You need to run the whole ting like reality TV. First episode would be qualifiers where we meet the hopeful teams and see who can put in the performance benchmarks to allow them to participate in the race. From then on, you have camera people with each team, during the prep and testing process. Do this for a couple months to get a feeling for the personalities involved and the characters of the teams, and climax on race day with full coverage of the event.

To lure in the right folks you offer a substantial prize, but one which would by it nature limit the amount of rational capitol investment — say $10 million. The race would be run in varied terrain — not a track but over a road course with twisties, straightaways, and hills. Perhaps down a highway on the West Coast of the USA or laterally across South America. You would have to do it head to head for the drama.

Allow anything with 1-5 wheels and a breaking system to play. The only restriction is that is must be substantially modified from stock configuration by the team fielding it. Want to enter your pulsejet reverse tricycle –go for it! Want to see what your modded Porsche can really do? How about your turbocharged Busa? Anything is game.

This would be entertaining. So what that there would be a 50% DNF rate, and some entries would significantly outclass others. Encourage safety, but enter into this knowing that this is a dangerous game, and there are risks involved. A couple rules like “no engaging in activity which physically harms a competetors vehicle. Any vehicle, team or jockey who does so will be disqualified.”

This would mint a whole new crop of instant celebrities. And make racing interesting again.

Just my 2 cents

I’m interested in the 450 super singles – would love to see them racing them on city street courses.

Busa’s on a nascar oval? Hell yeah.

Hillclimbing yup!

Racing through the LA storm drain system on dirt trackers. Why not.

Maybe its not the variety of machinery which is the problem – its the track or concept of a track.

Now if they would do something similar for the olympics, we could have one set of games that were ‘clean’, and another that were essentially a tribute to the pharmaceutical industry. Just imagine the kind of competition and the kind of records that could be set (never mind if the runners explode right on the finishing line, just like a dragster engine ideally should do)….