Le Grand Reset
Le Grand Reset
Following Le Mans last weekend, I figured that this is a good time to reboot The Rennsport Report
Trying to do something different in a world of bland motorsport writing is a goal worthy of The Rennsport Report. Too many editors don't give their writers enough creative freedom to tell the stories that most people really want to read about. Every one of those editors is frightened of being blackballed by race organisers, teams and drivers. So you end up with the usual limited, formulaic articles that make you sigh and wonder when the good stuff will appear.
Personally, I prefer edgy, thought-provoking writing, articles written with passion and without fear. Those motorsport writers get my full attention if published stories are factually correct and do no harm to anyone mentioned in them. Another problem with many articles written for blogs and websites is the desire to provide content in bite-sized chunks. Short-form pieces that come at you at high speed are difficult to enjoy. Longer-form writing provokes discussion and allows writers to put their personalities into their work; everything else becomes clickbait.
Motorsport websites have been castrated by the business side of things which means the content has become too advertorial. Many great guys and great writers staff these outlets. Still, none of them is challenged to make content that's actually interesting or engaging — nor would they be allowed to if they tried. It's an old boys' club industry that doesn't take kindly to people who care about meaningful content, serve readers over ad buys, or get invited to press launches in exotic places.
Motor racing stories should be interesting. Races are emotional things, and our job is to inform you, entertain you, or excite you. My job is to serve you. To help find and show you the fun stuff, teach you the things you don't know, help guide your racing interests, and motivate you to get out there and watch a race at the track, not just on TV.
Love it or hate it, I love all things with an engine (almost), and I think most of you do, or should, too. It means I will write love poems to the Porsche 911 RSR and try to find some redeeming quality in the new BMW grille; yes, I know that will be hard.
The more I grow this site, the more free reign I will have to be awesome. So, bear with me as I get acquainted with you all and introduce yourself if you've been a part of other motorsport communities I've contributed to. Drop me a line when you have a tip or catch one of the million spelling/grammar mistakes I'm bound to make.
I'm definitely going to piss off my friends who write about motor racing by writing this article. To them, I ask: Are you proud of your work? Are you doing the best you can? The best you could if your company actually backed you? Be honest.
I'm so thankful and excited to be here and, much to my wife's chagrin, promise to work tirelessly to give you the site you deserve. Thanks to you, the reader, for giving a shit.
Writing here is going to be fun.