Formula Saloons Race Cancellation

[R59]

To all Formula Saloons fans out there.

The croft round has been canned.

Various reasons, but one important one. Not enough entries by the closing date.

Yes, I cancelled (knocking it from two entries to one), but a car's not a lot of good with the motor still bolted to the workshop engine stand.

Work, the curse of the racing classes.

Hoping to be out for Pembrey (It'd better be!)

Rob.

[Peter Mallett]

Any particular reason for the lack of entries?

[Micky.H]

What are the entries like for the other races?

[garry]

Peter, lack of entries seems to be a combination of finances, other commitments, dislike of timetable.
I invited local drivers with suitable cars to join us but we had no takers.
Oulton seems to be going the same way but we will not know until the end of next week. Again I have sent an invite to the locals to help the grid but we have had no response.
If we do not have 8 cars entered by the end of next week the race may be pulled.

[Peter Mallett]

I asked the question because it seems to me that calendars are dreadful this year and I thought that entries would be down.

[Redlake27]

Could the series be merged with BRSCC Euro Saloons?

[R59]

Can you merge a National A championship with a National B championship?

I don't think you can...?

Garry, you're in a better position to answer that.

Bernard Cotterel made comments published in MN this week, no doubt the same will be in Autosport tomorrow. Too many race meetings, not enough people to go around. And that's the top man of the BRSCC finally admitting the problem (of mostly their own making!).

Garry, I fully support your (and the BARC's) stand on the state of entries.

Where are all of the cars?

Rob.

[big andy]

there were 16 entrys last year at croft 24/25 may were have all the cars gone??

[graeme]

Can you run with Northern Sports & Saloons at Croft? On the "silver lining" side, the other series seem to have got a bit longer races because of this...

[johnw]

Graeme
Then it will not be long before you are required to pay for them

[Metroman]

It seems a shame that the Croft round is cancelled. I know that Steven Ferguson was intending to enter in the NSSCC Nissan Pulsar. Perhaps ex-BTCC cars are just too expensive to run at Club Race meetings.

[Hamness]

Trim down the number of series/championships, amalgate different series where appropriate, but, for God's sake, do it quick, cos even ardent fans like myself are getting tired of seeing thin grids. I have said it here before that 30 cars on a warm up lap generates more interest for those of us that are here in spectator land than half a dozen cars in a 20 minute race sponsored and/or run by somebody that the general public has not got a clue about.

[kmchow]

Originally posted by big andy
there were 16 entrys last year at croft 24/25 may were have all the cars gone??

There's always more intended entries than cars that actually show up. I don't think more than 11 ST cars started in '03? Yeah, it's so heartbreaking to see so many ST cars around, but so little racing!!

[topwelshman]

I agree, give the fans what they want and the rest will follow. Small grids are a shame but a result of too many championships with too many differing bodies.

[R59]

That's the big shame of it. The fans are hungry for the kind of car that Formula Saloons has to offer, it's just a shame that circumstances have come together to prevent those cars (including my own) from being out there wowwing the crowds.

I honestly feel that if FS had a major sponsor behind it, and was able to promote itself better, and offer prize money - cars would crawl out of the woodwork.

I shall return to cloud cuckoo land and continue dreaming.

Rob.

[kmchow]

Originally posted by Hamness
Trim down the number of series/championships, amalgate different series where appropriate, but, for God's sake, do it quick, cos even ardent fans like myself are getting tired of seeing thin grids.

Definitely, I thinkg there should be only 4 touring car series in the entire world!! This way, cars can be built/sold/raced anywhere!

production (really stock) - anything goes
S2000-ish rules for 4 doors
DTM for 4 doors
Grand Touring-coupes

[cybersdorf]

How many, if any, entrants has Britcar taken away from FSaloons?

[Rod Birley]

The Formula saloons race planned (and advertised in the motoring press this week)at Oulton Park this Saturday is not happening. The event which includes the foreign super tourers at Snetterton on July 3rd/4th is going ahead.

[Steve Wood]

Cybers, so far this year, only Andy Clarkin and Martyn Simms, who race seperately in Formula Saloons, and have done one race (Donington), sharing a Nissan Primera, and I don't think we took them away, so much as they had cars, and nowhere now to race them. Andy Allen, Steve Hirst, and Jim Pocklington have all raced in both, and we co-exist happily, in a triumvurate with the Kumho BMWs (Andy Allen has raced in all 3 series - in the same car).

I'm particularly saddened by the series failure, since it was well run with some interesting machinery. Maybe it's a sign of the times, or maybe Garry and Michael have been focusing on their Dutch campaign in the Mosler. As I've discovered recently, even being peripherally involved in running a top-level club series takes a lot of your time and energy.

