Not enough motor racing or people don't care?
Discussion
I think it's more nuanced . Racing and speed hillclimbs have always largely been the preserve of 30- 40 something blokes but go drag racing , Time Attack , or Autograss and there's a lot of younger people. As a sixty ...err.. something I was two or three times the average age of most spectators at Time Attack, and doing RWYB in my Seven .got me some second glances from der yoof .
coppice said:
I think it's more nuanced . Racing and speed hillclimbs have always largely been the preserve of 30- 40 something blokes but go drag racing , Time Attack , or Autograss and there's a lot of younger people. As a sixty ...err.. something I was two or three times the average age of most spectators at Time Attack, and doing RWYB in my Seven .got me some second glances from der yoof .
I've noticed at truck racing, whilst not for the purist the crowds are a) Massive
b) Very family orientated.
The support races are also usually very entertaining (Legends and pickups are usual fare) add in a grid walk and drivers signing makes it easier to keep a diverse family happy.
It's always been somewhat niche, and I'd say increasingly over the last 20 years.
That said, loads love it. Every time I've been to see live racing its packed. Castle Combe always brings in a big crowd at every meeting, and the car shows always have a massive turn out.
Cant remember ever seeing motorsport on the TV in a public place, apart from the F1 in a sports bar if there is no football or anything on.
That said, loads love it. Every time I've been to see live racing its packed. Castle Combe always brings in a big crowd at every meeting, and the car shows always have a massive turn out.
Cant remember ever seeing motorsport on the TV in a public place, apart from the F1 in a sports bar if there is no football or anything on.
There are all sorts of reasons why motorsport is falling off a cliff amongst youth. Engagement, lack of interest, basic lack of car interest and certainly more about looking good, that is ALL cultural and in cities the mixed culture most kids now grow in moves emphasis mainly away from driving fast on a track towards looking good, power, drifting, style, not motorsport. It was going this way in the 90's if people bothered to look. MaX Power etc.
In families it is often expense and lack of facilities, it can be very pricey to go to a race meeting and at least at a zoo, park, theme park, kids will be fairly interested and engaged, not really the case at a race track where there is little if any effort to appease them, if they are not that keen on cars.
Interestingly at short oval stuff the bigger crowds in seaside venues are mid week, when they do stunt shows, bangers, caravans etc, and the actual real racing is a sideshow or often much lesser formula's. This makes more money obviously and with kids you get more income from food, drink etc and even other stuff like clothing air horns etc etc.
Race tracks do not do enough to push this stuff.
It's no shock Santa Pod is often buzzing, there is a fairground there all the time, loads of stuff to do, loads of places to eat, pits are accessible for EVERY meeting.
Go to Brands or Silverstone and you can't get to the real pits only the support stuff, at a lot of bigger meetings you can't get anywhere, yet what's more dangerous, a nitro methane burning top fuel car or a poxy 250 grand historic driven badly by a rich entrepreneur who has paid 32 grand to enter.
There exists immense snobbery in motorsport even at club level, this is why as a fan I rarely attend circuits and invariably do club stuff at other sorts of venues.
So the fault does not just lay with the public tracks, promoters, organisers, PR people all have to do their bit too and make it affordable. Speculate to accumulate, not just hike it to make a cheap buck as most do.
In families it is often expense and lack of facilities, it can be very pricey to go to a race meeting and at least at a zoo, park, theme park, kids will be fairly interested and engaged, not really the case at a race track where there is little if any effort to appease them, if they are not that keen on cars.
Interestingly at short oval stuff the bigger crowds in seaside venues are mid week, when they do stunt shows, bangers, caravans etc, and the actual real racing is a sideshow or often much lesser formula's. This makes more money obviously and with kids you get more income from food, drink etc and even other stuff like clothing air horns etc etc.
Race tracks do not do enough to push this stuff.
It's no shock Santa Pod is often buzzing, there is a fairground there all the time, loads of stuff to do, loads of places to eat, pits are accessible for EVERY meeting.
Go to Brands or Silverstone and you can't get to the real pits only the support stuff, at a lot of bigger meetings you can't get anywhere, yet what's more dangerous, a nitro methane burning top fuel car or a poxy 250 grand historic driven badly by a rich entrepreneur who has paid 32 grand to enter.
There exists immense snobbery in motorsport even at club level, this is why as a fan I rarely attend circuits and invariably do club stuff at other sorts of venues.
So the fault does not just lay with the public tracks, promoters, organisers, PR people all have to do their bit too and make it affordable. Speculate to accumulate, not just hike it to make a cheap buck as most do.
