UK Formula Fords

[Dan Friel]

Having had to endure it last weekend, will someone please make the sensible decision and end this years series. It's doing no one any good, and wasting spectator and marshals time..

Dan

[Triple J Motorsport]

The Avon clubman are joining the next round at combe

[alfaman]

I was shocked to see a mere 8 cars come out for the races at Thruxton and I couldn't believe how it had come to this...

The guy behind me was telling some first-time spectators how great this championship used to be and was staggered when so few cars lined up.

As RayFF says they'll be joined by the Avon guys at Combe and at Brands I think which should bolster the grid hopefully.

But wasn't this year meant to be more of a "holding" year - a la Midland-Jordan before Formula Ford rises from the ashes in 2006?

I just hope it's not too late......

[gixxer]

Originally Posted by Dan Friel

Having had to endure it last weekend, will someone please make the sensible decision and end this years series. It's doing no one any good, and wasting spectator and marshals time..

Dan

perhaps its time to bring the clubmen championship to the national event full time it would make it more interesting!

[foreversideways]

Lets hope the proposed changes re vitalise the series. There is certainly no lack of interest in FF1600. Full grid of 32 at the recent MSV Oulton Park round.The very talented Peter Dempsey putting us all to shame. Perhaps the cost of competing in the Zetec Championship may be the problem here. Lets hope they don't price next years championship out of the market. It needs to come in well under BMW, Renault etc or young guys will just do those championships.

[Dan Friel]

I guess the bigest impact will be on the drivers.. it really doesn't do them any favours. In the first race, Sarah Playfair spun past us twice, came dead last and then was on the poduim getting some sort of trophy! Madness..

[runshaw]

I feel sorry for the drivers. UKFF is still cheaper than FBMW and FRenault, so some of the drivers may be doing the ch'ship beacause they can't afford to do anything else, but it doesnt't help them when there are only a handful of drivers competing. I still think it is the best starting point for a car racing career to drivers, just look at some of the graduates who have come from British FF. In 2003 there was often 30 cars or thereabouts competing when the junior ch'ship merged with the senior one, but when FBMW began last year, the grid numbers have slumped completely. In 2006 they are having a newer, more modern engine (1600cc) I think, so I hope the changes will work and we can see the ch'ship regain its status as one of the best proving grounds for young drivers.

[foreversideways]

Dan. You have not been watching enough TV. Everyboody gets prizes now. Its New Labour policy. The new opiate of the masses.

[MarkG]

I hope FF1600 has a new lease of life, but I suspect it's too late. Young drivers want cars with wings on. Sadly.

[Triple J Motorsport]

Originally Posted by alfaman

I was shocked to see a mere 8 cars come out for the races at Thruxton and I couldn't believe how it had come to this...

The guy behind me was telling some first-time spectators how great this championship used to be and was staggered when so few cars lined up.

As RayFF says they'll be joined by the Avon guys at Combe and at Brands I think which should bolster the grid hopefully.

But wasn't this year meant to be more of a "holding" year - a la Midland-Jordan before Formula Ford rises from the ashes in 2006?

I just hope it's not too late......

They are just joing the national boys at Combe and Silverstone GP at the moment

I really don't know how you can say this Dan, admittedly the numbers were at an all time low at Thruxton but you can't just say that the championship should be scrapped. A lot of time, effort and money has been put in by the drivers who were on the grid that day.

People always talk about the good old days when grids were this and that but back in those days there wasn't the choice of championships available that there is now, so the grids are going to suffer and drivers now are choosing to do other championships such as FBMW etc. No one ever says that the BTCC should be scrapped and yet there grids are low with around 13 cars.

The UK Formula Ford Championship is still a very good breeding ground for talented drivers as it was proven this weekend with Charlie Kimball winning the F3 with a faultless performance. The quality still continues this year with 2 lap records already being broken.

[Dan Friel]

It's those drivers that turn up that I feel most sorry for.. it seems that they've been let down / been put in a very awkward position by the organisers, because as you say, there's been some significant investment. But I can see little to gain from continuing in a series where there are only a couple of really talented drivers (from what I saw out the back at Thruxton and lap times this year). I got the impression that the winner from Thruxton was under total control all weekend and was under very little pressure.

It's probably a year wasted for all of those involved (won't be much good on your CV), and British FF needs to be refocused for next year - and perhaps that should mean seriously looking at this year's series before more damage is done.

[Dan Friel]

Feel free to expand the virtues of competing in this year's championship... I'd like to hear your side of it.

[Bagodonuts]

Originally Posted by Dan Friel

Feel free to expand the virtues of competing in this year's championship... I'd like to hear your side of it.

I'd like YOU to do your homework and look at how many F3 cars were at some of the races the year the late Ayrton Senna won the British Championship... did it take anything away from his achievements? if you still wish to have diarrhea of the mouth about how bleek the championship is and how it's not doing any good for the drivers, suit yourself.

Fact is bucko it's difficult to win any race, or any championship for that matter... and the fact that the winner at Thruxton was a rookie last year who was one of the first with the balls to bang wheels with eventual champion Makela and set a lap record, as well as 1 of 2 lap records broken this year shows the talent and pace is there. Look at where the Top 5 from last year are now and the results being put in by each.

Biggest problem, and what ****es me off the most, is people like you and journalists slag the championship in favor of a car like BMW that will teach young drivers from karting absolutely nothing and costs more per mile than a F3 car! It's the old saying quality not quantity...

