Originally Posted by Damien_White
Grab a coffee.
I disagree with the article, in part. Yes, the crowd numbers are down. But relevance and category death…?
It appears the key two reasons people jump aboard the “it’s dying” train relate to 1) manufacturer involvement/car relativity, and/or 2) FTA v PAY.
It’s a flawed argument to say “oh, in a year or two they’ll be racing cars that aren’t even made/sold in this country anymore, and without that connection it’s doomed”. Newsflash, the cars you’ve watched race for the last 20 years haven’t been made/sold in this country.
An Aussie Race Car skinned as a Commodore or Falcon is about as close the showroom edition as a Supercar, so I stay on the platform when the whistle blows to jump on the manufacturer irrelevance train.
In terms of the tunnel draft created from the always approaching FTA/FOX express, I just don’t see how it can be identified as a reason for a supposed “imminent doom” for the category/business. Have the crowds lessened in the recent past? Yes. Has this downturn coincided with the shift to PayTV? Partially, however there’s some overlap.
Did anyone think, just for a moment, that the TV product is so good that attending an event is actually less enticing? I, for one, didn’t attend the QR round recently. One of the key considerations was knowing the quality of the Supercars Media broadcast is that good!. I guess then, in some way, the people who say FOX has caused a shift in crowd numbers are right; however they’re not leaving the sport. They’re just watching it at home instead.
I do not assert, even with that defence above, that there’s no problem. I just don’t think the thing is irrelevant or nearing death. And for what struggles it may appear to have from the outside, I don’t think changing technical specifications to satisfy a romanticised need for manufacturer alignment is necessary, and I definitely don’t believe a shift back to FTA is the answer.
I have some ideas, but before we worry too much, let’s not forget the good that already exists.
• The racing quality is second only to MotoGP. Ok, it wrangles with some others for 2nd, but it’s consistently up there.
• The TV product is equal to best motorsport globally
• 26 car grids. Sure, we hear the rumours, but there are always 26 (and sometimes more)
• Street event production/delivery is world class. Seriously, watch some other “world” championships and see how well the Aussies do it.
• Driver and team accessibility and marketability
• Series sponsors – Virgin & Vodafone are two recent additions. Ok, only 2, however 2 can become 4 can become 6. The first few are the hardest.
• That’s just scratching the surface.
So what, then, do I think needs focus if there’s no manufacturer relevance or PayTV issue, and there’s so much good to rave about?
Event ticketing/pricing.
Let’s first look at the signature events, the big six – Adelaide, Townsville, Sandown, Bathurst, GC, Newcastle. They have some or all of the following: history, FTA, sponsors, colour, movement, fun, noise, marketing and government funding. They’ve got the fact they are what they are; it’s a raw, almost effortless appeal. It’s easy to go to one of those, because even though you’re a Supercars fan and that’s what you’re going to see, once you’re there you feel real value for your ticket because there is so much going on. There is so much off-track engagement. They are genuine EVENTS, not a car race.
Let’s shift to the other venues. Tasmania, Winton, QR, SMSP, Perth, PI. (NT & NZ are anomalies). These are not, and will never be events; EVENTS as in the type of experience I detailed for the others. There are no side shows, the show bags suck, the dagwood dogs are rarely hot, and the atmosphere rises, peaks and falls away only when the Supercars are on. At the moment though, if you purchased a ticket for one of these events, you will most likely arrive somewhere between 7 and 8, lay down your blanket with an esky and wait it out until you see what you really came for.
Why? I think the ticketing price makes you commit to going the whole day. I mean, there’s a certain sense of no value for money if you pay for a full day show but only go for a quarter of it. Admit it, you feel better knowing you went the whole day to get the full value of your ticket, even though you rarely pay attention to the other track cleaners, and end up with a nose full of dusty track boogers!
It is my assertion that a growing number of people are having this chat with themselves, “hmmm, its $65 (+paddock), to go watch the Supercars. ****, at that price, I should go all day and see what else is on”. Then… the kicker… “oh hang on, I have to take Johnny to soccer at 8. I have to mow the lawn at some point this weekend. And I promised my partner we’d go check out the café for breakfast this weekend.”
You can still go in the afternoon, and catch the Supercar race, sure. But would you pay 60 or 70 for that? Nope! No value there, and the TV product is ace! So you, and the other 8,000, don’t go.
Proposal:
• Leave the Super6 as they are
• Leave NT & NZ as they are
• For the others; Ticket price (either Sat or Sun):
o $50 for all day access including paddock, and pre race grid walk.
o $35 for access after Supercar practice/before qualifying, including paddock, no grid walk
o $25 for access after Supercar qualifying/before race, no paddock, no grid.
As well as targeting the hard core “I’m only free in the afternoon fan”, the $25 ticket would tempt new fans. The ones in Wangaratta for Winton, Cowes for PI, Ipswich for QR, Launceston for Tas, all of Sydney for SMSP!
• No g/stand tickets. If venue has g/stands, first in best dressed.
• No VIP/corporate parking. You find a spot, you park.
• One other thing I’d do, and it’s motivated by something I remember as a kid. When a cricket test match was on at the SCG it wasn’t shown on Sydney (or outer burbs) TV unless the event was sold out. So, if you lived close enough, the only way to see it was to attend, or hope for a sell out. I recognise that kind of extreme is not possible these days, so:
o sign up for FOX Sports and receive a ticket (the $50 version) for both Saturday and Sunday at your “local” event”. Might just get more subscribers & more attendees.
Sorry for the long-winded post. Probably could have been said in less words, but when you’ve been standing on the platform waiting for that freight train of positivity and belief, you’ve got a fair bit of time to write!
It astounds me as I flick through posts on this forum how much, what almost seems like hope, people have for others’ failure. People seem, sadly, to take delight in not only predicting some disappointment for another, but them seem gleeful if they’re even just 50% right.
I challenge the main protagonists to use their next 3 posts to be positive about motorsport in this country; specifically, Supercars. We’re doing just fine compared to others.
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