What about the fans?

[GTfour]

I've just read an article on DSC concerning the differences in sportscar racing,between here and the United States. A real good read,called SilBBBRRRestone.
Here a journalist/photographer and Gunnar Jeanette,speak about the big difference in the relations between the fans and the racecrews and drivers.(AND the drivers/crews among themselves)
It seems that overhere,ever more and more,the ones that are doing the racing and organizing,are doing this with an increasingly bigger distance to the outside world and are sort of forgetting "us", the fans.
I read simillar noises around different topics on this forum,concerning the ACO changing (too) much at the circuit de la Sarthe for instance...

How do you feel about this?

I for instance think it would be a great thing to see a simillar light coding system alike the ones we see on all the ALMS contenders.
Let's face it,it'd be a small price in money and work for the teams to do this in our European sportcarraces,but great for the spectator.

Isn't it time we fans should sort of unite to make our voices heard? Maybe in an advising way,a mutual beneficiairy thing...
After all,without the enthousiastic spectator it would be a lot less exciting to win a race wouldn't it?

[brielga]

I think it is key to have accessible timing systems for the fans on the track. After a couple of hours people just leave the track and most cannot follow the (sometimes thrilling) development of the race. valencia was like that again even when the circuit broadcasting was pretty decent. However first we should promote the races to get the fans IN !!!

[JHamilton]

Are the paddocks open at LMS races?

[GTfour]

At the Spa 1000km the paddocks are open for a little extra fee. I don't know about others,I didn't go to the paddock during the Nurburgring 1000km,but I think they have a similar extra ticket.

[jhansen]

As far as following the race, at the ALMS races I have been to they have mini jumbo-trons positioned around the circuit running live tv coverage, which includes times and leader boards. Very handy during the race. Especially when a battle for position is not immediately in front of you on track.

But I don't see the ACO adopting the ALMS positioning lights. Aint gonna happen.

[neiltbag]

And Radio Le Mans makes a big difference. I didn't realize this until I went to the Rolex Grand Am event at Laguna and found the regular track commentary to be very poor.

I certainly agree that the fan experience is much better when you know what's going on.

Another thing that the ALMS does is organize mandatory autograph sessions for all teams in front of their transporters. The fan knows that they can go into the paddock at the assigned time and get a chance to meet every single driver if they wish...

[jhansen]

The ALMS does a lot of things right as far as the fan experience. Free access to the paddock, pre-race grid walk, good access to drivers and teams, radio lemans, etc. It really is a great series to go see in person.

[skycafe]

I have been curious why there seems to be such an ocean (no pun intended) between the US and Europe when it comes to promoting sports car races. All I have read here is that there really isn't much promotion in Europe, whereas in the States there is a reasonable amount. The ALMS certainly promotes more then IMSA did in the dark past.

It is almost like it is viewed in Europe as a filler event. The tracks make some money to cover costs, but that is all they care about. Nobody else jumps in to promote the event or the series.

As to position lights, I am always amused to watch Le Mans coverage and see all of the ALMS cars with the postion light holes, I think even the Champion Audi was like that, and it always makes me wonder if those lights are looked down on somehow in some circles in Europe. I can't imagine implementing the system for LMES would cost that much? Is there something about the lights that is not pure enough to tradition or something?

robert

[jhansen]

Originally Posted by skycafe

Is there something about the lights that is not pure enough to tradition or something?

Probably because the ALMS thought of it and not the ACO. Ok, I may be off base, but I bet not by much.

[skycafe]

Originally Posted by jhansen

Yeah, the ALMS thought of it and not the ACO. Ok, I may be off base, but I bet not by much.

Ah, the NIH (Not Invented Here) philosophy, which is what I was alluding to with the remark about tradition. In some ways, sports car racing continues on in spite of itself, HECK, maybe because of itself. LeMans survives anything I guess. Maybe we shouldn't worry about it and worry more if there was a flood of marketing types, who would be followed by accounting types, because they would quickly give you a spec series with a fleet of identical Lola Judd's or whatever.

robert

[jhansen]

Very true, Le Mans will carry on. And it will be huge in terms of fans at the track. But the LMS would benefit from some fan friendly features and a little promotion. It already has the car count. So they have a good base to build from. I hope they do it.

[skycafe]

Yes, because the more successful it is in Europe, the more likely more cars will be built and hopefully find their way over here.

[JHamilton]

The paddock at Sebring and Road Atlanta are open 24hrs a day as well. I always enjoy walking through the paddock the night before the race. The teams are very cool to talk with and you can always meet some cool folks.

[Fogelhund]

Originally Posted by jhansen

As far as following the race, at the ALMS races I have been to they have mini jumbo-trons positioned around the circuit running live tv coverage, which includes times and leader boards. Very handy during the race. Especially when a battle for position is not immediately in front of you on track.

The Jumbotrons were sacked.

[jhansen]

Originally Posted by Fogelhund

The Jumbotrons were sacked.

Well that's not cool!

[brielga]

Originally Posted by JHamilton

Are the paddocks open at LMS races?

Paddocks are open at all tracks and there are well documented pitwalk and an autograph sessions as well. The program booklets are also pretty decent but if you go into town or drive near the track you can hardly see any poster, let alone radio or TV mentions of the race.

