91 replies to this topic

[jonpollak]

Hello...
I posted this thread years ago but I'm damned if I could find it.
Just curious what the current inhabitants of AUTOSPORT.com think about the following.


If I had my say...
The World Drivers Championship would consist of 20 drivers competing in different racing categories comprised of all the "great" existing races.
Drivers would deal with all the existing teams/constructors/sanctioning body to negotiate a seat for these races as additional drives in the individual native series.

Here is the schedule....16 classic races +1 Wild Card race


Rally-Raid/ PARIS-DAKAR
Nascar/ DAYTONA 500,
Endurance/ SEBRING,
IndyCar/LONG BEACH
F1/INTERLAGOS
F1/MONACO
IndyCar/ INDY 500,
Nascar/BRISTOL
Endurance/LEMANS
F1/SILVERSTONE
F1/ SPA
Rally/ACROPOLIS
V8 THUNDER/ BATHHURST
F1/MELBOURNE,
F1/SUZUKA
Rally/ RAC

Wild Card & Year Ending Race/ POINT TO POINT AT ALTERNATING WORLD CITY STREET VENUE
(Example:Los Angeles to Monterey on US1 )
(Drivers must choose from cars previously driven in that championship....drivers may change vehicles as many times as they like on-route)

I am sure I have left something out..
Any ideas?
Jp

Edited by jonpollak, 14 October 2010 - 18:57.

[crashgate]

?

[egg1980]

Crikey, that sounds very complex to organise and run in a safe manor

Going to the Race of Champions would be an easier way of seeing how drivers would cope on a level playing field... oh but wait, it's in China this year, which means that the Chinese will be putting inflatables in the seats to make it look as though any tickets have been sold

[andy-i]

?

Why not just have this


On a more serious note, your idea shows just how good guys like Moss, Fangio and Clark were. Racing in many disciplines in a way we'll probably never see again

[nada12]

I'd watch it, although I'd take out the stock car stuff and replace it with an ice rally and a couple races on bikes for more entertainment.;)

[jonpollak]

?

You are supposed to play along..
Don't tell me you don't get it...
[sociological study] Or if not, why not? [/sociological study]

Jp

[jonpollak]

Crikey, that sounds very complex to organise and run in a safe manor

Going to the Race of Champions would be an easier way of seeing how drivers would cope on a level playing field...

Nah...look at the routing..Makes way more sense than the current regime's dart board method.
I guess our sites have been set rather low recently by the current "leaders"

Easier?...zzzzzz
Bust out some adventure dude...
Jp

[alecc]

Silly idea, the F1 drivers would win, because there are most f1 races. Besides that, it is, logistically, economically, and for security reasons, just impossible.
But lets think pure hypothetical - that could be interesant, something like penathlon in motorsport, but it couldn't be a whole season, maybe an week-event, 1st day F1 f.e. interlagos, 3th day WRC in finland, 5th day NASCAR at Daytona, 7th Indy at indy500, or in another order, hmm... but moment, no this is also an silly idea
It is just good as it is now

[egg1980]

Nah...look at the routing..Makes way more sense than the current regime's dart board method.
I guess our sites have been set rather low recently by the current "leaders"

Easier?...zzzzzz
Bust out some adventure dude...
Jp

OK, well let's add Rally Cross to the list and as another chap pointed out, let's have a few less F1 races so as not to give the F1 crowd too much of an advantage.
Let's also add Pikes Peak hill climb.
If it's adventure you want, how about adding a rickshaw run to the agenda to, or maybe the Mongol Rally. (just had to edit in the o and l in Mongol rally, an honest mistake of course

Edited by egg1980, 22 October 2009 - 10:12.

[krapmeister]

I like the idea - but agree that perhaps a few less F1 races.

Personally I would rather see the Rally of Sweden and/or the Rally of Finland over the Acropolis Rally. Pikes Peak is a must too.

The Nurburgring 24hrs might be cool to include. Perhaps a road event of some kind similar to the Targa Tasmania?

Also a karting event would be fun...

And to sort the men from the boys, how about sprintcars at the Knoxville Nationals?

Edited by krapmeister, 22 October 2009 - 10:23.

