Discussion
moffspeed said:
Meanwhile these 3 ladies won the GTE class of the ELMS from pole at Portimao yesterday- they were mighty impressive all weekend….
And they've managed to fund their season of racing activities without going bust - perhaps W Series' organisers/idiots at the helm should have taken a leaf out of the Iron Dames' way of doing things.Not only did they win, they have been just as good in the WEC rounds, and will be there next year aswell as t Le Mans.
There is a talent pool there, several ladies have driven that car over the years, but the girls in there now have not only proved equal to any male team, but also able to get on terms with the pro drivers that drive in WEC GtAm too. So god are they that Sarah Bovy now has to leave the team as her speed has showed that she goes up a rank in the ranking system. Hopefully she finds a place in a team too on her own merit, the Dames job has been done for her.
This is where W series funding should be going, at programs such as this, and the N24 team in Germany where every team member is female, that is a fabulous advertisement, and that team is also progressing well and hopefully one day might run a full GT3 effort.
There is a talent pool there, several ladies have driven that car over the years, but the girls in there now have not only proved equal to any male team, but also able to get on terms with the pro drivers that drive in WEC GtAm too. So god are they that Sarah Bovy now has to leave the team as her speed has showed that she goes up a rank in the ranking system. Hopefully she finds a place in a team too on her own merit, the Dames job has been done for her.
This is where W series funding should be going, at programs such as this, and the N24 team in Germany where every team member is female, that is a fabulous advertisement, and that team is also progressing well and hopefully one day might run a full GT3 effort.
LukeBrown66 said:
Brilliant, so this idea has failed, let's come up with another one!!
Ah, but this one will have all the might and power of full-blown FIA / F1 support behind it.............possibly...........probably not, really.If...IF...they allow it to be a proper feeder series, then it might make a difference. If not, well, you're probably right - it will just be name change and same result.
Chunkychucky said:
And they've managed to fund their season of racing activities without going bust - perhaps W Series' organisers/idiots at the helm should have taken a leaf out of the Iron Dames' way of doing things.
But where would that have got them? How many people have even heard of the series or these women, or can name any of them? Search online and you will struggle to find any report about their win, other than the post on here.All you will find is that Louis Deletraz and Ferdinand Habsburg won at Portimao and won the ELMS 2022 title. So another couple of men win another race and another race series. To the outside world and the cause of women, how does that help?
LucyP said:
Chunkychucky said:
And they've managed to fund their season of racing activities without going bust - perhaps W Series' organisers/idiots at the helm should have taken a leaf out of the Iron Dames' way of doing things.
But where would that have got them? How many people have even heard of the series or these women, or can name any of them? Search online and you will struggle to find any report about their win, other than the post on here.All you will find is that Louis Deletraz and Ferdinand Habsburg won at Portimao and won the ELMS 2022 title. So another couple of men win another race and another race series. To the outside world and the cause of women, how does that help?
LucyP said:
But where would that have got them? How many people have even heard of the series or these women, or can name any of them?
That is true, and is a sad reflection of the fact that for the public - and even many people who profess an interest in racing - since F1 became a TV soap opera for the masses the terms 'motor sport' and 'F1 ' are synonymous . Despite the fact that the sport is a very broad church there is disinterest bordering on disdain for anything which doesn't involve Formula One . Their loss. it is also a fact that the vast majority of major series that people could find interesting hide their sport behind paywalls, so that even in passing people who might be interested might catch some coverage.
That is nothing to do with fans and everything to do with greed. IN reality the only stuff not hidden that way is perceived as "green" like FE and the offroad stuff they push too. As it fits in with major tv company values!
That is nothing to do with fans and everything to do with greed. IN reality the only stuff not hidden that way is perceived as "green" like FE and the offroad stuff they push too. As it fits in with major tv company values!
The problem with motorsport is its plethora of categories and simply cannot sustain the level of interest to compete with, say, football in the mainstream media and sports journalism in print media generally centres around the pinnacle: English Premier League for English football, Premiership Rugby, Tour de France; interationals in rugby, football, cricket.
Series/championships that tried to breakthrough involved a lot of hype: A1GP, FE, W Series.
Series/championships that tried to breakthrough involved a lot of hype: A1GP, FE, W Series.
I have to admit there are very few big series I would attend live these days, circuit hosting fees and tv rights make tracks have to put up prices to a point where for me they are no longer viable. I have a stern outlook on being ripped off as some of you will know, and I simply cannot justify the cost of big meetings these days except on very odd occasions.
Most of the time it doesn't matter there is more than enough coverage of them, you get a better view, do not have to deal with crowds and people who just want to be there, so for most of the time it is the route preferred. I have done my watching at big events and was lucky to be able to do it when it was cheaper, tracks and cars were better and fans were treated like people instead of money printers.
Most of the time it doesn't matter there is more than enough coverage of them, you get a better view, do not have to deal with crowds and people who just want to be there, so for most of the time it is the route preferred. I have done my watching at big events and was lucky to be able to do it when it was cheaper, tracks and cars were better and fans were treated like people instead of money printers.
Castellet said:
Good to see the series mentioned in Parliament. Yes, they over-stretched themselves this year, need to learn to stick to their budget for 2023. Did we ever find out what was the actual problem, did a sponsor not come up with the money? The minister is right, that it’s not going to be getting public money with everything else that’s going on in the world at the moment, but there’s plenty of rich people around motorsport who can put their hand in their pocket to keep WS running.
F1 is setting up it's own 'F1 Academy' female driver series based around F4 cars, so a step below the sort of F3 W Series cars, with more track time and more races. https://the-race.com/formula-1/f1s-new-all-female-...
Gassing Station | General Motorsport | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff