Motorsport News & the Britcar 24hr!
Discussion
Graham said:
That'll be on a par with the absolute zero mention of it on the autosport website as well..
The uk press coverage is truly shocking...
why is it we cant celebrate anything we do in our own back yard !!!!
G
Strange no coverage on Autosport. Given the car that came second was sponsored by Autocar - all part of Haymarket!The uk press coverage is truly shocking...
why is it we cant celebrate anything we do in our own back yard !!!!
G
I agree that we should get coverage of the larger National races in MN, it is afterall centered on National Races.
I can confirm that there was the National Editor from Autosport (sorry exhaustion means i cannot recall his name) in the press room for the whole (or nearly whole) of the 24hr race, so would be shocked if there was nothing there. But Autosport is primarily an International release, so will cover the major international events and then cover the major national. Unfortunately BritCar isn't yet considered a major National series, and so will get the briefest of mentions, especially when BTCC and Goodwood are on the same weekend.
I can confirm that there was the National Editor from Autosport (sorry exhaustion means i cannot recall his name) in the press room for the whole (or nearly whole) of the 24hr race, so would be shocked if there was nothing there. But Autosport is primarily an International release, so will cover the major international events and then cover the major national. Unfortunately BritCar isn't yet considered a major National series, and so will get the briefest of mentions, especially when BTCC and Goodwood are on the same weekend.
David Addison, our commentator, was the MN correspondent at the meeting. I spent virtually the whole race with Kevin Turner of Autosport, and we exchanged our notes throughout, as did all the other journalists in the press room, working as a team, so that each magazine and website had every story. Sadly, the passion of individual journalists (and Kevin is passionate about the sport, and writing about it) is restrained by the commercial imperative of mainstream magazines , and they only get a so-many-word allowance for their report (I know - I had to condense a whole Britcar meeting, including the support race, into 350 words for MN last year).
Poor Kevin got it in the neck from a lot of people in the press room about Autosport's F1 bias, but it's not his fault, and we all know that.
My own report is running behind schedule due to day-job priorities. I hope that you can be patient.
Poor Kevin got it in the neck from a lot of people in the press room about Autosport's F1 bias, but it's not his fault, and we all know that.
My own report is running behind schedule due to day-job priorities. I hope that you can be patient.
E36GUY said:
Graham said:
That'll be on a par with the absolute zero mention of it on the autosport website as well..
The uk press coverage is truly shocking...
why is it we cant celebrate anything we do in our own back yard !!!!
G
Strange no coverage on Autosport. Given the car that came second was sponsored by Autocar - all part of Haymarket!The uk press coverage is truly shocking...
why is it we cant celebrate anything we do in our own back yard !!!!
G
You can bet your bottom dollar that next weeks issue will have 50% of its reporting devoted to the Singapore GP, followed by any American racing series (who cares about them!), with the any home racing packed into 3 or 4 pages after the adverts.
Steve Britcar said:
David Addison, our commentator, was the MN correspondent at the meeting. I spent virtually the whole race with Kevin Turner of Autosport, and we exchanged our notes throughout, as did all the other journalists in the press room, working as a team, so that each magazine and website had every story. Sadly, the passion of individual journalists (and Kevin is passionate about the sport, and writing about it) is restrained by the commercial imperative of mainstream magazines , and they only get a so-many-word allowance for their report (I know - I had to condense a whole Britcar meeting, including the support race, into 350 words for MN last year).
Poor Kevin got it in the neck from a lot of people in the press room about Autosport's F1 bias, but it's not his fault, and we all know that.
My own report is running behind schedule due to day-job priorities. I hope that you can be patient.
I hope car 45 gets a mention in some of your reports, Steve? Not one morsel on DSC even though we were running 7th overall at hour 2 in a class 3 car and was circulating in the dark as fast as the leaders Poor Kevin got it in the neck from a lot of people in the press room about Autosport's F1 bias, but it's not his fault, and we all know that.
My own report is running behind schedule due to day-job priorities. I hope that you can be patient.
