Racer12....a Hypothetical Insight

[GTRMagic]

Imagine being a new factory-supported V8Supercar team (DaTeam), with a pair of latest specification cars running around in the main series.

There are 2 drivers contracted to DaTeam, one of whom has a multi year deal, the other with a year-to-year arrangement. So at the moment, the 2 main series drives are sorted, with 2 enduro slots available for Sandown and Bathurst each season.

With an eye on the future, DaTeam takes careful notice of a young guy (Racer12) around the traps, who is competitive in his chosen category. The team has seen enough of Racer12 to think he can do very well in this class, and may well be a good fit for possible openings in the main series team in years not so far into the future.

Racer12 wins his class in 2003, somewhat surprisingly, against an opposition in the factory supported cars that were less competitive than in previous years. So DaTeam offers Racer12 a test in a V8Supercar. Racer12 gives a good account of himself, with few laps at his first test day, enough to prove he isn’t a wood duck.

In the interests of making sure that any investment made by DaTeam isn’t used by anyone else, Racer12 is signed up to a 2 year management deal, where the team would provide coaching, learning & development, and allow him to drive a current V8Supercar at ride days with passengers aboard, at test days on his own. The young driver would be brought into the loop, the inner circle of the team, to watch how a professional racing operation runs, before he steps up at sometime in the future.

Racer12 is told all along that he must spend his time out on the street, hustling for cash to fund whatever opportunity DaTeam might be able to open up for him. DaTeam reminds Racer12 that there is a new car coming on stream, that this car will need a shakedown, and that the chance to showcase the talent in front of the Supercar fraternity is there, but that Racer12 must show good faith in himself and to the team, by bringing a level of funding to the table to cover some (but not all) operating costs.

While there are no specific guarantees, the DaTeam side of the deal implied but did not specifically state that they would help secure a race drive in 2004 for Racer12. DaTeam looked seriously at the Konica series, but as the model race car run in Konica is significantly different to the one in the main series, with different engines, DaTeam looks to place the driver at another team for the Konica series. DaTeam talks to previous Konica series winning teams, who run the same brand of car, but are unable to conclude a deal due to budgetary requirements.

DaTeam has a lot of respect for Racer12, spending time and money involving him in the racing team where possible to learn about the sport. DaTeam has a number of people involved in its operation who have been in motorsport a very long time, and have made a number of local and international connections.

The technical expert of DaTeam opens dialog with a championship winning team in an openwheeler series, with the same engine manufacturer. Using previous relationships to open the door, DaTeam manages to secure a competitive ride at WTeam for Racer12 at a seriously discounted price. Something not achievable without the input of DaTeam in the negotiation process.

In the meantime, imagine you are Racer12, and you sell your championship winning car to a family you have been competing against in karting for many years. The driver is a young kid, but has a strong family business behind the operation.

But something seems odd. Racer12 has complained to DaTeam that he found sourcing sponsorship difficult & tedious in the past. Yet somehow, the sponsors on the 2003 championship winning car in 2004 seem almost identical to those on Racer12's new car in the new category... :confused: Has the driver actually secured some new sponsors?

As part of the original arrangement with DaTeam, Racer12 was to make his debut in the V8Supercar series at Queensland Raceway, a chance to show off his talents to the world. A franchise was duly secured for this event, leased from another owner to make this happen.

Racer12 is again told he is required to bring funding to offset some of the non-inhouse costs to run the car. This discussion happens between Racer12 and the commercial and technical experts at DaTeam, on more than one occasion during the season, that Racer12 needs to secure some modest sponsorship to help the team out.

But Racer12 doesn't find a sponsor/backer/benefactor, despite having several months, and ample opportunity to do so. DaTeam has already secured the entry, and made commitments to the franchise owner that they will run a car in the slot to satisfy the franchise requirements.

As a measure of good faith, and the high regard DaTeam has, and confidence in the abilities of the Racer12, the technical expert at DaTeam dips into his own pocket, to ensure that Racer12 shows up on the grid in Queensland.

You would think that a driver who got a totally free ride so far would be ever so grateful for the opportunity presented. Not in this case it seems. Instead, Racer12 takes a thump at the preparation of the car in the motorsport media.

Complaining about a braking issue in such a negative manner that suggested poor preparation on DaTeam's part, as well as suggesting the equipment used in the pitstops by the generous franchise holder were substandard, but the pitstops didnt seem to suffer because of it as a backhanded condemnation.

These were harsh words from someone who paid not $1 for the drive, or for any association with the team so far. Interestingly Motorsport News attempted to distance the driver from some of these comments in the next issue of their journal, but the damage was done.

