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Originally Posted by mountainstar
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I do however feel national FIA organizations have no business promoting motor racing championships. I see their role as benevolent overseers focused on safety and licensing and other minutiae. I see them as a non profit entity focused on assisting all those involved in the sport, not putting their credibility at stake taking sides in commercial racing championships and tracks.
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Gee mountainstar you have hit the nail right on the head!
One of the problems with the TMC run Tier 1 series is the cost it imparts on the remaining 95%+ of MSNZ competitors who end up paying for MSNZ's involvement in effectively promoting commercial motorsport. MSNZ have a majority (60%) interest in TMC but the deal is that MSNZ can not get any profit share or dividend in return for it's investment. Tier 1 is struggling with around 100 entrants per meeting. It is probably loosing money and at the end of the day MSNZ members will no doubt carry the can. MSNZ grants TMC around $90,000 pa plus other non cash benefits. As a result of all of this entrants end up paying more than they should - licence fees, permit fees etc etc. A normal club meeting will pay MSNZ about $5000 for permit fees and levies for each event and the entrants end up paying for this with their entry fees. Does the meeting get $5000 of value from MSNZ? Why is a MSNZ competition licence $135 per year when the NZ VCC can issue a FIA competition licence for $23 for five years? Does MSNZ need to "tax" entrants to help support it's commercial venture?
Is it reasonable that such a small component of motorsport (Tier 1) gets so much input from MSNZ in order to support a commercial exposure? Is there a message when Tier 1 get such small grids and the likes of the Chris Amon Festival gets four times the number of entrants and probably much bigger crowds and essentially get no help from MSNZ?
Mountainstar is dead right, the likes of MSNZ should stick to what the are meant to do and leave the commerciality to others. They can sell the rights to championship events but don't expose members to financial risk by trying to be an series or championship promoter.
If the Supertourer guys can package up a more attractive deal that attracts the top teams, drivers and sponsors then they will attract the crowds - that's how the market works. The crowds are ambivalent as to whether MSNZ has an investment in Tier 1 through TMC - they just want to see good racing with full grids.