I need some time to digest the whole thing because I am naturally sceptical about classes offering 'cheap' and 'fair' racing. I have already thought of ways of gaining a competitive edge with superior finances that appear to be legal within the F2 framework
200,000 euro's is pretty cheap for a major series. If it's got good telly coverage I can see how even I could realistically raise the money - well, I can see how I could have once if I knew what I know now but was still young and fit enough to make F1.
Will it garner the interests of F1 team scouts and spectators though?
F1 scouts are increasingly more interested in kart drivers than drivers already in cars so these news series won't make a difference apart from diluting the talent even further.
And you know as well as I do Becky that in motorsport if someone has 10 million quid that will find a way to spend it and find that advantage even if the price tag is 200,000 euros! But Formula Two is at least an acceptance that motorsport is ALL about money and something had to be done
Karting is a dying sport in the UK because competitive karting costs more than entry level formula racing. Some F1 teams are looking to pick up and contract young drivers much earlier than they used too - Hamilton being a prime example but McLaren have always been involved with young drivers, as have Williams and since Red Bull got involved in motorsports them too. Of all these endeavours, suprisingly few of them have made F1.
Why would anyone want to do entry level formula racing if they want to get to F1. Formula BMW is the lowest class you would consider and that's easily £250,000 plus. And I can't think of any independent competitive karters spending that much.
All the other classes are just a waste of time if you want to gain the attention of F1 teams.
Oh dear. You know what happens when you try and tell him how useless karting is for driver development. He'll get all upset and start posting exceptions to prove a rule. Best not to mention, again, how all decent drivers on the road to fame and glory get out of karts as soon as they possibly can and save them for 'shits and giggles' with friends.
Much like a professional footballer probably plays 5-a-side now and again. Not because 5-a-side makes him better, but because it's nice to let your hair down with some friends.
Bollocks. FPA is £65000 for a season IIRC (and the BRDC have sponsored several drivers through it) Button amongst others came from FPA. Unlike in other series in a fixed format like FPA there is no way you can gain an advantage from extra testing in the car or by spending more on or running a bent car. Of course you'll come back with the usual nonsense about being able to spend a million on a personal trainer, but it is not necessary.
£250000 sounds like a lot for a season in Formula BMW, you could certainly run a competitive car in a national championship for half that and easily get a season from a tenth of that + car purchase cost. Of course people can spend a lot more on lower level formulae but they may as well just buy their way into an F1 drive, as many still do.
You clearly didn't read what I wrote. I said entry level car racing is completely useless for someone wanting to get into F1. Classes like MonoPosto, club F Ford etc... are not useful as the standard is way too low.
I STATED that F BMW would be the lowest car series someone would want to enter, and that costs MORE than karting. I was countering what Becky was saying about entry level cars being cheaper. I said there is NO car series WORTH doing for a driver that's cheaper than competitive karting.
For shits and giggles? That's why Schumacher angered some at Ferrari when he spent so much time preparing for the Kerpen round of the 2001 World Championship. Even going to the lengths of hiring Kerpen and restricting testing for rival teams... With an F1 title to win he still invested MUCH time in some pissy go-cart race... what an IDIOT!
I think I recall Senna not wanting to do some pissy Formula Ford Festival because he wanted to race in the world championship and if not for his F1 schedule he would've competed at others. and the most DECENT driver Senna ever raced NEVER left karts? WHat's that about??? if only decent drivers get out of karting then Senna must KNOW F&CK all about drivers...
Vettel actually said the only way he could prepare for the wet of Spa (...and Monza) was by going down to Kerpen with Schumi's kart team.... I mean this guy must be a complete idiot? Vettel must be completely rubbish.
The DECENT drivers all seem to have some common appreciation of karting and respect as much as F1.... the shitty drivers who are scared of racing decent drivers are generally the ones that dismiss karting off hand....
You can't GET DECENT DRIVERS OUT OF KARTS... Dan Wheldon even flies over HIS OLD mech to work on his kart... he was racing the RoboPong 200 this weekend as well... but what has Dan Wheldon ever won??? he's an idiot too...
