Standing on the threshold
In the Bump stop column in the last edition of Racecar Engineering, our esteemed editor quoted from a conversation with GT supremo, Stéphane Ratel. Stéphane probably understands the meaning of the word ‘sport’, as in motorsport, better than just about anyone else, having built up the GT3 series around the world, catering for owners and drivers who participate in motorsport for the sheer pleasure and sport of it. His two comments: ‘Electric is about mobility, not about sport’, and ‘Every category that relies on direct manufacturer involvement is doomed’ bring into focus the key questions facing international motorsport in the next decade:
1. What is promotionally important to the automobile manufacturers?
2. Can motorsport provide this promotion?
3. How does the sport function without them?
The auto industry exists to provide mobility on the road for people and goods. A big part of the oil industry’s business and profitability is to provide the energy to fuel this mobility. But things are changing. For the last
