Money issues in auto racing often lead to bad news. We've recently learned that British manufacturer, Lola Cars, ceased activity, and that F1 engine supplier, Cosworth, had put itself up for sale.
Last week, Ford's motorsports division announced that it would not field a factory team in the 2013 World Rally Championship. And earlier this year, Peugeot shocked the world by suddenly withdrawing from endurance races, including the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Of course, let's not forget that Edmonton abandoned its IndyCar event.
While some of my colleagues are sad, I prefer to stay Zen.
Why? Because I view all of these moves as some sort of degreasing of the auto racing world, which has lived well above its means for decades. Heck, hundreds of millions of dollars are being wasted every year on the tracks.
Seriously, does investing more money produce a better show? Are costly race cars necessarily more exciting to watch than cheaper ones?
I've attended karting events that were a thousand times more exhilarating than many F1, IndyCar or NASCAR races.
Do teams really have to spend colossal sums to win? They don't have a choice if one of them starts to do it and they want to keep up. However, I believe that auto racing is undergoing a major transformation that will force some pretty big names out of the scene in favour of smaller, lesser known players that, in many ways, can do more with less.
My dream is to see development series for young drivers that don't require annual budgets of half a million dollars, as is the case right now. That's crazy! And don't get me started on those F1 teams that burn $250 million a year to race two cars...
Over the next 10 years, I predict that extraordinary forces will make auto racing a leaner, cleaner and more accessible sport that makes everyone feel better and more excited.
Last week, Ford's motorsports division announced that it would not field a factory team in the 2013 World Rally Championship. And earlier this year, Peugeot shocked the world by suddenly withdrawing from endurance races, including the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Of course, let's not forget that Edmonton abandoned its IndyCar event.
While some of my colleagues are sad, I prefer to stay Zen.
Why? Because I view all of these moves as some sort of degreasing of the auto racing world, which has lived well above its means for decades. Heck, hundreds of millions of dollars are being wasted every year on the tracks.
Seriously, does investing more money produce a better show? Are costly race cars necessarily more exciting to watch than cheaper ones?
I've attended karting events that were a thousand times more exhilarating than many F1, IndyCar or NASCAR races.
Do teams really have to spend colossal sums to win? They don't have a choice if one of them starts to do it and they want to keep up. However, I believe that auto racing is undergoing a major transformation that will force some pretty big names out of the scene in favour of smaller, lesser known players that, in many ways, can do more with less.
My dream is to see development series for young drivers that don't require annual budgets of half a million dollars, as is the case right now. That's crazy! And don't get me started on those F1 teams that burn $250 million a year to race two cars...
Over the next 10 years, I predict that extraordinary forces will make auto racing a leaner, cleaner and more accessible sport that makes everyone feel better and more excited.
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| Photo: WRI2 |