Sponsor for 2009

[fomoco]

Is the world of TG about to come down. With all the cut backs and finacial deals going on, will they have a sponsor next year, will they have a full field or be like F1 and drop two 22 cars?

Maybe thay could go to washington like all the bankers( read blood sucking parasites) and see if they could get $25 mil to keep the series going.

just a thought


what goes around comes around.

[climb]

Well I think other series would need some help more.
GM is likely to shut up shop in the next months, cutting any involvement in motorsport, including Nascar, Grand Am etc.

Therefore Indycar should be involved less heavily.

[mountainstar]

Actually many irl teams are having a tough time getting sponsors for next year and you may see some teams disappear or find other avenues of motorsport. There is a good chance for instance, Rahal may focus completely on BMW in the ALMS as right now they don't have any sponsors for the irl team for 2009.

I've heard talk Honda may bail completely or cut their support even more.

The title sponsor for the irl didn't happen, that has been announced by the irl.

2007-2008 was the shock and awe panic in the markets, 2009+ is going to be a number of years of recovery even if GDP grows next year. Every racing series is going to take a hit. Over a thousand people in Nascar just got laid off, including a friend of mine. It's going to be tough times for everyone for a while.

[Amar7605]

Perhaps some European, Asian, or Middle-Eastern company could sponsor the IRL. Basically, the IRL might have to look for a company beyond North America who has money to spend.

For example, Emraites Airways or Barclays could be sponsors.

[Teretonga]

Originally Posted by Amar7605

Perhaps some European, Asian, or Middle-Eastern company could sponsor the IRL. Basically, the IRL might have to look for a company beyond North America who has money to spend.

For example, Emraites Airways or Barclays could be sponsors.

Why would a company from outside the US sponsor a US series that is so insular in its approach that it excludes cooperation with outside influences even with in its own nation.
Emirates or Barclays would only gain something from a collaboration with the IRL if it also had a link to markets outside the the US so it could maximise it's exposure in both directions and build on the concept of 'across borders influence'.
Emirates for example has a strong interest in Australia as a market. Barclays in England. Unless TG was willing to extend himself to cross borders influence there would be little value in a foreign compnay sponsoring something that sees itself entirely in a North American context.

[mountainstar]

Originally Posted by Amar7605

Perhaps some European, Asian, or Middle-Eastern company could sponsor the IRL. Basically, the IRL might have to look for a company beyond North America who has money to spend.

For example, Emraites Airways or Barclays could be sponsors.

Doubt it. Can't see how that would make any sense when Barclays is under pressure and Emirates has over expanded with the A380. Just about any company that has expansion plans is on hold and the last thing any sane company would do is spend a caboodle of money on the irl which offers little value for the money. Especially a foreign national company that is trying to survive in their own markets.

[climb]

Originally Posted by mountainstar

Actually many irl teams are having a tough time getting sponsors for next year and you may see some teams disappear or find other avenues of motorsport. There is a good chance for instance, Rahal may focus completely on BMW in the ALMS as right now they don't have any sponsors for the irl team for 2009.

ALMS is likely to shut up shop, given Audi are going and BMW are in deep trouble

Originally Posted by mountainstar

I've heard talk Honda may bail completely or cut their support even more.

Everything can happen, tho it has to be remembered that the engine supply to the series has always been very $$ for them

Originally Posted by mountainstar

The title sponsor for the irl didn't happen, that has been announced by the irl.

2007-2008 was the shock and awe panic in the markets, 2009+ is going to be a number of years of recovery even if GDP grows next year. Every racing series is going to take a hit. Over a thousand people in Nascar just got laid off, including a friend of mine. It's going to be tough times for everyone for a while.

that's true MS, that is why can't understand you when you blame it all on TG/IRL, when it's all about a very general problem.

Paradoxically, drivers/teams who can't find 60 M USD to finance a Nascar season, could more easily collect 5 M to cover an Indycar year.

The IRL's low cost philosophy of the latest 2 yrs could theoretically pay back more than expected.

[Peat]

I read on another forum that Wilson & Hunter-Reay have been told to seek employment elsewhere due to lack of sponsorship and that 2 other teams (Roth was one i recall) are close to the wall.

Sad times.