[Buttoneer]

Yup, less F1, but that doesn't mean not using the venues. I would suggest flinging an F2 race in there and maybe some Porsche Supercup or other single make sportscar series in there. Another endurance too - maybe just a 1000km race or an 8 hour event at Spa?

In summary, less F1 cars more 'other shit'.

[Jackmancer]

It's nice to dream about but Race of the Champions is probably as close as we can get to this.

Would be a perfect way to get Nascar fans interested in Formula 1 and visa versa but again, I can't possibly visualise this into a real world.

[grunge]

i dont think the idea is unrealistic..and i actually like the fact that there are more f1 events in there..f1 being the pinnacle of motorsport derserves it IMO.
it was would also be a massive test for the drivers of each series.the reason why clark was considered so good is because he was fast in everything he stepped into.

Edited by grunge, 22 October 2009 - 10:43.

[crashgate]

You are supposed to play along..
Don't tell me you don't get it...
[sociological study] Or if not, why not? [/sociological study]

Jp

I feel like I have a mist in my head, I dont understand

I really do not understand how are you going to organize lemans 24 hrs with 20 drivers?

[egg1980]

I feel like I have a mist in my head, I dont understand

I really do not understand how are you going to organize lemans 24 hrs with 20 drivers?

I think it's more of a 'what if' than actually coming up with a realistic proposal.
I'd be fairly surprised if this were to be submitted to the FIA at any point.

[noikeee]

My calendar would be like this:

F1/MONACO
F1/SPA
F1/SUZUKA
F1/MONZA
Rally/MONTE CARLO
Rally/CORSICA
Rally/FINLAND
Rally/RAC
IndyCar/LONG BEACH
IndyCar/INDY 500
Nascar/DAYTONA 500
Nascar/TALLADEGA
Rally-Raid/PARIS-DAKAR
Offroad Hillclimb/PIKES PEAK
Prototype Endurance/ROAD ATLANTA (PETIT LE MANS)
Prototype Endurance/24H LE MANS
GT Endurance/24H NORDSCHLEIFE
Touring Cars/V8 BATHURST
Touring Cars/WTCC MACAU
Touring Cars/DTM NORISRING

Obviously as a yearly championship it's impossible. But what about if it all added points to a special cup given by the FIA every 5 years. So drivers could change their speciality at the end of their seasons.

Won't happen but still a fun idea, lol.

[Big Block 8]

Great idea! I just thought of something similar in the "What if you were the FIA president" -thread.

I'd sure be interested in series which would require more driver skill instead of just being a sponsorship friendly political animal and open wheeler specialist. IMO it would work, it should just be started gradually by introducing a GP here and there to the F1 series and developing it on the way. With driver rotation between teams of course.

[stevewf1]

If something like that had existed in the 70s and 80s, the only World Champions would have been Mario Andretti and A.J. Foyt...

[ezequiel]

It would be easier to take that year champions in the "main series" (but, which would be they? F1, Indy car, nascar, dtm, v8, wtcc, wrc, tc??) around the world into some sort of special superfinale venue and... ok, forget about it...

[THE "driverider"]

Well all I can say on this is that, I would be interested to see a championship with half Auto races and half Moto races.

[swintex]

VERY OT:

Hi Jon, great new picture

BACK OT:

Do you think you could fit The Formula Ford Festival in you schedule?

Richard

[Villes Gilleneuve]

They should add mud wrestling and sudoku puzzles to the list.

[The Ragged Edge]

And what would the points system be? Surely you would get the same points for winning Paris-Dakar, as you would for winning at Silverstone?

[jonpollak]

Your wishes are to be fulfilled. So, as dictated by the fans...

In summary, less F1 cars more 'other ****'.

DONE..
but first.. some discussion

Silly idea, the F1 drivers would win, because there are most f1 races. Besides that, it is, logistically, economically, and for security reasons, just impossible.
But lets think pure hypothetical - that could be interesant, something like penathlon in motorsport, but it couldn't be a whole season, maybe an week-event, 1st day F1 f.e. interlagos, 3th day WRC in finland, 5th day NASCAR at Daytona, 7th Indy at indy500, or in another order, hmm... but moment, no this is also an silly idea
It is just good as it is now

Dude...Dream a little...Why is it so far fetched?
Security reasons?...What?... Working for Homeland Security are you?
I was thinking that the 20 WOULD be F1 drivers(or those that enter the WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP)

OK, well let's add Rally Cross to the list and as another chap pointed out, let's have a few less F1 races so as not to give the F1 crowd too much of an advantage.
Let's also add Pikes Peak hill climb.

