Martin Galpin | Racing Driver | number66.net

Britain is great for some things; not so great for others. For example, in Britain, we boast a very high concentration of race circuits (that is great). However, from time to time, racing championships seem to want to visit all of them and generally speaking – that is not so great.

When I first saw the calendar for the National Formula Ford 1600 championship, that was the impression I got. It is a true championship of the British Isles with two rounds in Wales (Anglesey, Pembrey), one round in Scotland (Knockhill), one round in Ireland (Mondello Park) and the other five in England (Snetterton, Silverstone and Castle Combe).

And for me at least, that means a lot of travel.

Nobody really wants to race at the same circuit every weekend and in having a diverse calendar not only gives a championship more credibility but in theory, it also gives itself the widest possible audience of competitors (the likely case in National Formula Ford 1600). But the question is this: does there come a point in which the sheer amount of traveling involved in a championship undermines the motivation to compete?

I decided I’d take a look at the other single seater championships in Britain and see how they compare.

Calculate your own season travel costs using this tool

To collect this data I have created a simple tool that given a post code and a calendar of races, gives an estimate to the likely travel costs. You can find this tool (and try it for yourself) here: Link to Calculate Season Travel Cost Tool.

Comparing the Data

So, from the six main single seater championships this year, National Formula Ford 1600, for me at least, involves the most significant amount of travel, from the second smallest number of meetings. In fact, if I was to substitute my home address for say, Manchester, there would be no difference in outcome (4169 miles).

What’s more, in National Formula Ford 1600, trips to Ireland, Scotland and Wales generally mean three day weekends and therefore, hotels. And so the real figure is actually likely to be much higher indeed.

You might be thinking that £751.79 doesn’t seem that much money, especially considering how much it costs to compete in motorsport in the first place. But it isn’t the amount itself that is important, it is the number relative to other series.

In a year in which the UK economy is officially in recession, is it sensible that the National Formula Ford 1600 championship has 35% more travel than its British Formula Ford counterpart (bearing in mind that National Formula Ford is supposedly an affordable “club” championship)?

Either way: right or wrong, smart or dumb, that’s how it is and as I’d like to challenge for the title, I will have to find a way. But it does make you wonder, doesn’t it?

No related posts.