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Old 29 Dec 2005, 16:17 (Ref:1491480)   #26
Tim Northcutt
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Tim Northcutt should be qualifying in the top 3 on the gridTim Northcutt should be qualifying in the top 3 on the gridTim Northcutt should be qualifying in the top 3 on the gridTim Northcutt should be qualifying in the top 3 on the grid
FWIW....

I've recalled drivers posting in here that Brno is one of their favorite places to race, but this was a couple of years ago...

To be a viable series, people have to care enough about it to show up and watch it...otherwise, they might as well be racing in a vacuum...

I don't know exactly how many fans were at Silverstone last August, but the lowest-attended ALMS event was Lime Rock with about 20,500 people...IIRC, I do not believe that Silverstone surpassed that total, and I understood that Silverstone drew the largest crowd of the five LMS events in 2005, but I could be wrong on that..
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Old 29 Dec 2005, 16:28 (Ref:1491484)   #27
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Originally Posted by JAG
Its not just about spectators, teams and drivers want to race at major circuits.

Apparently there was a significant increase in spectaor numbers at Monza this year, and I would expect the same next year.

Once you attract a few manufactuers they will help build the attendance.
I coudnt agree more JAG, and next year with the likely propostion of Audi joining the LMS the series will undoubtedly gain massive exposure. Audi are well known for their advertising in motorsport. Looking ahead more manufacturers will likely be joining the series too in the form of Peugoet. Very few series get big crowd attendances at Monza, only perhaps F1/WSBK/FIA GT really get decent numbers. Give the LMS a chance Tim, the series has only been around 2 years and it its popularity is steadily growing. Yes the ALMS gets bigger crowds at the moment but then America only really has 1 major sportscar series, Europe has a lot more series going for the same audieance which undoubtedly makes things tough for any new series.
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Old 29 Dec 2005, 17:34 (Ref:1491516)   #28
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If they come to Holland you can expect a huge crowd i think (count in 30 Drinking for Holland-members), as I'm sure Spyker and Racing for Holland will join.

Silverstone was IMHO a spectator disaster. Because the race was on a saturday many europeans decided not to go (we left on saturday morning to arrive just before the LMES race start) and the weather was so bad many Brits decided to stay at home or in the pub.

Let's just hope Donington will have more luck.

What also helps is a nice support package during the weekend. And I don't mean a Porsche Cup Challenge or Formula Palmer Audi.
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Old 29 Dec 2005, 17:44 (Ref:1491523)   #29
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If they come to Holland you can expect a huge crowd i think (count in 30 Drinking for Holland-members), as I'm sure Spyker and Racing for Holland will join.
Just those 30 DfH members would be more than the total crowd if the LMS came to Estoril... As much as I would love to see it race over here (I saw a LMP for the first time when ASM tested the Chamberlain Lola) the race would be a disaster. Unless there is a massive investment, with nothing but free tickets, transportation to the circuit and huge publicity like Renault did for the WSR, or MotoGP (which atracts a lot of Spanish spectators to fill in the seats) it seems you can't put more than a handfull of hardcore fans whenever you have a race over here...
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Old 29 Dec 2005, 17:56 (Ref:1491533)   #30
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I was thinking along the lines of Barcelona or Valencia in Spain if the race went to the Iberian Peninsula....

But I think Holland would be a no-brainer...especially if Spa is #2 out of 5 and Holland could be the last event....that is four months of separation between the events...and the crowd in Holland would be much larger than Monza...

I also believe that the drivers would find Zandvoort and/or Assen every bit as challenging and exciting as Monza....yet there would be a large crowd of people in attendance who would actually enjoy watching them race....

Not that it matters....LMS is going to do what they are going to do....

I hope that the less than 10,000 Italians enjoy the race next September....

I also hope that the hundreds of fans (not thousands, hundreds) that will show up in Istanbul in April will enjoy it....

But it is a shame that other parts of Europe that would support an LMS race will have to travel to other countries to see them race, when people in those host countries apparently do not support the events...
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Old 29 Dec 2005, 18:04 (Ref:1491536)   #31
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I believe Spa had significantly more spectators than Silverstone, again, despite the terrible weather.

They were expecting a large increase on the 2004 attendance, which I believe was around 20-25,000, but the weather put paid to that.

