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Daytona, Bathurst, and the plight of the against-the-odds battler
by Stefan Bartholomaeus
pic: NASCAR Media
Every Australian race fan watching the Daytona 500 unfold last week would have been continually struck by the significant cultural differences between that of NASCAR and our local V8 Supercar series.
Some of the disparities are fundamental, such as the distinct lack of right turns in ‘the 500’, and the use of a control chassis/body for all manufacturers. Smaller differences too, like having a commentator yell ‘boogity, boogity, boogity’ into the microphone as the race starts, would have been an eye opener to many. Imagine the reaction if Mr White tried that next month at the Clipsal 500?
For all this though, the most poignant difference between the two racing cultures could be summed up with just one name; Jeremy Mayfield.
Here was a guy driving in ‘the Great American Race’ for a team that simply didn’t exist a little over two weeks earlier. And yet, with a mix of bought and borrowed equipment, and a team of guys thrown together from the remains of a fraught off-season of NASCAR redundancies, Mayfield was able to compete in arguably the biggest motor racing spectacle in the world.
The team was set-up in a way that Mayfield himself describes as “a little bit of old school”, and whilst never a threat to the front runners in the race, it certainly made for a great story. Instantly, those wishing to cheer on an against-the-odds battler had a new hero.
James Truslow Adams, who coined the phrase ‘the American dream’ almost 80 years ago, would indeed have indeed been one of those cheering on Mayfield. There is no doubting that, even at this elite level, racing US-of-A style provides ‘opportunity for each according to ability or achievement’. Put simply, if you’re fast enough, you’re in the show.
Meanwhile, back in Australia, things are handled a little differently. At Australia’s greatest race, the Bathurst 1000, our fields seem to be getting smaller every year. The 2008 race saw just 27 starters face the green light, the lowest car count in Bathurst history. Now days, no one gets the chance to ‘pull a Mayfield’, as speed and spirit aren’t rewarded when it comes to deciding the field, only a piece of paper with ‘level one franchise’ written on it.
It’s almost ten years ago now that a team could simply turn up and qualify for Bathurst on pure merit, and not surprisingly, more and more people are beginning to question whether we are getting the same spectacle with such a low and contrived car count. Doesn’t having a handful of privateers, battlers, and rookie entries add something special to the race? Well, it certainly used to.
It seems as if every year VESA talk about opening the field up to more cars, but nothing ever eventuates. And let’s be honest, whilst the existing ‘level one’ franchise holders continue to oppose the idea on the grounds that removing their exclusive right to compete would decrease their franchise value, the race will suffer as a consequence.
Admittedly, the much-discussed idea of inviting the top eight or ten Fujitsu Series entries does come with its problems, due to the fact that all of these drivers aspire to gain a co-drive with one of the big teams. Pre-selecting quality Fujitsu cars is thus not as simple as it seems...
The question is then, why can’t any would-be competitors simply put a team together, turn up, and try to qualify on speed, Mayfield-style? If you’re not fast enough, you can either compete in the Fujitsu races, or make sure you come back better and stronger next year. The regular main series teams all get a guaranteed start, and wouldn’t have to lose any precious franchise income (or voting rights) to the interlopers. It really doesn’t need to be any more complex than that.
Granted, it’s not a good idea for our series to have a cut-throat ‘qualify on speed’ session at every round (as tried in the past), as it has the potential to dishearten new competitors and sponsors. But doing it for Bathurst only (or perhaps both of the enduros) would surely only increase interest in the race; adding much needed rows of mystery, intrigue, and fighting spirit to a somewhat stale year-long grid.
For the moment though, it seems as if the main series teams are intent on protecting their own little pieces of the revenue pie, and not letting anyone else race in the championship’s ‘crown jewel’ event. But surely, if you can increase the spectacle of Bathurst, and the sport as a whole, then your whole pie becomes bigger, before you start cutting it up...
So whilst we wait to hear the official verdict on 2009 Bathurst entries, at least we know one thing for sure: if it starts raining with an hour to go, our race is going to get a whole lot more exciting... which is more than can be said for our US brethren.
- Stefan Bartholomaeus
© 321 IGNITION Pty Ltd 2009
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