OK Now we are getting somewhere...We need to drop 2 F1 races...Which ones shall they be?....
I know we are talking pie in the sky here but..Please take into consideration the original routing
Adding Pikes Peak is a GREAT idea

I like the idea - but agree that perhaps a few less F1 races.

Personally I would rather see the Rally of Sweden and/or the Rally of Finland over the Acropolis Rally. Pikes Peak is a must too.

The Nurburgring 24hrs might be cool to include. Perhaps a road event of some kind similar to the Targa Tasmania?

Also a karting event would be fun...

And to sort the men from the boys, how about sprintcars at the Knoxville Nationals?

OK...Greece out / Scandinavia in..you pick which one
If you look at the year ending "WildCard" race you will see it IS indeed a "road"event
RE: Knoxville...We have enough races in the USA already....but yeah...I am with ya on that one

Obviously as a yearly championship it's impossible. But what about if it all added points to a special cup given by the FIA every 5 years.

Like a World Cup or Olympics....
GOOD IDEA..

Do you think you could fit The Formula Ford Festival in you schedule?
Richard

Nice...
What event are we losing then?



New working Schedule below..


Rally-Raid/ PARIS-DAKAR
Nascar/ DAYTONA 500,
Endurance/ NORDSCHLEIFE
IndyCar/LONG BEACH
F1/INTERLAGOS PIKES PEAK
F1/MONACO
IndyCar/ INDY 500,
Nascar/BRISTOL
Endurance/LEMANS
F1/SILVERSTONE FF FESITVAL
F1/ SPA
Rally/ACROPOLIS SWEDISH RALLY
Thunder Saloon/ BATHHURST
F1/MELBOURNE,
F1/SUZUKA
Rally/ RAC BAJA1000

Over to you guys again.
Jp

Edited by jonpollak, 23 October 2009 - 21:41.

[schuey100]

Silly idea, the F1 drivers would win, because there are most f1 races.

Erm. no, because they are the better drivers. You get the odd exception but the RoC has shown just how superior F1 drivers are in equal machinery. (Remember I did say there are exceptions)

[jonpollak]

Funny you should say that..
I remember running into Carl Edwards at a shopping mall during one of his mandatory sponsor meet and greets months ago.

I asked him what it was like to beat MS at the RoC...
He said...'yeah, he wasn't so tough'...then winked back at me.

Wild cards rule!!!!
Jp

[DOF_power]

Championships are over-rated and nobody's gonna remember them as time goes by.

[BMW_F1]

from active drivers montoya would win this easily. He's won at monaco_ interlagos twice, indy 500, daytona 24 hours and was really close to winning at bristol before a tire puncture. I am sure that he'lladjust to rally in no time having raced and won in rally swift suzukii competition in colombia.

[BMW_F1]

top 5 drivers from each category should participate so we have
f1
button
rubens
vettel
webber
lewis

nascar
johnson
gordon
stewart
busch
montoya (replaces martin for being too old for other competitions)

indycar
dario
dixon
briscoe
kanan
castroneves

rally
loeb
sordo
finnish driver
finnish driver
help me out here.

Edited by BMW_F1, 23 October 2009 - 00:26.

[stevewf1]

rally
loeb
sordo
finnish driver
finnish driver
help me out here.

Can an FIA president (Vatanen) compete in this Championship?

[krapmeister]

OK...Greece out / Scandinavia in..you pick which one
If you look at the year ending "WildCard" race you will see it IS indeed a "road"event
RE: Knoxville...We have enough races in the USA already....but yeah...I am with ya on that one...

Sorry JP - I missed the ROAD event you had listed...

Would be nice to see the resurrection of old road events like the Mille Miglia, Targa Florio or Carrera Panamericana as part of this option...