LukeBrown66 said:
Go to Brands or Silverstone and you can't get to the real pits only the support stuff, at a lot of bigger meetings you can't get anywhere, yet what's more dangerous, a nitro methane burning top fuel car or a poxy 250 grand historic driven badly by a rich entrepreneur who has paid 32 grand to enter.
.
Other than the very top end stuff (F1, WEC, Motogp) that is not true, the paddocks and pretty much the whole venue are open for walking around. The only other exception I can think of is maybe Brands for BTCC because of how small the paddock actually is (it is also busy with traffic getting to assembly area), but even then you have the pit walks where the drivers etc are out..
The MSV tracks do a pretty good job at having kids playgrounds, fairs etc
I do wonder how much time some posters have actually spent at race circuits - away from most big meetings like BTCC (which I tend to avoid ) and F3 /GT it's open house usually , and there's no 'support race' - just a full day of racing from different classes . If you go to a CSCC meeting you'll be welcome wherever you wander (within reason ) and you'll see more types of cars than just about anywhere else .
That said , Silverstone at any meeting short of the GP or Classic is a big , windy and often near empty space and the F1 mandated run off areas often put the spectator in a different post code to the track. But Cadwell, , Oulton, Brands , Mallory , Anglesey (etc ) offer close up viewing , access nearly all areas and , in many cases , lovely scenery too.
That said , Silverstone at any meeting short of the GP or Classic is a big , windy and often near empty space and the F1 mandated run off areas often put the spectator in a different post code to the track. But Cadwell, , Oulton, Brands , Mallory , Anglesey (etc ) offer close up viewing , access nearly all areas and , in many cases , lovely scenery too.
coppice said:
If you go to a CSCC meeting you'll be welcome wherever you wander (within reason ) and you'll see more types of cars than just about anywhere else.
CSCC meetings are genuine club motorsport which is exceptionally well organised. Races often run ahead of schedule which was unheard of in the bad old days.LukeBrown66 said:
There are all sorts of reasons why motorsport is falling off a cliff amongst youth. Engagement, lack of interest, basic lack of car interest and certainly more about looking good, that is ALL cultural and in cities the mixed culture most kids now grow in moves emphasis mainly away from driving fast on a track towards looking good, power, drifting, style, not motorsport. It was going this way in the 90's if people bothered to look. MaX Power etc.
In families it is often expense and lack of facilities, it can be very pricey to go to a race meeting and at least at a zoo, park, theme park, kids will be fairly interested and engaged, not really the case at a race track where there is little if any effort to appease them, if they are not that keen on cars.
Interestingly at short oval stuff the bigger crowds in seaside venues are mid week, when they do stunt shows, bangers, caravans etc, and the actual real racing is a sideshow or often much lesser formula's. This makes more money obviously and with kids you get more income from food, drink etc and even other stuff like clothing air horns etc etc.
Race tracks do not do enough to push this stuff.
It's no shock Santa Pod is often buzzing, there is a fairground there all the time, loads of stuff to do, loads of places to eat, pits are accessible for EVERY meeting.
Go to Brands or Silverstone and you can't get to the real pits only the support stuff, at a lot of bigger meetings you can't get anywhere, yet what's more dangerous, a nitro methane burning top fuel car or a poxy 250 grand historic driven badly by a rich entrepreneur who has paid 32 grand to enter.
There exists immense snobbery in motorsport even at club level, this is why as a fan I rarely attend circuits and invariably do club stuff at other sorts of venues.
So the fault does not just lay with the public tracks, promoters, organisers, PR people all have to do their bit too and make it affordable. Speculate to accumulate, not just hike it to make a cheap buck as most do.
Agree with most of this but there are a few exceptions, Convoy in the Park (Trucks) and Silverstone Classic are both great family days out. They take a lot of investment and organisation though and one bad weekend of weather (yet alone a pandemic) and promoters are £'000s in a hole. In families it is often expense and lack of facilities, it can be very pricey to go to a race meeting and at least at a zoo, park, theme park, kids will be fairly interested and engaged, not really the case at a race track where there is little if any effort to appease them, if they are not that keen on cars.
Interestingly at short oval stuff the bigger crowds in seaside venues are mid week, when they do stunt shows, bangers, caravans etc, and the actual real racing is a sideshow or often much lesser formula's. This makes more money obviously and with kids you get more income from food, drink etc and even other stuff like clothing air horns etc etc.
Race tracks do not do enough to push this stuff.
