British F3
I will admit, open wheel racing isn’t my favourite form of motorsport and although I like Formula One, I’m not a self proclaimed die hard fan. I used to be pretty obsessed with it when I was a child though. I was a huge Nigel Mansell fan, in fact, I even share my birthday and year with his daughter Chloe and he won his Championship title on the 16th of August 1992. Mine (and Chloe’s) 10th Birthday. That was a pretty special day for me. But that’s enough of the nostalgia, as the Schumacher Era saw me lose interest somewhat in Formula One and I never regained the love I once had.
British F3, A Stepping Stone Towards F1
Jean-Eric Vergne, 2010 British F3 Champion
But over the last few years I have seen my fair share of open wheel racing at various circuits across the country and have appreciated them for what they are. Besides, as a motorsport fan I love being at a circuit and I’ve witnessed some great racing and the rise of some current Formula One stars. After all, these championships are the proving ground for the Holy Grail, Formula One. A huge stepping stone in the quest to become a superstar Formula One racing driver comes in the form of the British F3 championship. With the likes of Lewis Hamilton, Jenson Button, Mark Webber, Rubens Barichello, Mika Hakkinen and Ayrton Senna having graced the British Series, it’s easy to see that British F3 provides a critical role in developing World Champions of the future.
However it is sad to hear that the British F3 championship announced that it was cutting the series back to just four rounds this season with two of them to be raced overseas. Increasing costs and competition from a number of other single seat championships both in the UK and abroad probably proving a major factor as drivers seek more cost effective ways of reaching the top level.
I’m not here to criticise the series and the current difficulties it is experiencing or point out mistakes or how it should be improved, as to be honest, I don’t really know the answers myself. But I will reiterate one thing I have spoken about many times before, and that is lack of support from fans. I have always been increasingly frustrated at how some huge British Racing Series never get the fan support they so deserve. I have been blown away by the huge crowds the British Touring Car Championship pulls in, yet the British F3 championship, which runs in conjunction with the British GT championship during its race weekends only see’s a fraction of the crowd the BTCC does.
Talented British Racer Jack Harvey won the 2012 Championship
How many F1 fans are out there? Many of whom would probably call themselves, ‘Huge Fans’ or ‘Die Hard Fans’. Yet also, many will complain that Formula One is elitist, expensive and inaccessible for the everyday ‘normal’ fans. How many of these fans have sat in front of the TV moaning at the celebrities on the Grid before a big race who clearly have no interest in the sport and are only there because they have been given a free pass and it’s the ‘Fashionable’ thing to do? Yes, I hate it too. But how many have ventured out to watch some live motorsport and support the possible Formula One stars of the future in the British F3? With weekend tickets for around £30, (great value compared to a premiership football match) three championship races per weekend and the chance of watching the mechanics at work, wandering the pit lane and getting up close to the drivers and cars, what is there stopping you? You’d be surprised at how many Motorsport celebs you can see blending into the paddock too not wanting to hog the limelight. You never know, in a few years time, you could be watching one of the current crop of F3 racers stand atop An F1 podium or lifting the world championship trophy and you could turn to your mates and say, ‘I met that guy once.’ Or ‘I saw him race and supported him before he made the big time.’
British F3 gives you a chance to get up close and personal to the F1 stars of the future
I could go on about how the media should be doing their bit to bring some of these great British race series to the attention of the public, but I’ve done that before. Plus most of you reading this will be big motorsport fans and know about these Championships anyway, so as fans, it’s only right we do our bit and go and support. Before it’s too late.
TV Rights (And Wrongs)
Recently the World Rally Championship (WRC) announced a new deal with TV Channel ESPN who are now set to provide coverage of the Championships. The news announced on the web states that ESPN will provide more coverage of the WRC for UK fans than even before. Hang on a minute, I’m a fan of WRC and rallying in general. It is motorsport after all! But I, like many other fans won’t be able to see any of the coverage at all. Why? Because I do not have Sky TV. So the one hour’s worth of highlights and additional programming which was shown on terrestrial TV, has now been replaced, for many of us, with nothing. WRC is now bringing the spectacle of the sport to a smaller audience and therefore reducing the possible fan base and income that fan base brings to the sport.
It seems that greed has set in and money is driving force behind this decision. It also seems that it doesn’t matter about the fans as long as the powers that be have their pockets filled with money. I unfortunately cannot afford a Sky TV subscription, and to get the sports channels, you have to pay for the most expensive Sky package. Very Crafty, as no doubt, the sports channels is what most Sky customers want. So I will be going without and missing a truly magnificent form of motorsport. To say I am disappointed is quite an understatement.
I remember in the nineties as a child, the BBC sports programme Grandstand would provide live, yes LIVE coverage of the Network Q RAC Rally of Great Britain. Hosted by the likes of Tony Mason and Steve Rider I used to love watching Juha Kankkunen, Carlos Sainz, Didier Auriol and a very young looking Colin McRae powering around the muddy stages in great cars like the Toyota Celica and Ford Escort Cosworth. It facinated me and I was gripped by it. Unsurprisingly, it was coverage like this that boosted the popularity of the sport by bringing it to the masses.
Juha Kankkunen and the Toyota Celica
A casing point on this subject is the British Touring Car Championships (BTCC). The sport was thriving in the nineties with the likes of James Thompson, Alain Menu, Rickard Rydell, Frank Beila and even Nigel Mansell doing battle in works based teams from Audi, Ford, Renault and Honda to name a few. Unsurprisingly, the series was covered live on the BBC with commentary being provided by legend Murray Walker. Unfortunately, the BBC coverage came to an end and so did the BTCC on terrestrial television. The championship hit a slump over the following years and teams began to pull out. Crowds dropped and so did the BTCC’s popularity as only the hardcore fans stayed loyal. At the start of the 2005 season, only 12 cars lined up on the grid, mostly consisting of privateers and independent teams. Disappointing when you consider the popularity only a few years prior.
However, ITV came to the sports rescue. It struck a deal to provide live coverage of all three races at each weekend and now currently shows seven hours of action from not only the BTCC but the support races too on ITV4. In recent years, and no doubt thanks to help from ITV, the series is being revived. Crowds at races have increased and more teams are now taking part. The grids now consist of over 20 cars and is still growing whilst the fan base is becoming ever more increased. Would this have happened if the TV rights were sold to a Sky TV channel who would show an hour’s highlights programme after each round? Probably not.
So shouldnt motorsport be about the fans? Do we have a right to see coverage of the sport on TV? Or is it all about how much money series organisers can get? After all, sponsors want to be seen by as many people as possible so will screening action to smaller audiences have an impact on this? I guess only time will tell.
BTCC has seen boom in poularity thanks to ITV's coverage
