Where the hell was everybody yesterday? BHF

Started by Woofentino Pugrossi, July 25, 2010, 06:37:46 AM

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mdr14

#60
This is what I think. I think that properly presented. 2-3 hours of prime class CCS MW region racing at Blackhawk Farms on a sunday can be fun to watch for a non hardcore casual spectator.

I think that those of us involved in our regional racing need to think out, around and on top of the box to generate revenue each weekend so that the racer is not taxed into oblivion and is not the sole source of income for the track and the sanctioning body.

I think that it is not 1993 any longer and that the racing community needs to be adaptable so that it can be healthy.
In 1993 at BHF, Sundays at BHF had a lot of spectators. Over the next few years, spectators were not properly managed. As a result spectator access was limited, consequently spectator attendance started to decline. Then coincidentally, racer attendance started to decline. Albeit gradual, but still decline.

Spectator access cant be limited, but some control needs to be applied so that racers and children are safe in the pits. All very easy to be proactive with. Just need some foresight to implement some guidelines.

At one time CCS MW was the strongest region. It can be again. But, a new approach needs to be applied.

I have a few plans I have been outlining. I need to meet with a potential business partner. I also need to discuss those ideas with Mr. Elliot. Money will always be the key. For all I know, it really might be too expensive to pursue anything above and beyond what we already have. Maybe CCS does not want any change, because change is bad.
Matt Drucker
MD Racing
www.mdracingstp.com

Ducmarc

maybe practice and racing both days like practice morning then half racing so a spectator can come one day and watch racing no matter what day. most people won't or can't as in work one of the day's of the weekend and run tv ads  and do the blood and gore no one in the general public wants to see us fiddle dicking around lap after lap. do 30 seconds of crashes and all the kids will want to go. then shorten the tracks to around a mile so it's easier to see the whole race. like flattrack you see the whole race 2 turns and 2 drag races in each lap.   last march i could not believe the turnout it was packed.

skiandclimb

FWIW, we had over 600 spectators at our first track day this season.  I attribute the turnout to two club sponsors- Cycle House Performance, and Big St. Charles Motorspots, both from st. Louis.  Both shops used their already existing radio ad accounts to promote local roadracing....we got a ton of spectators, and they got great airtime, and more folks spending money in their shops.
Another reaosn for the high spectator numbers is Gateway's spectator fee with our club is almost nothing- five whole bucks.  Some of these track entry fees are beyond ridiculous.  I am about as low-buck as it gets, so adding gas, tires, entries and then tagging another $50 bucks on top of it get really old, really fast.
I honestly would have raced more classes this year, but the entry fees were an issue, as was (is) CCS' inability to reclass older bikes. Yeah, I know- I'm whipping a dead horse here, but for me- it's the truth.
I think CCS would do well to drop entry fees to $50, period. None of this 85 for the first, 65 for the second crap. Just 50 bucks. I know I would race a lot more.  And if my poor ass would- I bet alot of others would too. I'm not saying the org. would "flourish" by doing so, but I don't think they'd lose any money. And grid sizes would increase, IMHO.  And let's face it- bigger grids = more contingency $$$ paid out in the long run....
Just sayin.
#730 CCS MW/GP
Pursuit Racing, The Backstopper's Org.
www.cyclehouseperformance.com - St. Louis, MO.
King Edward's Chicken and Fish- St. Louis, MO.
www.mcraracing.com

gonecrazy

Ski if your gonna drop the sponsor names that support the club do them all. Our turn out isnt because of them 2 only even though they contribute just like all the others. One a side note we have produced alot more racers that are griding up the past few years. The last race weekend we probably lost 10-12 that crashed in saturday practice and couldnt get there bike back together. It was a crazy day for crashes and much higher than normal. we have even had spectors come back and start doing trackdays. we have a great spector turn out due to the low,cheap gate fee and its easier for someone to have there friends and family attend. We are consintly looking to make sure all riders get the best bang for the buck and have 100 plus riders every event for the last 2 years. After all it a addiction, the avarage racer only last 3-4 years. so we focus on getting them to the track and then into racing and it has been working well. I hope next years grids will be better expicially since ill be back and more of our friends and fellow racers find work or get finacially stable to come back out and play.

