double points for last round in 2014.

Here's a thought what about progressively making each consecutive race worth slightly more than the previous race. This would allow the more underfunded teams extra test time while the races aren't worth as much

 

I made a general comment that was not well thought out: What I really meant to say was to 'maximize' attendance at the last 2-3 races. Lots of people blew off COTA event due to the championship being decided, albeit GA folks. I think it was a bone he threw to the circuit owners to make it look like he was trying to help them when in fact he wasn't at all committed to the idea.

 

GA? The Grandstands took the biggest hit. 4, 5, 9 & the three at 11 had a large number of empty seats. One of the T11 GSs was over half empty during the race.

People keep saying the USGP suffered because of the championship being decided early, but I'd love to see some evidence of that. Most people made their travel arrangements long before the championship was decided. Traveling to a GP is not something people decide on a whim to do or not to do. Also, I haven't heard any news of lagging attendance from this effect at the Abu Dhabi or Brazilian GPs.

If I had to guess at what caused USGP attendance to drop I'd say it was a combination of the natural tendency for attendance to drop as years go by, high prices of tickets, parking, and food (tickets increased over last year), and the piss-poor to nonexistent promotional "efforts" of COTA, the promoter.

 

Agree with hairy scotsman.
The lack of advertising and lack of anything nice outside of the track surface itself kept people from coming. The track is superb, but all the amenities, parking, looks of the grounds, and walking on dirt was horrible. The price of food and other stuff was absurd. I'll pay the F1 ticket price, but the rest of the "experience" was not that good. Thank god I'm a huge F1 fan so I'll keep coming back for the drivers, the cars, and the track.

 

+1

Further, I'm pretty sure attendance at the last few races doesn't *increase* if the chase is still on.....

If you're gonna attend an F1 race, you're gonna attend. IMO, WDC or WCC standings have zero impact upon that decision.

Not even making the last race, or a sliding scale, or whatever BS they dream up, worth more points is going to affect bums in seats.

Cheers,
Ian

 

I like this idea

 

Add weight per victory at the start of the season.
Seems crude.
I dont care.
I dont want another bore fest year.
"Who will finish second ?" with quarter of the season left.
I wont waste my money in Austin again.

 

Not trying to pile on & of course everyone is entitled to their opinion, but something else about attending the races to see the championships play out....you can hardly even follow the race when attending it in person. Esp at COTA. Most monitors are too far away to read the info graphics. The main reasons to attend the race are the sights, sounds, smells, the spectacle, etc.

 

It's amazing how often we hear this. It's also amazing how they've put nothing at all into the grounds around the track & the fan experience.

 

Wow!

Just wow! Of course, everyone is entitled to their opinion, but with all due respect, the above beggars belief to me for so many reasons.

- You believe you wasted your money in Austin because the title was already decided?
- You think F1 should be BOP'd rather than a true manufacturers competition?
- You think the entire season was boring because Seb blew everyone away? (Did you think the same when Michael was doing the same?)

I'm sorry, but IMESHO, F1 is better off without 'fans' with your attitude.

Cheers,
Ian

 

I guess none of the guys saying this have experienced the 'delights' of, say, Silverstone, Spa or Monza in the rain!? I'm not trying to say that makes it right, it's just the way it is - most of these guys are struggling to pay Bernie and simply can't afford to 'improve' the fan facilities, at least outside of the paddock club etc....

You want tiled sidewalks? Probably best to head to a Tilke-dome in the Middle East. Apparently they've got great 'facilities'.

But no soul.

Sorry, I'll get off my soapbox and take my meds now. I've had a bad day.....

Cheers,
Ian

 

Apologies to Hairy Scotsman. Reading that whole missive again seems like it was aimed at you - it wasn't at all - I know what a huge (if skeptical ) supporter you are of COTA. No offense intended dude, I enjoy your comments on the subject.

Cheers,
Ian

 

Sure, there are facilities/grounds problems at some other tracks, but COTA is pretty much brand new. They basically never finished the grounds, and then they let them deteriorate since the first USGP. Even the grounds right outside the suites are rough, uneven, & rocky, and had it rained, it would have been a total muddy mess. What I heard over and over at the GP was that people could understand things being a bit rustic for the first race because they struggled to finish the track on time, but after a year, there should be a difference for the better, not the worse.

The other major part of the fan experience they fell short on this year was in the actual on-track activities. Porsche Cup declined to return this year, as did the Historic GP (because COTA closed their paddock in 2012), so we got Ferrari Challenge and a hastily organized, last-minute group of old "Formula Vintage" F1 cars and other formula of open-wheeled racers. [/ot]

 

Ha! No offense taken at all!

 

OK, good!

Have they too simply run out of money I wonder?

Maybe they're trying to give their track the 'soul' of a Spa in short order?

I recall comments to this effect at the time. I don't get it either - Used to be the supporting cast was a great (if *slow*!) part of the whole experience. I wonder why? It should be a great opportunity for some 'amateurs' to play in front of huge crowds, and would keep the fans occupied....

Cheers,
Ian

 

Sounds like this system to me..

A system of "Race success ballast" weight handicaps will be applied to drivers in the BTCC at the end of the first and second Races at each Meeting based on the order of finishing published by the official timekeepers as authorised by the BTCC Clerk for each of those Races prior to any judicial action in respect of any Sporting or Technical issue.

The success ballast awarded after the First Race will be effective for the Second Race in the same Meeting. The success ballast awarded after the Second Race will be effective for the Third Race in the same Meeting.

There will be no accumulation of success ballast weight.

The race results of any guest driver will be disregarded for the purpose of determining success ballast weight handicap.

BTCC regulations - BTCCPages.com

 

Rule makes no sense at all to me.

 

They do three races over a single weekend? I didn't realize that.

Does this extra weight then stay onboard for the next meeting?

Still something that I'd *hate* to see in F1...... That kind of thing is tantamount to race fixing IMO. As I've said before, I kind of get it in endurance racing, and I guess the BTCC provides some good close door banging action, but it's simply not what F1 is all about.

Cheers,
Ian

 

Yes Ian 3 races and a good few other type of races in between, actually a great day out and great value for money for fans IMO, < something F1 good learn from.

But yes not F1 type racing because nudging and banging is tolerated to a point.

 

How about extra points for REAL courses?
A win at Spa might be worth more points.

Or if they want to be honest, tie points to TV ratings.

 

Wrong, the other way around:

The more boring and irrelevant a race or track is the more points you can get.

They have to compensate somewhere.

 

If that makes sense the sport's in deeper trouble than I thought.

 

I know that's probably how Bernie sees it and what led to the double points for the last race.

I still think sprinklers are the best way to spice up some boring races.

 

Allowing the teams to make innovative cars might be a better solution.

 

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