With Lakeside gone, what rounds will replace the 2 at Lakeside

[D.R.T.]

What race circuts do you believe will replace the 2 at Lakeside. I was thinking along the lines of one in Mallala and the other at Sandown. any ideas.

[mtpanorama]

Any local shopping centre car park. There is usually a couple of spare parking spots that the race cars could use, and it would be the most spectators that show up all year

[Crash Test]

For starters, the races at Lakeside haven't been officially lost yet- we have to wait and see.

However, I'd like to see them race at Baskerville, and possibly a street circuit in Broome..

[Ray Bell]

It's most likely that Lakeside will continue running, and even though there will only be six spectators on the XXXX Hill and four clambering under the fence to look at the cars (all kids, they don't know any better), the meeting will probably go ahead...

By the way, D.R.T., you should check your private messages... click on the 'private messages' link on the line below the masthead of any page...

[D.R.T.]

I'm pretty sure they'll get more people than that considering there will be new winners all the time and most probably a new champion. Super Tourers have awesome races around Lakeside compared to anything else. So I don't think there will be a small crowd.

[DNQ]

D.R.T, I don't wish to put a cloud over things, but I think perhaps you're being a little too optimistic about the ASTC. Sure, it's great (I like it as well and might go out to Lakeside if I can), and it would be nice to see Australia have to tin-top categories, but I sadly can't see it happening. Without wanting to sound harsh, do you really think the TOCA Australia will still be here in 2005?

[Ray Bell]

Originally posted by D.R.T.
I'm pretty sure they'll get more people than that considering there will be new winners all the time and most probably a new champion. Super Tourers have awesome races around Lakeside compared to anything else. So I don't think there will be a small crowd.

The likelihood of a decent crowd turning up at Lakeside for anything except the V8s is very poor. The place has been seriously undersold for years, so lines of promotion are poor and response will be slow.

I hate to have to say this, but that will be the cost of poor management over decades and a reliance on the enthusiasm of the most dedicated to keep the turnstiles clicking. Unfortunately, it is the latter who finish up losing all the time... how much can they afford to keep on tolerating?

Paltry fields of 2-litre tin-tops will not attract them, never, because the thought of this is offensive to them. Why are they dished up second-rate racing? Why should they fund an underpromoted circuit?

You work it out... but quietly, and use your abacus too... we really want to hear the gentle rustling of the breeze in the trees across the gulf course, the distant cry of the plover and the lapping of the wind-whipped waves on the lake as we sit forlornly in an empty paddock area where once the greats performed.

[Crash Test]

DRT- I'm guessing the glass is half full?

Last year the crowd in attendance was a little more than for the regular state championship racing, and I can tell you, the local stuff running on that weekend put on a heck of a lot better racing than any of the STs... Anyways, best of luck to them

[Ray Bell]

Originally posted by Crash Test
Last year the crowd in attendance was a little more than for the regular state championship racing....

That's the close friends and families of the competitors who aren't in the pits... not a lot of people...

This is what I mean about lack of promotion.

[Crash Test]

Promotion or no promotion, some meetings just don't draw people. I know that we've found over the years that TV ads simply don't work on most occasions.

I must commend Procar on their recent meeting- it was an absolute gem- they had things happening left right and center, and had a decent amount in the press.

The best thing that worked at Lakeside for a state level meeting was a billboard back at Bald Hills...there was a big crowd for that meeting. Other than that, Barry Nixon-Smith's "Motor Racing Today" sign, placed under the brown Lakeside sign on the highway just before the turn off, also seems to work a treat...

[racer69]

The problem is that there are at the moment to many racing packages, the average fan can't afford to see them all. Excluding club and state level racing, their are 5 National championship packages, AVESCO, Konica, PROCAR, PowerTour and TOCA, while in Britain, called the home of world motorsport, they only have the TOCA Tour and Power Tour. I think we need to cut down the amount of racing packages and have more racing at each round, maybe cut it back to 4, the Super Tourers (its only Commodore Cup that really sticks with them) should join the PowerTour. Fans can't afford to go to everything.

[Crash Test]

Track owners don't have enough profitable race meetings as it is...chopping a few of them off aint going to make too many people happy- state level race meetings are still borderline with regards to profits, and obviously hiring the circuit only puts so much money in the bank...

[Ray Bell]

When do you start to advertise, though?

[Crash Test]

But advertising aint always effective, and from experience, most of the time spending up big brings very little return... I think I made a post about this in another thread.

[AdrianG]

The only place in Australia where Super tourers will get a decent crowd is Tasmania for the Baskerville round. Why? Because it is the only major circuit racing event we have here since the V8s left, so people don't have an option.

[Ray Bell]

Originally posted by Crash Test
But advertising aint always effective, and from experience, most of the time spending up big brings very little return... I think I made a post about this in another thread.

I was going to say that it was too late... usually any advertising for events is too late.

