State of affairs of U.S. racing by...

Thanks for posting. F1 and WEC are the only series (besides Ferrari Challenge that appeal to me... That will likely never change.

Robb

 

Its not just automotive sport that is suffering, *All* TV sports are in decline. Even the super bowl had lower numbers this year than last.

NBA, NFL, NHL, and MLB are all slipping in TV market share, although the NFL is bar far the dominant base.

For me, its because there seems to be too much "behind the scenes" deciding. The ref's are determining game outcomes. In NASCAR, if a pending result is "less desirable", out comes a yellow to shake it up. This disconnect from the game/sport/race causes a loss of interest.

I like New Hampshire Speedway, I tried to watch the NASCAR race, but I could not follow the broadcast, the new flash and display four system is mostly unuseable unless you spend minutes staring at it and not the race. I had no idea what position the driver I cared about was in as I always seemed to miss the flash moment he was scored.

Sadly, sports are looking at the slipping numbers, and trying to figure out what additional gimmicks they can use, when the fact is its the gimmicks themselves causing the slip away as people are catching on.

I do not want to watch a tube frame RX-8 beat a neutered Porsche 911. I've been in both cars, and there is no freakin' away a street RX-8 would hold its own at all.

 

There are also outside influences beyond anyone's control, such as the economy, which have an impact on the sponsorship dollars going into racing. When those dollars dry up, the grids reduce, and only the most self-funded or established will continue. But, racing (at least the series and classes I'm familiar with) has also become far more expensive. An annual budget for the lowest class of GT has roughly trebled over 15 years. And, unless you have a favorable BoP, why bother (which is why several Porsche teams announced their early withdrawal from the remainder of the IMSA season)? And, if the highest forms of motorsports are having issues, the lesser forms have to be worse off.

Anyway, to say, "it's complicated," doesn't do it justice.

CW

 

The SCCA National Runoffs at Mid-Ohio was very well attended, far exceeding a lot of professional venues. Grass roots racing is doing fairly well in all the regions.

 

IRL needs to ditch the spec formula. The Indy 500 needs to be great again if it is to stay relevant.

 

The absolutely abysmal quality of TV coverage of teaching in America is reason enough for me to just give up and stop watching.

 

Boy, I'm not so sure.

I went to the last Nationals at Road America. It seemed to me there were more crew and racer's family than fans.

The racing was great, but not spectator attendance.

 

I don't know if the teams can afford it, but that the only way to revive interest, I think.

Spec series may be alright for lower formulae, but for the premium US single-seater series, it's not really attractive.

But I am afraid most spec series have killed the small entrepreneurs, and there are few chassis builders that have survived, bar Dallara.

Less regulations, more technical freedom may spark new interest in Indy.

When I contemplate Indianapolis, I look back at the 60s, 70s and 80s with nostalgia

 

I'm guessing the real problem is racing doesn't come across on TV. It wasn't until I saw F1 live that I got it. Watching it on TV, though, was a bore.

 

You're probably right; but watching Indy on TV is nothing like watching it live.

 

I think its losing people, because too much reliance is made on "social media" data gathering. And frankly - that is not the racing set. What goes on in mass with social media are your slacktivists that really do not care past a few minutes. Catering to this crowd thinking it represents all of us will result in alienation from the real fans that prefer the real world.

Consider a was up and coming NASCAR driver got a full season suspension over a tweet about airport security. A cookie cutter mold is being shoved on both driver's and cars. Indeed it does cause a loss of interest. I also find the media coverage is falling drastically of sporting events. No longer can I find well written articles from the main page of NASCAR. Instead its a bait and click title with an auto-play video commercial followed by a lead in animation that might be longer than the actual clip itself.

I think if I lived closer to Indy I might follow it, but as I rarely meet team members or drivers from that series, its harder to follow. I've met more F1 drivers than I have Indy.(If you exclude NASCAR crossovers).

 

The incessant search for "parity" or "a level playing field" has made racing boring. It has become about the "personalities" as opposed to the cars. This is indisputable in NASCAR and Indy Car, and is just about there in F1. This is by design. The celebrity culture has been leveraged by marketing and is more appealing to most people than the equipment.

The constant fiddling with the rules in F1 hasn't helped. I assert that if you think the current tire rules are a good thing, you're more of a management enthusiast than a racing enthusiast. Mandated pit stops are an artifice. F1 is a team sport until the red lights go out. Then it isn't. Or at least it shouldn't be.

 

Already had a discussion with GK. His views similar to my own. Unti we get back to the true roots of racing....its on its way out. "Spec" isn't cutting it!

 

someone does a live broadcast stream of the runoffs with the usual TV commentators. might be fox sports or the motor trend YouTube channel.

 

What personalities? They are as boring as dry toast. Foyt, Bobby Unser,etc.....now that is personalities!

As for the rules....welcome to a participation trophy kinda world. They are why the world we live in is going right to the bottom of the toilet. Individuality is a dying breed.