Greetings from San Clemente, California
And the travels and adventures of the “World’s #1 Trackchaser”
U.S. vs. U.K. Racing – Which is better? You Decide!
Action from the famous Brands Hatch circuit.
U.S. VS. U.K. LET’S TAKE A LOOK.
Which country has the best racing, the USA or the UK?? I have seen racing at more than 50 tracks in the United Kingdom and more than 1,700 tracks in the United States. Based upon that experience I’ve made some comparisons. Even if you haven’t seen racing in both of these countries which do you think caters to the racing fan the most?
PIT ACCESS/PIT FEES
In the USA you can only enter the pit area if you have a pit pass. Pit passes normally cost 50% or 100% more than a general admission ticket. In New Jersey, you can’t wear shorts in the pits. It wasn’t until 2010 that NASCAR even began allowing pit pass holders to wear shorts in the pits. In the UK there is no charge to enter the pits. Children are allowed in the pits. As a matter of fact, at most tracks, you don’t even have to buy a ticket to the event to enter the pits. The pit area many times is adjacent to the parking lot and you can easily walk from one to the other.
The winner: UK
POSTPONEMENTS/CANCELLATIONS
In the UK there are no rainouts. It rains often and they just ignore it and go on racing regardless of whether the racing surface is shale (dirt) or tarmac (asphalt). This protects the fans that come from long distances. They will get to see a race. In the USA if it rains hard for 10 or 15 minutes during the program at a dirt track they will probably cancel the show. I’ve seen several events canceled the day before or the morning before the race because they had a hard rain.
The winner: UK
HANDICAPPED STARTS
Most of the major racing series in the USA start the faster cars up front (World of Outlaws, NASCAR, Lucas Oil, etc). This results in little or no passing. In the UK the best guys start in the back. Not only do they start in the back they are placed about ¾ of a lap behind the lead car when the race starts. Nevertheless, the fast cars still race to the front in 20 lap races. You can watch an entire World of Outlaws program and see only 4 or 5 passes for the lead in the ENTIRE night.
The winner: UK
YELLOW FLAGS
In the USA if a car spins or stops on the track a yellow flag is thrown. It’s not unusual to have 30 or 40 yellow flags in one evening. This really delays the show. Also in the USA when a yellow is thrown the scorer has to reline up the cars and this takes additional time. In the UK when a spin happens or a car is disabled on the track there is rarely a yellow. Can you imagine Billy Moyer spinning to a stop on the front stretch at Eldora facing oncoming traffic right under the flag stand and they CONTINUE to race? That’s exactly what the UK does. This keeps the show moving although I’m not sure the drivers think much of it.
The winner: UK
It’s mid-race with the Union Jack flag.
STARTERS/FLAGMEN
In the UK the starter keeps very busy. Almost all starters indicate with their fingers, every lap, on who the top 5 and sometimes the top 10 cars are as they pass the flag stand. They show a special flag, the Union Jack, as a halfway marker. They also have wooden paddles with numbers 1-5 on them. With 5 laps left they begin to show the paddles. The flagmen in the USA pretty much just throw the green and hold the yellow flag. One of the best starters I saw in the UK was Graham Alexander at Cowdenbeath Racewall. The left-handed flagger puts a little showmanship into his effort.
The winner: UK
FUEL COSTS
In California, regular unleaded gas is about $1.60. Petrol in the UK is about $6.00 per gallon. Oops! Those prices come from the year 2000 when prices were a bit lower and this was first written. Today (2013) that would be about $3.75 in the U.S. and $8.00 in the U.K.
The winner: No contest. USA
SAFETY
In the UK most drivers don’t wear driving gloves. The roll cages in the lower divisions don’t look very strong. Also, kids of all ages are roaming the pits and it’s very crowded in the pits. The “no yellow” flag idea probably increases the chance for driver injury. These points are not much of a problem in the USA
The winner: USA
You won’t see a grandstand very often at a U.K. short track.
TRACK FACILITIES
Most of the tracks I’ve seen in the UK look like they are right out of the 1950s. There is almost no formal seating (grandstands) at the oval track. Because of the climate, most tracks do have areas that are covered. The majority of seats are not really seats but places for people to stand. In the USA, at virtually every track the seating, parking, lighting, etc is superior.
The winner: USA
ANNOUNCERS/COMMENTATORS
I was impressed with the UK commentators. Sometimes the public address speaker system left a little to be desired. On the other hand announcers in the USA are pretty good as well. Of course, there are exceptions.
The winner: Tie
STARTING ON TIME
The UK was near perfect in this area. The USA has a lot of work to do with starting on time.
The winner: UK
U.K. racing can be a little pricey.
ADMISSION PRICES
Most of the UK tickets cost between 7-12 English pounds. That’s about $10 to $20 dollars. That’s much more expensive than regular programs in the USA.
The winner: USA
FOOD
Again this is somewhat subjective. There’s probably a bigger selection of menu items in the USA but UK tracks often have a separate bar area where alcoholic drinks are served. I must admit that I don’t know what U.K. “hamburgers” are made from!
The winner: USA (barely)
QUALITY/QUANTITY OF RACE CARS
The USA has better and faster racecars. The UK has a better quantity of cars in each formula/class.
The winner: USA
If you haven’t seen racing in both the U.K. and the U.S. What are you waiting for?
OVERALL
The overall winner is difficult to judge. The UK has a lot going for it. The racing in the USA, at a well-run track, is very good. I leave it to you to judge how much weight you give to each of the items listed above and any others I may have omitted.
I hope this comparison has made you think about the plusses and minuses of racing in these two great countries. It’s fun to watch races but it’s more fun to watch good races!