interesting stuff !
i feel like an old fart, looking bad on better racing days, and not getting why it all goes downhill... i put some thought into it, and see some points that might contribute to it...
cars: there is no more engine capacity racing possible for new cars !
too much electronic and engineering options included in modern saloons of all sizes as to be able to let various brands and types let loose to race in any capacity class.
maybe this is the reason why manufacturers search theire base in one make championships, or high end classes as super1600 or wtcc or btcc.
those i feel have killed racing for a big part, as cars are only eligible for a max. of 5 years ( if the cchip suvives ). short lifespan and high part prices
make this choice pretty expensive !
also letting v.i.p.s loose after just a licens course does not help to make racing a established sport ! it makes people beliefe everybody can do it competitively just after a days training !
why i should i go and watch people do something ordinary ?
any why should i pay to provide a stage for the manufacturer and the vip to promote themselves ?
so, near no chance to grab a contemporary road car and go racing by just adding some safety kit and suspensions. so you NEED a second car to go and start racing.
that car might need to be classic or historic then, and not everybody is happy to restore a shell and get rid of rot on a 20 year old car before they buy the parts to go racing.
same basically appies for single seaters.
so appart from formula ford and maybe stock hatches, you will be forced into
a very limited used car market with sometimes ridicolous prices to get a racecar, if you want to get into it.
this might be ( together with ressesion ) a reason why you are unlikely to find a car dealer to help you in any way ! you race a single seater, or a out of date car ! no use for him to advertise, and no parts that just happen to get lost in stock...
so not just expensive safety gear to blame, you cannot use your everyday car to START racing ( very common a decade or more back still ).
events: seems all tracks feel the need to be on bernies level, and offer posh pitlanes and flat cerbs and tarmac runoffs...
the cost to provide that will add to my entry fee ! while often it does the opposite of spicing the driving up for me !
organizers - seems that everybody organizes racing series now !
years back that was the job of your asn, and what you paied your licens fee for ! they were paid to provide you with a playing field for a small number of class championships, that would cover about all cars from f1 to mini.
with the introduction of self organized one make series, that concept seems to be forgotten and lost.
now every fragment pays there own organizing team for a job they already should have paied for with the licens. and clubs no longer work for free aswell ! its no longer all clubs that hire circuits and sell racetime to competitors direct ( over the msa granted championship status ) - its commercial organizing companies !
so you now pay your msa, the track, your series organizer and the event organizer, and all want theire share !
you still wonder why entry fees get ever higher ?
all this whlie grids are falling, cause every championships hunting for a niche market to try and survive...
parts / tires: all the raised budgets as on above, and the fashion to be seen racing if you have too much money, rather than playing golf, you cannot blame the race part suppliers and tire people to not try and get theire share !
while surely some prices raised due to improved products, other seem to be raised to the point that it will still get paied, as in the overall picture its still peanuts ! you know... its easier to get away with stealing a million, if you deal in billions !
tires for example...
there is no longer a works organized championship for some of my cars.
i KNOW the organizers got money from the tire supplier, and 30% of each set went back in price funds ! there are no price funds any more now, but i still pay the same money for my tires... why ?
anyhow, we are all stupid !
apparently its possible to race on tires that last all season long, as its done in the us ! on control tires ! performance lasting ! and guess what ? they are a lot cheaper than any tire you could buy here aswell !
does it matter if you go a second slower if you safe a big chunk of your budget ?
so it seems as if ever fewer racers have the task of giving everyone who joined the party the same profit as many more racers did in the past !
if there is no cut made by the racers, and only moaned year after year, nothing will change !
all stop racing for a year, show people that your money is not for granted, and start from scratch ! nobody forces you to pay the prices asked !
also it seems very few peole are interested where theire money goes to !
how else could we be made paying two or more people for the same job ?
time keeping is just one point...
you pay the tool for the timekeepers ( transponder ), but theire services still went up in price according to some organizer justifying theire entry fees...
in my eyes racing as it used to be is dead !
the sad remains will ruin themselves if not a major point is made !
sadly it seems as you can only take on the people who take our money, if you can afford to throw some money in the ring to start from scratch !
but it could be done !