It's no shock Santa Pod is often buzzing, there is a fairground there all the time, loads of stuff to do, loads of places to eat, pits are accessible for EVERY meeting.
Go to Brands or Silverstone and you can't get to the real pits only the support stuff, at a lot of bigger meetings you can't get anywhere, yet what's more dangerous, a nitro methane burning top fuel car or a poxy 250 grand historic driven badly by a rich entrepreneur who has paid 32 grand to enter.
There exists immense snobbery in motorsport even at club level, this is why as a fan I rarely attend circuits and invariably do club stuff at other sorts of venues.
So the fault does not just lay with the public tracks, promoters, organisers, PR people all have to do their bit too and make it affordable. Speculate to accumulate, not just hike it to make a cheap buck as most do.
Let's compare like for like as was my point.
Biggest drag race meeting in the country, easily compared crowd wise to BSB or BTCC. probably bigger and with a wider range of countries attending fans and drivers. Access to everywhere, nowhere is off limits apart from obvious places. Same as biggest short oval meetings.
Last time I went to Brands or Silverstone or Cadwell for BSB the pits were not able to be accessed, the teams were hidden in boxes with lorries trying as hard as they could to stop you getting anywhere near anything, huge screens everywhere so you can't see.
Not in every case but the majority. Never been to BTCC, appeals to me about as much as F1 so not likely to either but I imagine the same, albeit with fan friendly drivers and areas to catch them.
Brands you need a pass to get across, Silverstone you have to walk about 4 miles back and forth depending on track layout, MotoGP and F1 forget it, you are not allowed anywhere near anything, you have paid your 200 quid to sit on rubble thanks and goodbye. WEC you can get to garages, but that's about it.
I found the same at MXGP where paddock access was deemed to be an extra charge of 15 quid after the 40 paid to get in!!
My point being that some so called big motorsport is far too big for its boots, it tries to be something it is not and most of it is snobbery and greed.
Obviously at club meetings this is not the case, but I was not comparing with club meetings
Biggest drag race meeting in the country, easily compared crowd wise to BSB or BTCC. probably bigger and with a wider range of countries attending fans and drivers. Access to everywhere, nowhere is off limits apart from obvious places. Same as biggest short oval meetings.
Last time I went to Brands or Silverstone or Cadwell for BSB the pits were not able to be accessed, the teams were hidden in boxes with lorries trying as hard as they could to stop you getting anywhere near anything, huge screens everywhere so you can't see.
Not in every case but the majority. Never been to BTCC, appeals to me about as much as F1 so not likely to either but I imagine the same, albeit with fan friendly drivers and areas to catch them.
Brands you need a pass to get across, Silverstone you have to walk about 4 miles back and forth depending on track layout, MotoGP and F1 forget it, you are not allowed anywhere near anything, you have paid your 200 quid to sit on rubble thanks and goodbye. WEC you can get to garages, but that's about it.
I found the same at MXGP where paddock access was deemed to be an extra charge of 15 quid after the 40 paid to get in!!
My point being that some so called big motorsport is far too big for its boots, it tries to be something it is not and most of it is snobbery and greed.
Obviously at club meetings this is not the case, but I was not comparing with club meetings
I think an issue here at bigger circuit events is, sadly, to look at your fellow spectator’s behaviour.
At a small clubby meeting, there will be 2-3,000 enthusiasts who wander around, usually knowledgeable about what they are looking at, and know to make way for officialdom, mechanics, cars, recovery crews etc... All are there to do a job (usually unpaid) to make it a pleasant day out. The people who go to these events may well be on their own or with a friend or 2 in the same boat. They just LOVE motorsport. They are the ones stood at Druids in the driving rain in October. As in another thread, they wouldn’t dream of nicking anything either.
The media who cover these events are friendly sorts who write/photograph for Autosport/Motoring News, and almost to a man/woman they know what to say and ask, where they can stand and how to behave. Jeff Bloxham being an excellent example.
Take DTM at Brands …
It’s not quite the same sort of crowd. It’s the people who watch it on the telly at home, and if they go, they think they will have the same access as the TV crews do. If the family go, its cost £150+ and they want their money’s worth.
They wander around the outer paddock not knowing that cars have to get to the inner assembly bay, and some teams maybe a bit last-minute-ish (fixing damage say) and need to get to the assembly bay quick sticks. I do eligibility, so I sometimes have to wander around the paddock and inspect stuff. At a big event I’ve had competitors get that fed up with their own hangers on, never mind the public, they have asked if we can do the inspection in the scrutineering bay.
