Is it time for Ginetta Juniors to leave the BTCC package?

[m1fcf]

Originally Posted by The SpeCTator

Remove all the hospitality tents and trucks and there are normally less than 100 cars in the paddock.

So like F1 then?

F1 Cars = 24
GP2 Cars = 24ish
GP3 Cars = 24ish
Porsche Cars = 30ish??

Total of just over 100 cars in paddock - and at Silverstone, then were spread over two paddocks, so even more sparsely populated.

I think the MotorsTV RaceDay events are a much better proposition for Live TV, but if the sponsors are happy to pay for BTCC and all that goes with it, then so be it.

[vjay48]

I find it a bit strange that all the post are about what is on the TV,surely the real deal is for competitors,ie drivers and teams and paying spectators,dont they have an opinion? I dont think that tv watched by security guards at 3 in the morning has any relevance. I can remember going to a BTCC meeting,Formula Ford, Fiestas and Heritage GTs. good day out.

[m1fcf]

Originally Posted by vjay48

I find it a bit strange that all the post are about what is on the TV,surely the real deal is for competitors,ie drivers and teams and paying spectators,dont they have an opinion? I dont think that tv watched by security guards at 3 in the morning has any relevance.

But it is the TV package that differentiates BTCC the most from other events.

Originally Posted by vjay48

I can remember going to a BTCC meeting,Formula Ford, Fiestas and Heritage GTs. good day out.

And that sounds like the MotorsTV Race Day event. Yes it is TV coverage, but it is actually a very good event for the "on-site" spectator.

But I fear we may be drifting from the original point, and that is whether the Juniors should be on the BTCC package or not. I think that for the sake of the young drivers' skills, then it would be a good thing to break from BTCC - far too easy to pick up those bad habits. BUT, the TV coverage brings the Sponsors which brings the money, which means the Juniors can carry on racing. It's a difficult one to call.

[The SpeCTator]

I would like to know what is written into the Ginetta Junior/ TOCA contract.
What is the minimum amount of cars for the races to be held / shown on TV, before they can be dropped?
It seems that F. Renault were able to be fired so what is the cut off point for the Ginetta Juniors?

[vjay48]

The event i was describing was not some Motors TV event (security guard tv) it was a BTCC round at Snetterton in front of a large live crowd. I can see that tv is perhaps important to the package,but the people at the event are not watching it! Surely spectators deserve a good range of races to watch,also i think the gate money is important. If ginetta juniors is in a good state then it has nothing to fear,the new junior fiesta effort is struggling with 6-7 cars so that does not appear to be an option. I still cannot see why other classes cannot be considered. The fact is two guest championships raced at Croft and appeared on TV so it can happen.

[sceptic]

Originally Posted by vjay48

Did the minis and classic saloons/sports,pay to be on tv the other week,i dont think so.

Of course they did.

Originally Posted by codename_47

(Clio race 1 is usually hidden away on Saturdays when the TV cameras are off )

But that is the teams' choice. They are the ones who insist on only having one race on Sundays, presumably to give them more time for repairs.

Originally Posted by the.cosmic.pope

I haven't seen the German series, but I regularly watch the Supercup and enjoy it. However the Carrera Cup GB series is awful. There's no action at all, the races are too long for the series they support, and they get live coverage whilst more deserving supports don't.

It isn't a case of bad cars, just a bad series. Nobody really likes the British series anymore, and it's slot as a live race is irritating.

Actually the races aren't long enough. They need to be 40-45 minutes rather than 25.
The only people who find them boring are those who don't really understand multi-class sports car racing... the people who go along to watch crashes rather than racing usually.

Originally Posted by FIRE

Instead of blaming Porsche you could ask the question why GP2 and GP3 not buy airtime.

GP2 and GP3 charge for their rights. They aren't going to pay for anything.

Originally Posted by The SpeCTator

I would like to know what is written into the Ginetta Junior/ TOCA contract.
What is the minimum amount of cars for the races to be held / shown on TV, before they can be dropped?
It seems that F. Renault were able to be fired so what is the cut off point for the Ginetta Juniors?

F Renault had 5 entries when it was axed.

Originally Posted by vjay48

The event i was describing was not some Motors TV event (security guard tv) it was a BTCC round at Snetterton in front of a large live crowd. I can see that tv is perhaps important to the package,but the people at the event are not watching it! Surely spectators deserve a good range of races to watch,also i think the gate money is important.

However two of those championships don't exist any more, which explains why you don't see them any more.

Small grids are, for the most part, due to the recession. When the economy improves so will grid sizes.
There are a couple of other factors of course: F Renault's problems were as much due to the new promoter of that championship not doing a particularly good job. And Porsche still has relativelyhealthy grids because the sponsors in that championship are less hard hit by the economic downturn.