No FORD backing for V8 supercars

[cool65]

http://www.foxsports.com.au/motor-sp...-1227085430883

[FGX-351]

Lost for words right now. :(

[V8 Ghia Mike]

Well done Ford, you're well on the way to becoming a boring importer, just like Nissan, Mitsubishi and the others.

I'm finding it really difficult to be a Ford fan these days. 50 years of Aussie motoring passion, soon to be gone in the eyes of the motoring public. This from the company once locked in mortal racing combat with Holden for decades. Ford Motorsport is huge in the US and Europe, why are we being excluded?

This makes me sick...

[Grippy]

http://fordforums.com.au/showthread.php?t=11426616

Discussion in the pits section.

[csv8]

Could this mean Ford shutting down Dec 2015???

[Elks]

Originally Posted by csv8

Could this mean Ford shutting down Dec 2015???

Always a chance. Unlikely. But still a chance.

[HULK EF]

FML....
Already failing atm with such grid domination by holden and me losing interest in the v8 supercars.

1980 all over again.

[mcnews]

I have heard that V8 Supercar itself is actually struggling a bit. This is from people within racing talking to circuit owners etc.

[HULK EF]

FML....
Already failing atm with such grid domination by holden and me losing interest in the v8 supercars.

1980 all over again.

[Wretched]

I am not too fussed with this.
I'd rather Ford fund entry into production racing like the Bathurst 12 hr and more racing like that.
The only concern is Ford AU isn't exactly rolling in money so therefore they have had to cut the costs and well V8 supercars isn't what it used to be.

[My poor XF]

i haven't had any interest in supercars for 4 years now, used to watch every race now i couldn't give a stuff.

not a surprising move really.

[XRtowcar]

How are they going to be number one selling make without V8 Supercars, I mean look at Toyota.....
Forget what I just typed.

[xtremerus]

Holden won't be far behind with a similar announcement. Me thinks

[cs123]

Originally Posted by My poor XF

i haven't had any interest in supercars for 4 years now, used to watch every race now i couldn't give a stuff.

not a surprising move really.

Same here.

[cheap]

There is always the British Touring Car Championship to fallback on, simply awesome stuff ...

[Blue Roo]

History Repeating its self.
Ford first pulled out of motorsport at the end of 1973. Then helped out the Ford Teams for one season in 1977 through the back door.
Ford refused to get back into racing until 1980 with the Rock and Dick Johnson incident. Then pulls out again and drops the V8.
Ford gets back into Racing again after the 1991 Bathurst debacle with Group A. And now Ford pulls the pin again. Unbelievable!

[eb2fairmont]

Nah I'm kind of okay with it. I'm glad they're getting out of formula Holden, look at the issues with respect to the aero package on the falcon today, and compare that back to the Au days.

No response from the governing body unless it's holden crying foul. Falling attendances and ratings only confirm the fact that having one dominant team and manufacturer are bad for the sport.

So f them.

[mr smith]

No big deal. Average punter couldn't care less for motor sport in OZ.

Isn't there a V8 race on this weekend? Wouldn't know it.

[sgt_doofey]

My take on that article is that it is just a beat up written no doubt by a Holden fan. Holden will have to pull out a year after Ford as they will no longer be manufacturing.
It also means that there will be no Ford Factory backed team. Other teams can so choose to run Falcons if they wish. DJR/Penske wouldn't spend a whole heap of cash to bring in a new team if it was only for a year!

Falcon dead and waiting to be buried? So is the Commodore too as it is also ceasing manufacture, albeit a year later.

"FPR last night said they were still negotiating with Ford and had not given up on securing a new one year deal."

Things are still under negotiations, so who knows what will happen at this stage.

Considering a Ford just set the lap record today (well done Frosty!), things look bright at least for this weekend.

Car manufacturing has been on the decline in Australia for a number of years and Ford has always done the right thing financially by pulling sponsorship of V8 teams throughout the years. Remember, Holden have borrowed around about $2.1 billion dollars from the government and poured money in to V8 sponsorship. Ford has only taken about $1.1 billion in handouts and has wound back the sponsorship. Which manufacturer has been more wise in their spending over the years?

