Interview with Keith Bartlett

[ScoobySuZe]

Just finished reading the interview with Keith which has been posted on Eurodragster...

I realise not everyone will share my (everso humble) opinion... but I thought it made very interesting (and positive) reading!!!

http://eurodragster.com/news/keith_bartlett_septem...

Edited by ScoobySuZe on Monday 22 September 13:02

[Tet]

For me, the most interesting thing there is the possibility of the Thunderball becoming an FIA round for Top Fuel. Why so interesting? Well, not least because the FIA rules prohibit more than two rounds in a single country each year. So either the FIA rules will be changed, or one of the other two UK rounds will lose its FIA status, for Top Fuel at least. If it's the latter, I'm intrigued if this could be due to one of the other tracks (France? Italy?) that KB has previously mentioned reaching the point of being able to hold an FIA round, and maybe clashing with the Main Event or European Finals.

[veryoldfart]

KB says ticket prices may go down, i think thats a brave act but given th ecredit crunch quite a clever move, should help bring in the punters.

well done sir!

[PythonLeeJackson]

Tet said:

For me, the most interesting thing there is the possibility of the Thunderball becoming an FIA round for Top Fuel. Why so interesting? Well, not least because the FIA rules prohibit more than two rounds in a single country each year. So either the FIA rules will be changed, or one of the other two UK rounds will lose its FIA status, for Top Fuel at least. If it's the latter, I'm intrigued if this could be due to one of the other tracks (France? Italy?) that KB has previously mentioned reaching the point of being able to hold an FIA round, and maybe clashing with the Main Event or European Finals.

Nice idea Tet, but I don't think this is the reason. When interviewed on the PA I thought KB said Italy had only reached the planning stage.

[WJM]

I do know that several of the Pro racers feel that there are not enough rounds in the championship given the costs involved in running the cars. With the return of Hockenheim it makes 5 now but I think that say 8 rounds would give more credibility but I don't know how many suitable strips there are in Europe. If we end up with 3 Top Fuel rounds in the UK surely 1 of them would be on a weekend without rain !

[veryoldfart]

WJM said:

If we end up with 3 Top Fuel rounds in the UK surely 1 of them would be on a weekend without rain !

i wouldnt bet on it....

[Bikermoore]

Whats stopping, say, Mantorp having 2 rounds or even the other tracks. Surely if Santa Pod are allowed 2 then why not the others - It would increase the number of rounds, without the need for looking else where.

It might be a short term solution until more tracks are available.

[WJM]

I'm not sure but both Mantop and Hockenheim are circuits for most of the year where part is used as a drag strip on a few days a year unlike the Pod. There may for example be noise issues as most classes of circuit car are now silenced.

I'm a bit surprised that brand new or heavily revised circuits don't build a strip as part of the main straight like they did in Bahrain. Donnington for example is {if you believe the stories} going to be totally rebuilt for F1 and incorporate a long straight ending in the Melbourne harpin which looks long enough to hold a full quarter on. Particularly as Bernie seems to want to move F1 into the East where governments are prepared to subsidise him and even hold races at night to keep the European TV audiences {the only ones that pay}.

[veryoldfart]

WJM said:

I'm not sure but both Mantop and Hockenheim are circuits for most of the year where part is used as a drag strip on a few days a year unlike the Pod. There may for example be noise issues as most classes of circuit car are now silenced.

under the grass, mud, banking,etc at SPR lies enough old runways to build a circuit, brands, silverstone, etc, - all old airfields?

instead of encouraging circuits to take over drag racing, why not the other way round?

[Eurodragster.com]

WJM said:

I'm a bit surprised that brand new or heavily revised circuits don't build a strip as part of the main straight like they did in Bahrain.

The drag strip at Bahrain International Circuit is a dedicated strip and not part of the circuit. It is tucked in between a grandstand and the back straight of the circuit. Part of the circuit crosses the end of the shutdown area but that's the only connection.

Mantorp Park and Hockenheim are similar to one another in that the first part of the racing surface is dedicated drag strip but it then joins the circuit. The join is at 300 feet at Mantorp Park and in the second half at Hockenheim. They didn't hang about after this year's NitrolympX at Hockenheim; crews and vehicles were on the second half of the track removing the prep whilst Kirstie and I were working on the day's photo gallery.

[veryoldfart]

looks long enough....



and

[Jon C]

veryoldfart said:

under the grass, mud, banking,etc at SPR lies enough old runways to build a circuit, brands, silverstone, etc, - all old airfields?

Brands Hatch has never been an airfield. Military vehicle store during WW2, but it was never an airfield, military or otherwise.

[veryoldfart]

it was a military testing ground....whatever that means...

[Jon C]

veryoldfart said:

it was a military testing ground....whatever that means...

Certainly not an airfield. Apart from anything else, its not flat enough to land anything with fixed wings on (and thats what makes it such a superb racetrack). Unfortunatly no good for gods chosen motorsport though.

[DWphil]

veryoldfart said:

under the grass, mud, banking,etc at SPR lies enough old runways to build a circuit, brands, silverstone, etc, - all old airfields?

No theres not, the only bits of the 3 runways left are all visable.

[veryoldfart]

stick an oval round it with banking, upset rockingham

[Nitro Fan]

You can all forget Brands it would NEVER EVER be allowed to hold drag races even if there was a strip. They only have a very limited amount of "Loud" days each year now due to local resident power.

[wirralranger]

Nitro Fan said:

You can all forget Brands it would NEVER EVER be allowed to hold drag races even if there was a strip. They only have a very limited amount of "Loud" days each year now due to local resident power.

MY O MY WE SEAM TO NO IT ALL DONT WE.

[Glenn R]

Rockingham won't take a strip don't forget the quarter is the easy bit... but stopping?

[murty]

Glenn R said:

Rockingham won't take a strip don't forget the quarter is the easy bit... but stopping?

indeed there needs to be atl least 2/1 a mile of braking distance or now in amerca they want at least 3/4 of mile braking after the accsednt of troy pluss there is all the timing lights, track prep the list is endless relly to make a dragstrip i dont think the circits owners could realy offord or be arsed to build drag strips