Silverstone had a double blow, the weather which was truely awful, and the lack of Audi backing which they had in 2004. They didn't help themselves with their awful promotion and general lack of repsect for the series, tank goodness we're not going back in 2006!

Unlike in the US, racing in Euope is dominated by manufactuers, they're the ones who promote the race and get fans through the gates.

The BTCC drew 40k crowds at its height, thee days its down to 15-20k at best.

Le Mans alone gets more publicity than the whole of the ALMS season, so teams can base their programs around this one race and justify staying in the LMS with its slow but steady growth.

European teams want a series that will be around for the long term, like the pld World Sportscar Championship, and with the ACO in charge I can see no reason why it will not be around for as long as we have Le Mans itself. Teams have had their fill of boom and bust series, craving TV ratings and jeaperdising the health of the series for short term gain.

Once Audi and Peugeot arrive, the series will step up several levels and bring in more fans, high profile sponsors and bigger and better promotion.

The ACO are in this for the long term, its more important to build up a strong base of competitors and manufactuers than p*** away money on promotions before a top quality product is in place.

Re. Monza and FIA GT, it'l be interesting to see how many fans were at these events, paying or on freebies, for the WTCC rather than FIA GT, I'd say 70%+ myself.
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Old 29 Dec 2005, 19:18 (Ref:1491572)   #32
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Stranger
If they come to Holland you can expect a huge crowd i think (count in 30 Drinking for Holland-members), as I'm sure Spyker and Racing for Holland will join.

Silverstone was IMHO a spectator disaster. Because the race was on a saturday many europeans decided not to go (we left on saturday morning to arrive just before the LMES race start) and the weather was so bad many Brits decided to stay at home or in the pub.

Let's just hope Donington will have more luck.

What also helps is a nice support package during the weekend. And I don't mean a Porsche Cup Challenge or Formula Palmer Audi.
I do think a race in Holland and/or at Brno would do wonders for the series. If it's not viable to do both in one year, then have one of the 5 rounds alternating around Europe each year!? A series is nothing without a good fanbase.

Silverstone - the weather put most people off, coupled with Silverstone's reluctance to open up some of the grandstands and their organisation etc. - I think Donington with some Audi support will go down so much better.

Support races - I think the Silverstone event has some great support - I thought CER was wonderful to see despite the lack of entries, and a sportscar event doesn't come much better supported than a country's national GT championship! we had a full sunday of national racing - I think that's a good thing, personally!
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Old 31 Dec 2005, 11:39 (Ref:1492416)   #33
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Monza event needs more publicity, no italian motorsport magazines/sport newspaper talked about the race before or after.
Btw there was a large increase of crowd last year, and 2 years ago it was the 1st race of a "not yet mature" serie, so numbers there were irrilevant, imo.
And 1000km was an historical and important motorsport event, why adopt the race to a new circuit?
I agree it's a shame Monza organizers focus always and only on F1 .......where tickets costs 20x a Lms one .
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Old 1 Jan 2006, 15:28 (Ref:1492885)   #34
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Hello,

Which shows that the old adage "It pays to advertise" is just as important in motor racing as it is anywhere else. The ACO, now that it is properly in control, really needs to grip this situation for the benefit of the series as a whole.

Nick
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Old 9 Jan 2006, 20:45 (Ref:1498096)   #35
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The Istanbul race is one week earlier:

26-27 March Official LMS testing at Paul Ricard
7-9 April Istanbul
12-14 May Spa
14-16 July Nurburgring
26-27 August Donington
22-24 September
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Old 9 Jan 2006, 21:20 (Ref:1498116)   #36
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Where did you get that info from, Fire? The LMES-site still states TBC...
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Old 9 Jan 2006, 21:52 (Ref:1498150)   #37
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It's an official statement from the organizers.
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Old 9 Jan 2006, 22:46 (Ref:1498187)   #38
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Presumably changed (yet again) due to the clash with the Easter weekend.
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Old 10 Jan 2006, 16:09 (Ref:1498712)   #39
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Where did you get that info from, Fire? The LMES-site still states TBC...
http://pitstoptv.belbone.be/
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Old 10 Jan 2006, 16:47 (Ref:1498736)   #40
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it is in the LMES site now....
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Old 12 May 2006, 11:20 (Ref:1606913)   #41
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The calendar is now finally complete!!

