Dual Racing Series

[raindancer]

We all have lamented time and again that the Car Manufacturers are taking over f1. We all know that it is inevitable leading to the extinction of Passionate Independents like Williams and so on.
Why don't we have two series
1. All Car Manufacturers can fight each other for superiority in one series and they can call it f1 if they want.
2. Where the independents will build cars and the Engine Supply is free to them.

Engines take up a substantial cost in building an F1 car and with Engine Supply being free by any manufacturer the team chooses, the independent teams can than focus on building a car in much lesser budget.

I also think there will be significant TV viewers as well.

[Dare]

sounds something like A1 or Champ Car

[Steven Roy]

This is something I have thought about over the years.  While it is true that splitting into two championships like Indy cars have can be very damaging I am convinced that there is a market for proper motor racing.

Some years ago Bernie threatened to take F1 out of Europe completely because of the tobacco bans.  At the time Richard Branson said if that happened he would run his own championship in Europe in competition with F1.  I sat down and looked at the obstacles to doing that and they fell away before my eyes one by one. 

Cars, engines etc are not really a problem.  Because F1 drivers hang a round a lot more than they used to there are easily 20 or 30 drivers of suitable standard who either never got the break or were chewed up and spat out by F1 before they got a proper chance.

Circuits are easy to find if you don't want top of the range 'facilities' but want proper race tracks.

I thought that the big issue would be sponsors but I was shocked by how quickly I could compile a list of 50 or 60 companies who should be in F1 but are not.  My belief is that a lot of these companies did not want to be associated with tobacco.  As an example there were and still are very few airlines involved in F1.  To me it seems an obvious fit but they don't get involved to any degree.  Why?  The two biggest advertising budgets historically have been Coke and Pepsi.  Yet they have hardly ever dipped a toe in F1.  There is a whole list of similar companies who could be major sponsors.

TV coverage is another issue but Bernie has taken car of that.  He has priced F1 at such a level that the opposing channels to those who carry F1 would be happy to carry a rival championship at a significantly reduced cost.

The one thing yyou have to do with the new championship is ensure that the rules allow wheel to wheel racing.  I also planned it with a salary cap fr the drivers with significantly more money availble for points than they made in salary. And to encourage racing to the end each position gained had a big financial step.

All of this oculd be done.

[johnbull]

What's more I can actually see it happening sooner or later.

One more incentive is to give points for pole and fastest lap but, like you said in another thread let's have unadulterated qualifying and not the false game we have at present.

[Steven Roy]

The 12 lap system was fine.  The only complaint was that sometimes you had no running in the first 20 minutes.  So why not give them another 3 or 4 laps or have a 45 minute session rather than all the nonesense that has followed? 

[johnbull]

If they go for a proper control tyre, a tyre that is hard, reliable and consistent and can run a full race distance and a bit, which was supposed to be the whole idea of having a control tyre in the first place, and then leave qualifying as an hour with as many laps as you like, everybody would be out most of the session, and there wouldn't be a problem.

Is that a Guiness book of records length sentence?

[Chameleon]

Nothing like it, John.  My record stands at 179 words in one sentence and that's nothing compared to some of the real professionals. 

[Steven Roy]

The good thing about the 12 lap system was there was a lot more chance of a hot lap being picked up on TV because as soon as a driver left the pits the director knew(or should have known) that in a minute and a half the hot lap would start.  If you have a free for all you are probably going to miss the first sector and part of the second sector of a lap. 

One of the real benefits of proper qualifying is that people who know nothing about the sport can see that the driver is really trying and those of us with more knowledge can sit and admire what we are seeing.  Now qualifying is utterly meaningless until everyone makes their first pit stop and no-one is really pushin in Qualifying because they can't do anything to the car without a penalty before the race.

[Chameleon]

That takes me back to Senna's qualifying laps when he was giving it everything.  Now that was something to behold...

[raindancer]

In the alternate series, we should not have restriction on car developments on innovation and the team can freak out with their design ideas. The Administrators can establish guidelines for safety that is all.
Given a couple of years time, I am sure the gap between the car companies F1 and this series will be very wide. This should be a complete show case of automobile innovation, technology, driving skills and safety ofcourse.

I fully agree ! It will not be difficult for sponsors at all.

Position this as the absolute pinnacle of motor sport.

[Steven Roy]

I am not sure about giving the designers a free hand.  I want to produce close racing not a technology demonstration.  The problem with giving designers their head is that some years one guy will make a jump on the rest and you only get two cars contesting the championship.  Personally I would severely restrict development.  In reality what I want is a drivers championship where they all have a similar chance of winning.  I don't want a situation where a top level driver doesn't get a break because 3 people in the whole paddock don't like him.

[romephius]

I have posted this thought long ago, but I think it needs re-posting.....Formula 1 is the pinacle of motorsport and therefore lends itself to the technological fantasy of engineers, the innovations that these engineers come up with eventually get filtered down into the lower forms of motorsport and sometimes even make it into the lowest of everyday cars....If you want everyone on the same plane and close racing, I suggest trying A1, Personally i can't think of a more boring form of open wheel racing than A1.  I like the fact that engineers come up with new and exciting ways to make cars go even faster despite the regulations trying to slow them down....this particular type of racing with it's development in technology is what is driving our world forward and to restrict that is to restrict the fast advancement of safety and innovation for our road cars.......

As always I, of course may just be some crazy nut....but it's the way I see it....

Rom   

[Ian]

Rom, once again you have hit the nail on the head, f1 IS all about on the edge, latest developments etc, as you said, if you want everybody equal, watch A1, not for me either.

[Mike_Grimsby]

I have posted this thought long ago, but I think it needs re-posting.....Formula 1 is the pinacle of motorsport and therefore lends itself to the technological fantasy of engineers, the innovations that these engineers come up with eventually get filtered down into the lower forms of motorsport and sometimes even make it into the lowest of everyday cars....If you want everyone on the same plane and close racing, I suggest trying A1, Personally i can't think of a more boring form of open wheel racing than A1.  I like the fact that engineers come up with new and exciting ways to make cars go even faster despite the regulations trying to slow them down....this particular type of racing with it's development in technology is what is driving our world forward and to restrict that is to restrict the fast advancement of safety and innovation for our road cars.......

As always I, of course may just be some crazy nut....but it's the way I see it....

Rom   

Not at all, Rom. Agree 100%.

[raindancer]

I think this can happen if people like Peter Sauber, Ron Dennis, Frank Williams take a lead. There are threats F 1 faced from the car manufacturers already.