I was chatting to a guy from Vauxhall last year and he said that Autosport have a 40% drop in sales when F1 isn't on the cover. Not sure if its true or not but there you go. I've a lot of time for Kevin, he is a genuinely nice guy and really lives and breaths motorsport, I'm sure if he had his way there would be 40 pages of national news, sadly he doesn't call the shots in that regard. I'm always thankful of any coverage.
What our national/grass roots motorsport needs is something like Short Circuit Magazine which the short oval boys have. They only trouble with it is that it's a subscription only, and not on the newsagent's shelves.
I stopped having MN and went to Autosport because I'd got hacked off with 20 pages of rallying, and 2 pages of national motorsport, most of which were six line reports so edited down that they made it look like the journo wasn't even there!
I am seriously thinking about binning my Autosnort subs, simply because F1 is falling off my radar more and more with the political FIA Bulls**t that has ruined it the last few years.
If they want an international audience, then I'd like to see reports comparable to F1 for NASCAR, ALMS, Brazillian TC2000, Aussie V8's, etc....
It's F1 bias is just toooooo much.
The Britcar 24hrs deserves at least a full page, if not two, so Steve's artistic works can be fully appreciated.
I found a 1990 edition of Autosnort, and thing that strikes you about the reports is the lack of 1/2page photographs, in fact the lack of photographs, the smaller text, and the more in-depth reports!
Results to 10th in many cases, and multi-class races - results to 6th in EACH class, together with fastest laps etc...
IMHO, it was a much better magazine then. Fewer sensational healines, and more "to the point" reports.
I stopped having MN and went to Autosport because I'd got hacked off with 20 pages of rallying, and 2 pages of national motorsport, most of which were six line reports so edited down that they made it look like the journo wasn't even there!
I am seriously thinking about binning my Autosnort subs, simply because F1 is falling off my radar more and more with the political FIA Bulls**t that has ruined it the last few years.
If they want an international audience, then I'd like to see reports comparable to F1 for NASCAR, ALMS, Brazillian TC2000, Aussie V8's, etc....
It's F1 bias is just toooooo much.
The Britcar 24hrs deserves at least a full page, if not two, so Steve's artistic works can be fully appreciated.
I found a 1990 edition of Autosnort, and thing that strikes you about the reports is the lack of 1/2page photographs, in fact the lack of photographs, the smaller text, and the more in-depth reports!
Results to 10th in many cases, and multi-class races - results to 6th in EACH class, together with fastest laps etc...
IMHO, it was a much better magazine then. Fewer sensational healines, and more "to the point" reports.
It is to me the single most disapionting thing about being involved in Britcar full stop that the lower classes, i.e. not top 3 overall or sexy big budget cars simply get ignored. On the podium infront of the croud there was no mention of the efforts of the class winners, the people who had slogged their guts out to achieve a result.
I was also very dismayed to read that we apparently had a faultless run to 6th overall. If we had had a faultless run as in 2007 we would have been on the same lap as the Paragon Porsche at the end and possibly even a lap up, the fact is we did'nt have a faultless run, far from it!!!
Small reports are fine, inaccurate ones are simply fustrating. At least Kevin at Autosport phoned to get his facts right even he doesnt print anything about them!
I was also very dismayed to read that we apparently had a faultless run to 6th overall. If we had had a faultless run as in 2007 we would have been on the same lap as the Paragon Porsche at the end and possibly even a lap up, the fact is we did'nt have a faultless run, far from it!!!
Small reports are fine, inaccurate ones are simply fustrating. At least Kevin at Autosport phoned to get his facts right even he doesnt print anything about them!
phatgixer said:
Steve Britcar said:
David Addison, our commentator, was the MN correspondent at the meeting. I spent virtually the whole race with Kevin Turner of Autosport, and we exchanged our notes throughout, as did all the other journalists in the press room, working as a team, so that each magazine and website had every story. Sadly, the passion of individual journalists (and Kevin is passionate about the sport, and writing about it) is restrained by the commercial imperative of mainstream magazines , and they only get a so-many-word allowance for their report (I know - I had to condense a whole Britcar meeting, including the support race, into 350 words for MN last year).