[Snapper Baz]

Just read about the New series that BARC are planning for next year-surely with Britcar doing well this doesn't stand a chance...does it?

[greenamex2]

I think it is a shame, despite the fact that they never replicated the old 1600 class.

At least the cars are quick enough to be competitive elsewhere so the owners don't end up with £15-30K's worth of car rusting in a garage.

With a number of series relaxing their regulations (or completely ignoring them!) in order to get cars in I am sure we will see the cars out there.

Perhaps someone could co-ordinate the remaining drivers moving to a 'preferred series' rather than get distributed all over the place?

Racing69 - You going to drag the old Nova out and come and play with us this year?

[avro]

This is one of the reasons that we are now racing our Nissan's in the new BRSCC Euro Saloons, we have all sat back and asked the question, why has Formula Saloons not taken off this year but no one person has come up with a common answer, I for one think that there is life left for super tourers but you have to want to support the organisers by getting out there.

[Flying Printer]

It is a real shame there are so few cars out and that races are being cancelled. I was at the first race as Sliverstone, speaking to some of the drivers. The main thing that came across was the cost of the entry verse the lack of track time. If they race on the continent, apart from the additional traveling time,it is a lot better value. And you get to race at Spa and the Nurburing (sorry about the lousy spelling). I hope that some one sees sence and we can see these wonderfull cars in action. The true essence of what saloon car racing sould be.

[JohnMiller]

Same old story. If there are races and people don't enter then in the future there won't be any races to enter. Not much to complain about as it's a problem caused by loads of people promising to enter and then never doing so.

[garry]

I have been reading all posts with interest and I will try and explain the situation but it may be a long post.
We have 18 registrations which is about seven below our norm. The main reson for low turn outs seems to be economics, people are struggling to find the money for a full season so are picking and choosing their meetings. The 2 we have had cancelled have been the ones that are the furthest to travel for a majority of our drivers and have always been difficult to get good grids. We invited locals to join our races to make up numbers but there was not a good enough response. My brother and i where always going to miss these 2 meetings as we were racing our Mosler abroad so this did not help.
Out of the 12 drivers who raced with us last year who are not with us this year only 5 are racing else where, all the others are not racing at all. Out of those 5, are racing where their cars will be competetive and have a closer race than they would with us. 1 of them does not have a running car at the moment and would be racing with us when he is not abroad. The other 2 are in the Euro series in cars that are far to quick for that series, but that is where they want to race.

At the end of last year there was no indication of the problems we have been having and in fact we have 5 new drivers, so it is really the 7 that are doing nothing that has hurt us.
Britcar has not hurt us as they are catering really for different cars, Super Tourers are not suited for a season of endurance racing without spending a lot of money on engines. It is impossible to know how many of the other cars in Britcar would be with us if it was not around but I have a lot of respect for James and his team for what he has achieved. Drivers have been looking for something different and this fits the bill. I still do not think that it is as economic as they all make out but at least you can share a car.
I had the idea of the 4 Super Tourer meetings after it became clear that Formula saloons was in a bad way. As I said earlier drivers are finding it hard to do a full year but could manage 4 double header meetings that are spaced out. This would also mean that the engines could go 2 years before a rebuild, all this would extend the life of our cars.
All the drivers of Super Tourers agreed that the only way to keep a value in our cars was for ST's to race against other ST's. Yes we could possibly race in other existing series but I personally would not waste my money and car on something like the Euro series that has cars 20+ secs slower. Before anyone complains I am not knocking the guys that do that series , if it suits you then do it, i just wouldn't as there is no competition for ST's there.
The new ST series would be very much along the lines of the Challenge meeting at Snetterton. It is not just ST's but any type of Touring car Historic, ETCC, DTM or otherwise ( except RS500's and DTM 1994 onwards). We want to show as many types of Touring cars as possible with them being as origional as possible, if they are not we have a class for them as well.
Intitial interest in this is high and we have to do something to keep our cars racing, they are too good not to be.
I have had many a sleepless night over the demise of Formula Saloons as it has been a large part of my life for the past 7 years. Nothing is forever.
This is all I have time for at the moment I am sure I will ahve to respond to a few comments and questions.
Before I go I would like to thank all drivers who have ever participated in FS as it has been a pleasure, however we are not dead yet and if anyone is inrested in racing with us at Pembrey, Brands and Donington ( all d/h's ) then please come out and join us. Even with small grids the cars and quality of racing is up with the best anywhere.