As usual, Autosport dropped through my letter box this morning (no euphemisms here). What a complete roll of double-ply bathroom tissue this once great magazine has become. Next week, and from thereon, I'm afraid I'm going to have to set the dog on the knobbly waif that delivers it.
First of all F1. Even a man with a long and dedicated history of high frequency self abuse can see that F1 has been spiralling towards it's own rear end pretty well since Senna met his maker, and yet Autosport seems to reach new, uncharted levels of sycophancy every week. When one of the smug F1 inner sanctum members deigns to be interviewed, it's treated like an audience with the queen, the tricky questions aren't asked and political replies are allowed to be got away with.  Let's have some real journalism for chrissakes, to this reader it seems the Autosport staff are in F1's pockets. And does anyone find Bamber funny? he even manages to make his caricatures of Eccleston and Mosley flattering, again, a*se licking of the highest order. Let's see them try Chris Riddle, Steve Bell or Martin Rowson for a spell...
Closely linked with the kipper-like odour that hangs around their F1 reports (reminds me somewhat of how Motson's voice was used to make the Staring Championships in Big Train exciting) is the way that they have let sportscars and other series down. While fans have been switching off F1, and if they haven't, then the doctor in charge should switch them off, Autosport should have been championing these other series, where real racing is still going on, without the prima-donnas, ridiculous prices, lack of fan access, stupid security etc. It wouldn't be difficult to turn a disgruntled F1 fan into a 'blimey, did you see that!!' sportscar or GT fan.
Unfortunately, their LM report lived down to the rest of their standards. Let's have some imagination here lads, presumably you're paid a salary. LM is the biggest race involving British fans on the calendar, by a long chalk. Yet the track has been gradually emasculated year by year. We've had stupid chicanes, that ridiculous section before the esses (designed no doubt by the bastard cloned spawn of Salvador Dali and Billy Smart), unnecessary concrete walls etc etc. Now the fair, which was an integral part of the whole fixture has been pretty well castrated. Have Autosport made any attempt to give this an airing? My A*se. They should be trying to embarrass the ACO and start telling it like it is.
I could go on, but it's pill time, and then I'm off. This time tomorrow, with a bit of luck, I should be nearing the top of Scafell, ready for a Stella and hopefully not a copy of Autosport in sight...
H

Yep does seem to be wall to wall F1 drivel

Excellent rant BigH!!!

Just think how much worse you'd felt if you'd had to treck all the way down to the corner shop to pick the Mag up!!!

I can feel your blood boiling at the thought of it!  

The copy I purchased in early June came with two copies of the LM suppliment... It made the purchase a little easier in the value for money stakes... imagine my horror when I realised I'd already read the second copy just moment before! B*STARDS!!!

I hope for MRI's sake that you've never paid them for Hospitality!!

R.

I'm hoping that he has (although from BigH's previous posts he doesn't strike me as someone who would use them unless there was no alternative).

The more these agencies are exposed for the poor quality, high priced 'service' they provide the better.

Hi H,
I couldn't agree more about Autosport. I was going to post  something before regarding what a piece of tabloid, fluff, crap, birdcage liner it's become. I subscribed to it from 1979 till 1997 but I couldn't take what it had become anymore. Does someone actually get paid to write that crap? seriously, how many David vows to fight back, David says this is the year, headlines can they use? How about "David just shut up!" It used to be such a brilliant read but its just a waste of paper now. As a good friend of mine, who used to live and work in New York said "I used to read it on the train to & from Manhattan every day, now I would be embarassed to be seen reading it."

Freinds of mine who work in F1 call Autosport "The Comic" that I think sums it up.

All of this banter about the decline of Autosport got me thinking.
I've got boxes of old issues sitting in the attic, decided last night to go dig one out to compare to the current rag. just randomly pulled one out. Dated Sept 10, 1981 the cover headline: Lees is F2 Champ. (with photo of Geoff & his Ralt)  The smaller text, full report from Misano, Manx rally preview, Didier Pironi interview.
All dignified stuff, clearly written by adults, for adults.
Fax

I can be all smug here and say that I cancelled my sub to Autospurt back in 2001, and yes I wrote to them and told them why (not that they would give a hoot I'm sure).

Things came to a head when, for the first time in about 10 years, there hadn't been a clashing procession of overpaid whingers on the same weekend as Lemons.

Bentley on their return finished 3rd, so I was anticipating a huge splash on the front page, shouting out to the masses in the newsagents around the country about "our" great race.

But no!!! There was a picture of Montoya and Schumi (R.) who apparently had had a row about a cup of tea or something. That was it!!

Threw ALL my toys out of the pram, stamped my little feet and vowed never to buy the useless rag ever again, and I am proud to say that I haven't. Haymarket have an absolute monoply of the printed motorsport press in the UK and they take full advantage, and I totally agree that they are indeed the "Sun" of motorsport journalism (with apologies to my old school chum Gary Watkins, who does his utmost to keep sportscar coverage up to scratch, but I fear the editorial top drawer is filled with bean counters and F1 sycophants.

Bleedin' open-wheeled rubbish!!!

Right, now which cupboard did I get this soapbox out from...........

Cheers

Rick