[Dan Friel]

I totally agree with the quality vs quantity issue – I think I remember Senna dicing with M. Brundle at some stage in F3?? However, I maintain that the Formula Ford grid this year has not got any sort of quality in depth. I think looking at qualifying and lap times demonstrates this (look how close the times are compared with last year).

And totally agree that the leader in the championship is a quality product – but I think this was also demonstrated last year when he was up with the leaders (yes I did look at the results), is it any surprise that he’s winning this year and what does it prove?

I don’t think I’ve ever suggested that BMW is a better product, but FF needs to reinvent itself as there appears to be more appealing products out there for young drivers at the moment. Unlike me, journalists usually have other motives for some of their comments.

There’s obviously a lot of money at stake, but I maintain that running 8 cars around Thruxton (with drivers of varying ability) and claiming that this represents the top level of UK junior motorsport is simply not good news for all involved.

[gixxer]

Yes i thought that the rule was that if grids dropped below was it 15? entry's then the championship would be dropped.

It would be a major shame if it was but rules are rules and should be adhere'd by everyone.

But that's in a perfect world and this one is not so i expect it'll rumble on to the end of the year.

As i.ve said before add the clubmen championship to it full time then you'll have something worth watching.

So then should we drop the BTCC or the Seats?

[JohnMiller]

Merge them!

[EvilPumpkin]

Gentlemen (and ladies if we have any). May I just remind you that we have a policy here of "attack the post, not the poster". Obviously this is a contentious subject that people feel strongly about. If you have a problem, then fine - express your opinion. But please do so in a constructive manner.

If you are in any doubt about our posting policy, please see our posting guidelines in the FAQ.

We now return you to our normal programming.

[Stephen Green]

Originally Posted by Bagodonuts

I'd like YOU to do your homework and look at how many F3 cars were at some of the races the year the late Ayrton Senna won the British Championship... did it take anything away from his achievements? if you still wish to have diarrhea of the mouth about how bleek the championship is and how it's not doing any good for the drivers, suit yourself.

Fact is bucko it's difficult to win any race, or any championship for that matter... and the fact that the winner at Thruxton was a rookie last year who was one of the first with the balls to bang wheels with eventual champion Makela and set a lap record, as well as 1 of 2 lap records broken this year shows the talent and pace is there. Look at where the Top 5 from last year are now and the results being put in by each.

Biggest problem, and what ****es me off the most, is people like you and journalists slag the championship in favor of a car like BMW that will teach young drivers from karting absolutely nothing and costs more per mile than a F3 car! It's the old saying quality not quantity...

Can we please tone down the language and try to behave like adults. By all means make your point but please do it without resorting to posts like this.

[Marshal]

There are two key issues. How can this year be salvaged to any degree, and what's the plan for the future?

To answer the first, the answer has to be to get more cars out there, and if this means running concurrently with the Clubman championship for the rest of the year, then good. Some way also needs to be found to entice out as many as possible, reducing entry fees, allowing guest drivers to race without registering for the championship etc.

The second point is the future. As has been mentioned, current FF1600 still thrives in the UK, so is there a way national FFord can tap into this. Is the new engine retrofittable to existing chassis? If yes, can this be made as cost effective (subsidised by Ford?) as possible. So suddenly there's 200 cars who could race in national FFord if they chose, and make it easier for people to dip in and out of the national championship. The real hotshoe's will run at the front, but the circuit specialists and weekend racers will have the chance to match themselves against the coming men (and ladies) and give them the odd shock too, every now and again. Who knows, we could even have a "proper" festival again.

Maybe this could help bring FFord back to where it deserves to be, as the best graduating class into circuit racing for young drivers.

[Triple J Motorsport]

Originally Posted by Marshal

There are two key issues. How can this year be salvaged to any degree, and what's the plan for the future?

To answer the first, the answer has to be to get more cars out there, and if this means running concurrently with the Clubman championship for the rest of the year, then good. Some way also needs to be found to entice out as many as possible, reducing entry fees, allowing guest drivers to race without registering for the championship etc.

The second point is the future. As has been mentioned, current FF1600 still thrives in the UK, so is there a way national FFord can tap into this. Is the new engine retrofittable to existing chassis? If yes, can this be made as cost effective (subsidised by Ford?) as possible. So suddenly there's 200 cars who could race in national FFord if they chose, and make it easier for people to dip in and out of the national championship. The real hotshoe's will run at the front, but the circuit specialists and weekend racers will have the chance to match themselves against the coming men (and ladies) and give them the odd shock too, every now and again. Who knows, we could even have a "proper" festival again.

Maybe this could help bring FFord back to where it deserves to be, as the best graduating class into circuit racing for young drivers.

The clubman have race slots allocated though, plus some will want to run with the national boys and some won't.

We have been told the new engine will fit all existing FF1600 chassis but not what the remainder rules will be ie FFZetec or FF1600. Hopefully they will be FF1600.

[Redracer77]

The new series has to run on ACB10's as the problem with Zetec's is the slicks reduce the amount of overtaking....

I strongly disagree with that as the national championship is meant to be a feeder catergory for drivers to progress through the ranks and to develop there skills further and is a ideal opportunity to start to learn about the slick tyre.

Also there is already plenty of overtaking!!!

[Ian Sowman]

But then that would make the category more expensive for the clubman... The point is that (seemingly) the plan is to have one set of rules once again.