Watching Mika Hakkinen cope with the crowds and especially the media at Brands when he was racing in the DTM was a real eye opener for me. I think most reading this would have been tempted to punch someone’s lights out given the same experience. The behaviour of one Sky TV camera crew was shocking.
Now instead of 3,000 wandering round, there are now 30,000 wandering around. As above that’s a massive increase in light fingered individuals, and most teams have laptops galore and tool chests stuffed to the brim with Snap-On, Beta, Facom etc.…
Never mind that the garages/paddock can be dangerous places with fuel being poured, hot engines, brakes , air lines, power cables, mechanics bashing out rear corners, even welding and BBQs. Lots of potential for injuries.
At a small clubby meeting, there will be 2-3,000 enthusiasts who wander around, usually knowledgeable about what they are looking at, and know to make way for officialdom, mechanics, cars, recovery crews etc... All are there to do a job (usually unpaid) to make it a pleasant day out. The people who go to these events may well be on their own or with a friend or 2 in the same boat. They just LOVE motorsport. They are the ones stood at Druids in the driving rain in October. As in another thread, they wouldn’t dream of nicking anything either.
The media who cover these events are friendly sorts who write/photograph for Autosport/Motoring News, and almost to a man/woman they know what to say and ask, where they can stand and how to behave. Jeff Bloxham being an excellent example.
Take DTM at Brands …
It’s not quite the same sort of crowd. It’s the people who watch it on the telly at home, and if they go, they think they will have the same access as the TV crews do. If the family go, its cost £150+ and they want their money’s worth.
They wander around the outer paddock not knowing that cars have to get to the inner assembly bay, and some teams maybe a bit last-minute-ish (fixing damage say) and need to get to the assembly bay quick sticks. I do eligibility, so I sometimes have to wander around the paddock and inspect stuff. At a big event I’ve had competitors get that fed up with their own hangers on, never mind the public, they have asked if we can do the inspection in the scrutineering bay.
Watching Mika Hakkinen cope with the crowds and especially the media at Brands when he was racing in the DTM was a real eye opener for me. I think most reading this would have been tempted to punch someone’s lights out given the same experience. The behaviour of one Sky TV camera crew was shocking.
Now instead of 3,000 wandering round, there are now 30,000 wandering around. As above that’s a massive increase in light fingered individuals, and most teams have laptops galore and tool chests stuffed to the brim with Snap-On, Beta, Facom etc.…
Never mind that the garages/paddock can be dangerous places with fuel being poured, hot engines, brakes , air lines, power cables, mechanics bashing out rear corners, even welding and BBQs. Lots of potential for injuries.
bucksmanuk said:
I think an issue here at bigger circuit events is, sadly, to look at your fellow spectator’s behaviour.
At a small clubby meeting, there will be 2-3,000 enthusiasts who wander around, usually knowledgeable about what they are looking at, and know to make way for officialdom, mechanics, cars, recovery crews etc... All are there to do a job (usually unpaid) to make it a pleasant day out. The people who go to these events may well be on their own or with a friend or 2 in the same boat. They just LOVE motorsport. They are the ones stood at Druids in the driving rain in October. As in another thread, they wouldn’t dream of nicking anything either.
The media who cover these events are friendly sorts who write/photograph for Autosport/Motoring News, and almost to a man/woman they know what to say and ask, where they can stand and how to behave. Jeff Bloxham being an excellent example.
Take DTM at Brands …
It’s not quite the same sort of crowd. It’s the people who watch it on the telly at home, and if they go, they think they will have the same access as the TV crews do. If the family go, its cost £150+ and they want their money’s worth.
They wander around the outer paddock not knowing that cars have to get to the inner assembly bay, and some teams maybe a bit last-minute-ish (fixing damage say) and need to get to the assembly bay quick sticks. I do eligibility, so I sometimes have to wander around the paddock and inspect stuff. At a big event I’ve had competitors get that fed up with their own hangers on, never mind the public, they have asked if we can do the inspection in the scrutineering bay.
Watching Mika Hakkinen cope with the crowds and especially the media at Brands when he was racing in the DTM was a real eye opener for me. I think most reading this would have been tempted to punch someone’s lights out given the same experience. The behaviour of one Sky TV camera crew was shocking.
Now instead of 3,000 wandering round, there are now 30,000 wandering around. As above that’s a massive increase in light fingered individuals, and most teams have laptops galore and tool chests stuffed to the brim with Snap-On, Beta, Facom etc.…
Never mind that the garages/paddock can be dangerous places with fuel being poured, hot engines, brakes , air lines, power cables, mechanics bashing out rear corners, even welding and BBQs. Lots of potential for injuries.
