Bathurst boring.

[xr8cam]

I am a racing fan and have been to many races and watched a lot on tv. I watched the shootout this year and besides the fact that a Volvo nearly ended up on pole, I thought it looked very 'predictable' & 'clean'. Now I know car racing is about clean laps and repetition BUT, watch the top 10 from 1999 on youtube and I think some of you will see what I am trying to explain. Maybe it's because there are AU's being driven but the cars look more alive and sound fantastic. Also, I like how easy it is to spot a Ford on the track. Touring cars look more alike with every year that passes it seems.

[Rob 351]

If you think the 99 shootout was exciting, check out some of the stuff from the 80's when they used to put it all on the line for pole! You would hardly have a shootout without some one binning it.
Bathurst is not what it used to be, that's a good and bad thing I guess but after 30 years for me on the mountain, I really am starting to miss the rivalry between red and blue at Bathurst! Much to friendly up there now

[whitelion65]

1983 perhaps??

[OzJavelin]

I stopped regularly watching V8 Supercars when Perkins stopped using the Holden V8 (1993?). It all seemed to become pretty much sanitised and purely entertainment after that.
I remember hanging out to watch the old Group Cs as a child.
Nowdays I watch TCM when I can .. and I watch the highlights of the V8s (and the V8 utes) but its a passing interest only. I'd rather be out in the shed working on my own cars or bikes ...

[Vesper Martini]

They need smaller tyres and BIG turbos.

1992 Dick Johnston taking pole
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1zgIwRpKNCY

[CoupeKing]

Originally Posted by xr8cam

watch the top 10 from 1999 on youtube and I think some of you will see what I am trying to explain.

I hear ya.


Moments like the one you mentioned, and countless others, are half the reason why I get excited when the race is about to start. The other half is an excuse to get wasted, eat a BBQ, and pray to all the Gods that Holden declare bankruptcy mid-race.

Long gone are they days where a drivers personality was as distinct as the car they drove.

[Deo]

Originally Posted by CoupeKing

Long gone are they days where a drivers personality was as distinct as the car they drove.

I would argue that their personalities and cars are still consistent in their degree of distinctiveness - ie not at all!


There must be a personality homologation requirement.



Sent from my GTi-9305 using bloody Tapatalk

[Sabantien]

When they narrowed it to just Ford and Holden it became boring. I liked seeing all the other cars out there, and quite honestly, if Fords and Holdens couldn't compete, maybe they just needed to improve their cars rather than banning everything else.

[Raptor]

Then when they stopped being Holden and Fords and became instead silhouette bodyshells on the COTF platform it became even worse.

Thanks for nothing Skaifey - you designed some of the worst tracks (Canberra & Sydney) and also had a hand in the COTF fiasco that has killed the sport. That along with Holden and Triple 8 domination (on and track and in the boardroom).

Not to forgot that oxygen thief Barwanna's driving standards rulings

This series is over for me and I'm not happy about it.




.

[Blue Shadow]

Originally Posted by OzJavelin

I stopped regularly watching V8 Supercars when Perkins stopped using the Holden V8 (1993?). It all seemed to become pretty much sanitised and purely entertainment after that.
I remember hanging out to watch the old Group Cs as a child.
Nowdays I watch TCM when I can .. and I watch the highlights of the V8s (and the V8 utes) but its a passing interest only. I'd rather be out in the shed working on my own cars or bikes ...

Yep, for about 5 years now I have just been watching the Utes, the main game is as you say way to sanitised. I'll always watch Bathurst, but that's fading as well.
Need the old fellas running the show Johnson, Bowe, Seaton

[Rallye Sport]

Originally Posted by Bevsta007

They need smaller tyres and BIG turbos.

1992 Dick Johnston taking pole
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1zgIwRpKNCY

Long live the Cosworths, the mightiest touring car ever...

Still watching the big race, it used to be an all day event now it only goes for a few hours. The whole series lost me at car of the future. Shame we don't see much of the world rally on free to air, I know we're a 'grand tourer' kind of nation but we also have some of the best and varying rally conditions in the world, Tassie forrests or WA pea gravel anyone? Rumour had it we maybe getting some rallycross, best of both worlds and may be the shot in the arm australian motorsport needs...

[CoupeKing]

Originally Posted by Deo

I would argue that their personalities and cars are still consistent in their degree of distinctiveness - ie not at all!


There must be a personality homologation requirement.

edit. I somewhat agree.

[Wretched]

Stopped watching V8s not long after Ambrose left.
Even Bathurst was boring, not the track but the race.
Started to watch the GT3 12 hr race and had to say, far more enjoyable.

[Sprintey]

Yep the 12 hour (2011 they opened up to GT3 rules or something), and now it's the 6 hour for production cars, Easter event I think. That has the most interest here.

