Audio pilot Allan McNish says that European racing could learn from the American approach to racing.
In an interview over at Crash.net, Allan explains that racing in Europe is centered on engineering excellence above all else while American racing focuses on the entertainment value first and engineering excellence second.
“The difference over in America is that entertainment comes before sporting perfection,â€
This, he figures, makes American racing more exciting to watch and places ALMS second behind only NASCAR in viewers.
It’s no secret that I am an Audi sycophant and Allan fan, I also think some of the problems with American racing series is the edeication to the show first. While placing bums (as in backsides) in seats, it also has left us saying things like; “this is no more than pro-wrestling on four wheels” or “this is all rigged for the show”. One need look no further than the debacle that is the current NASCAR points system designed to ensure viewers in the autumn months as they compete with NFL footbal for viewers. The most consistent team this year was Jeff Gordon’t hendrick Chevrolet and yet he was robbed of the title by the byzantine rules that strip all participants of points for a shoot out for the title called the Race for the Cup.
Color me reactionary but this render’s the entire season pointless and defies the greatest thing about motor racing; consistency and engineering the best car. Now I’m not trying to sound like my favorite British motor racing genius Steve Machett but isn’t finishing a race in the fastest time really the point or is it creating fals drama for short attention spans?
I love ALMS. I really do. I love it for all the reasons I stopped watching NASCAR years ago. The ALMS is still racing with integrity and dedicated to the pure essence of motor sport that, for my money, started with gentlemen racers from the great Empire of Britain. NASCAR had a quaint, if not illegal, and humble beginning but lost that somewhere along the way. Let’s hope that we can take some of the show but retain the essence. I’m sure that’s what my boy Allan meant. ;)