It has nothing to do with driving standard, which is usually (but not always) far better in club racing than with some over keen pubescent teens who think real cars are like go karts and spend half the time crashing into each other proving they really can't handle it. Club racing attracts anyone young and old who wants to go racing on a modest budget without a load of kids spinning in front of them and without misguided desires to get paid to race. Certainly the front drivers in the F4 grid would have no problem clearing up in typical entry level single seaters and did, just like most people they eventually had to accept that whilst they could win in karts and entry level single seaters there just aren't enough paid drives to be able to climb the ladder simply on raw talent.
And I stated you were wrong... Formula BMW has produced relatively few good drivers so far, most of them seem to spend most of the time upside down and the cars are far too sophisticated for there own good, other companies such as Speads produce much faster single seaters with less exotic materials for less than £30000 ready to race, they would make a far better base for a single make series than Formula BMW. As I have several times though FPA already offers a high profile championship for less than a kart season.
When you're winning F1 titles with ease you can afford to go and play with some toys.
You questioned why anyone would want to do entry-level formula racing to get into F1, that Formula BMW is the "lowest" and that's it's easily GBP250000+, and that other classes (ie. non-karting classes) are "just a waste of time" if you "want to gain the attention of F1 teams". None of those three sentences make much sense.
A reminder:
Firstly, you want to do entry-level formula racing because it's the natural progression up from karting. No F1 team signs up drivers into serious tests straights from karting. You need formula racing experience for that. Unless you're loaded up with gold, you're going to need entry-level formula racing to prove your ability.
Secondly, Formula BMW is hardly the lowest. Plenty of drivers have made it into F1 after going through Formula Ford or Formula Vee, and both of them are a lot less expensive than Formula BMW.
Finally, I don't see any F1 teams signing contracts with truckloads of karters. A small handful among tens of thousands doesn't make it a trend or a rule. Seeing how the vast majority of F1 testers are in Formula 3, Formula Renault, or higher classes (usually after stepping through Formula Ford, Formula Vee, Formula BMW, and/or others), they surely aren't a waste of time.
I love this argument of how great drivers are all kart drivers.....Well correct me if I'm wrong, isn't Karting the first step of MANY in learning 'race craft'.
Your argument is the same as saying because many kids have played a 20-a-side game at school, they are all great players. It don't work like that. Yes sometimes drivers go back to karting, but due to the nature of racers, they take it seriously, hence the complete set-ups and such.
Much in the same way that my Football team, Ross County, started of the fans v players game all friendly for the first 10 mins.....
...before decideng to step up to gear that totally destroyed the fans.
Not suprising seeing as I think Its all going to be run by Palmer and his Motorsport Vision company, who also happen to run FPA.
I wonder where that will leave FPA, seeing as the series are not too dissimilar??
(I apologise if it has been already mentioned)
In my opinion, yawn, its just another one make single seater series, as if we don't have enough of them already!
When are people going to realise that what makes racing exciting is variety, its the fact that one car may have more power and straight line speed but be more cumbersome than a less powerful, nimbler rival car usually makes passing easier and exciting racing possible, just look as Porsche and Audi in ALMS the past year or two, for an example.
From my personal expierience of Kart Racers, I come to the conclusion that some of them are (not wishing to generalise!), arrogant, egotistical nutcases who destroy clutches and keep putting it in the wall because they think they can throw a car at corners as if its a Kart.
Karting isn't everything, its a sport in which young children (who probrably aren't really prepared), are pushed into being ultra competetive and are placed under pressure from expectant parents, and so they emerge as these agressive nutters (*cough*Hamilton), thats ok though, because all that daddy cares about is wether they bring the silverware back.
With a car, you have to be smooth (well the one i've driven anyway), Karters just chuck it at corners and they know they can sort everything out because the steering is razor sharp. One thing ive learnt since early last year is that smoother = faster, so to be honest I doubt Karting does much for you car control, It probrably helps your racecraft, but not car control one bit.