As for the Scandinavian Rally - I choose Sweden. We don't have any snow events in the list - although it may require you to jumble the calender around.

Finally while I love the Australian GP - if you are only going to have a few F1 races in the championship, Albert Park isn't a 'great' track IMO. Perhaps we could change the venue to Phillip Island?

[whitewaterMkII]

Rally-Raid/ PARIS-DAKAR
Nascar/ DAYTONA 500,
Endurance/ SEBRING,
IndyCar/LONG BEACH
F1/INTERLAGOS
F1/MONACO
IndyCar/ INDY 500,
Nascar/BRISTOL
Endurance/LEMANS
F1/SILVERSTONE
F1/ SPA
Rally/ACROPOLIS
Thunder Saloon/ BATHHURST
F1/MELBOURNE,
F1/SUZUKA
Rally/ RAC


Hmmm,I'd throw out indycar at LB until they have a proper formula car, much as I love that race. Replace it it with NASCAR at Sonoma. I'd trade Bristol, nit that it isn't a great racetrack, for Martinsville. Add one more race to the Rally-Raid, or Off Road, the Baja 1000.
Actually, an interesting thing is which current driver has raced in the most categories above.
Robby Gordon with NASCAR, Indy and Paris Dakar?
Montoya with F1, NASCAR,Indy Car. Endurance, yes, does Daytona count? Totally different car than Lemans.
Which driver has been in the most races listed above already?
Mario? I think he did Lemans at one time. I know he did NASCAR,F1 and IndyCar.

Edited by whitewaterMkII, 23 October 2009 - 03:10.

[D-man]

Or you could have something along the lines of a "Champion's league" series run every four years.
The champions/top 3 from NASCAR, F1, Indy, WRC and A1GP organise a six round championship at a mutually acceptable time (if that exists! Off season?) and run with spec machinery at some classic venues.
Or even better than spec machinery, make it every two years and alternate the type of car and circuits used. ie 2009 uses F1 cars (historic series) at Spa, Silverstone, Monza, Suzuka etc, 2011 uses NASCAR and so on.

Fanciful, yes, but still interesting

[senna da silva]

Your wishes are to be fulfilled. So, as dictated by the fans...



DONE..
but first.. some discussion





Dude...Dream a little...Why is it so far fetched?
Security reasons?...What?... Working for Homeland Security are you?
I was thinking that the 20 WOULD be F1 drivers(or those that enter the WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP)




OK Now we are getting somewhere...We need to drop 2 F1 races...Which ones shall they be?....
I know we are talking pie in the sky here but..Please take into consideration the original routing
Adding Pikes Peak is a GREAT idea




OK...Greece out / Scandinavia in..you pick which one
If you look at the year ending "WildCard" race you will see it IS indeed a "road"event
RE: Knoxville...We have enough races in the USA already....but yeah...I am with ya on that one



Like a World Cup or Olympics....
GOOD IDEA..


Nice...
What event are we losing then?



New working Schedule below..


Rally-Raid/ PARIS-DAKAR
Nascar/ DAYTONA 500,
Endurance/ SEBRING,
IndyCar/LONG BEACH
F1/INTERLAGOS PIKES PEAK?
F1/MONACO
IndyCar/ INDY 500,
Nascar/BRISTOL
Endurance/LEMANS
F1/SILVERSTONE FF FESITVAL?
F1/ SPA
Rally/ACROPOLIS SCANDINAVIA RALLY?
Thunder Saloon/ BATHHURST
F1/MELBOURNE,
F1/SUZUKA
Rally/ RAC RALLYCROSS?

Over to you guys again.
Jp

What about replacing the Rallycross with the Baja 1000?
There should also be an event on the Nordschliefe, I don't care what it is but that track should be on this list.
Personally I don't think the Melbourne GP needs to be on the list, it's not even close to being in the same league as the other three F1 races and IMO three F1 races is enough. Maybe Macau would be an interesting replacement.

Edited by senna da silva, 23 October 2009 - 04:09.

[pinnacle racing]

Very interesting.

