I’ve spent the last three weeks or so in Europe enjoying the northern summer and dodging the abnormal heatwave of the last few days.
Along the way I’ve been fortunate enough to have attended two outstanding motorsports events that should probably be on every Australian enthusiast’s bucket list.
Firstly, we went to the Austrian F1 Grand Prix that takes place at the Red Bull Ring which is set in a magnificent valley in the heart of the state of Styria. Television doesn’t really do the area justice, let alone the circuit.
Street circuits are all very well, but this circuit is as special to look at as the Phillip Island one and affords some great views to spectators. Long live permanent circuits like this.
But the real point of difference for the Austrian event in my experience is the sheer quality of the operational side, particularly spectator control including egress at the end of each day. There is no nearby train line and almost everyone comes and goes by car.
It is unbelievably well organised.
Whilst the absolute number of spectators that the Red Bull Ring can accommodate is certainly appreciably less than Silverstone, for instance, the overall venue is also smaller. The GP crowd packed the stands and yet, at the end of each of the three days, it was possible to walk out, get back to the rental car and exit the circuit onto the free-flowing motorway within minutes.
The event also gave us an opportunity to catch up with Aussie friends competing in Formula 2 and 3, particularly Jack Doohan and Christian Mansell respectively.
Whilst both drivers had reasonable runs in Austria, a week later at Silverstone they both enjoyed very well-deserved podiums. Well done guys and here’s to more prizes in Hungary this weekend.
The only let down for the GP itself was the constant flow of track limits infringements. It impacted the race both during it and afterwards in a very negative way.
Track limits are something which Supercars knows all about and we’ve learned over the years how to deal with them pretty effectively. Well placed sensors are the key, as used also in MotoGP.
And yet, Formula 1, with access to far more technology than any other form of motorsport, doesn’t appear able to handle racing within the white lines properly.
I’m told that the accuracy of loops within the track, set off by sensors in the cars, is simply not good enough. I don’t believe it.
Even if the loops are not perfect, drivers will leave a little margin to prevent setting them off. The teams know instantly if they’re set off and can inform the drivers immediately. It is clear and transparent for all to see, rather than this opaque system we witnessed in Austria where we, the spectators, don’t know what is happening.
Supercars, and its teams, has been, quite rightly over the years, firmly told by the various stakeholders, including fans, to get its house in order over track limits. It’s time for F1 (and its junior formulae) to do the same. Teams and drivers will be grumpy about it all sometimes, as they are in Supercars. But everyone gets on with it in the end.
The other outstanding event we’ve attended was the Goodwood Festival of Speed in the south of England. The Euro heatwave certainly didn’t extend to that part of the World!
However, even with some average weather (including the enforced cancellation of Saturdays activities due to very high winds), the FoS reinforced, for me, its place as the best car show in the World today.
I hadn’t been there for about 20 years, and it has grown into a full motor show of unbelievable variety. Whilst the hill climb through the gardens of Goodwood House is still a massive focal point of the event, the exhibits from so many major manufacturers, as well as by every bespoke hypercar builder worth thinking about, combine to create a unique experience.
Then add in a huge selection of interesting race and rally cars from across the decades, with great accessibility for everyone so all attendees could get up close to the vehicles, and you’ve got the full attention of any enthusiast.
What was particularly interesting to see was that the packed enclosures were full of patrons of all ages. This isn’t just an event for old petrol heads like me, but one that clearly has great appeal to a real cross section of the community, and it’s easy to hear the accents and languages of people from many different countries as you walk around.
The Goodwood Festival of Speed is what the Adelaide Motorsport Festival should continue to seek to emulate. Smaller of course, with a unique Aussie flavour, but a broader based motor vehicle show platform for as wide a variety of people as possible. Now that old style motor shows don’t exist anymore, the timing is right for the concept to grow.
In the meantime, I reckon that the Must Do events in the UK for Aussies fans are the Isle of Man TT (which I was last at in 2018) and the Goodwood FoS. Each very different, but each unique and very much worth the effort of getting to see
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