Changing the face of the Champ Car Series

[Jazner]

Now that all of this is behind us, OWRS seriously needs to change the face of this series, and by that I mean from a cosmetic perspective. The logo needs to change, preferably to an edgier look (new colors, etc.). That will give the new TV network something to push. Secondly, COMPLETELY REVAMP THE WEBSITE. make it more interactive. Give fans something to log on and see, regularly. (With the new TV deal, rumored to be with Spke, new fans will want to know more about the sport, and the series. This will help tremendously). Sticking on the webiste issue, write up really interesting bios for the teams, and more importantly the drivers. They are who the series is about. Let the fans get to know them. Bakcgrounds, interests, etc.
Finally, you NEED more American Drivers. If this series is going to fly in the US, you need more American drivers. They're out there. They just need to be found, and marketed. This isn't F1, it's AMERICAN open wheel racing. (Get Danica Patrick ready to go as soon as possible.)

[rustyfan]

As long as they keep the database intact (with all the historical results and info about every driver ever having driven in Champ Car - I'm somewhat of a statistics-nerd I'm afraid), I sure wouldn't mind a new look to their site.

[Jazner]

I'm totally with you, Rusty. All of the historical data is a part of what once made this series great. You should always have that. I'm talking about an edgier look cosmeticly (color schemes, photos, etc.). Plus they need a better lineup of news, add editorials, forums, fan polls. Stuff like that. I'm not saying turn this site into NASCAR.com the sequal, but make it that interactive.

[Emfa]

Welcome aboard Jazner!

I like your idea about a new image for CCWS - a new age has dawned, and an overhaul of the current image (colors, logos, etc.) would be worthwhile. Any graphic artists in our midst with some ideas???

Regarding the website, I would probably vote 'no' on your proposal. The CCWS website is one of the very best around (IMHO) and I would hate to see it destroyed. By all means, revise the logo and colors (i.e. image - see above), but the content, layout and functionality are good just the way they are.

[macdaddy]

I agree with Emfa. But the URL will have to change, as the word "CART" is a thing for the history books now. In fact, they already started on this many many months ago, as the CART.com website can also be accessed from
www.champcarworldseries.com

[Jazner]

We'll see what comes of all of this. I'm just speaking from a "new fan's: perspective. I'm an avid fan of NASCAR, as well as their site, and over the course of the last year have begun to get into open wheel. Obviously with everything that's been going on, I've followed it like a hawk, and want to know more. So for people like me, it's nice to have fresh material constanly being thrown at me about the series, as well as interactive forums and polls (much like this one) that I can learn from. It'd be nice to have that on the actual series' website.

[SurfaceUnits]

Champcar does have its own forum, I'm on it now. You must be a member of the Champ Car Inner Circle fan club, $15.00 per year.

[gttouring]

i wonder if anyone wil confuse CCworldSeries, with NissanWorldSeries....probably not HERE but..
and finding american drivers...um snatch everyone from the redbull program for one- get all those guys in a car that is more capable and more savage than the curretn F3, f3000 and they should shine, make them see Champcar is the Pinnacle of openwheel drivers- since the pinnacle of technology driven series is clearly F1.
and new look?
CH^MP C^R World Series! did anyone notice the taxi way arrows at the ST.Pete arifield section of the race??? they were the same kinda inverted "V's" C^RT had used in their logo- coincidence?? maybe but if the promoter missed it and didn't want to paint them Orange like the logo they were the dopes- this was a physical landmark tie in to bash home the Ch^amp car logo and symbol every where people would soon only have "^" or ">" on hats, shirts, Tatoos- Airport runways!!! and anything you want a stylish, never outdated arrow pointing skyward in Ch^mpcar would enter the common vernacular and symbolism as, the Apex of all that was excellent in racing and Open Wheel- if you have talent-If you are to be a legend and ragarded as one of the best drivers of anything Period... you have passed through the "^" you wear the "^" and Ch^mp car is your home away from home.
rethink the logo and image? nah Underline it! make every one see it and make it THE mark of excellence!!!
(stick that in your pipes, gentlemen, and smoke it!)

[Liz]

Promotion is THE key to success. We can help. Get the word out and bring all your friends here -- and to the Champ Car website -- and by all means we ought not to go "interactive." Remember Quokka?

[enemy-ace]

Even though SPEEDtv is gone, i hope ChampCars can maintain 'SPEED on demand'with their new broadcast partner. I really enjoyed having the ability to rewatch some of the great races.

[paul-collins]

Originally posted by Liz
Promotion is THE key to success.

Absolutely right.

Not wanting to bring more D&G into this, but how does OWRS get the American corporation to believe that it has the right stuff? The American viewer? Without the I500, that is...

As much as we tend to look down our noses at ovals, it's impossible to ignore their importance in the overall racing identity in the US. And what is the marquee OW oval event? Oh, yeah...

I don't want to see unification if it leaves that fellow in any position of power. But he holds the key to the most important track in American OW racing.

Anyway, I'm looking forward to hearing about the improvements in organization and product that I'm sure will be coming out in the following weeks. Sebring and then LB! Let's go!

[Liz]

The war has only been over for 3 days, and already we have heard a lot about what they plan. We have not heard everything yet. I'm sure they have a schedule for releasing all these things. Our part is to help out in whatever capacity we can -- not by whining and wailing and pointing fingers and longing for the ex-wife to throw us a bone -- but to look forward and find a way to make this thing work. The American Public are not so stupid that they can't learn to love road racing and street racing and accept a premiere street race in place of an oval if it's properly presented.

We can help by brainstorming and passing along our ideas. We certainly have plenty of them!

I've applied for Mags' credentials for Long Beach already. I'll be heading for Le Mans but will be able to cover the LBGP before I go. Hurrah!

[BootsOntheSide]

The website was the best official one going in my view - perhaps the only marketing-related area CART had an advantage over the IRL. A new logo on darker, more macho colours might be a good move, and a shorter name - Bridgestone Ford Champ Cars would be fine.

Marketing the series will be difficult, at least in the US, because of the lack of ovals and American drivers. It's strange how big a deal it is to viewers that the drivers are American - in Europe it's much less of an issue, for example our football Premiership has lots of overseas players, and it's not unusual for teams to have 7 or 8 non-Brits among their starting 11 (in fact, Liverpool played one match with 11 different nationalities starting recently), but the support hasn't wavered - in fact the sport's more popular than for years, due to the high standard of the guys coming over.

[Liz]

Americans are notoriously stubborn -- the country was told we were going metric in 1976, and you see where that went. Numerous attempts to replace the $1 bill with a $1 coin have been repelled. And in a century where the Europeans are trying to stamp out religion, America is having a revival. Historically speaking, the continued whining about American drivers and ovals is right on point.

The cure for that of course is to make Champ Cars more international in scope and move into countries where the drivers come from. And start tracking television numbers from other countries -- they do it in F1, and they can do it in CCWS. The thing that keeps dragging us down is the focus on American television numbers only, when the big audience is in Canada, Mexico, Brazil and Australia.

[BobbyB]

Originally posted by Liz
Americans are notoriously stubborn...


The cure for that of course is to make Champ Cars more international in scope and move into countries where the drivers come from.

Here we go again- a little name calling, perhaps? I think I would substitute the word "independent" for stubborn.

Second point- fine, move all the garages out of Indianapolis to other countries and watch the newly-reborn series collapse on itself. American viewers and sponsors are (and must remain) a main component of the formula to keep our series healthy. Like it or not, Canadians and Mexicans alone are not enough to make it go.

[SurfaceUnits]

I believe that Liz' choice of words has context, she is a transplanted 'murican after all, I believe.

[gttouring]

Liz can rant on USamerican- after she is originally one.
the dearth of ovals in the US, is only underscored by the NASCAR circuit, there are soooo many road courses, but they aren't used, or up to spec.
The champ Car "^" is a great logo anchor even in orange and black, no worries really. but the road course vs. street **** is troublesome.
St. pete being very well done, Vancouver, Toronto, Longbeach as well
so why not race a Trois-Riviers as well? and seriously look into Virginia IR, and LimRock park, and help fix road Atlanta, and Barber motorsports park (if they race at portland why not these tracks?)
and Cleavland is a favorite, so why not look into another airfield versus the street messes- we could ill afford another Miami. so If they want to reinvent and stay off as many ovals as IRL, and be more NorthAmerican, then look into all the Road tracks.
Mosport anyone? they do Montreal- and if we are going to go where CC is loved 5 stops in Canada isn't a bad idea.

[Omega99]

Trans Am finished last season on a new airport course in Peurto Rico. I didn't catch the race on the TV, but the track layout is very similar to Cleveland, and I'll bet if Champ Cars went there, it'd pull a crowd and be a good show. And since Champ Cars and Trans Am are under the same roof now, I'd say it's a limited possibility in the future.