Poor Kevin got it in the neck from a lot of people in the press room about Autosport's F1 bias, but it's not his fault, and we all know that.
My own report is running behind schedule due to day-job priorities. I hope that you can be patient.
I hope car 45 gets a mention in some of your reports, Steve? Not one morsel on DSC even though we were running 7th overall at hour 2 in a class 3 car and was circulating in the dark as fast as the leaders Poor Kevin got it in the neck from a lot of people in the press room about Autosport's F1 bias, but it's not his fault, and we all know that.
My own report is running behind schedule due to day-job priorities. I hope that you can be patient.
Drop me a line through dsc and we'll see what can be done!
It is frustrating when the lower classes dont get a mention, we have all experienced it at sometime!
It is also the same with the TV coverage, only interested in the top running exotic cars and not a Honda Civic or similar.
We have to accept that the fare paying public who read Autosport and watch Sky TV are more interested in F1, BTCC etc than they are in Britcar or similar National Series.
I also know Kevin and know of his passion for Motorsport, but the commercial aspects of Autosport will always dictate what is written about.
As for the TV coverage, read Henry Firman's posts about this! Gone are the days when the TV crews used to call at every Garage and talk with everyone! You may have an hour on TV rather than 350 words in Autosport!
Who gives the brief to the TV crews?
It is also the same with the TV coverage, only interested in the top running exotic cars and not a Honda Civic or similar.
We have to accept that the fare paying public who read Autosport and watch Sky TV are more interested in F1, BTCC etc than they are in Britcar or similar National Series.
I also know Kevin and know of his passion for Motorsport, but the commercial aspects of Autosport will always dictate what is written about.
As for the TV coverage, read Henry Firman's posts about this! Gone are the days when the TV crews used to call at every Garage and talk with everyone! You may have an hour on TV rather than 350 words in Autosport!
Who gives the brief to the TV crews?
Simon Mason said:
It is to me the single most disapionting thing about being involved in Britcar full stop that the lower classes, i.e. not top 3 overall or sexy big budget cars simply get ignored. On the podium infront of the croud there was no mention of the efforts of the class winners, the people who had slogged their guts out to achieve a result.
That's not good. I'd hoped that without the worship at the altar of Red Bull that would have stopped. Not to mention class winners on the podium is daft. It's done at every other 24 hour race.I recall at Spa that our chap was pretty annoyed to have had a podium finish in invitation class but no trophy. He hasn't come back to BritCar.
The little things make a big difference.
We recognise the prob with the regs, for next year that is changing.
Invitation classes will get a cup, for top 3 in class, but no points.
Simon always has a different twist, but I am putting next year all the class winners on the podium together, so all the classes are recognised at the same time.
The MSA will not allow changes in the middle of a season.
Invitation classes will get a cup, for top 3 in class, but no points.
Simon always has a different twist, but I am putting next year all the class winners on the podium together, so all the classes are recognised at the same time.
The MSA will not allow changes in the middle of a season.
Edited by james tucker on Thursday 25th September 10:06
You could start another thread on National coverage in Autosport, in SportMaxx you'd be amazed to even know there was a class B even in the race. As regards Britcar, this was our first run in the event and I've no doubt we'll barely get a look in on the TV as we were down the field, I live in hope of course. The real thing that grated me was the end of the race, the podium guys all got ushered off of course but the rest of us got parked in parc ferme with nothing. I dont know about the other competitors but to finish the 24hr was a real achievement and the final outcome was to be left in the car park whilst everyone else was given a three line whip to cheer the winners, I remember feeling a bit depressed to walk back to our garage to find no-one even there, we had a bottle of fizzy to open but in the end didn't bother, such was the damp ending to it all. I'd have thought we could have at least got the chance to drive the car back to our garage where the team and supporters could cheer its finish?
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