they are not Historic in the terms we are discussing here. Or are they?)
Chassis are intended to last for several years before they are updated or simply changed. Part of the interest of the Historic world - the variety on offer - disappears. Indeed availability may be an issue anyway if relatively small numbers of chassis are managed by comparatively large organizations with little obvious outlet to private individuals allowed to do their own thing with them.
Will FPS ever have an Historic role? Or for that matter the 2009 version of F2?
Will Dallara offer a service for historic customers needing new carbon fibre chassis and suspension components?
Sports Cars may offer a better opportunity for variety and availability although I guess that beyond Ferrari and Porsche the options may be daunting. Astons may offer something though more likely to appear in the AMOC meetings I would guess.
Maybe Historic Radicals?
If younger people don't discover an interest in older technology it will slowly fade away to demonstration and museum only level as time passes and the existing protagonists and their motivating heroes depart this earth - sadly a seemingly rather regular event these days.
If, as I hypothesize, there is a discontinuity at some point related to 1990s technology what we currently see as the historic scene may be cast off to a very specialized backwater compared to how it is currently and there may be no historic history at all for 21st century motor sport technology.
I guess most of us won't be around by then (and until close to that point one would suppose that what we currently have will largely be supported by those that ARE currently around) and so it won't matter much to us ... but will it matter to the younger generations and will they find a way around the problems in order to satisfy their own needs for revisiting their younger days?
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