How would you improve motor sports?

"Bad Idea Hat" (taoistlumberjack)
12/09/2013 at 21:51 • Filed to: None

I've seen a number of posts that have expressed a desire to improve or change motor sports. How would you do it? Be general or specific to a series, it's up to you. Please be constructive, no burning down NASCAR even if you really, really want to.

Here's a picture of the camera car that ran at Le Mans in 1970, because 908.

DISCUSSION (19)

Leadbull > Bad Idea Hat
12/09/2013 at 21:53

Lock Vettel in a safe.

-Jalopnik

Sn210 > Bad Idea Hat
12/09/2013 at 21:58

I'd love to see a new Trans Am series. New Mustangs, Camaros, and Challengers going at it on road courses? Plus, maybe some CTS-V's, e90 M3's, Pontiac GTO's maybe?

And more Rallying in The US!

Tyler's SVT Focus Hates Him > Bad Idea Hat
12/09/2013 at 21:59

United Sportscar Championship

1. bring back LMP1's

2. separate P2's from

3. Daytona Prototypes

Everything else should stay the same.

pdthedeuce > Bad Idea Hat
12/09/2013 at 22:00

I think it would be cool to have a series where the only performance limiting factor would be an 8 1/2 inch wide tire . other than safety regulations , no other rules (maybe minimum weight).

nippon > Bad Idea Hat
12/09/2013 at 22:01

I'd burn NASC...oh ookay. But i think NASCAR would be way more fun with bumper cars.

Also, F1, i'd ditch all the rules those uptight assholes thought of, give the teams a few general rules and let the engineering gods take it to the track.

Bad Idea Hat > Sn210
12/09/2013 at 22:03

I wish I could star this repeatedly, as it's one of my top favorite ideas.

My part B of this is make cars match the body shape of their namesake, and run on an engine based on a production model offered in the same car. Voila, NASCAR becomes more palatable to me.

Dailygaraged > Bad Idea Hat
12/09/2013 at 22:06

Create tracks that seemingly defy physics... Because cars today are capable of it... Something along the line of inverted racing, speed racer style/hot wheels style tracks.... With the same safety precautions taken... So that it is no more dangerous than current racing (would probably only be viewable from television). Yes, I sound bat shit crazy, but the technology is there to take racing to another level. And I realize that's billions in r&d alone but shit I've never paid for a sports package or ppv but inverted style f1 racing... I'd pay for that!

Another idea on the nascar note... Steeper track turns and crazy fucking huge (v16?) engines... Higher speeds, bigger tracks. New cars, cars that have some appearance of function.... Awesome aero w/e.... I'm baked I could go for days with nuts racing possibilities

Destructive Tester > Bad Idea Hat
12/09/2013 at 22:08

Use all of the FIA's recent decisions on F1 as a "How NOT To" list.

Sn210 > Bad Idea Hat
12/09/2013 at 22:11

Yes! The cars should be as close to street legal as possible.

Kinja'd!!!

Bad Idea Hat > Sn210
12/09/2013 at 22:15

NASCAR would lead to better car sales in that case as well.

Destructive Tester > Destructive Tester
12/09/2013 at 22:29

I was only partly joking there... It seems like every change to the rules in recent memory is to fix something they "broke" in a prior rule. We have DRS and KERS to try to improve passing which went away with the emphasis on aero grip from the grooved tire decision. We have tires designed to be garbage (by the FIA and not Pirelli, anyone can make crap tires when they're forced to) to force cars to pit at least once since they did away with refueling. As a result of the garbage tires we have boring, procession racing because drivers are afraid to abuse their tires. Even the forced reliability of the engines and gearboxes has all but eliminated the wild card of mechanical failures...
The list goes on, I just don't feel like typing anymore.

f86sabre > Bad Idea Hat
12/09/2013 at 22:41

I have a friend who is an Indycar official and he had an interesting idea. Have a race the week before the 500 for autonomous vehicles. 100 miles and no outside inputs beyond GPS. You would have to build in the logic for drafting and overtaking. Run that for a year or two and then add pit stops, lengthen the race and maybe add a team car. The Speedway was intended to be a proving ground, so we might was well use it as such.

Le Mans and F-1, open power generating formula up to 750 HP with a predetermined overtake push to pass of 75 HP. Fuel milage requirement that is reasonable.

I'd love to see aero opened up. Give the, boxes to play in and let them go to town.

Corey CC97, MAZDA DPI IS STILL BAE JOESTACTIV JOESTACTIV JOESTACTIV JOESTACTIV VISIT FLORIDA RACING LIVES FOREVER IN OUR HEARTS > Bad Idea Hat
12/09/2013 at 23:15

No rules, no safety requirements. 1960s and 1970s reborn! Ok, maybe safety can stay but I say just let the engineers go mad.

848brian > Bad Idea Hat
12/10/2013 at 04:51

Ban safety cars, pit/car radios, tyre changes and refuelling. Qualify for the first race of the season then the winner starts the next race from the back of the grid, and so on till all the races are run.

BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires > Bad Idea Hat
12/10/2013 at 06:52

Here in the UK? I'd bring over Chumpcar-style racing.

There are a couple of very cheap ways to enter motorsports. Lots of karting, rallycross can be quite cheap, a couple of one-make series and banger racing.

There's not really anything where I can buy whatever cheap car I want, prepare it to go racing and hit a proper racetrack, for a proper racing series. I could buy an MR2 and go race against other MR2s, or a 3-series and race against other 3-series, but nothing where there's a varied grid on a proper racetrack.

This needs to be rectified.

King Ginger, not writing for Business Insider > Bad Idea Hat
12/10/2013 at 12:11

I think the key with any product is connection.

Any motorsport that finds a way to connect with fans will mean revenue, advertising, and longevity. There are a lot of series that are out their that are being held together only by hope and pure will...there are few if any fans, sponsors are absent, and so they eventually burn out.

Connection can be based on the types of tracks/vehicles, the quality of the drivers, the storylines, the similarities of the cars to what people own/desire, the historical value of certain events, and (more often than not) the media exposure. While I do feel there is a finite market for motorsports, there is still a lot of room for growth and is something that I think can be achieved through consolidation of existing series and a bigger focus on only a few worldwide programs rather than a myriad of regional ones.

Bad Idea Hat > King Ginger, not writing for Business Insider
12/10/2013 at 12:19

I agree. A lot of the Group B cars looked like something any of the spectators could drive home from the race. Of course, there were a few differences...

Switching NASCAR to a production-based series would be insanely good for the sports. Manufacturers would be beating each other up to get into the series, and I can guarantee that sales would go through the roof for competing cars.

King Ginger, not writing for Business Insider > Bad Idea Hat
12/10/2013 at 12:46

Indeed. The only tradeoff for going production based would be that the top speeds would probably decrease (because the aero would be different).

Personally, I would love to see NASCAR go for a split between superspeedways, roadcourses, and street tracks...but given how many of the current drivers came up in oval and the fact that the Frances' already own the TUDOR series, I am not sure if that transition would happen easily or at all in the given climate.

302? I think yes > Bad Idea Hat
12/10/2013 at 17:04

Full on Can-Am-ish, unlimited displacement, unlimited aero, turbocharged/supercharged/twincharged, turbine-powered, KERS, hybrid/electric, open/closed wheel whatever you can make work series... In other words, literally no non-safety restrictions. There'd be a few different classes, probably based off weight, horsepower, overall downforce, and overall team budget so smaller teams would compete with smaller teams and larger teams would compete against each other.