One of many many selections these organising a nationwide racing class must take is whether or not to run it as a sequence or a championship. Some golf equipment historically want to manage championships, whereas others benefit from the higher freedom that working sequence brings – however there may be not essentially a proper or fallacious reply by way of which is finest.
But it’s a query that’s within the highlight for these in command of MG Automobile Membership classes which are within the strategy of finalising new properties for 2024 following the membership’s resolution to finish its lengthy historical past of organising race occasions. As an illustration, earlier this month, the MG Trophy was confirmed as becoming a member of the Traditional Sports activities Automobile Membership fold, in a transfer that allows it to retain championship standing – the primary of a number of championships becoming a member of the CSCC, which has beforehand prevented point-scoring competitions.
An argument in favour of championships is that they offer one thing for drivers to purpose and combat for throughout the course of a season. Rivals might be extra prone to have a higher engagement with the class if there’s something significant at stake. These chasing a championship usually tend to commit to each spherical – the holy grail for organisers – and that’s particularly helped if there are a number of lessons, so lots for drivers up and down the grid to combat for.
However that exact same Positive may also simply change into a damaging. Ought to a driver shortly fall out of championship competition over the opening few occasions, then they could nonetheless head elsewhere over the remainder of the season. And, whereas being topped a champion brings status, the typical membership racing title winner just isn’t going to obtain a career-changing prize. The Pre-’83 Touring Automobiles champion could be very unlikely to abruptly discover themselves on the British Touring Automobile grid, for instance.
The opposite drawback – which is, depressingly, seen time and time once more even at a humble membership stage – is that, when there’s a championship at stake, it could actually result in rows within the paddock. Whether or not it’s over an aggressive transfer or the perennial accusations of dishonest, a championship can very simply flip bitter. That, clearly, can nonetheless occur in a sequence however, with a usually extra relaxed ambiance and no season-long prize on the road, it’s much less seemingly.
Essentially the most vital benefit for organisers choosing a sequence is the elevated flexibility that it permits. The person coordinator or membership has extra freedom and management to run the class how they need moderately than being ruled by extra inflexible rules required to obtain championship standing from Motorsport UK.
Championships just like the BARC’s Kumho BMW sequence maintain drivers dedicated to a full season
Picture by: Richard Types
One instance of this considerations the calendar. Ought to some additional monitor time at an occasion change into out there, it might be far simpler for a sequence to placed on a further contest or run an extended race than a championship – which must seek the advice of rivals and acquire governing physique approval.
Then it’s also necessary to contemplate the ever-growing pattern of drivers being far much less loyal to at least one explicit class or organiser. Exacerbated by the pandemic, many golf equipment are reporting far higher numbers of rivals dipping out and in of a category moderately than sticking with it all through a marketing campaign.
This might be for quite a lot of causes, together with the cost-of-living disaster forcing some drivers to cherrypick just a few favorite occasions, or busy membership drivers not having the time to decide to a full season and even people preferring to stay to their native or favorite circuits moderately than comply with a class because it heads across the nation. All of those components play into preferring a sequence – which completely fits these unable or unwilling to remain the course.
If the pattern for drivers handpicking just a few occasions to contest continues, then it may nicely be that increasingly more come to the conclusion {that a} championship is not the most suitable choice
Regardless of this anecdotal shift, it’s attention-grabbing to take a look at the most well-liked classes by way of common entries throughout 2022. Of the ten largest fields, remarkably, it’s a good break up of 5 every between sequence and championships.
Low-cost endurance sequence like C1 Race Collection, EnduroKa and Roadsports are all in that group of classes attracting 36 automobiles or extra final season, however established championships just like the British Racing & Sports activities Automobile Membership’s Mazda MX-5 Championship and Supercup and 750 Motor Membership’s Membership Enduro are among the many point-scoring divisions in that prime 10. It will likely be attention-grabbing to see if issues are so evenly break up in 2023’s figures, particularly now the monetary squeeze within the UK has actually began to chunk in some quarters.
Finally, these 2022 statistics present there is no such thing as a simple reply to the query of whether or not happening the championship or sequence route is finest. As a substitute, it very a lot depends upon the distinctive circumstances for every class, with the character of its races, the automobiles and demographic of the drivers all taking part in their half.
Some organisers, just like the 750MC, want to begin new concepts as a sequence to see if there may be adequate curiosity and potential to then decide to a full-blown championship. And, if the pattern for drivers handpicking just a few occasions to contest continues, then it may nicely be that increasingly more come to the conclusion {that a} championship is not the most suitable choice. However, proper now, it stays a troublesome resolution for long-standing MGCC classes as they ponder their future.
EnduroKa is likely one of the sequence that reaped the virtues of a non-points strategy in 2022
Picture by: Oliver Learn