DSC report that the Monza replacement will be Jarama. The dates will remain unchanged from those originally proposed for Monza (September 22/23/24).
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Old 12 May 2006, 13:26 (Ref:1607016)   #42
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Hello,

So its going to be Jarama. Nice long pit striaght and then twisty round the back. Only 2.4 miles so will everyone fit in or will it be like Donington. Could be a good race with lots of overtaking and being baulked by slower cars. Mind you I remember the train behind Villeneuve back in 81(?). The weather might even be kind. Could I persuade the Wife to go for a long weekend, probably not

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Old 12 May 2006, 13:36 (Ref:1607030)   #43
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Nick49
Could I persuade the Wife to go for a long weekend, probably not
Definitely worth a try though, Nick. Champagne, flowers, chocolates.............

According to DSC, the teams they've spoken to so far don't seem too keen on Jarama.
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Old 12 May 2006, 15:40 (Ref:1607153)   #44
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Originally Posted by Bentley03
According to DSC, the teams they've spoken to so far don't seem too keen on Jarama.
Why? Jarama is a superb track with very different corners. Perhaps people prefer other boring F1 track.
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Old 12 May 2006, 17:18 (Ref:1607252)   #45
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Who were the LMS teams talking about Petit if a replacement for Monza wasn't found? What will they do now?
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Old 12 May 2006, 17:47 (Ref:1607269)   #46
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Hey Bentley03

Guess what? I get home, go for a run, get back in and switch the telly on to MOTORS TV to watch the re-run of the 93 Le Mans. My wife is watching with me so I casually ask if she fancies a weekend in Spain at the end of September.

Well knock me down with a feather if she didn't say "Yes" as long as we don't have to take the girls . Well almost to good to believe i said we would also be watching cars like on the TV. She was OK with that as well as long as it wasn't both days. Well you can't win everything.

Anyway I'd better start planning. I'm in Hampshire so hopefully fly Southampton to Madrid??

Nick
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Old 12 May 2006, 17:50 (Ref:1607271)   #47
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Originally Posted by neiltbag
Who were the LMS teams talking about Petit if a replacement for Monza wasn't found? What will they do now?
Well, if they want to run for the championship they'll go wherever the LMS is going.
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Old 12 May 2006, 19:29 (Ref:1607323)   #48
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Originally Posted by Nick49
Hey Bentley03

Guess what? I get home, go for a run, get back in and switch the telly on to MOTORS TV to watch the re-run of the 93 Le Mans. My wife is watching with me so I casually ask if she fancies a weekend in Spain at the end of September.

Well knock me down with a feather if she didn't say "Yes" as long as we don't have to take the girls . Well almost to good to believe i said we would also be watching cars like on the TV. She was OK with that as well as long as it wasn't both days. Well you can't win everything.

Anyway I'd better start planning. I'm in Hampshire so hopefully fly Southampton to Madrid??

Nick
Wow, that was quick!!

Well done Nick, should be a cracking weekend!

(Have you asked her yet if she fancies a week in France next June....... )
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Old 13 May 2006, 09:00 (Ref:1607745)   #49
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Hey Bentley03

My wife saying yes is just the first hurdle as she now wants me to cost it all out. If I pass that hurdle I've then got to get time off work. I work every weekend between start of May and end of September in a recreational harbour and the Boss is always reluctant to let me go as he has to cover but I'm pretty confident he will.

As for a weekend away in June. I went to every Le Mans between 1979 and 1986 and then got married in 1987 and haven't been back since. A 24 hour race is a whole different ball game. Sports cars are my thing. I saw the last sports car race at the old Spa in 1975 and the Group C cars at the old Nurburgring in 1983. Group C was my personal "Golden Era".

Part of the sales pitch for going to Jarama is that going abroad to see a race is so much more fun than just going to Silverstone or Brands Hatch. Its more of an event. I really hope to make it so in September.

Nick
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Old 13 May 2006, 09:21 (Ref:1607767)   #50
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Hi Nick
Good luck with persuading your wife to go to Jarama. You can tell her from me that going motor racing with your husband abroad is great fun, especially if you leave the children at home! We've done Le Mans a few times, the DTM at Norisring, Spa and Zandvoort and this year we're going to Le Mans again and Jarama (I hope). The whole being abroad thing makes for quite a romantic experience...... well maybe not in the middle of the night at Le Mans when it's freezing cold, but Spain should be nice and warm. See you there!
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