Is the future of topfuel dead?

Last season some topfuel teams couldnt make some events due to lack of sponsorship such as over here at the perth motorplex,some teams only went to their local events because of the cost ,some eastern states events had 8 or 9 cars while here in the west only 4 cars made the big trip accross and 1 is a perth team,now the 2013 season has kicked off in adelaide with only 5 cars 2 of them from the lammatina team and several other teams cant race at all not even at their local events as money is to tight and they cant attract major sponsors,i fear the end of topfuel is near and that would be a shame as there is no feeling like being there to see and feel a live topfuel run nothing can compare to the sound and feel of a topfuel car leaving the startline ,i encourage all to go out and experience it before it may dissapear. RIP TOPFUEL. PS i hope im wrong.

Isn't this because its an inherently expensive and wasteful sport? (As in the sheer cost of parts, engines and components that only last a couple of runs etc)

I know of one top fuel team who is always begging for money on Facebook and attempting to to get crowdfunding etc, for what is essentially one man's hobby, and whilst having corporate sponsorship

I know the spectacle is awesome as I've seen one before, but the fact of the matter is that drag racing is a niche spectator sport in Australia, hence the lack of sponsorship dollars, it could well be a case that it is simply too expensive to run these top level classes if the teams cannot finance themselves (given that every run down the strip costs $20k apparently)

Drag Racing is a sport where generally the guy with the biggest wallet generally wins.

Is top fuel a sight to see/feel yes. But's a very expensive and wasteful class.

Would be a shame to see it gone, I would love to take my kids to Top Fuel when they a little older, you just can explain to people that haven't seen them live just how amazing a Top fueller on full song is.

It's a numbers game really. Our small population and inherent lack of respect for drag racing is holding back the sport in general. The media use the term "drag racing" frequently and this has a ripple effect all through the whole sport.

Top Fuel racing in any class (Top Bike, Funny Car) etc will always be a spectacle in this country and will never be a financially viable sport/career in our lifetimes I dare say.

I'm travelling to America to see how it's really done.

Cheers. Mick

I've said it plenty of times........

Andra had a chance to pick the sport up and do something with it BUT as usual the left their heads up their arse and did the usual game of screw the racer, put fees & door entry up and hope the crowds still come. Unsurprisingly did not work with many leaving the sport both racers and public.

The nail in the coffin was castrol pulling sponsorship from the Bray cars,won't be long til many more follow. Sad but the cars don't run on hopes & dreams like te old days

Like most things we don't have the population to support it. We have 22,600,000 people in Oz with fewer people interested in such a "bogan" sport. The USA has 311,600,000, plus a massive redneck population. We can try, but we'll never match it.

Slightly off topic but you guys may have noticed i stuffed up the spelling of topfuel in the title and its giving me the shits but cant find out how to edit the title if someone can tell me il try sort it out.

Thank you mr moderator

Even in Group One, you go Drag Racing in Australia because you love it.

As many of the guys on this site will attest, the costs are huge to run any drag car. But when you start talking Top Fuel/Alcohol or Pro Stock, the costs are astronomical.

Some racers are lucky enough to fund part of their racing through generous sponsors, or, use the racing as a means to advertise their own business interests, but first and foremost, it's done for the passion of racing.

Top Fuel is a great spectacle for the punter, but rarely if ever, deliver a half decent drag race. All they do is hand grenade and cause frustrating delay's at a drag meeting.

If you love Top Fuel, it's worth planning your next overseas holiday around the NHRA tour in the US. It's well worth the cost!

Well from what I've seen anecdotally, the sponsorship is just not there to sponsor such expensive drag racing classes, and as stated drag racing is nowhere near as popular here as in the US.

Therefore maybe some of these teams need to be looking realistically whether they can continue to afford to compete or whether they should be dropping down to more cost effective classes.

I've seen Topfuelers running many times. No matter how many times you see it, you never get over it. The sound, the smell, the feeling you get when you watch a side by side 4 second pass. Its just unexplainable to someone who has never seen it in real life.
The best way to explain it? Have sex with two smoking hot chicks at the same time lol

Unfortunately, I do agree that it is a dying sport. There are less and less competing as each event and season goes by.

MY advice to those that have not seen it yet, is to get out there and have a look before its too late.

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Originally Posted by OMR346

MY advice to those that have not seen it yet, is to get out there and have a look before its too late.

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Yeah +1

I'll be going to Calder next year thanks to this thread. I used to go with my Dad as a young kid, was awesome along with the Jet Cars :D

Yes I tend to agree, unfortunately Top Fuel in OZ will most likey dissappear. But the question is - how did it survive the 90's early 00's when the Aust Doller was worth alot less against the US? has the sport as a whole not been able to secure sponsorship?

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Originally Posted by MARRA

Yes I tend to agree, unfortunately Top Fuel in OZ will most likey dissappear. But the question is - how did it survive the 90's early 00's when the Aust Doller was worth alot less against the US? has the sport as a whole not been able to secure sponsorship?

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I think there are two big changes that have occured over the last 20 years that has doomed this type of high dollar motorsport. 1st is the current public perception that motorsport is not environmentally friendly, compaines dont want to spend money on advertising that associates them with being unenviromentally responsible, and 2nd, the internet has changed advertising forever, previously businesses spent money on advertising to get there name known to consumers, this can now be done a lot cheaper and more successfully through the internet so sponsership of motorsport is not as cost effective as it once was. I think top fuel is not the only form of motorsport to be doing it tough nowdays.