[Liz]

You can say "independent" if you like; I as an American prefer "stubborn" as I can't see any sense in some of my countrymen's fixations on "We're Not Europeans" -- any more than I can understand my Canadian compatriots' fixation on "We're Not Americans." We're all racing fans and we can change. (I don't notice Formula One collapsing because Americans don't like it much, so I do believe Champ Cars could succeed outside the USA.)

I believe the top 5 races in the Champ Car series in terms of attendance are all outside the USA.

I did see that Trans Am race and it was very crowded with fans who really enjoyed it. Three or four of the drivers were locals taken on for that race, and one of them actually won. I think the series could do well at that track and I would go there to see it. Although no matter what they said in Montreal, Tiago Monteiro is not Puerto Rican.

[MLM]

It took me HOW MANY POSTS(?...duhhhh) to see your Damon Runyon signature, amiga?
(cue "Luck is a Lady" song....although I saw "Guys and Dolls" in NYC and didn't enjoy it. ) )
It might be a propos, LOL....especially since T. is "Puerto Rican", LOL

[Liz]

We had a little note from Tiago today, no news but promising to keep us posted!

I haven't seen "Guys and Dolls" in a long time, but there are a lot of good lines in it.

[deeks6]

Originally posted by Liz
You can say "independent" if you like; I as an American prefer "stubborn" as I can't see any sense in some of my countrymen's fixations on "We're Not Europeans" -- any more than I can understand my Canadian compatriots' fixation on "We're Not Americans." We're all racing fans and we can change. (I don't notice Formula One collapsing because Americans don't like it much, so I do believe Champ Cars could succeed outside the USA.)

I believe the top 5 races in the Champ Car series in terms of attendance are all outside the USA.

Ah, Liz...the voice of reason.

Firstly, I'm Australian so I don't have to get involved with the USA vs. Euro xenophobia.

Secondly, your point about the drivers is so true. I suspect a guy called Mario had a fair bit to do with the initial popularity of CART because he had done it on the world stage. Equally, I suspect that the lack of a Mario in recent times had assisted the demise. Motorsport, like everything else is a global game, like it or not. A Ryan Newman (for example) should be strutting his stuff in OW's not some big taxi cab (don't get me wrong, NASCARS have their place too).

Thirdly (maybe sadly, but true) is the economic reality. Lets say you are a marketing president of a company selling just to North America ... where are you gonna put your dollars? To NASCAR, with its massive ratings, all-american image, accessible and famous drivers, massive sell-out crowds and cars you can put big signs on...or Champ cars with their bickering, in-fighting, unknown drivers, small signage space etc ?

However, if you were the same marketing president selling not only to North America but South America, Asia, Australia, Europe and needed to get your brand awareness up and there was an alternative (or even F1 feeder) series that provided global TV, local drivers and Americans, close competitive racing and a real variety of tracks ... well, you just might remove a few bucks from the good ol boys.

Liz, you have the big picture.

Cheers

[Liz]

Mario Andretti, Juan Pablo Montoya, and Alessandro Zanardi are all of a kind with regard to promotion of racing in the United States. They were all excellent and exciting drivers with vibrant, fan friendly personalities, they all had accents that were sometimes difficult to understand and names that were "hard to pronounce" -- and they were and are all universally beloved by the racing fraternity. I don't think your birth certificate or that of your parents, your accent or the way you spell your name has anything to do with the way people feel about you. Not among people who come to see the best race against the best!

Not to mention that advertising with NASCAR is about like advertising at the Superbowl -- you are going to pay a lot of money for very little exposure. Advertise with CCWS and you will get a lot for your money in a lot of different places. (At the risk of being vulgar, may I compare it to Benjamin Franklin's advice to always play up to wealthy old maids because they are so grateful?)

There are very few businesses that market only to North America anymore. And the number is dwindling. I'd say it's about the same number as there are of countries that don't use Metric or have $1 coins.

[macdaddy]

The only exception I'd make to that post is that Juan "Pablo" Montoya was/is about as fan-friendly as the flu.

[jjspierx]

About Trans-Am race in Puerto Rico...the track was ok for Trans-Am, and plenty wide for Champcars, but it is too small of a track, with too short of straightaways for the Champcars to really stretch their legs. Thats my gripe with some of the street courses, people want to see the cars going FAST, its good for live audience and even better for TV. Also that race was interesting, as Scott Pruett was about to easily win the race, when he pulled into the pits due to "suspension problems" with only a few laps left and allowed a native of Puerto Rico to win. All this after Scott Pruett of course already had the championship lined up. A little suspicious? Maybe.