Sandown - Final Round

[petrolhead]

Hey Toymax, I think you know what I meant! Not that the entries for SD are NOT good cars but there are too many other cars that we don't see on the track. The Roddy Jag, Jameson's Jag, Wall's Corvette, Gill's Mustang, Bryson's Mustang etc etc. We need to see good quality cars and full grids of them. If the entry fee for the Kerrick series is such an obstacle, how do you think we can get SS on the grid at an expensive gig like either GC 600 or Bathurst. KSSS are working to ensure that state meetings do not conflict with the National series, indeed, trying to dove tail the events.
Entries for SD now at 18 but Des Wall yet to confirm.

[Toyzda]

Maybe the KSSS should be on the same time as the State Series at the same track? It would lift the industries image of Sports Sedans if one state round a year would involve a national round too... The grids should be full of good state and national cars.

[Phast Phil]

Toyzda.....if you could actually arrange this and comply with all the CAMS requirements, group club run state events requirements in Vic, comply with the National series sporting regs, comply with sponsor requirements and fit in with the Nationals series dates and meet the CAMS Nationals requirements then you are a better man than me and I would happily stand down and give you the job.

The short answer to this is everyone has a committment and wants to protect their turf and the old saying of you cannot please all the people all the time is indeed correct in this sphere. Maybe I can do it once and if I am really lucky maybe twice next year; but to do it 5 times for each round would be a miracle.

Somethings gotta give, I just don't know what that is yet. Maybe if we all had a "love in" a solution could be thrashed out but arranging a love in is not that easy either. I just tried that and got ignored or shat on.

I truly wish it was as easy as some of you guys think it may be.....truly.

[Toyzda]

There was no disrespect to anyone on any SS body in my idea. Ideas are free and easy, implimentation is expensive and hard.

I struggle to find all the time required asked of me by my own car, never mind organising somewhere for me or others to race it! The work you and all other organisers do is far beyond my capabilities and patience.

There is always going to be date clashes in all sport, including motorsport. I do not believe this is the reason for low entries at Sandown. It could have something to do with race weekends in Vic being too close together at the end of the year and people running out of money and time.

This years SS racing in National and State level has sparked more interest in the category and with the amount of new cars in the build or testing time shall tell on the direction SS is heading. It is the first year of the great new u3500 category (which mind you should have restricted turbo allowed to keep up with the 20B's - an idea just for you Phil ;) ) which will need a season or two to mature. We may even see some HM cars (although there is too many v8SC copy classes for them to race in, so why would they race in SS) or even some of the newer u2L cars coming out to play.

[Mopar358]

THE ONLY CLASSES IN AUSTRALIAN MOTORSPORT THAT HAVE FULL GRIDS EVERYTIME THEY RACE IS V8 Supercars (MAIN GAME not Fujitsu) 2) V8 Utes 3) Autobarn Touring Car Masters THE ONE SIMILARITY IS NOT HOLDEN VERSUS FORD IT IS FRANCHISE!!!!!! All these competitors know they must front up or face financial sanctions. It may seem punitive but it gaurantees that these classes have TV and also incredible sponsor support. The one thing that makes SS fantastic is the different cars that can be competitive, but that also makes them hard to police as far as parity goes. All the 3 succesful categories have is parity either by design (V8 supercars) or by changing rev limits and weights (UTES And TCM) I cant see a situation where SS will ever be mainstream and big fields while there is no limit on expenditure and only very loose technical rules. I am not being a sook, but after attending 3 rounds of the Shannons Nationals (and will be attending the Finale this weekend) i have lost the desire to prepare and field a car in the National Championship. With not one person in the Grandstand at Eastern Creek (even though the racing was topnotch) it is impossible to make a cogent financial argument to a sponsor on the merit of supporting a participant in the Kerrick series. I am at a loss to where i will go in my motorsport pursuit, but I need the best method of getting the talented 18 year old i am assisting to a V8 Supercar drive. Sport sedans arnt that but they are the most exciting, diverse and spectacular class in Australia. Dont shoot the messenger but find fault with my argument if you can. Cheers and speak over the weekend.

[2002 turbo]

I cant see a situation where SS will ever be mainstream and big fields while there is no limit on expenditure and only very loose technical rules.

Unfortunately the technical freedom is part of the appeal for many in the class. Personally I like the fact that people can build a car of their own to their particular engineering outlook, it sure makes a nice change from all the tightly controlled race categories around these days and that's not just in our corner of the world. The minimum weight has put a cost cap on people going crazy with weight saving materials but like in any class if you restrict people in one area they'll find another area to put more time and money into.

Big fields can be achieved, we have had quite a few over the last 18 months its just a matter of events being run at the right time (in regards to other sport sedan races) and at tracks that people want to race at. We'll only ever be a sideline category to the mainstream if we ever get on the same meetings as them again. We simply don't have the financial backing or exposure to be the big show in town, really every other category in Australia plays second fiddle to the V8 Supercars but that's just the way it is for various reasons.

I am not being a sook, but after attending 3 rounds of the Shannon's Nationals (and will be attending the Finale this weekend) i have lost the desire to prepare and field a car in the National Championship.

That is disappointing, it would be good to get another out there and have new people running in the class.

With not one person in the Grandstand at Eastern Creek (even though the racing was topnotch) it is impossible to make a cogent financial argument to a sponsor on the merit of supporting a participant in the Kerrick series.

Your only chance with a sponsor is guaranteeing TV coverage which we do get some decent exposure through. You can forget spectator numbers because the way things are run now it is never going to happen. This though is not directly a Sport Sedan problem, its the whole issue with the Shannon's Nationals series. I have been to a few of these meetings in three states and they have always been poorly attended as far as spectators go. I have no idea what kind of budget they have for promotion (I'd guess its minimal) but really there isn't a massive effort put in to get the word out. To be fair the website they have for the series is not bad but the problem is no one knows about it. At Wakefield and Eastern Creek there wasn't even a sign out the front saying there was a race meeting on!

I am not marketing or promotions guru but a few simple things could lead to an improved turnout but I won't hold my breath. Crowds will come if it is made interesting and its properly promoted, the truck meetings that Sport Sedans ran with at Oran Park in the mid 1990s used to pull heaps of people and there wasn't a V8 Supercar to be seen!

I am at a loss to where i will go in my motorsport pursuit, but I need the best method of getting the talented 18 year old i am assisting to a V8 Supercar drive. Sport sedans arnt that but they are the most exciting, diverse and spectacular class in Australia. Dont shoot the messenger but find fault with my argument if you can. Cheers and speak over the weekend.

Sport Sedans will give your driver a good handle on a fast car with loads of adjustability but it is way off the radar of team owners looking for the next big thing although hopefully James Sera can prove me wrong on this point!!!!

[Ricey88]

For those of you who dont get the shannons emails this is a cut and paste

"All of the action from the Shannons Nationals title decider will be streamed, live and free of charge at www.thenationals.com.au this Sunday. Stay tuned to the website for broadcast details."

[toranaracer]

Only one sleep to go....................... ;)

toranaracer

[Esse,s]

congratulations to every body bloody well done
especialy james / dean & darren / john

[2JZSS]

The footage broadcast over the net on the nationals website was top notch!

If only that was available at every round it would be unreal!!


Congrats Podium