Originally Posted by socram
To get back on track, what is the fix for tier 1 - or do we dump the name altogether and start again?
I'd suggest that any a top level meeting needs a mix, therefore, to restart the ball rolling my suggestion is a basic format:
1) A decent single seater grid - personally, I'd rather watch a grid of noisy F5000's than TRS, but I'll accept that the TRS is supposedly our top class. Decent also means numbers, so that could just as easily be Formula Fords or even a Formula Libre grid, as there must be so many fairly quick redundant single seaters around that should be out racing. Someone just needs to step up and encourage them to keep running.
2) A GT grid of some sort - which adds glamour and exotica. Or, maybe substitute for open race saloons such as the old OSCA/TRANSAM.
3) A large (production) saloons grid, whereby I'd rather see all the current V8 saloons lumped together to make one decent grid. Class racing has been going for 100 years. If it also needs a 2 or 3 litre class, to boost numbers so be it.
4) Just one, Utes grid (if you must) - sorry, more than one grid of utes is not going to attract the punters. It can be Ssang Yong at some rounds, Holden/Ford at others if it is has to be part of the current fabric of racing.
5) Probably one of the Muscle car grids - and it doesn't need to be a national series - different groups at different events is fine. The punters don't care, but you have to cut out a fair bit of the costs and that means minimal or no island hopping.
The balance at any meeting should then be left to the host club, but whatever happens, if you can't get a minimum of 150 cars, it just can't be a top level meeting.
I'm no great fan of modern one make/model racing and they haven't come up with the numbers to justify inclusion. Even the MSNZ dictate of 15 cars isn't enough. So no room for Toyota 86's, Suzuki Swifts or Minis or any other thinly disguised 'advertising budget spend'.
Any two day meeting can therefore have a different flavour according to the hosts. If they want to run the remainder of their grids for U2K Cup, Porsche. Alfa, Classics, Austin 7's or Porsches, relay races, endurance races, karts, Reliant Robins, it should be their choice, but the same bland, tiny grids are not now and never have been a spectator or sponsor draw card.
Over to the rest of you. Move forwards with a plan or a suggestion, as there is nothing to be gained from airing the dirty washing again.
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