GSXR RACER MIKE

I think what alot of people don't consider concerning riders being encouraged by Track Days to progress to Racing is the business side of that issue - most Track Days are intended to be 'For Profit', as is most Racing (even though it may not be in times like these). For Track Days to be encouraging their customers to step-up to Racing is bad business, that's revenue their pushing away. And even for those Track Days that are designated 'Not For Profit' there's still personal benefits they're recieving by putting on those events - writing off race tires, race fuel, transportation costs, transporters / trailers, accomodations, etc.

As far as the arguement about Track Days being for those who don't want to race, that represents a large portion of the participants, BUT..... I think Track Days can act as a 'passifier' for many of the remaining participants who previously may have gone racing prior to Track Days being available. Unfortunately many of those people end up falling into the seemingly never ending " I'm not fast enough to go racing yet " trap that's so common amongst many Track Day participants (I've heard that statement so many times, it's really sad).

That's my opinion.
Smites are a cowards way of feeling brave!   :jerkoff:
Mike Williams - 2 GSXR 750's
Former MW Region Expert #58
Racing exclusively with CCS since '96
MODERATOR

jr2racing

For me the economy has very little to do with it. I simply don't make enough money. Sure if the economy was roaring along I might get a raise here or there but still not enough to afford racing. I started out doing trackdays like many others but my competitive nature drew me to racing. I wanted better and better laptimes and knew that racing would deliver. I had heard about the 3yr. life span for the "average racer ". That's exactly how long I made it 1yr as an am and 2 yrs as an expert. I spent alot of money and would do it again. Motorcycle racing was the most enjoyable and rewarding thing I've ever done. But now it's just a memory while I try to chip away at a 5 digit credit card balance. I miss my friends and the track big time, but what am I going to do. People have said well why don't you just do 1 or 2 races a weekend that would be cheaper. Well for me I'm not sure that would be enough seat time for me to continue to improve. Once you get into the 13's you want 12's then 11's then 10's and so on. So for me, knowing 09 would be my last year I ran almost a complete season running approx. 6 races a weekend, trying do get better and better. So now just when I'm getting things figured out and going pretty good I have to throw in the towel. :wah: I'm envious of the guys that have the coin to race year after year but in the end I have no one to blame but me. It's not CCS fault that I make what I make. I'd love to think I could race again someday but the reality of it is it's not going to get any cheaper. Anyway that's my little poor me rant.
Jason Runte
I used to race, now I don't even have a bike.

mx558

Well said Jason, for me it was more the economy taking a dump. I'm doing the motocross thing again and it's practically free. Shit it is less than 1/10 the cost. I spend $20 and can practice all day and not wear out a tire and I have just as much fun, that said I do like road racing a little better. I'll try to come back next year but who knows its kind of hard to justify the cost. Baldi's letting me ride his 1000 at a test and tune day so that will probably hook me in again. lol 

Expat2b

Lots of great thoughts and suggestions here.

My observations from corner working and taking photography at events in the East are consistent with Gron4's - attendance at motorcycle events all around in everything from track days, CCS racing, WERA racing and AMA Pro Racing are growing disturbingly low in recent years.

Earlier in the thread, J Farrell summed it up nicely, "Bottom line is the manufacturers are not going to pay contingency if the fans can't afford new bikes or accessories for their bikes anyways. Some how this economy has to turn around to where people can afford to buy bikes & accessories. We as racers are [merely] rolling billboards for the manufacturers. If the fans can't afford bikes & parts then we as racers are out of a job."

The entire ecosystem in which racing exists needs to be healthy in order to sustain the sport.  Not so easy in this day and age. In addition to the weakened economy, in the years prior to the downturn, the internet has disrupted the way that media and advertising works. It has fragmented consumers. Media buyers have been challenged to understand where to effectively spend their limited dollars.  Motorcycle racing is fast becoming victim to this 'perfect storm'. 

How do other industries cope?  When volumes drop and margins get thin, consolidation between players starts occurring. Think about airlines, or the beer industry.... if racing were beer, car racing would be the big commercial/commodity brands (Budweiser, Miller,etc) and motorcycle racing would be a fine microbrew with a discerning taste and intellectual consumers.  Once the big commercial beer brands became commoditized, they began to acquire and/or launch their own microbrew products to expand their portfolio. Larger players with big market share have deep pockets to sustain the ups and downs of the economy. 

