Formula One is dead in the water. I attended the Singapore F1GP night race in September and it was as boring as batshit. The racing was dull and once Alonso got away it became a procession. The difference between the fast guys (Ferrari, Renault) and the also rans is woeful. The night concept was interesting but after awhile the eeriness of the synthetic lighting became a bit annoying. I don't know if it was an Asian thing or not but there was surprising little atmosphere and carnival feel like we have in Melbourne or even more on the Gold Coast for the Indys. The merchandising was a ripper. $85au for a baseball cap!
I remember my introduction to F1 back in 1977 at the Long Beach USGP and the atmosphere, noise and spectacle were amazing. There were any number of drivers and teams capable of winning and there were actual on track passing and dices. Now it's a boring procession. The FIA are equally to blame with that miserable old wanker Bernie Ecclestone. The tracks have had every last bit of interest taken out of them with dumb chicanes and idiot proof corners that make passing difficult. The cars are way too technical and therefore expensive which leaves room on the grid only for the very wealthy multi nationals. Technical advancement is one thing but when it takes away the entertainment the fans go elsewhere. Right now, IndyCars, despite being a few steps behind F1 technically is streets in front as entertainment.
I think MotoGP is in danger of falling into the same shit hole that F1 is wallowing in if they don't watch themselves. Promoter greed (Ecclestone and Ioungo are tarred with the same brush), ever growing performance gaps between the front runners and the minnows caused by impossible to follow technical changes on a yearly basis and dull, lifeless tracks are killing MotoGP in the same way as F1 is dying. MotoGP has become so elitist that proud old teams like Paton are being lost at the expense of the big money with little return for the small teams. Kawasaki pulling out is as big a sign of illness in the ranks as Honda dropping out of F1. Meanwhile Superbikes gain more and more corporate and spectator following.
The V8 supercar promoters are making big mistakes that are also taking away the formerly unstoppable fan base. How many of you are a little bored by the current format and the ever growing "NASCARisation" of the cars? Nearly everyone I speak to has become disillusioned with the V8s of late. Theyre now carbon fibre 'funnycars' that are looking less and less like their road brothers. The quest for parity has taken away the brand identification that fans thrive on. The only way to tell the cars apart is often the paint graphics. It won't be long before the V8 Supercars are just like NASCARS where they all run the same body shell and frame, the only difference being the engines and painted on grilles and tail lights with the company logo painted on.
And don't start me on the current motocross format and the dumbing down of the motocross World Championships in favour of media exposure for supercross and even worse Freestyle. Most of the detrimental changes in motorsports in general are firmly based on decisions made by TV executives and insurance companies. The sports have become too technical, too safe and as a result, too boring. Is it any surprise that the most popular motorsport right now is drag racing, a sport that dares to allow individualism among race vehicles and noise and action on the track.
I still love all forms of motorsport but I , along with many, many fans are being short changed on entertainment. I wouldn't care if they halved the horsepower and speed of all of the above race classes as long as it promoted close racing. If you want to see how sick MotoGP is, have a look at the 1987 World 500 Championship rounds (I've got the whole series on video) and compare it to the 2008 series. The current format is very, very sick in comparison.