I do hope someone could bring this concept into reality even if on a smaller scale. A car company like Ford or a company like Red Bull could organize 4 to 6 different types of races. I can't see the big name drivers committing to this series yet so junior drivers will be participating . The big name tracks / localities would be the preferred venues but I think the organizers will have to stick with those that are near each other to cut down on the logistics. Hopefully this series will be successful and move on to bigger things.

[pingu666]

macau would be good, but where missing a drag racing event too, and something like SCORE or whatever robby gordon runs

http://www.youtube.c...player_embedded

[pingu666]

hmm prelude to the dream, turn that into a international all star event ?

http://www.youtube.c...feature=channel

[FonzCam]

I like the idea but would prefer if they'd just sort out the schedules so that the top 5 races each year were on weekends that didn't clash. Remove them from the championships and set them up as a Champions Cup with big cash prizes.

Daytona 500
Indy 500
Monaco GP (needs to be in early July)
Le Mans 24hr
Rally Finland

For each event top 1/5 of teams (based on last years championships) get to keep 1 driver each the rest of the grid is then offered 1/5th to each of the other disciplines only then if there is a shortfall of drivers wanting to compete are 'native' drivers used to fill in blanks. So top driver from top 5 teams in each championship will compete in all rounds, when space allows more people can cross over. Seats for the guest drivers are filled using a lottery system.

You'd also get all sorts of fun guest drivers in the support races and lower classes as people kept their skills sharp learning the track waiting for their shot at the ultimate prize in motorsport.

The problem would always be car/team/knowledge advantage so they only really get that at home race due to lottery.

[jonpollak]

Let's not get to convoluted with this...
The idea is to make it as easy as possible to comprehend for the casual fan.

So...We want the Baja 1000 instead of RAC/RALLYCROSS....done
Sweden for the Scandinavian rally...done

How about throwing out SEBRING for the NORDSCHLEIFE in LeMans cars?
Jp

[jonpollak]

New schedule....


Rally-Raid/ PARIS-DAKAR
Nascar/ DAYTONA 500,
GT Cars/ NORDSCHLEIFE
IndyCar/LONG BEACH
F1/PIKES PEAK
F1/MONACO
IndyCar/ INDY 500,
Nascar/BRISTOL
Endurance/LEMANS
FF/ FF FESITVAL
F1/ SPA
Rally/SWEDISH RALLY
Thunder Saloon/ BATHHURST
F1/MELBOURNE...Soon to be replaced
F1/SUZUKA
Rally/ BAJA1000


Any more additions,substitutions,etc?
Jp

Edited by jonpollak, 24 October 2009 - 00:06.

[krapmeister]

...How about throwing out SEBRING for the NORDSCHLEIFE in LeMans cars?
Jp

Will prototypes be able to do the Nordschleife?

GT cars can - I've no problem with one endurance race being prototypes and the other being GT cars either.

[jonpollak]

That's a great idea krap..
GT cars at the old-schleife


Rally-Raid/ PARIS-DAKAR
Nascar/ DAYTONA 500,
GT Cars/ NORDSCHLEIFE
IndyCar/LONG BEACH
F1/PIKES PEAK
F1/MONACO
IndyCar/ INDY 500,
Nascar/BRISTOL
Endurance/LEMANS
FF/ FF FESITVAL
F1/ SPA
Rally/SWEDISH RALLY
Thunder Saloon/ BATHHURST
F1/MELBOURNE...Soon to be replaced
F1/SUZUKA
Rally/ BAJA1000


Any more additions,substitutions,etc?
Jp

[Kooper]

If something like that had existed in the 70s and 80s, the only World Champions would have been Mario Andretti and A.J. Foyt...

AJ would come out on top... Mario broke down to much.

[Kooper]

That's a great idea krap..
GT cars at the old-schleife


Rally-Raid/ PARIS-DAKAR
Nascar/ DAYTONA 500,
GT Cars/ NORDSCHLEIFE
IndyCar/LONG BEACH
F1/PIKES PEAK
F1/MONACO
IndyCar/ INDY 500,
Nascar/Martinsville
Endurance/LEMANS
FF/ FF FESITVAL
F1/ SPA
Rally/SWEDISH RALLY
Thunder Saloon/ BATHHURST
F1/MELBOURNE...Soon to be replaced
F1/SUZUKA
Rally/ BAJA1000


Any more additions,substitutions,etc?
Jp

Since they reprofiled Bristol, I'd prefer Martinsville.

