On Target?

Sir,

It cannot have escaped everyone’s notice that motor sport in general has a large number of critics. They tend to concentrate on noise and more recently on the effects of burnt fuels on the earth’s atmosphere. Some progress has been made on the former point and I don’t think it will be many years before the latter is taken firmly in hand.

However, motor sport critics who raise the issue of pollution have failed to notice that the quantity of petrol and oil burned in an average race meeting is as nothing compared to the amount used by the spectators driving to see the event.

Thus it can be seen that the true culprit must be the spectator who travels around the country watching all this motor sport and not the competitors!

Fortunately one can extend this argument further. It follows that the more popular the sport, the more petrol will be used by the visiting spectators. Therefore the most popular spectator sports must be the environmentally damaging, not the events, which damage the environment themselves.

That being so, should not these protestors be at Wembley Stadium or Cardiff Arms Park, directing their anger on the tens of thousands of car-driving football and rugby supporters who turn up every week. What about Wimbledon fortnight, the Grand National or the Ideal Homes Exhibition for that matter?

Don’t get me wrong, I applaud progress to reduce the amount of pollution created and would be happy to see the compulsory use of unleaded petrol and catalytic convertors on all competition cars. I would, however, point out that what appears to be a grand way to reduce pollution, is in reality pointing the finger at the most obvious target but not necessarily the most significant one.

Jon Wolfe,

Milton Keynes, Bucks.