Sprinting Ideas...
 

It was a sad day at Cadwell when Darin announced MLR sprinting was cancelled for the for forseeable future...
The series has been such a great asset to the club and I'm sure everybody involved personally has enjoyed it, so I'm just struggling to understand what is wrong with the series?
As a company we have sponsored for many years and I thoroughly enjoyed being involved.
Some people think it's because the value of our cars is increasing so don't want to risk damaging them and others argue it's because the series became so competitive & expensive to be competitive.
Unfortunately it's always going to be a little bit like that with any non-one make series but the fun factor was always there regardless so I'd like to throw out for discussion what was really wrong with the series or if there is any way of resurrecting it for the future.
Just trying to understand if it's really dead because nobody is interested or if there is some way of taking things forward?
What does everyone really want from it other than a cracking day out testing yourself and your car against your pals.

Darin asked me to compete a few times and tbh the reason I didn't as I just didn't see the attraction of single laps. For the same price you can do a full OPL trackday and learn more about you and your car over 60 laps over a day plus get instruction etc.

I am sure sprinting has its place but that's the reason it never attracted me.


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I've been sprinting for around 17 years - the last 9 of which in my Evo in MSA events. Personally, the MLRSS has never really appealed to me for two reasons. The first is the geographical spread of the series and the second is the relatively limited variety of cars you are competing against. I realise that both of these factors are inherent to the series, but felt I should share my own reasons for not doing it. Nevertheless, it is sad to hear of the series demise.

Track days are for sure a great way of getting a lot of seat time, but having done both I don't think you can really compare the two.
The buzz you get from competitive Motorsport I have personally never got on a track day. I'm sure the competitive side isn't for everybody but just my own personal opinion.

im SHOCKED to see it go ,what a waste of all the time and hard work thats gone in to it

i just think theres many reasons why its failed ,not every one has desire to compete ,many buy and fund these things on a shoe string these days so cant afford break downs or failers ,never mind look after and service the things properly ,and many are simply garage queens and polished to death
for me id have done more but they never fell in line with rallys ive been doing .but ive allways said theres was NO cheaper way in to competative motorsport in an evo ANY where

but it not just the MLRSS ,i scruttineer quite few msa sprints and hill climbs ,some numbers playing out make me wonder why clubs actually do it ,some events we used to see 100+ with non stop action getting 4 or 5 runs in a day ,now some events only get 40 some hills even less where they can see 8 to 10 runs ,with folk being home for tea at a sensible time

I honestly think it's down to locations of the sprints. There's none in the south, and if you take into account how many owners there are in Surrey, Kent, Essex, Sussex etc events at Oulton & Cadwell are just too much of a punt to get to. The series could be split north/south regions with the winners going head to head in a midlands event. I know a lot of EVO owners who track there cars but Snetterton and Silverstone is probably as far as they would bother to venture north.


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As mentioned above. Not enough of these in the home counties.

As for the time on track. Could we not have a flying lap system. You get an out lap, a timed lap and an in lap. This also reduces the chances of wreaking your clutch/drive train.

i think the only way we will have sprints are if we all pay up front, when we have amount of drivers paid to cover the day and then find a venue.

I used to be put off by it been too clicky

My current car wouldn't be competitive but I would have liked to have had a go to improve my driving.

Could more be done a novice group maybe who have limited sprint experience?

Some of the older faces I have met have been great and incouraging but as mentioned before feel like some look down their noses if you havent got 20-30k plus tied up in your car.

With the utmost of respect, being the newbie into any group can feel daunting and any group can come across as clicky if said group doesn't make an extra effort to introduce themselves. At a general meet they're more likely to but at an event where people have limited time to prepare their car and catch up with people they do know I think that is to be expected, sadly.
When I'm able to go to meets I do *try* to say hello and introduce myself and others but a bit of effort from the first timer doesn't go amiss. Dan and Dave as RO's both make a fair effort with members and new faces at their events.

I've not competed and as already mentioned the location tracks puts me off being southern.
Rising car values must be a factor. Although I do wonder if there's any relation to the reduction in the number of MLR trackdays? Ive only ever been to one MLR track day at Brands and it was great, had I not sold that car I suspect I'd have done more and possibly got into sprinting... I've not had the opportunity or time with the current Evo but I do wonder if trackdays can give you the bug and it goes from there?

I don't think it was the location as many sprints have been sell outs previous but couldn't make the numbers over the last couple of years

As said I think it's lots of things not just 1, Evo's are getting rarer, the cost of running them is very high and lots of the above points

I've personally had some great years doing the series met lots of good people and had a ball , I stopped purely down to finances but if I lived on the mainland I would of still been doing it.

Not sprinting paid for me to take my kids to Disney so I'll be doing more things with the kids :angel:

I blame mitsi. They haven't made a decent car in 10 years now ( some would say longer if you forget the X ). How can you have a MITSUBISHI sprint series with no new decent mitsubishis

Locations and travelling were my issues, along with my twins arriving and work.

However if Ross supplies me a car I'll be back 😎😂

I have been doing trackdays recently and tbh I understand the "competitive edge" isn't quite the same, however seat time on a trackday is a massive amount more per £ and I make my own competition. 😬

I would be back in heart beat though if funds allowed, always loved evos and as most know I've had a few (16). 😂👍🏻

I don't see how EVO's are getting rarer with the amount that have been imported over the years. I've never seen so many lately!


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Again, for me it's location. Being in the South East my 'local' sprint was a 3 hour drive away.