17/05/2014
NEWS STORY
Australian Grand Prix boss Ron Walker has called on the sport's powers that be to find an immediate solution to the sound of the 2014 engines.
After several years of warning, and despite the assurances of the manufacturers, many fans were less than impressed when the cars took to the streets of Melbourne for the opening round of the 2014 season.
While fans of a certain age still lament the days when different cars could be identified by the sound of the engines in the back, be it V8, V12, Flat-12 or whatever, even the recent era of V10s and then V8s allowed for a certain sound.
However, in the eyes (and ears) of many, the sport's shift to greener values and the consequent move to hybrid V6 turbos has been a step too far and race promoters fear that the lack of oomph will hit ticket sales.
Ron Walker, who along with his duties as Australian Grand Prix boss, fearing the impact of the new rules, formed the Formula One Promoters Association, which long before the engines had even been fired up warned that if the sound of 2014 impacted ticket sales promoters would look at their contracts to see if they were being short changed.
Having met with fellow race promoters at Barcelona, Walker, a close friend of Bernie Ecclestone, another long-time critic of the new sound, has called on the FIA and engine manufacturers to find a fix... and soon.
"We can’t wait until next year," he told Fairfax Media. "Something has to be done soon.
"We’re all concerned about the noise level," he continued. "It’s being handled by Mercedes and others to restore the excitement to the sound of the cars.
"Everybody agreed. We’re all in the entertainment business. The people in the stands don’t understand the new regulations. They want aggression, they want a gladiatorial contest. My customers don’t care about only using 100 kilograms of fuel in a race. Ticket sales are hard to get these days because the sports market is so competitive."
With solutions limited technically, Mercedes trialled its own during the Barcelona test but according to Nico Rosberg it was a failure, though he didn't explain precisely how.
Following the furore in Melbourne criticism has calmed, however with the sport now back in its European heartland it is likely to be back in the news and on the message boards and fora especially if fans of rival teams are left frustrated by Mercedes continuing dominance.
Chris Balfe