Is there a future for Formula Ford?

[Jac Mac]

I keep on at them, and it looks like it may be having an effect. From conversations that I have had, I have reason to be confident that we will see increased numbers of classics for next season. The fact that one competitor in an 84 car managed to take home over $1400 prize money this season is also probably not lost on them. That's not too far away from paying for a set of tyres and fuel for the car for the six rounds! At the level that we operate down here that's a fairly good chunk of direct running expenses covered. If you want to race, you might as well race where you get some returns....

At this point it is probably worth reiterating that the prize money structure for SIFF means ALL competitors in the SIFF Championship pick up prize money. And it is skewed to attracting the older cars.

Russ, I think your method of sponsorship has a lot of merit, too often when a sponsor is found for any series the $$$ is soaked up in advertising & promotion rather than being used as a prize money fund in the manner you have done, organisers and sponsors alike often seem to think that competitors have a bottomless money pit ( and given some of the examples on track today they could be briefly forgiven that! ). When discussions like this come up I am reminded of how things used to be when I first ventured into motorsport back in the late 1960's.... Teretonga clubmans series, early entry fee refunded on passing scruiteneering check on race day, prize money paid out on points down to about tenth place ( might have been more?). OSCA ...that was interesting, when I started with the Imp~1971 prize money from meeting on placings in class was in the mail the following week and a further amount based on season points at the final race meet of the season, by 1978/79 when I gave it all away the meeting checks were up to 3 months late and the season final points tally also late. The point here is that the prize money in my case paid for gas money to & from the events plus accomodation at the local camping grounds etc, it simply would not have happened without it. Older & Wiser? I might be, but everyone in Motorsport these days seem to have forgotten that without cars & drivers willing to take that first step into motorsport they will eventually have nothing for the public to actually look at, we have also lost that 'can do' kiwi attitude which created all the stuff that we are reminiscing over on this site, doesnt need to be that way.