Disappointed with Autosport turnout.

Good Goods
By Phil Giles
January 11 2003

This weekend sees the annual Autosport Show in Birmingham. So as your roving reporter and now an acredited member of the media, I went to see what the show had for your average Jordan / F1 supporter. Was I disappointed?

Well yes.  I know that money in the sport is tight and that the purse strings have to be pulled even tighter, but apart from the odd show car and the occasional merchandising stand, there wasn't an awful lot for any Formula One fan.

Personal appearances were kept to a minimum on Friday.  Justin Wilson was there talking about his new Minardi drive and Martin Brundle was there to chat about the current state of F1, however team displays were totally non existent.  Engine manufacturers weren't present and unlike previous years when you would be able to find BAR / Jordan / Mclaren / Honda / Ford Racing stands there was precious little.

Surely team budget's can't be that bad to seemingly ignore the fans.  The Autosport Show is usually a chance for the teams to put on a little show.  A couple of show cars and merchandising stands though was really a bad effort from all of the grid..

It's not all bad however, there was lots of Merchandising to be had, although I really had to search for an EJ12 model (Eventually found a Signed 1/18th EJ12 on the Alex Reade Motorsport stand (number 8982)).  Most of the merchandise was actually nicely priced with Fleeces at half price, Caps from between £6 - £10 and EJ11 Minichamps models retailing for about £20.00.  Bargain of the show however must have been the remote controlled EJ11 (1/10th Scale) for just £65.00 

The Show is traditionally a long day but is usually filled with glamour, speed and noise, however if you want to get closer to the cars and the teams then perhaps you should stay in and keep reading Jordan Fans Online.

Oooh me plates of meat !

Tell me your Autosport experience on the messageboard or e-mail me at: bigpip@jordanfansonline.com