Formula SUV

I totally agree with Richard Meaden’s column in evo 230 regarding changing the formula for Le Mans racing.

One of the main reasons the BTCC was so popular in the ’90s was because the formula was designed around a type of car that most manufacturers made in a very competitive sector (the ‘repmobile’). ‘Win on Sunday, sell on Monday’ couldn’t have been more true for these cars. You may not have lusted after one, but how many Lagunas and Cavaliers and the like shot up the user- chooser list after Menu, Cleland [pictured above], et al had done their stuff at the weekend?

SUVS seem fashionable now, but might look a bit incongruous around a racetrack. However, what about a rally stage? They all purport to have a bit of off-road about them, and what a great way to add some glamour to the sector. Most manufacturers have an SUV in their range or in the pipeline, giving the prospect of varied grids and sensible development costs. Renault Sport could do a homologation version of the Captur…

If all racing formulas were based around what manufacturers built and needed to promote, the competitions would surely be far more exciting. Andrew Muffett