Quote:
Originally Posted by Rusty Nail
That is true, but if you read further on from there Crunch (who is VP of MSNZ) has said that the debate on there has led him to reassess his opinion, not just on the Honda engine but also the FF200 Ecoboost replacement which he previously favoured. It is great that we can engage with (some of) the higher levels of MSNZ and have them respond positively to input. A lot of respect to Crunch for that. The meat in that thread makes quite an interesting read.
As is stated, there are a lot more challenges facing NZFF than just which engine for the future. There needs to be a feeder North Island Series similar to the South Island Formula Ford Championship. The strength of FF in the South Island would appear to be the reason that the top four NZFF Championship place getters were from the south.
Most of those guys have clearly demonstrated that, contrary to popular misconception, FF can be run competitively and successfully on a relatively restricted budget.
What is stopping the North, where all the money and population is, from getting a similar feeder series up and running?
How to do it? And how to get the numerous cars/drivers out on the track? That is the primary burning issue.
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How to do it? Go back to what Formula Ford was when it started. If you were a young person with a decent job and you wanted to race you could cobble together the money, buy the car, maybe find a few people to chip in to help out and go racing. And you could race in some countries almost every weekend. Those that fared well in that sea of competitors, even without big family fortunes or multi million dollar sponsors, usually had a decent shot at moving up the ladder. I don't see that today. Check writing skills have seemed to almost totally wipe out merit and talent as being factors.
Especially overseas now in the UK for instance, that isn't the case and you need a 1980's sized F1 team to run a Formula Ford team. Way over the top and it's why the sport is dying from within and the age of competitors gets older. I've heard teams in Australia want over $200K to run a season in FF there. Obviously there are some higher travel costs which adds a bit, but running the same cars for a few years, I don't see how that adds up. No wonder that series has twisted in the wind for a few years.
To me if there is not any manufacturer support, there is no reason to tie that boat anchor around your leg. The Fit engine is just pure common sense, especially in a country like NZ.