[senna da silva]

That's a great idea krap..
GT cars at the old-schleife


Rally-Raid/ PARIS-DAKAR
Nascar/ DAYTONA 500,
GT Cars/ NORDSCHLEIFE
IndyCar/LONG BEACH
F1/PIKES PEAK
F1/MONACO
IndyCar/ INDY 500,
Nascar/BRISTOL
Endurance/LEMANS
FF/ FF FESITVAL
F1/ SPA
Rally/SWEDISH RALLY
Thunder Saloon/ BATHHURST
F1/MELBOURNE...Soon to be replaced
F1/SUZUKA
Rally/ BAJA1000


Any more additions,substitutions,etc?
Jp

How about replacing the F1 Melbourne with WTCC at Macau?

[FonzCam]

How about replacing the F1 Melbourne with WTCC at Macau?

Or even F3 at Macau. Since we've got F1 at Pikes Peak why not do Macau with DTM cars?

Would it make sense to have a Karting round?

[krapmeister]

Or even F3 at Macau. Since we've got F1 at Pikes Peak why not do Macau with DTM cars?

Would it make sense to have a Karting round?

I like the idea of a karting round.

Seeing as (and I am assuming this) that the drivers are not going to be competing most, if not all the rounds in identical cars - karts may be the closest thing we will have to a 'spec' round, with a minimum weight so that the heavier drivers aren't penalised compared to the jockeys...

And speaking about drivers, how are they going to be placed with rides in each round? There will obviously be 'better' teams/cars than others within each round - for instance F1 - so do we leave it up to the drivers to place themselves and goodluck to the guys who grab the better seats? Or is there a degree of 'equalisation' involved ie. if you drive for Brawn or Red Bull (based on this years car performances) you don't get as good a drive for the LeMans/GT/Indycar rounds?

Or am I just getting too far ahead of myself?

Also if we are going to replace the Australian GP with another F1 round I vote for Interlagos.

And JP, I hope the GT round at the Nordschleife is still an endurance race - 12 or 24 hrs please

[slideways]

Pipedreams, but I certainly would like to see some kind of motivation for drivers to race in more categories. It's understandable why the big teams don't want it to happen though.

[krapmeister]

There's nothing wrong with dreaming...

[Sakae]

Hello...
I posted this thread years ago but I'm damned if I could find it.
Just curious what the current inhabitants of AUTOSPORT.com think about the following.


If I had my say...
The World Drivers Championship would consist of 20 drivers competing in different racing categories comprised of all the "great" existing races.
Drivers would deal with all the existing teams/constructors/sanctioning body to negotiate a seat for these races as additional drives in the individual native series.

Here is the schedule....16 classic races +1 Wild Card race


Rally-Raid/ PARIS-DAKAR
Nascar/ DAYTONA 500,
Endurance/ SEBRING,
IndyCar/LONG BEACH
F1/INTERLAGOS
F1/MONACO
IndyCar/ INDY 500,
Nascar/BRISTOL
Endurance/LEMANS
F1/SILVERSTONE
F1/ SPA
Rally/ACROPOLIS
Thunder Saloon/ BATHHURST
F1/MELBOURNE,
F1/SUZUKA
Rally/ RAC

Wild Card & Year Ending Race/ POINT TO POINT AT ALTERNATING WORLD CITY STREET VENUE
(Example:Los Angeles to Monterey on US1 )
(Drivers must choose from cars previously driven in that championship....drivers may change vehicles as many times as they like on-route)

I am sure I have left something out..
Any ideas?
Jp

Probability exists, that an average driver might win this championship of categories. Is that exciting? I have never experienced, thus I do not know, but I doubt it.

_________

"Average" in here denotes someone who will do reasonable job in most categories, thus raking enough points. I would not be able to get too excited.

On the other side you can have an absolute genius in one category, joy to watch, but el stinko in everything else, and therefore loosing your made up championship. Maybe that's why I am watching only one category (F1)?

Edited by MiPe, 24 October 2009 - 03:22.