The All-Purpose Motorsports Thread

All types of racing are dying due to lack of interest from younger generations and the high cost to get into any form of racing. The interest in vehicles has waned badly also. In the 50s, 60s and 70s, cars were a major topic of conversation at any gathering. Everybody had to look at the new cars and often go for rides or drive them. Now nobody seems to even care about cars anymore.

I enjoy the input from some of the people on here who only watch forms of racing that have a very limited possibility of who wins a race. World SBK had 26 races and 4 different winners. One driver won 16 of the races, another 7 races, a third 2 races and a fourth one race. 4 drivers on 2 different teams winning all 26 races isn't really what I call competition. Even Formula One managed 5 different winners on 3 different teams in their 20 parades/races.

NASCAR had 5 different winners in the first 5 races of the season.

Doesn't matter whether it's millenials getting their kicks from video games and not being interested in real vehicles (although I do know plenty that are), increasing cost and complexity, the general inaccessability of motor sport or performance machines being less relevant than vehicles as fashion accessories due to increasing road rules and regulations. In the end it all comes down to less interest and the end of "win on Sunday sell on Monday".

Even though they tend to blame the current dominance on the sheer amount of money and engineering needed to be competitive with the current machines and electronic rider aids, MotoGP has always been dominated by elite talent (riders, not drivers). I started watching when Mick Doohan would just clear off, and the competition was largely for second place. Winning on a bike that wasn't a Factory Honda would be a big ask indeed. Much the same situation with Valentino Rossi (which made his switch to Yamaha all the more impressive). Even back in the days of Giacomo Agostini that was true.
The outright winner wasn't as important as the racing though, and watching ludicrous sideways antics from riders like Gary McCoy was always great no matter how (un)competitive his bike was or where he placed.
Likewise WorldSBK rules heavily favoured the Ducatis until very recently. Even when Fogarty was utterly dominant on the Ducati, watching Noriyuki Haga taking unconventional lines sideways on a supposedly uncompetitive YZF750 was something worth watching.
Locally the relatively cheap historic/classic racing and super moto racing events still tend to be dominated by "retired" Superbike and MotoGP riders.

Never saw the appeal of Nascar or speedway (i've been 2-wheels only for decades now) for the same reason I think races like Super Stock, Hill climbs, the Isle of Man TT and North West 200 are the ultimate. The machinery, skills, course and riding are relevant to the bikes I ride and where I ride them.
 
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Formula One testing in Spain was interrupted by snow today.
 
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most of Europe is getting buried in snow.
Italy received the most snowfall ever in the past 50 years.
 
smooth move by rossi, taking out the rookie on the LAST lap while he was on his way to win #1.
 
Kevin Harvick wins his 3rd race in a row after being penalized last week for a broken rear window brace. He stopped in front of the flag stand, stood on the door and patted the rear window.

Free Bloomin' Onion at Outback tomorrow.
 
Almirola has pretty much already accomplished in 4 races, what Danica accomplished during her whole career in that car.
 
Lowes announces that they are ending their relationship with Hendrick Motorsports and Jimmie Johnson after this season and won't be sponsoring any cars next season. Why announce this now? They piss off any fans right now. Lowes is in financial decline. Maybe Jimmie retires now?
 
One of the few full time sponsors in Nascar is leaving.

Are there any other cars out there that basically just have one sponsor for the year? Tells you that costs have skyrocketed out of control if it takes like 10 different brands to share races during the season to cover the costs of running a team.
 

Every form of racing is dying. Formula One only has 20 cars in a race. Sponsors are hard to come by in any form of racing. All sports seem to cannibalize themselves by trying to squeeze more and more money from their fans. High ticket prices, outrageous food and drink prices. Look at football stadiums. Many require that you buy a personal seat licenses that give you the right to buy season tickets for one seat. In the new Falcons stadium the PSLs cost from $500 to $45,000 per seat depending on the location. Then you still have to pay for the tickets for 8 home games.

The hotels and motels jacked their prices up for race weekends and forced people to take the room for Wednesday through Sunday night. Tracks have been closing since the late 1960s. Both local dirt tracks closed, two of the go kart tracks closed and one has races a couple of times a year. The drag strip that was very busy every Weekend in the 70s, went to every other weekend and now have a couple of events a month. It costs $72/day per person to take a car on the track. It's just to expensive to get into racing now.

I would rather watch on television than go to any event these days.
 
these are very good points. many sports have priced themselves out of existence.
ha, I remember several years ago at Laguna for some road racing event they wanted $75 per person.
now the track is in danger of closing. MotoGp left, what was ALMS left as well as other series.
 
Early crazy action at Sebring as the second place car is knocked out on lap one. A Ferrari ends up on it's roof a few laps in. Somebody forgot to tell these drivers that they have to run for 12 hours to win.
 
just watched a recap of the race so far.
looks like some good action.

Poor lighting after dark so it was difficult to see anything. The track surface is so rough, tires were off the ground more than they were on it.
 
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