Enduros - should they be part of Championship?

[nz_tourer]

Russell Ingall had a bit of moment when he slagged inexperienced V8 drivers at Bathurst last year, which brings up the issue of whether or not the rounds with non championship drivers should become non championship rounds, or should they just count as single points - Bathurst, Queensland 500 and Clipsal (?)

Matt Neal made a good point at Bathurst last year for those in favour of making these rounds non championship when he nearly lost the title for Skaife.

Bathurst etc I think should be seperated from the championship, or points should be the same as any other round..

[hypo]

I agree to a certain extent,
Bathurst should be a stand alone race, but include Qld500,Clipsal500 as a part of the championship

[Crash Test]

Totally agree- AVESCO (mainly Tony C.) seem hell bent on devaluing our greatest race with claims that Adelaide is better etc etc.

Bathurst is bigger than the championship, no doubt about that, but AVESCO want to reverse that, and I just hope that they don't ruin Bathurst....

[Wrex]

I agree, Leave them all in the championship except Bathurst.

Bathurst is the jewel in the crown of Australian Motorsport. I don't want to see drivers 'taking it easy' to win the championship rather than Bathurst.

Let it remain the fight to the death race that everyone wants to win.

[DAVID PATERSON]

I agree with Crash and Wrex. Bathurst should and always will be the big one, to quote Bruce McAvaney "it's SPECIAL!"

You would have to have all the other enduros in the championship of course. Many years ago they weren't and most of the guys didn't even bother running in them. Let's face it, would anybody at all attend QR if it wasn't a championship round. I know that's the only time I'm willing to go there.

[mac]

Any race where there is more than one driver in the car, should be exempt from the championship. (For example) Why should Craig Lowndes lose the title because Neil Crompton sticks it into the wall on the top of the Mountain.

Willowbank shouldn't even have the 500! Why does the most ordinary track in the world get one of the premier events? Because it's new(ish)?

[Ray Bell]

They go to QR because that's what they arranged and contracted to do...

Anyway, back on topic, of course it's ridiculous for the title to be decided over races with two drivers.

I think the ATCC included the Sandown and Bathurst enduros back in the seventies some time, but I'm not sure if they could run Bathurst without co-drivers then. They became mandatory in 1973. Sandown was a one-driver race.

The reason AVESCO went with it was to get in on some of the Queensland Government's money... a part of their programme of getting into every Government pocket they can.

[Crash Test]

From what I gather it is a three way split with QLD Events/Ipswich/Sponsor. Problem is that Ozemail have apparently jumped ship....but they are working on finding a new one.

[Ray Bell]

I'm talking about the genesis of the event, the way it was filched from Sandown, and the Government put up all that money.

[thompson_fan]

Yes the enduros should be part of the championship. and so should the Albert Park and Surfers Paradise support races. That would make it more important for drivers to do well

[DAVID PATERSON]

Albert Park can't be part of the championship because Nine have EXCLUSIVE rights to televise the event and Ten has a contract to televise EVERY round of the championship.

I really don't know why Gold Coast Indy isn't part of the championship. I'm sure it could be if the powers that be wanted it to.