Those are all very good points and I completely agree with you. However, the Silverstone Classic manages to maintain an open Paddock and the crowds are huge. The (on the whole) lack of famous drivers may be a point here though. I remember Rowan Atkinson drawing a bit of a huddle a few years back. At a small clubby meeting, there will be 2-3,000 enthusiasts who wander around, usually knowledgeable about what they are looking at, and know to make way for officialdom, mechanics, cars, recovery crews etc... All are there to do a job (usually unpaid) to make it a pleasant day out. The people who go to these events may well be on their own or with a friend or 2 in the same boat. They just LOVE motorsport. They are the ones stood at Druids in the driving rain in October. As in another thread, they wouldn’t dream of nicking anything either.
The media who cover these events are friendly sorts who write/photograph for Autosport/Motoring News, and almost to a man/woman they know what to say and ask, where they can stand and how to behave. Jeff Bloxham being an excellent example.
Take DTM at Brands …
It’s not quite the same sort of crowd. It’s the people who watch it on the telly at home, and if they go, they think they will have the same access as the TV crews do. If the family go, its cost £150+ and they want their money’s worth.
They wander around the outer paddock not knowing that cars have to get to the inner assembly bay, and some teams maybe a bit last-minute-ish (fixing damage say) and need to get to the assembly bay quick sticks. I do eligibility, so I sometimes have to wander around the paddock and inspect stuff. At a big event I’ve had competitors get that fed up with their own hangers on, never mind the public, they have asked if we can do the inspection in the scrutineering bay.
Watching Mika Hakkinen cope with the crowds and especially the media at Brands when he was racing in the DTM was a real eye opener for me. I think most reading this would have been tempted to punch someone’s lights out given the same experience. The behaviour of one Sky TV camera crew was shocking.
Now instead of 3,000 wandering round, there are now 30,000 wandering around. As above that’s a massive increase in light fingered individuals, and most teams have laptops galore and tool chests stuffed to the brim with Snap-On, Beta, Facom etc.…
Never mind that the garages/paddock can be dangerous places with fuel being poured, hot engines, brakes , air lines, power cables, mechanics bashing out rear corners, even welding and BBQs. Lots of potential for injuries.
Have to say the Classic was at its best before the big crowds became a thing and you weren't paying a jumped up price to bolster bands etc, But that's just me it is now trying to be a sort of council house Goodwood which I suppose it achieves,.
But the amount of times I went only to be disappointed seeing very pretty and superb cars driven very badly by very rich people with no talent put me off sadly, much like aspects of Goodwood especially the hillclimb.
I guess we take all sorts. but histrionics at the top level are invariably a let down for me.
But the amount of times I went only to be disappointed seeing very pretty and superb cars driven very badly by very rich people with no talent put me off sadly, much like aspects of Goodwood especially the hillclimb.
I guess we take all sorts. but histrionics at the top level are invariably a let down for me.
Watched coverage of the Monte Carlo Rally 2021 on the box tonight. Characterless drivers in anodyne cars with mundane action. Too boring to keep my attention for the whole programme.
I loved watching stage rallying in 1970s and 1980s - couldn't get enough especially the RAC. Modern events are a mere shadow of those glory days. What a shame it's all gone to pot
Here's some footage of 1976 RAC Rally which some older contributors may remember
I loved watching stage rallying in 1970s and 1980s - couldn't get enough especially the RAC. Modern events are a mere shadow of those glory days. What a shame it's all gone to pot
Here's some footage of 1976 RAC Rally which some older contributors may remember
n3il123 said:
Other than the very top end stuff (F1, WEC, Motogp) that is not true, the paddocks and pretty much the whole venue are open for walking around. The only other exception I can think of is maybe Brands for BTCC because of how small the paddock actually is (it is also busy with traffic getting to assembly area), but even then you have the pit walks where the drivers etc are out.
The MSV tracks do a pretty good job at having kids playgrounds, fairs etc
You can get into the Paddock for WEC pretty easily also. Even the paddock at Le Mans is accessible for the whole 24 hours. It's surprising how few people seem to bother while the race is on though.The MSV tracks do a pretty good job at having kids playgrounds, fairs etc
LukeBrown66 said:
Have to say the Classic was at its best before the big crowds became a thing and you weren't paying a jumped up price to bolster bands etc, But that's just me it is now trying to be a sort of council house Goodwood which I suppose it achieves,.