[The Badger]

Ive had the pleasure of seeing sportscar racing on both sides of the pond .

Ive always thought the 3 light system wouldnt be so hard to adopt in the LMS races .

Something to identify which driver is doing the driving at a particular time would be nice too . Its not to bad with the LMP cars as you can see the helmet , but plenty of people are not familier with the helmet colors .

At Sebring they had a well organised drivers autograph session . I havent been to a LMS race , yet , so correct me if im wrong in saying that the LMS should do the same .

Ive never understood why at Le Mans they now have the drivers parade all cordoned off with tempory fences ?

Car numbers should be compulsory luminous too .

[Graham Goodwin]

There are Autograph sessions at the LMS races but they can be less than impressively attended - as for the position lights, its an absolute no-brainer as far as I can see

[Adam43]

Originally Posted by The Badger

Ive never understood why at Le Mans they now have the drivers parade all cordoned off with tempory fences ?

bccause so many people go to see it and that needs some control? Otherwise might not be a parade!

The three lights are good, as is the idea of the timing screens. The ACO grandstand has these and they are very useful at Le Mans.

I am less fussed by the autograph thing - it has never really appealed. What worth is a scrawl on a piece of paper done from behind a desk? Maybe that is just me being miserable, but to queue for such a thing too!

So we have timing screens and position lights. They would be good additions. However the main bit, watching cars on the track is supurb both sides of the atlantic. As a fan that is what I want and they nailed that years ago!

[Mal]

To me the one thing that will make the biggest difference is event radio. Whilst the lights are important, if you can keep up with the race on the radio you will know the positions anyway. Whilst the radio can also give you much more information about what is going on and how the race is unfolding.

[SebringMG]

I have to agree that the promotion of racing here in the UK especially appears to be pretty poor - while the FIA GT race at silverstone had a decent crowd it was not what i would thin as impressive!!

The BTCC seems to get pretty big crowds and is pretty impressively promoted yet an international series (LMS, FIA GT etc) frankly is badly promoted and you almost stumble across the fact that a race is on!!! I would have thought that watching supercars rumbling around and the sounds they make would be far more thrilling than watching a bunch of bewinged eurobox hatches ?? Perhaps it is just me ?

Also none of the circuits i have been to recently (oulton park, donington, brands and silverstone) for what i would call big races have got placement boards out showing you who the leader is! Surely this is a bit of a no brainer?
Even the ACO could learn something from having baords / jumbotrons around the track, while the Radio Le Mans commentary is truly excellent places like Arnage really could do with this feature just to enhance the experience!!!

[bernard b]

one thing I always wanted to see at LM is a giant tower with live position, like they have in Indianapolis. Placed near the Dunlop bridge, it could be seen from all the public areas. And with the class colouring thing, we'll almost everytime know the classification

[GTfour]

Reading all these posts,I wonder if it ever occured that an organization changed something in favour of the spectators because they asked for it?
Allthough it's good to see a newer pedestrian tunnel near Tertre rouge at LM for instance,it could also very well be in the safetyplan of the ACO. I for one wouldn't have have cared if the old one was still there. It was kind of funny to walk thrue this pitchdark tube when not being able to walk a completely straight line anymore .

As for the signal lights on the ALMS cars,it wouldn't really be true that the french are THAT childish not to implement this because it's not THEIR idea would they? If so,it would be very telling about the way this club thinks about the fans....

[Aysedasi]

I'm not that fussed about lights and suchlike, but I would like to emphasise the huge importance, not just to me, but to thousands of others, of event radio - i.e. Radio Le Mans - at Le Mans. RLM started in 1987 and my first race was the year before - and I didn't have a clue what was going on that first year. Not a clue. Now I can pitch in to RLM as and when I want and pick up pretty quickly what is going on at any time, day or night. Of course, I detest some of the adverts - but some of the Silk Cut ones were awful in 1987, so nothing much changes. It also helps to have excellent commentators, my favourites being Paul Truswell and the now much missed (from RLM) Ian Titchmarsh. The camaraderie and exchange of witticisms between the two of them always used to be a delight. So, as long as they keep RLM and the ACO resists the temptation to encase the circuit with wholly inpenetrable debris fencing, I'm easy on it......

[Adam43]

Originally Posted by SebringMG

The BTCC seems to get pretty big crowds and is pretty impressively promoted yet an international series (LMS, FIA GT etc) frankly is badly promoted and you almost stumble across the fact that a race is on!!! I would have thought that watching supercars rumbling around and the sounds they make would be far more thrilling than watching a bunch of bewinged eurobox hatches ?? Perhaps it is just me ?

I think it may well be just you, or perhaps I should say just us.

I think we have to factor in here that Sportscar racing, for all that we love it, is not everyones cup of tea and many do prefer other forms of racing. The length of the races for one thing is not actually fan friendly! So when pandering to get more fans we must be a little careful that we don't lose the sport. Not that this thread was really suggesting anything like that.

I think I align myself with Aysedasi here. Lights and scoreboards are nice, but not essential. A good radio service is what you need (as mentioned by others too) and we have that.

I too would sacrifice a scoreboard to be able to see the cars approaching Indianapolis again, or not have to look over the desert to see Dunlop.