The next round of the main series rocks up, at Winton this time. The technical expert at DaTeam receives an approach from another driver, who was willing to contribute funds to the team, to gain a V8Supercar start at that round. The same offer put to DaTeam by the other driver is put to Racer12, to find a commercial sponsor for an amount of money to secure the seat, as was required (but not achieved) at the previous round.

In the end, Racer12 didn’t come up with a suitable package in time (and some questioned whether he tried to at all... thinking he would receive another free ride) and the ride went to the other driver.

Racer12 does well in the series DaTeam helped him secure a topline drive in, and ultimately wins the Bronze Banana award for that class of motorsport.

Meantime, Racer12 is interviewed as the newly crowned Bronze Banana champion in Motorsport News. Unfortunately there were poor word selection by Racer12 in this interview... suggesting that he has had only a brief run with DaTeam, but that it was on hold now... even though he was super quick in testing... quicker than the regular drivers... that there is a verbal deal with the technical expert at DaTeam for the enduros, implying from the words chosen that somehow the word of that person is not his bond... that he backs himself as odds on favourite to win a V8Supercar championship in a Snozmobile.... even though V8Supercar is very much the fallback position... And that you need to luck into sponsorship rather than earn it!!

All of these things bouncing around in your head must be scary. They suggest that Racer12 has a belief that the motorsport world owes him a gig... that instead of rolling with the punches and earning the respect of the people who have gone out of their way, and are financially worse off, to help him achieve a dream, that with every positive there is unwarranted and unwanted noise about how it all could have been so much better. All after contributing not a single dollar to the process.

With a round to go before the enduros, it isn’t known whether the hypothetical Racer12 will get a run at the Oran Park round of the series, but based on the above, I doubt another team will touch him again.

In some ways, it would be some form of just desserts for this offer, and the offer for the Sandown/Bathurst enduro double, be revoked on the strength of the public behaviour in recent times. It is simply not good enough.... some drivers would give their eye teeth for the kind of opportunity offered here, and to have it, and basically piddle in the pond for reasons not quite clear displays a level of arrogance or naivete... or indeed both....

.... if of course this were a real scenario.....

[Henry]

Ladies and gentlemen, the ego has landed.

I'm pretty sure that the manufacturer referred to barely has enough space under the turret of the current car for some of the melons it houses at present... Racer12 should look to a prolonged career in open-wheelers, where his head can swell unhindered by sheetmetal.

[Techo]

I'm half way through, you are such a good story teller, I've been laughing too much too read the rest.- more later

[Techo]

I enjoyed that. good effort
Could this be a lesson to new players, NM-DK

[Also a Believer]

GTR you never and I mean never cease to amaze.

Interestingly in your hypothetical story racer12 is a very talented driver. One would hope that a few misplaced words may not damage the career and 2004 chances that may lay before him. It is understandable that if your hyposthosis is true that racer12 may feel a little let down and with exuberance of youth and freedom of speech may have uttered a few unwise words, not realising the undertone of the spoken words, I am sure that racer12 does appreciate the facts before him/her but as with all sport media savy is learnt not bred. Sound to me like racer12's management team have a job to do and lets hope they are up to the task.

Sorry too long-winded for my liking. Congratulations to those who managed to get through it all. The author should get out more and do normal things.

[vipernz]

There was a point to all that somewhere wasn't there?

[FatBoy]

Can someone PM me with a brief explanation of what the fark Mr.Magic is talking about ??

[xr6turbo]

i was thinking exactly the same thing..............

[Kerri]

Well done GTR, excellent presentation if not a bit long, but excellent.
That explains a whole lot about what went on & I can't believe any young up & coming driver wanting to get into V8's could get a freebie like that once & try it again.

[StuiE]

I think I know who/what it is about. Pity, as he was doing pretty well till he went off a couple of times. I hadn't heard his name for a few years till Qld, nice attitude Sure sponsorship hard to get, but if you're not going to try...

[Bigguy]

Originally posted by gtr69
I think I know who/what it is about. Pity, as he was doing pretty well till he went off a couple of times. I hadn't heard his name for a few years till Qld, nice attitude Sure sponsorship hard to get, but if you're not going to try...

So that interview might turn out to be unique

[eduardo1]

Err, for the benefit of Techo and the others that were having a hard time, he's obviously referring to Neil McFadyen and his strange relationship with Dynamik.

I have no idea about how much of the details of GTRs story are correct (and I'm not implying that any of it is wrong), but the timeframe that GTR is suggesting is correct. When I spoke to Neil last year at Bathurst he told me that he would be in Konica in 2004 with Dynamik.