[Crash Test]

I know people have tried advertising state level raicng on tv....that's a stupid move if ever there has been one...

[mickj]

why not avertise state championship race meetings on tv..at least people know when other racing is on instead of all the hype of a major meeting.
mickj

[Ray Bell]

Yes, advertise it on RPM both the week before and a fortnight before the event. Imperitive that it's known a fortnight beforehand... guys that get together each weekend tend to arrange their following weekend during the previous one, so they have to be aware in time.

Additionally, saturation local media releases, send releases to each of the local newspapers with a story about a driver or entrant in their area... it will get a run!

[Crash Test]

And I'm really cheesed off because I had all of the press releases ready to roll for the September meet....

I know the one place that has made a real go out of State level stuff is Oran Park with their truck meetings. Sure they had massive crowds when it started up, but it has retained a decent crowd these days, and is second only to the SCS in attendances. I know down at OP that have many billboards, and those billboard trucks floating around. For the Power Tour round up here, they planned it all very well with the saturation starting on the previous Sunday.

As far as the rest of State level racing goes, TV advertising doesn't work. I can tell you that if there were a State Championship meeting at Lakeside next weekend, there would be the blue/white truck with the orange stripe parked on the entry to Hungry corner, and the Staples family will have their shade cloth thing up just around the corner.

The meetings get the same people every time- they eiher know the competitors, used to be competitors, or are the run of the mill regulars. The biggest crowd I've seen recently was when te QGRA gave away 6 or 7 passes per entry. The crowd looked huge, but at the end of the day, only 30 extra people paid at the gate.

I think shows like Speedweek need to be commended, but even that costs a fair wad of cash to get on... I'm certain that if people attended a state level meeting with an open mind, and go there to enjoy the racing, they would be amazed. There really is something for everyone.

Formula Ford- I've never been so scared in my life as I have been watching some of their races...I will never forget standing on the tower at Lakeside when Will Power and another competitor completly locked wheels, all the way down the straight and through the kink.

Formula Vee- Not the fastest cars around, and heaven forbid if they are driving into a head wind they wind up having less revs on board at the end of the straight than what they do at the start of it... I think the theory that the slower the cars, the better the action is so true for these cars.

Sports Cars- Sports 1300s against clubmans, against Porsches, against Mazdas, against Datsuns and anything else...surprising good action, from some very neat pieces of kit.

Sports Sedans- Although the cars at State Level aren't really pushing the envelope so to speak, you still get some awesome racecars. Roataries are competitive with V8s, and with Turbos, and 2ltr cars.

Improved Production- Action all the way....

Grp N- It's amazing how hard people will push their old cars- was the racing this good in the olden days?

HQs etc- How many classes have had 3 cars side by side for entire lap?

Saloon Cars- Kind of like mini Supercars- even though it is only a new class, it has many competitors already. Even though they are only powered by 6's, they still make a decent noise, and they appear fairly unstable most of the time... much like when the cars ran in production car racing. Makes you wonder how good V8s would be without any aero aids...

[Ray Bell]

Originally posted by Crash Test
.... they planned it all very well with the saturation starting on the previous Sunday....

Too late! I have to rub this in... the previous weekend the ones who aren't the regulars have to know what's on so they can plan their next weekend. The critical time to advertise or promote is the fortnight before the meeting.

What's the issue with Speedweek? Are you talking about getting your meetings on there after the event? That won't bring a crowd...

[Crash Test]

But how much money do race tracks have to throw at TV advertising? From what I can gather, it costs a considerable amount of money to a slot on at any sort of reasonable hour...and why bother spending that money if they know in advance that it isn't going to work?

Re Speedweek- It's not so much as promoting the race meeting as promoting the local classes. Since people are too lazy to go to the track, if they show a bit of the local Saloon Cars and HQs, then they might be more inclined to go out to the track and have a bit of a gander. The response to the racing was quite noticable, even on this forum after they first appeared on TV- "what are these saloon cars about?"

[Ray Bell]

Yes, TV is certainly expensive unless you have a TV channel go into the meeting as a partner... I would agree, though in the RPM timeslot it shouldn't be quite that bad... or maybe lobby RPM to have a weekly "What's on over the next few weeks" that included State meetings.

Have I got the point across about the fortnight before bit though?

[sevi]

The problem is club and state events are not a priority for the general public. They love the big meets but unless they know someone or are involved someway themselves no amount of advertising is going to get them there.
Not everyone has the same commitment as us and actually have a life doing other things, not sure what as all I have done for the last how many years is motorsport. Maybe in my next life

[D.R.T.]

So hang on, things have moved on a bit from th original post, but thats good. However is anyone sure of whether Lakeside is still part of this years BOC Gases Australian Super Touring Championship. Also Super Tourers have great races there, remember Cornish and Gurr going head to head, as good as it gets , but I gues "some people" just can't accept some things.