But the amount of times I went only to be disappointed seeing very pretty and superb cars driven very badly by very rich people with no talent put me off sadly, much like aspects of Goodwood especially the hillclimb.
I guess we take all sorts. but histrionics at the top level are invariably a let down for me.
That's a bit unfair- Silverstone is so huge that it is very easy to get away from the crowds and it's a bargain . I get two 3 day tickets, access all areas for about £100 - effectively half as much per day as BTCC . Of course not every driver is as fast as his or her car , but it is the cars I go to see and hear , not necessarily feats of derring do in priceless historics . But for very Mrs J Lyons there's a Jon Milocevic , a Gordon Shedden, a Rob Huff, Martin Stretton, Mike Jordan or a host of other very quick drivers . And come on , 1100 cars in the paddock, including so many I have never seen anywhere else - Ferrari 1512, M8 , Shadow Can Am , and god knows how many 'etceterinis' in Formula Junior . I just love it - even though Silverstone is , by far, the worst place in the country to watch racing . But the amount of times I went only to be disappointed seeing very pretty and superb cars driven very badly by very rich people with no talent put me off sadly, much like aspects of Goodwood especially the hillclimb.
I guess we take all sorts. but histrionics at the top level are invariably a let down for me.
LukeBrown66 said:
Have to say the Classic was at its best before the big crowds became a thing and you weren't paying a jumped up price to bolster bands etc, But that's just me it is now trying to be a sort of council house Goodwood which I suppose it achieves,.
But the amount of times I went only to be disappointed seeing very pretty and superb cars driven very badly by very rich people with no talent put me off sadly, much like aspects of Goodwood especially the hillclimb.
I guess we take all sorts. but histrionics at the top level are invariably a let down for me.
A fair bit of jealousy here I’m afraid, if you look at the lap times of the front runners, the “professional” historic drivers if you will, the historic F1 cars are flying, if someone getting an 80s F1 car around Silverstone GP in 1:52 is disappointing you need to reassess what is good driving. Likewise hustling a Lola T70 round in 2:08 is fast. We’d all buy one if we had the money and the majority of us would be nowhere near the cars capabilities.But the amount of times I went only to be disappointed seeing very pretty and superb cars driven very badly by very rich people with no talent put me off sadly, much like aspects of Goodwood especially the hillclimb.
I guess we take all sorts. but histrionics at the top level are invariably a let down for me.
I went to my first silverstone classic in 93, when it was the Coys event, yes paddock access was a bit better and crowds were smaller but as others have said, it wasn’t a family event. Infrastructure was minimal. The atmosphere is much better now and I can spend an entire day between Club and Farm, dipping into the wing pits if I want to.
I think labelling spectators as enthusiasts or not is a little patronising. I don’t feel the need to dress up as a Peaky Blinders extra to go to Goodwood (where I’d argue there are fewer enthusiasts than the silverstone classic), I go in jeans and enjoy the cars, and occasionally cringe at some of the comments i over hear. The FoS is a demonstration not a competitive event bar a handful of entrants btw.
pablo said:
... I don’t feel the need to dress up as a Peaky Blinders extra to go to Goodwood (where I’d argue there are fewer enthusiasts than the silverstone classic)...
The Revival is very much 'social scene' in a way that other motoring events are not. The FoS certainly has lots of enthusiasts but not just classic cars fans as it originally was, which is probably a good thing.My point is this, not that every driver in these sort of races is awful, that is not what I mean, but I have been to numerous meetings, seen a few cars on the entry and thought, wow that would be great to see and watched in horror as it is hobbled round, misfiring and everything as it is not being driven properly, I am not taking anything away form the top guys who are notably decent, but a far way away from a pro driver.
We all have our reasons for liking disliking these meetings, to me they are very dear for what they often are, and are aimed primarily at numerous types of fan, not just the family set or the enthusiast, so they appeal and dont in equal measure.
All I can say is that on the whole I have been disappointed by the majority of "big" historic meetings, (probably been to 15-20 so not hit and miss) and have found far more going on at the next rung down which is where I spend most time watching these days.
We all have our reasons for liking disliking these meetings, to me they are very dear for what they often are, and are aimed primarily at numerous types of fan, not just the family set or the enthusiast, so they appeal and dont in equal measure.
All I can say is that on the whole I have been disappointed by the majority of "big" historic meetings, (probably been to 15-20 so not hit and miss) and have found far more going on at the next rung down which is where I spend most time watching these days.
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