It's a real shame that the regs and championship have been based around the requirements of the two big players, only for one of them to decide at the eleventh hour that they won't be playing. I read the Mike Newton (RML) interview over on DSC yesterday. They are taking a break from a series that they have supported since it's inception in 2003 (they have only missed one LMS round in 8 years). He said smaller teams such as their own have no commercial interests in going to China, Japan and even to the US, therefore cannot justify the expense just to run behind the works teams and pick up a few scraps. The second tier ELMS is now also not an attractive option for them- mainly due to the circuits, he slates Donnington, Zolder and Portimao as not being suitable for various reasons.
There is always a real danger when a governing body aims to serve the big players. These big manufacturers are in the business of making money. Yes, I have no doubt that Dr Ulrich is just as passionate about racing as we are, but he is an employee. He has no say in wether a team runs or not. The problem is that the rulemaker, in a panic to appease the factory teams, fails to understand or cater for the smaller privateers, whom year in, year out continue to support a series, and as a concequence give the sport it's unique flavour and character. These teams have passion by the bucketload and will always find a reason to race no matter how hard it becomes to find the means to be there.
A classic example is the World Rally Championship. Twenty years ago is was in rude health. Then more focus was given to the factory teams and to attracting the media. Events got shorter, more expensive, harder to get an entry, and the privateers left in droves. The spectators soon followed, then the media (for whom this new way was tailored) lost interest, which meant the beancounters at the factories decided the publicity gained wasn't worth the financial outlay. We now have had a decade long two horse race on the WRC. It has, in short died a death.
I dearly hope that the FIA and the ACO are now, instead of running around in a mild state of panic, are looking long at hard at the core values of what still is a great sport with a bright future, and start ringing the likes of Mike Newton and our Henri, and for once, start listening to the guys who matter!
Si