[1TUFFUTE]

Originally Posted by sgt_doofey

My take on that article is that it is just a beat up written no doubt by a Holden fan. Holden will have to pull out a year after Ford as they will no longer be manufacturing.
It also means that there will be no Ford Factory backed team. Other teams can so choose to run Falcons if they wish. DJR/Penske wouldn't spend a whole heap of cash to bring in a new team if it was only for a year!

Falcon dead and waiting to be buried? So is the Commodore too as it is also ceasing manufacture, albeit a year later.

"FPR last night said they were still negotiating with Ford and had not given up on securing a new one year deal."

Things are still under negotiations, so who knows what will happen at this stage.

Considering a Ford just set the lap record today (well done Frosty!), things look bright at least for this weekend.

Car manufacturing has been on the decline in Australia for a number of years and Ford has always done the right thing financially by pulling sponsorship of V8 teams throughout the years. Remember, Holden have borrowed around about $2.1 billion dollars from the government and poured money in to V8 sponsorship. Ford has only taken about $1.1 billion in handouts and has wound back the sponsorship. Which manufacturer has been more wise in their spending over the years?

Yes this whole thing may boil down to ford being realistic and responable with theirs and our money. The still undisclosed scandal of the fords lack of rear downforce has been a huge issue.....one that's not been dealt with by v8supercars for 2 years now that's disgusting.
There's probably sooo much more going on under the skin we don't know too. But what we do know is ford won't be in the billion dollar 'debt/loss' that Holden will when it's shut down time.

You never know....frosty could win the championship this year......then that's another 500mill Holden will have to pay to by a champion ford driver

[1TUFFUTE]

I was parked beside a Nissan today, in my falcon, and I thought.......I can enter the v8 supercars with my V8 and no composite body panels. That Nissan has NO V8 but it DOES have light composite body panels.......so it can race in the v8supercars.
So the Nissan gets a V8 so it can race.....and the falcon can't even have composite light body panels.....like EVERY OTHER car in the series


Did someone ask why ford is questioning about being in the series????

[eb2fairmont]

Yeah exactly. Why bother when you can't get the same concessions as everyone else, not exactly parity is it?

Besides the racing don't have much relevance to what you can buy/drive anymore so that's why I lost interest in it.

[Wretched]

Originally Posted by mr smith

No big deal. Average punter couldn't care less for motor sport in OZ.

Isn't there a V8 race on this weekend? Wouldn't know it.

I wouldn't say that. Whilst some don't have an interest in motor sport there are a fair amount that do.
The Bathurst 12 hr was popular this year, very popular, it is just a pity the TV coverage was average (if non existent). F1 is popular too.
It's just most people couldn't care less about V8 supercars any more. I used to watch it religiously with the old man but we haven't watched a race in a few years, even Bathurst I don't care for anymore.
I'd much rather watch the Fuji 6 hr WEC race this weekend.

[littlered]

Originally Posted by My poor XF

i haven't had any interest in supercars for 4 years now, used to watch every race now i couldn't give a stuff.

not a surprising move really.

Unfortunately same here

Maybe it was because I was young... but I loved watching Bathurst and Sandown during the Group C / Group A period..

Two reasons I can think of are 1. more variety of cars that where competitive due to classes... Remember when a bluebird turbo got pole position in the early 80's beating falcons and commodores ? A jaguar XJS wining in 85 ? Even when the skyline turbo won I thought was good for the sport... (despite what the crowd thought)

2. Cars raced where pretty similar to the cars you could get down at your local dealer... Yes I know you couldn't buy a Sierra in Australia but quite a few of the others you could. I think it connects people to the cars a lot closer which makes it more interesting to watch. Why would I want to watch a v8 Nissan??? can't buy one, therefore no interest.

Anyway... I will now re-watch on google Brockies final lap from 1979 in the A9X... ah the memories

Cheers

[AU1XLS]

http://fordforums.com.au/showthread.php?t=11426616
Another thread running here