[baboon]

2013 and 2014 Bathurst was very very entertaining, still is a great race to watch IMO.

[Vesper Martini]

We all know how good the GTR was, but racing against it in wet conditions -top class.

have a look at the distance he pulls on conrod straight

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AtzQPCkHzfc

this is racing.

[Silver Ghia]

Originally Posted by Bevsta007

They need smaller tyres and BIG turbos.

1992 Dick Johnston taking pole
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1zgIwRpKNCY

That was when the cars were still real cars...

Enjoyed that.

[Wretched]

Originally Posted by Bevsta007

We all know how good the GTR was, but racing against it in wet conditions -top class.

have a look at the distance he pulls on conrod straight

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AtzQPCkHzfc

this is racing.

Great video, those Sierras...

[uniacidz]

Originally Posted by xr8cam

I am a racing fan and have been to many races and watched a lot on tv. I watched the shootout this year and besides the fact that a Volvo nearly ended up on pole, I thought it looked very 'predictable' & 'clean'. Now I know car racing is about clean laps and repetition BUT, watch the top 10 from 1999 on youtube and I think some of you will see what I am trying to explain. Maybe it's because there are AU's being driven but the cars look more alive and sound fantastic. Also, I like how easy it is to spot a Ford on the track. Touring cars look more alike with every year that passes it seems.

Is called aerodynamics and parity that they kinda look alike.
Sponsorship decals also hides alot of the differences.

As far as rough laps of yesteryear, yes was nice to watch but downforce and clean runs these days are needs to win pole.

And thats what its about now

[Express]

Originally Posted by uniacidz

Is called aerodynamics and parity that they kinda look alike.
Sponsorship decals also hides alot of the differences.

As far as rough laps of yesteryear, yes was nice to watch but downforce and clean runs these days are needs to win pole.

And thats what its about now

It might be what it is about now but that doesn’t stop it from being boring.

For all the parity you can still bet on at the start of the season which teams will most likely be at the pointy end and those that make up the numbers.

The close racing times we now see still doesn’t make for an unpredictable contest, it just means the winners and losers are separated by a lesser margin and that goes for the V8 Supercars Championship in general.

[uniacidz]

This years race was textbook to about 90laps or so, then all hell broke lose and controversy

So wasnt all bad

[commodorenutt]

And it was those 90 laps that were boring as bat poop......

[Express]

Controversy can also turn away fans.

[FoxtrotGolfXray 5.0]

Originally Posted by Express

It might be what it is about now but that doesn’t stop it from being boring.

For all the parity you can still bet on at the start of the season which teams will most likely be at the pointy end and those that make up the numbers.

The close racing times we now see still doesn’t make for an unpredictable contest, it just means the winners and losers are separated by a lesser margin and that goes for the V8 Supercars Championship in general.

Does anyone think changing the spec of cars that are raced (assuming the same teams remain in the comp) will change this? T8 will still be at or near the pointy end, PRA will still be there or thereabouts, Erebus and LDM (et al) will still be languishing down the back of the pack.

Nothing will change, IMHO. The cream will still rise to the top and those that don't have the $$$ (either themselves or through lack of sponsorship) will still be mid pack or lower.

As you say Express, perhaps it will simply be the margins will be greater. And that may turn away those spectators who prefer to see closer racing.

[Adamz Ghia]

I like COTF and I'd like to see it extended further. The brand rivalry is nearly gone now and as time goes on it will disappear for good. So extend COTF to engines and components as well, or if not engines then their outputs, place a cap on team budgets and eventually what you'll get is a championship that is decided on a drivers pure talent rather than their teams bank balance.

[mik]

It doesn't hold the same excitement it once did , sanitised is a good word, it's like watching paint dry, only with louder commentating.

[TUF_302]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8iZL...D7C4819D3C24DC

[Bossxr8]

The cars reliability actually is a downside. You never knew who was going to last the race, now you are lucky to see 2 cars not make it due to reliability issues. It was good for throwing a cat amongst the pigeons when the best drivers would go out in a puff of smoke.

[ford71V8]

Originally Posted by Bossxr8

The cars reliability actually is a downside. You never knew who was going to last the race, now you are lucky to see 2 cars not make it due to reliability issues. It was good for throwing a cat amongst the pigeons when the best drivers would go out in a puff of smoke.

But there was a bit of that this year. And possibly due to the unusual run of 90 odd laps without a SC (or a rest). Moff lost an engine. Craig's gear lever shaft. Brake issues with the #1 and #55.

[malazn mafia]

They lost the plot a long time ago, but the final nail was when they started using ethanol. Going "green" perhaps? Even F1 has lost the plot, compared to how it was two decades ago.