Sound familiar?  Think what you may about the controversy and execution to date, but from a strategic standpoint, DMG's taking over AMA Pro Racing was a necessary move to save the sport in the US.  To get the ecosystem back on track they and other motorcycle industry leaders have their work cut out for them.  And so do you and I.

If you are not paying your own way to race, then you are working for someone else who needs you as a channel to advertise their product. It's not just about winning - it's how you differentiate yourself to get your sponsors exposure and attention. Being sponsored does not mean just putting a sticker on your bike or hanging a banner on your EZ-up and winning races. How many people have heard of Johnny Rock Page?  www.johnnyrockpage.net    Here is celebrity without winning. His gift is storytelling and being a unique character. You have a passion for racing, take the initiative and share it beyond this discussion board. Tell your story to a local newspaper reporter. Write a blog. Offer to bring your race bike to the local bike shop during a sales event and give a talk about what it takes and how fun it is to race.  Entertain disabled veterans (as Patriot Racing does at Summit Point). I don't race but I love the sport and want to do more to help. Lately I am taking fewer photos and have started to put my MBA to work writing sponsorship proposals.  In order to resurrect the sport's popularity, we all have to help others understand why they should care about racing. 

Will there be more consolidation? Probably.  How will the business of promotion and sponsorships change to increase audiences? If it follows the current trend, it will continue to get more specific.  This means more storytelling to educate and engage your discerning audiences.  TV is important but not the only channel. Every one of us has the potential to plant a seed in our communities today that will grow the sport back to a healthy, sustainable level. 

We all own the solution. The most important thing is to stop talking and start DOING, now.  What are you waiting for???

OK, next person can have the soap box...





Race fan
MARRC Cornerworker, Photographer, Newsletter editor, PR/Communications, Facebook Admin, Membership DBA, and most important: race weekend breakfast chef!
www.skinandleather.com

gonecrazy

and its eacing accross the board..everything from your local club racing to moto gp. moto gp grids are half the size of what they were say 4 years ago. the new moto2 class seems to be healthy grids but the rest are way down.

Woofentino Pugrossi

Quote from: gonecrazy on August 08, 2010, 11:35:48 PM
and its eacing accross the board..everything from your local club racing to moto gp. moto gp grids are half the size of what they were say 4 years ago. the new moto2 class seems to be healthy grids but the rest are way down.

Even nascar is having problems filling the stands.
Rob
CCS MW#14 EX, ASRA #141
CCSForums Cornerworking and Classifieds Mod

J Farrell / Speed Tech Motorsp

Just noticed that this thread should be called Blackhawk & HPT. Did anybody take a look at the grids for Hearltand Park?
Nobody even entered the MWSS EX race. There was at most like 3-4 riders per race.
Speed Tech Motorsports / Pirelli / Arai / Silkolene / Kawasaki USA / Farrell Sign & Graphics / Hindle / US Chrome Cylinder Plating / Vortex / Dynojet / Tucker Rocky / Penske / VP Fuels / Woodcraft / Attack Racing Bodies / Stompgrip / EBC / NESBA / Plus my kick ass guys back at the shop

twilkinson3

Ok I'll take the soap box for a second....

I'm 38 (in a few days) and a successful Software Engineer...in other words I fund my own racing habit....The origins of motorcycle racing were based around what today isn't even a privateer club racing effort - some wrenchs, a few parts, a couple bucks, and a lot of time invested (that part hasn't changed) - you could be young and still afford to race fairly competitively....fast forward to today, a competitive 600 in amatuer is what at least 10k?  Add in the  race license, track time to practice and then the race fees themselves...how many 20 year olds have that kind of money?  Trace has to be by far the youngest guy on the grid at BFR and the only 20something in LW I think.  The current problem like the economy has it's roots farther back in time than just this recession, there is a lack - at least in the MW region - of younger racers showing up to replace the retirees.  So I see the big issue is how do we make this sport at the club level attainable financially to a wider group of people, second comes the how do we get them interested....

oh well my 2 min soap box/ramble...carry on (NEXT!!)