After reading this article from Auto Action, it made me realize what a big chip some Australian motor sport media and supporters are carrying on their shoulders. http://autoaction.com.au/gt3-wont-beat-v8s/?adbsc=social_20150417_43968526&adbid=846960438692527&adbpl=fb&adbpr=204021419653102
My response to these comments is as follows – I can’t speak for all, but it is utterly ridiculous to make an assumption that fans want to see the demise of the biggest motor racing category in the country. We are however, sick and tired of the V8SC administrators thinking that they are the quintessential category in Australian motorsport. Never have been, never will be! You say you don’t understand! Well…I’ll try and help you understand why motorsport fans in this country are frustrated at the category’s policies, procedures and tactics. We don’t like overbearing, ex-media/PR types who ride roughshod over other category’s, circuit owners and fans, with the attitude of “We’re the only game in town”. Motorsport fans, like supporters of other sports, follow their game passionately, know their racing intimately, and don’t take kindly to some blow-in who turns up and manipulates the sport as his plaything and holds no respect for fans of other motorsport classes. The present administration will eventually disappear with their barrow full of payTV money and ride off into the sunset, leaving the teams to pick up the pieces, after destroying the product. Fans want to see the country’s main touring car category, if it is still possible, as the showcase of what the real cars are, not the silhouette, spec series that it has become.
If the cars were all painted black, no one would be able to tell the difference, and that includes the die-hards and the casual fans. We are over the stupid manipulation of the rules of racing….all in the name of improving TV ratings.
The term “troll” gets used a lot these days by people who don’t seem to be able to handle opposing arguments and can’t grasp the concept that some people may disagree with them.
I am a big GT3 fan. The various international GT3 series, have the best production based cars in the world, competing in racing at the moment. My personal view is that GT3, in it’s present form, could take over from the dinosaurs in our top racing category in Australia. I think that the main reason motorsport here in Australia and around the world is decreasing in popularity, is that administrators don’t seem to be capable of moving with the times. Decades ago, when our local automotive manufacturing industry was going great guns, the Ford vs GM battle was relevant. Even with the addition of Volvo and Nissan, having one tyre supplier and the determination of the category administration to promote the growth of the hated street circuits and their concrete canyon, demolition derby style of racing hasn’t made the product any more appealing. Australians have grown up, and are ready for a change from the boring old stuff that V8SC’s have been dishing up, for way too long. Kids these days aspire to own and drive the likes of Porsche’s, Audi’s, Ferrari’s, BMW’s, Mercedes, Aston Martin’s, Bentley’s, Jaguar’s, Lamborghini’s and McLaren’s. Do you really think that the new younger fans that the sport is trying to attract, really aspire to drive a Commodore, Falcon, Nissan or Volvo four door family sedan? The type of car that the category has at the moment would be more likely seen in a bowls club car park.
The reason Richard Muscat cuts a swathe through the AUSGT field is that he is a pro class driver racing against amateurs. Although he currently holds a silver rating, there’s no doubt that he should be gold rated in the FIA driver categorization list, based on his talent.
Demeaning other motorsport fans?? I’ve been to V8SC events. They don’t need demeaning by anyone, they do it by themselves. I’ve seen the actions of the fans/supporters at the Gold Coast event. I’ve sat on the turn one hill at Qld raceway with my daughter. The behavior of some football crowds pales into insignificance. All of them aren’t necessarily in that group, however it does add to the image of the generic V8SC fan, and yes, most of the crowd at your average V8SC round is totally unaware of other forms of racing. 
Photo dailytelegraph.com
F1, OMG, where do I start? The fans? Bernie Ecclestone? The boring Tilkedrome circuits they race on? The spoilt brat actions and attitudes of the drivers?
The “Star factor”….. you’re kidding aren’t you? LOL. V8SC’s have possibly half their field which could compete on the world stage in motorsport. The rest are paying (or should be) their way. The bottom half of the driving list wouldn’t even come close to matching it with the best drivers of many of the international series in world motorsport. Drivers who bring money sustain all categories in motorsport, and btw there are pro/pro teams in GT3 racing http://www.blancpain-gt-series.com/entry-list?filter_meeting_id=45 , again something the writers of the article should have been aware of. Another fact that the writers seem to have missed is that many of these am guys match it with pace with the pro’s. Many of the teams go with a talented, fast driver who brings coin.
Motorsport in Australia can continue down the path it is on, with its head in the sand and the outdated neanderthal racing that V8SC’s provides, or it can grow up, get out of the 20th century and move into the 21st. Whether or not GT racing provides the answer, who knows, but we need change from the boring repetitive racing, our biggest category is serving up at the moment. By saying that most GT cars are unobtainable again misreads the followers of motorsport. Sure… the sport transcends a wide gulf of car ownership and while most of us will probably never own a Ferrari or Lamborghini, there is a whole new bunch of high disposable income, motorsport fans out there.
The Auto Action article completely misread the feelings of motorsport fans in Australia. Whether your inaccuracies were a simple case of a misunderstanding, or the total lack of comprehension of the Australian motorsport fan community, I don’t know.
Here-in lies the issue at hand. Motorsport is similar to other sports. The individual football codes fans and administrators all have the same passion for their game and never miss the opportunity to have a go at the other guy. Fans sometime overstep the mark, but it is generally a healthy respect, that each code has for the others.
porsche91722 