[Leighton Irwin]

Roth is gone with a shove from IRL. They may be regretting this now. If Marty races anywhere it will be in Grand Am.
His money is in real estate in the Toronto area and real estate is taking a hit like everything else.

[mountainstar]

Originally Posted by climb

ALMS is likely to shut up shop, given Audi are going and BMW are in deep trouble


Everything can happen, tho it has to be remembered that the engine supply to the series has always been very $$ for them



that's true MS, that is why can't understand you when you blame it all on TG/IRL, when it's all about a very general problem.

Paradoxically, drivers/teams who can't find 60 M USD to finance a Nascar season, could more easily collect 5 M to cover an Indycar year.

The IRL's low cost philosophy of the latest 2 yrs could theoretically pay back more than expected.

No the ALMS is looking pretty decent for next year and BMW and Audi have billions in extra capital to survive the hard times.

I do blame it all on TG and always will. Credit given where credit is due and since mr. george started causing trouble in the early 90's everything he has touched has turned to stone. The champcar "merger" plugged a finger in the dike for a while, but water is still leaking everywhere. The economic situation only assists in the decline.

No Nascar doesn't cost $60 million for one car. I don't know where you got that number from. $15 to $20 million per car is more like it. Despite the fact the irl may be $5 to $8 million doesn't mean anything if you don't get any value for that money.

[mountainstar]

Originally Posted by Leighton Irwin

Roth is gone with a shove from IRL. They may be regretting this now. If Marty races anywhere it will be in Grand Am.
His money is in real estate in the Toronto area and real estate is taking a hit like everything else.

They handled and treated him pretty poorly but that is typical of IMS and the irl.

[johntt]

Originally Posted by mountainstar

No the ALMS is looking pretty decent for next year and BMW and Audi have billions in extra capital to survive the hard times.

True, car manufacturers have to spend money on promotion (which motorsport is brilliant for) and they have to develop the technology to meet emissions regulations (at least here in Europe anyway, don't know whats going on in the US in that regard).

ACO sportscar racing has enough technical freedom to justify them putting their R&D money into the sport and be able to get a marketing and technological return on it.

[Leighton Irwin]

US Ethanol have dropped out of the supply to IRL of fuel. IRL has a convoluted deal with Brazil Ethanol now. The IRL press release is a master of doubletalk. It also appears Rahal has lost all Ethanol money.
There is more and more discussion on the use of Ethanol in the US and Canada. Corn is used to produce it and it is not the most efficient product. It is also driving the cost of corn up, affecting animal farmers as corn is a main feed. Up goes the cost of meat. The amount of corn consumed for human use is tiny compared to feed corn.
Also with present technology more energy is expanded to produce a gallon of Ethanol than it produces. It also requires trememdous amounts of water and is creating problems with the water table in some areas. There probably is a way to recapture and reuse the water. However that would increase the cost of distilling the Ethanol.
Brazil uses sugar beet which is more efficient than corn.

[climb]

Originally Posted by mountainstar

No the ALMS is looking pretty decent for next year and BMW and Audi have billions in extra capital to survive the hard times.

Yes, to survive, but probably not to waste millions in ALMS.

Originally Posted by mountainstar

I do blame it all on TG and always will. ....

Now, that explains all, no reason to go on discussing

[mountainstar]

Originally Posted by climb

Yes, to survive, but probably not to waste millions in ALMS.



Now, that explains all, no reason to go on discussing

Deals with BMW and Audi are already done for the next few years, sorry.

I know they are not interested in the irl.

[D.R.T.]

Originally Posted by climb

Yes, to survive, but probably not to waste millions in ALMS.

Climb you are taking quite a negative view on the ALMS without much to back it up. Where as you have those in Indycar calling for TG intervention or car counts will hit 18 or so again and your advocating it as a position of strength.

A bit of objectivity please.

[Amar7605]

A little sidestep on this thread... just think that last year many of us were debating on which direction open wheel racing should go, be it the IRL system or the Champ Car system.

It's a year later and now we are talking about open wheel racing's very survival.

[johntt]

Originally Posted by Amar7605

A little sidestep on this thread... just think that last year many of us were debating on which direction open wheel racing should go, be it the IRL system or the Champ Car system.

It's a year later and now we are talking about open wheel racing's very survival.

Neither the IRL model nor the Champ Car model were the right direction, the PPG CART Indycar World Series (1979-1995) was the right direction.

