The New AU

[Vandas]

So everyone out there will obviously have heard about the new look AU, which is allegedly the best Ford ever. So I would love to hear all of your comments on it. I have to go out and get my latest Motorsport magazine for all the specifics

[Danielsun]

Please do fill us in... However, to be the 'best Ford ever' it will have to go head-to-head with the new Mondeo, also called 'the best Ford ever.' Advertising agencies will lap this one up...

Commodore's still better...

[Vandas]

Well Apparently FTR's new AU for next season is going to be the best thing ever created, and with the VX not really giving any major changes to the VT I can only see the Fords improving majorly. Although they do need a driver to step up like the Rat has done of late. It is going to be an exciting year. I think motorsport in Australia is really going to benefit from it.

[Danielsun]

I think (as well as the fact that we've covered this ground before) that the only thing to notice the 'improvement' will be the V8s and - to a degree - their supporting cast.

The problem, much like it is in Britain, is that the club level racing is really suffering at the ever-growing hands of the top-level series. Hey, Crash Test?

[Vandas]

See that is where I think you are wrong. In Australia where motorsport is not high on the television executives lists, we have heaps of room to grow. We have the interest there. you can see it in every town, city, state, back block. There are a nearly 16million rev heads in Australia. the big thing is to get them down to the tracks. Now we can make the mistake that basketball did here, and try and become to flashy and too commercial or we can make it attainable to the masses. by more braodcasting on channel 10 here, which the new touring cars are giving us. We will generate more interest, the only people the cars are competing against at the moment are the bikes. Which believe it or not is massive in Australia. I believe that there will be a trickle down effect. Like when the olympics are held in a country after they leave gym memberships go up across the board by a significant amount. I think with further television coverage and greater importance being placed on it in the sports world, all levels of motorsport in Australia will benefit.

[Crash Test]

From what I understand we wont see a new AU or VX in V8 Supercars next season.

The trickle down effect? Well when V8 Supercars have half their season overseas and the other half on Australian street circuits, our permanant facilities will stop opperating. So what happens to club motorsport? How long are places like Lakeside, Mallala, Oran Park, Sandown, Baskerville, Symmons Plains, Barbagallo, Winton etc going to last with their main income for the year taken away from them. Even of next year when Avesco ask for $400,000 for a sprint round, a tracks sustainability will be majorly tarnished.

After being involved with the organisation of state level stuff for a while now, there is very little, if anything you can do to get people through the gates for anyone appart form the SCS. Even the Lites were a dismal failure this year. Also I have stats of how grids have gone down over recent years in traditionally strong classes (at Accelerate)...

Ah stuff this, time will tell..

[Airhead]

Yes Danielsun I can be serious (but only for a moment),

The views expressed by Crash Test have come to pass in motorcycle racing at the domestic level. As the sport enjoys unprecedented coverage (thanks Wayne ((not Wakefield this time)) Kevin, Mick and Darrell) the spectaors stay home and watch it on TV. Including me.

The limited amount of money goes into supporting the big events and local racing declines in stature. The same scenario could befall the local touring cars. Remember when there were tourers, sports sedans, production cars and two open wheel formulas?

[Crash Test]

I don't know if you've been watching the forumla extremes on Speedweek...but the crowds to them are absolutely pitiful...it makes state level car racing look pretty good...

[Airhead]

Yes I agree,

and to increase the excitement they have a legends series where the old guys I watched as a young fella race around - AJ, Wally Campbell and even Robbie Phillis. I am unsure of the answer to this problem. The better the international event the more the locals suffer. I guess it needs a ground swell of support from you and me...

[Vandas]

Yes AVESCO are asking too much, but I don't think that they would butcher motorsport so quickly on our shores. Yes they have won the right to run themselves, which means they are opening up to the global economy which means they will move off shore, and if the pressure really comes on they will sell it off to the highest bidder. All sport has its politics like this, all sport has its dictators and its unhappy masses. I am extremely cut by what is happening with the tyres situation in Improved Production, it is going to cost many Victorian teams thousands of dollars and has increased costs all round on tyres. Motorsport needs better recognition. But you are right, CAMS needs to invest more in the grass roots level of the sport rather than the top line, as they have enough investors as it is. The networks need to come on board. We need to establish stronger, more organised state and national classes, and most of all we need to make motorsport as accessible to the public as possible. But until we achieve major growth through top line teams dragging the people in, we have to do it all on our own.

But I know we will get there, we have a country with a population of rev-heads. All we have to do is work out ways of getting them down to the track. But from what I hear and have seen down here in the south. State Level meetings are highly organised and actually draw a substantial crowd. The Improved Production Nationals this year at Mallala apparently had huge crowds, and from all the rounds in Vic I have been to this year, we have been drawing quite a few people.

Also Sprints are becoming much more accessible and publicised which I think is a great move. How many blokes come from the illegal Street Drags and finally get to show their lack of talent in their overly worked vehicles on a closed circuit against a few State Level teams doing some testing. It is always a great mix, and their can be some very fun days at Sprints and Lap Dashes.