WF2012 - The Fantasy World Final (9 days to go)

So last year's final at King's Lynn ticked many boxes with fans and drivers alike. A real effort to put on a show...So with this in mind, what components from World Finals would I take to make, the ultimate Fantasy World Final Meeting???

Everyone was in agreement that last year's meeting at King's Lynn was near faultless in presentation. From the big screen to the blow horns, the programme to the pits, everything was done to the nth degree and attention to detail, with nice touches running throughout the meeting. Only the one thing they didn't get right was the weather, it was awful, but not even Paul Butler has the closer links with the gods.

So let's start with the first thing, the staging of the meeting....

THE MEETING
World Finals should always be in September. That is the 1st Law. Have it in August and it shall rain or a significant royal will die and put a put a dampner on the rest of the meeting. Have it in October and you get a flat world final, fuel strikes and hypothermia!

A World Final should always be on a weekend. A 2 day meeting. 3 days leave you exhausted and fatigued come the end of day 3, and 1 day leaves you clamouring for more, or indeed even going into a second day.

Those tracks who regularly race under lights should have the World under lights, but the more traditional Sunday tracks should stick to the Sabbath for the golden glory.

Whilst it is an opportunity for a promoter to make an awful lot of money, you shouldn't fleece the punters. 1999 saw a 50% increase from the previous year.

So you've gone through the gate handed over your hard earned spondoo, and now something to read....

THE PROGRAMME

For me the absolute daddy of world final programmes is Crispen Rosevear of Autospeed. The Gold Cardboard cover of the 1989 World Final programme, set the standard of World Final programmes. In depth jokey driver profiles, a good bit of history, opinion and looked fairly different to existing programmes, with a cardboard front. Crispen, along with Steve Linfield and Andrew Carter are the doyennes of the written stox word, and he always prides himself on a very good world final programme. However, Paul Butler of Trackstar rose to the challenge and created the largest programme. 52 pages full of content from a vertiable dream team only besmirched by yours truly. A behemoth and one to beat. Can't really say that about Arena's programme in 2007, it  had no build up of sorts, and 2001's NIR programme just served as an elongated advert for the Brisca F1 WF... It is the souvenir and the bog read for the following week..

THE BUILD UP

The build up to any World Final starts usually in March, it is the official build up as soon as you enter the stadium. If your local "shithouse" stadium looks nothing like the track you last saw then you have a good start. I remember Taunton 2003 and having what is/was now the motorcross field to camp in and having another entrance too. Once into the stadium, having some big screen entertainment was a nice touch at King's Lynn last year, aslong as you have something entertaining to watch on it. With the interviews it was good, however watching the near insomnia inducing semi final re runs from Hednesford. Pre meeting interviews like Bristol 1991, which had someone (possibly John Edington or Graham Bunter) roaming the pits interviewing the great and good. Whether it was the driver autograph session (nice idea at KL'11) or the pre meeting on track photo opportunity (Newton Abbot 1989), these were all nice touches for the youngsters.

A parade of existing world champions have been done, and especially in the Westcountry as, well, we won the lot for 20 years! I think it has to be done sooner rather than later, as some of the older boys might not be with us much longer. With the last champ coming on with the trophy, it could be the closest we get to an opening ceremony.

Then the meeting starts, and you need some build up. Wet you whistles, clear the horns, and basically whip you up into a frenzied foaming of the mouth. Richard Kaleta gets plenty of practice being the Skegness gee'r upper, and to be honest he could probably build up the Latvian over 85's Knitting final. People like Kaleta have to be employed, but you also have to have a decent grid. Northampton 2005 was totally devoid of atmosphere, possibly because both the Scots and the Westcountry had very little entrants. "Who's here supporting 7 3 2 Daaaaaaaaz Kitson". A brief cheer, possibly from his mum, and stoney silence followed. However, the intervening years have given us 2 main protagonists, of which you cannot of the splinter variety, you are either pro Moodie or pro Speak, so if you were Jock, Pasty or northern monkey you have someone to cheer for.

THE RACE

Of course, the drivers parade is key. Turn up, give the trophy trollopes a kiss and get the momento, then lap up the admiration or abuse from the hostile crowd. Then the grid forms. Some promoters have engaged a "Grand Marshall" which is a brilliant idea. Get the great and good to do it, someone worthy. Stalwart Dave Ruby at Bristol, and a very young Charlie Sworder. Or Billy Newman at this year's Saloon World was so poiginant and a fitting touch. This should be considered at every world final, just grounds some people before the frenzy. 

Then after the engines have been started by the gentlemen, the warm up lap is key. Whether it was pace car led, like Buxton in 1999 or just tortoise style like Speak of the 90's, it certainly got you going. Then's its over to the starter. If he's not happy, like 2003, then bedlam can erupt when drivers try to get the mother of all pringles. I for one, would not like to be a steward on this day. Big calls can ruin races, but the correct decision must be made, regardless of any clamour!

THE AFTERMATH

After the chequered, comes the fireworks, enough bangs to make the noise, not like the near on tracer fire of NIR in 2005. The presentation of the champ is key. I liked the drivers meeting the fans at Ringwood in 1995. You could get up close and really taste the champagne. That again was a nice touch. Why not allow a track invasion!The laurels and tickertape are recent additions but certainly add to it the show...

You just hope that you don't get home and it's all kicked off in post race scruitneering. The memories of Bristol and the not knowing still gave it a black mark, but we do like a bit of controversy!!

So what makes a good world final?

A decent grid, an excellent build up, plenty of action, a heavy dose of controversy, yellow flags galore and plenty of talking points to last a month without a taste of anti climax...

There's the blueprint, Barford, over to you....!