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svo motorsport · 08-19-2002, 00:59

If Ford was a professional football team or any other professional team.
This is what SHOULD happen:
1. PLAYERS --------------SACKED
2.TEAM MANAGER'S------SACKED
3.DEVELOPMENT MANAGER--------SACKED
4.MOTORSPORT MANAGER--------SACKED
5.RESEARCH MANAGER----------SACKED
A couple of years ago Ford started a youth program to get ready for the coming season's.Yet not many of the up and coming young kids have survived with Ford. Most formula Ford champions in the last 10-15 years drive a Holden. Ford have now decided to support and draught older guys, and has beens. Rumour has it, Ingall has been picked up by Ford. Apart from the Bathursts with Larry Perkins what has he done? He certainly talks a lot of what he is going to do! I have been a Ford person for about 35 years, involved in Motorsport and Buisness and I am appalled. Even Carlton Football Club look good compared to Ford.
Mick Webb

russellw · 08-19-2002, 01:34

Quote:

Originally posted by svo motorsport
If Ford was a Professional Football Team or any other professional team.
This is what SHOULD happen:
1. PLAYERS --------------SACKED
2.TEAM MANAGERS------SACKED
3.DEVELOPMENT MANAGER--------SACKED
4.MOTORSPORT MANAGER--------SACKED
5.RESEARCH MANAGER----------SACKED

To be replaced by one M. Webb perhaps??

Quote:

A couple of years ago Ford started a youth program to get ready for the coming seasons yet not many of the up and coming young kids have survived with Ford.Most Formula Ford Champions in the last 10-15years drive a Holden.

I am not too sure that the likes of Ambrose (ex Formula Ford), Besnard (F2000), Rodney Forbes (FF), Lowndes (FF), Ellery (FF) or Wills (F3) would agree with that view.

Quote:

Ford have know decided to support and draught older guys and has beens.Rumer has that Ingall has been picked up by Ford,apart from the Bathursts with Larry Perkins what has he done?He certainly talks a lot of what he is going to do. I have been a Ford person for about 35 years involved in Motorsport and Buisness and I am appalled.Even Carlton Football Club look good compared to Ford.
Mick Webb

I also wouldn't think that the likes of Ingall, Seton, Longhurst, Bowe, Jones et al are exactly has beens - if my recollection of Australian Motorsport history is correct there isn't too much they haven't won between them. If you are going to use an ageist definition here would you then also say that an engineer who last had substantial competition success in the 80's is a has been?
I think not.

Cheers
Russ

svo motorsport · 08-19-2002, 20:38

The purpose of my letter was not to pump up my own tyres as my motorsport background speaks for itself, but to succinctly point out that for a not inconsiderable investment in top level motorsport Ford Australia has had a pretty miserable return.

Through Ford Australia's largesse a number of Ford campaigners have merely been doing laps and/or making up the numbers on the grid

Dedicated Ford fans - of which I'm one - are disappointed on a regular basis on the lack or solid and consistent results or the ability of many of the 'A Grade' Ford teams to mix it at the pointy end of the field

I also reiterate; if the top level members of these ' star studded' teams were playing in another professional arena then not only would questions be asked but marching orders would be issued.

Second, third and fourth tier sponsors and the motorsport public are being shortchanged by the lack of competition from many Ford teams

It is about time they seriously got their act together. As the saying goes, " If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen "

russellw · 08-19-2002, 20:58

Fair comment and if I read it the wrong way then I apologise.

But they are, non-the-less trying their best I am sure. It is equally as frustrating for the remaining non TWR Holden teams who are actually running worse than some of the leading Fords.
That's got to hurt. Same basic equipment and being left behind by as much as 2 seconds a lap in race trim.
Can't put it down to drivers in all cases either - Bright was hardly a star in a Ford any more than Loghurst has ben yet they have bothe done well in the HRT/TWR cars - in the case of Longhurst with very little practice time under his belt.

Whether anyone cares to admit it or not - the reality is that there is an engineering advantage in that grouo of some kind or other that no one else has cracked on to as yet. Your own background will tell you how hard that is to swallow and how hard it is to find that "edge". It is clearly a matter of chasing hundredths now rather than tenths for most of the teams and yet there is an advantage of at least a full second in those 4 vehicles.

I don't have answers anymore than you do - but I doubt that throwing the vast quantity of experience (that has been hard won) out the door is going to help.

Cheers
Russ

Blurter · 08-19-2002, 21:03

Mick, (and I ask this honestly) do you have the capacity to get back into the game, what would you do differently?

svo motorsport · 08-20-2002, 19:35

Blurter,
Russ commented that "you shouldn't throw experience out the door"and he's quite right.

My SVO Motorsport business is doing very well after years of hard slog and while a Company and some teams ( one of which is now defunct ) have made overtures in the last couple of years no one has made a firm offer.

My door is always open

Mick Webb