The reason we are talking about the survival of open wheel is because both Champ Car and the IRL were in dire straits this time last year, the difference being that the IRL had Tony George subsidising his series with his collossal fortune and the Indy 500.

[Leighton Irwin]

The IRL may be facing problems but open wheel racing is not, just TG's bunch.
The sprint car and midget scene are both doing fine. The WoO had more full time regulars than ever and always had full fields. The Knoxville Nationals had over 120, yes 120, cars vying for 24 starts in the A Main. Fields of more than 40 cars trying for the 24 A main spots were not uncommon. On occasion the WoO regulars would get beaten. Rarely but then almost always by a member of the Pennsysvania Posse, many of whom are former WoO drivers. The WoO is a tough grind with 80 races planned for 2009 all over NA. Quite a few drivers last only a few years before going back to circuits with less races and travel.
The various groups at least semi cooperate and drivers with say the All Stars can run in WoO races with no penalties. Some of the WoO drivers will run with other organizations on occassion.

The 360 Sprint cars are getting more and more starters.
Even the 'living 30 years behind the times' USAC is beginning to look good with their new 'Gold Crown' cars after the total disaster with their 'new Silver Crown' cars.
Hopefully they will have lost some of their arrogance that enabled the WoO and the All Stars to become so popular.

[johntt]

Originally Posted by Leighton Irwin

The IRL may be facing problems but open wheel racing is not, just TG's bunch.
The sprint car and midget scene are both doing fine. The WoO had more full time regulars than ever and always had full fields. The Knoxville Nationals had over 120, yes 120, cars vying for 24 starts in the A Main. Fields of more than 40 cars trying for the 24 A main spots were not uncommon. On occasion the WoO regulars would get beaten. Rarely but then almost always by a member of the Pennsysvania Posse, many of whom are former WoO drivers. The WoO is a tough grind with 80 races planned for 2009 all over NA. Quite a few drivers last only a few years before going back to circuits with less races and travel.
The various groups at least semi cooperate and drivers with say the All Stars can run in WoO races with no penalties. Some of the WoO drivers will run with other organizations on occassion.

The 360 Sprint cars are getting more and more starters.
Even the 'living 30 years behind the times' USAC is beginning to look good with their new 'Gold Crown' cars after the total disaster with their 'new Silver Crown' cars.
Hopefully they will have lost some of their arrogance that enabled the WoO and the All Stars to become so popular.

It is great to see that kind of open wheel doing well, we don't get any coverage of it over here (beyond highlights on Speed TV's podcasts) but its on my 'too see' list in terms of motorsport.

The problem is these cars lost all relevence to Indycars as soon as the rear engined revolution had swept through Indycar, these championships became Nascar feeders because of their front engined, big V8 configuration.

[Amar7605]

That's what I was getting at. Since the IRL now is the premier open-wheel racing series in North America, if it goes under then open wheel racing as open wheel racing will be irrelevant. Basically, the open-wheel feeder series in North America will basically become NASCAR feeders and will have lost it's original spirit.

[climb]

Originally Posted by mountainstar

Deals with BMW and Audi are already done for the next few years, sorry.

I know they are not interested in the irl.

Never said that.

IMHO the horrendous crisis the Automobile Industry is passing thru in the States, seemingly makes you underrate the problems the same industry are having in Europe: for instance, BMW, which are an excellent company, have strarted struggling before the subprime saga, their sales having been penalised by the mega-increase in fuel cost. Then the subprime trouble added on.

And about deals having been done, well, if just a piece of paper could be the solution for every problem.... most of those deals signed will come good for kleenex usage if nothing change...

And just to be clear, differently from you, I won't find any consolation for my fav series trouble, if another one shut up shop.

[climb]

Originally Posted by D.R.T.

Climb you are taking quite a negative view on the ALMS without much to back it up. ...

http://italiaracing.net/notizia.asp?id=21525&cat=27

It's short and in english, have a nice read

[D.R.T.]

Thanks for the link climb. Considering your comments about the ALMS, one would hope you have more substance than a 'maybe' from the ALMS.

Enough on the ALMS though, Indycar forum

[climb]

Ok, tho it's basically hard to split such a topic among difeerent fora, being about a general problem.

My point is, Indycar have weaker liasons with the American Auto Industry compared to ALMS, Grand Am etc.