And while whatever Neil's attitude and work ethic may be questionable, let's not kid ourselves about the state of affairs at Dynamik. The place is a shambles. It's another team (same as Tasman) with wealthy owners who have the cash to invest in the team, but don't have a worthwhile operational budget, and hence don't get a return on their investment. And that's something that wealthy investors really hate.

Which is why there was a major shake-up at Dynamik in the off-season and Jason Richards was catapulted to be replaced by a pay-driver.

And you have to wonder, how great is a 2 year management deal that says the team might help you get a drive, maybe, if you bring us some cash?

Especially with a team that is so desperate to chase money at the expense of results.

Neil's said some very silly things in the media and he needs a wake-up call, but there's always 2 sides to the coin.

[MHDT]

I think a clue maybe here?

So 'the man of 1000 springs' was the man of 1000's of dollars too?

[Hazza]

Whos arses where MNews trying to cover when they attempted to clarify what Racer12 said in one of their Magazines? Their's or Neil's erm I mean Racer12's

[marcus]

interesting read , if any of it is true , buggered if i know but interesting all the same

[Also a Believer]

We will all find the answer in the near future, watch this space.

[GTRMagic]

Ah but this is a hypothetical, is there really an answer to find?

[marcus]

42 I believe is the answer ?

[Also a Believer]

Even hypotheticals have answers, hypothetical ones.

[Vee8]

GTR, I personally know none of the details or players you portray, but I do believe that there are two sides to every hypothetical story.

I hope for your sake that you have not unfairly tarnished the reputation of a talented, if slightly misguided young bloke who - like another youngster who recently said a little too much in the heat of battle - may simply needs a stern talking to and a lesson on how things work in the real (not hypothetical) world.

Talent is a rare and precious thing and here's hoping the bloke in question takes this all in and makes a conscious effort to amend his ways, and gets another chance to prove himself.

[grumblebum]

Having had a bit to do with young drivers over the years like Racer12, the story is an all-too-familiar one.

If you want to achieve something in motorsport, you have to work for it.... luck is involved, in being in the right place at the right time, but without the mindset and preparation, it all comes to nought.

Is it significant that both this driver, and a former Gold Star champion both did their lolly in recent weeks?

[Kicking-back]

I get a bit tired of hearing drivers moaning about lack of budget.

Finding sponsorship at the early stages of your career is part of being a driver.

It's an expensive sport - and no-one owes a new driver anything.

[eduardo1]

That's a bit harsh kicking-back.

It is an expensive sport, but I don't hear of too many drivers claiming that they're 'owed' something.

There are very few young drivers that make it these days without having family money, even if they're not mega-rich, because there is absolutely stuff-all sponsorship out there for young guys.

Here's a very short list
Ambrose - family money (to run Yr 1Oz F/Ford)
Bright - family sold house to pay for Oz F/Ford
Kellys - family money
Besnard - pro drive in Euro karts, family paid living expenses, then paid for Oz F/Ford
Weel - family money
Morris - family money
Skaife - family money
McConville - his dad took out a loan to help pay for the F/Ford assault
Lowndes - family money to help pay F/Ford

This is not a criticism. But the fact is that without their family's financial support, amounting to 10s, in some cases 100s of thousands in the early days, these drivers would not be in SuperCars today.

The frustration for young drivers which sets them apart from most other sports is that talent alone rarely gets you anywhere. You have to have a certain level of budget to even show your talent. Karts are expensive enough for an average family before talking any form of car racing.

Compare this with a kid playing football. If he has talent he has money thrown at him from when he's as young as 13 or 14.

But the frustration is real and very valid. There are scores of talented kids out there that will never make it because they don't have the cash to go on.

Is it harsh to talk that way about Ryan Briscoe. He's got the world's most profitable car maker telling him he has to go and find his own money for an F1 start! And this from a kid whose middle-income family sacrificed a lot to send him over to Europe to pursue his dream and has proven his talent, which has taken him a long way. But now he has to come back to Australia to bang the tin and ask for cash to run last in a Minardi or Jordan! Ryan and others get nothing from the AIS and the government, yet our doped up cyclists and weightlifters get scholarships!

Is it unfair for him to talk about a lack of corporate support.

BTW, the current fuss over Liuzzi in Formula 1. He and Ryan were team mates in karts. Briscoe flogged him. When they were junior team mates, Liuzzi knew he couldn't beat Ryan, so he took him out at the first corner of the Junior World Titles after a red-flag restart.

[Also a Believer]

Well put E as someone that has tried to open doors for corporate sponsorship for my own team it is nearly impossible to get interest from businesses outside the motorsport world. I am unsure why coprporate australia does not see value in this sport.