WEC 2013

[Boorish Grobian]

In my opinion, the 3 hour format makes for a good "sprint" race to compliment the true endurance classics on the calendar.  Its TV friendly, plus you can have a host of support races on the card.  Like I said, just my opinion, but it seeme to work at many of the North American rounds.
It doesn't sit well with purist, and I'm one of them, but what the WEC is doing now clearly isn't working.
Fax

[oldtimer]

I'm not going anywhere, if you don't like it, don't read it.
Last time a checked, this a forum to express opinions, not just one's that agree with you.
Fax

You are right about one thing - for a change - it is a forum for expressing opinions and I was expressing mine.  Did they not agree with you? Shame.

[Boorish Grobian]

Oldtimer, your two or three lines of Fax bashing is boring me to tears, do you actually have an opinion on the 2013 WEC, or are your just obssesed with me?
Fax

[BigH]

Last time a checked, this a forum to express opinions,

Can we hear a bit more about the drunken sailors?

H

[oldtimer]

Oldtimer, your two or three lines of Fax bashing is boring me to tears, do you actually have an opinion on the 2013 WEC, or are your just obssesed with me?
Fax

As it happens I do have an opinion about the WEC 2013.  In concept it is absolutely brilliant but I am deeply saddened that the powers that be have decided, or been forced by arcane FIA regulations, to compile a schedule that puts the races in countries where trackside support is so poor.

What I would prefer to see, though am realistic enough to recognise that it isn't actually going to happen, is a series of 6 and 12 hour races based predominantly in Europe and the US (and anywhere else people might actually turn up to see the cars race) with the full backing and participation of the world's major manufacturers... a bit like Group C in its heyday, but better.  We can all dream.

As for me having an obsession for you I think not.  In fact I can't imagine why anybody would want to be obsessed by a boorish grobian like you.

[Boorish Grobian]

Glad to see you agree with me on the schedule, but I just can't see a series of 6 and 12 hour races working in this day & age.  The hardcore fans would turnout for them, problem there just aren't enough of them.  Casual fans are where one gets the big numbers, TV ratings, attendance, etc., and they just won't sit through a 6 hour race.  Where you have alot of people, you get media exposure.
This is what NASCAR, has always been absolutely brilliant at, packaging the product, marketing it, building brand loyalty, taking stick & ball fans who were casual racing fans and turning them into devoted followers.
Here in the US as far as motorsports TV figures NASCAR is king, followed by AMA Supercross, and NHRA drag racing.. Sportscar racing, as healthy here as any place on the planet, is still barely a blip on the radar.  This where I have some hope for the merger between Grand-Am and ALMS, combine NASCAR's amazing promotion skills, with the brains that made the ALMS successful, could be a brilliant formula.  Just don't have the same optimism for the WEC, especially if they continue to shackle themselves to that schedule.
Boorish Grobian?  I take that as a compliment!
Fax

[Andy Zarse]

It wasn't meant to be a contribution to the debate it was meant to make you consider whether your petulant and chlish antics are really appropriate.  A forlorn hope I fear.

I really like the forthright style Fax brings to the discussion. It's passionate, direct and has a degree of logic too. This thread is exactly what CA has been lacking the last few years, a proper family barney. It's not a grammar school debating society.



Incidentally, in the expression Hooray and up she rises, does anyone know what is it exactly that rises up?

[Boorish Grobian]

Thanks Andy for the props, miss you, love you, your a born racer.  That phrase (A born racer) was beautifully explained to me years ago, and it really defines some good blokes (or birds in the case of Debs) by a bloke who'd spent years bombing around the Isle.  Some get it, others spend their entire life pretending they have it.
Those who are, will let you know just in case, but really, you'll already know it.
I'm a lorry driver, and a biker!  Don't expect me to be polite, or articulate.  But I will be f**k*ng honest!
Fax

[JDS]

The notion that if you have more than one race in a country, it takes away its "World" element is pig-ignorant.  Simply put, race where people want you there...

(Take this with the good humour it is intended with, but just too good an opportunity to miss ..... ) So it'll end up like the baseball 'World Series' then? - haha. As an aside to that remark, one of the companies I work for (interestingly, it's European based) has two main branches, NA & WONA which stands for North America and World Outside of North America, it's purely revenue based and represents an almost 50/50 revenue split, but 7 years later it still makes me smile :-)

Back to the debate and specifically, the fans. One of the reasons there are still droves of empty seats at WEC races is that tickets are still expensive. Events like LM, Sebring and Petit are always going to shift boatloads of entry tickets but IMO the other venues should be either giving them away (register online for free tickets etc.) to gain a huge marketing database or selling them at a huge subsidy, say 5€ or equivalent local currency. Everyone loves a freebie and people who would not usually go will, familys will turn up for a day out rather than just the die-hard dad and one kid (excuse the stereotype), and hopefully, enjoy the day. As GF rightly says, the revenue derived from the fans overall is negligible so such a concession would cost virtually now't in the grand scheme of things. Renault do this yearly in the UK at Donnington and lately Silverstone and the place is packed. While Renault initially subsidize it as a promo event, the tracks make back any initial loss (and possibly more) at the concessions stands - there has to be a way the WEC (or if doomed, it's successor) can pick up on something like this?

Don't crucify me for this next statement, but there is a reason drugs dealers give stuff away at first, once people are hooked they need to feed that addiction and lets be honest, racing is one of the biggest drugs out there !!

[Andy Zarse]

Regards the baseball world series, my understanding is teams from anywhere in the world are welcome to compete provided they're good enough to qualify. In the Uk we've got erm... Errr...

[Nordic]

I played rounders at school. Could have gone pro if i wanted.

[Nordic]

Don't crucify me for this next statement, but there is a reason drugs dealers give stuff away at first, once people are hooked they need to feed that addiction and lets be honest, racing is one of the biggest drugs out there !!

Not so long ago Peugeot gave away shed loads of tickets for the Silverstone 1000k.

What we want to see from racing, and what the companies that put their hands in the their pockets to go racing want are not always the same.

I bet the Bahrain race was seen by far more people than a GrpC race in the mid 80's at Monza. The reason, TV, live feeds etc enable far more viewers than a race only visable to those trackside.

[JDS]

I bet the Bahrain race was seen by far more people than a GrpC race in the mid 80's at Monza. The reason, TV, live feeds etc enable far more viewers than a race only visable to those trackside.

Totally agree that TV and other live media can take the action to millions of viewers but I'm not so sure I'd agree that it always does; yes, I was sad enough to watch a considerable part of the Bahrain race last weekend on the WEC's streaming feed and only gave up when the Toyota crashed, but ...... the feed showed how many unique views it had had on the bottom of the page and, as best as i can remember (and I may be wrong here as I wasn't paying that much attention to it) I didn't see it go over 2000, that's pretty poor figures for something that is streaming worldwide for 6 hours .... no?

[Barry]

  I didn't see it go over 2000, that's pretty poor figures for something that is streaming worldwide for 6 hours .... no?

Highest I saw was 4250, still not a huge amount.

One thing was noticeable when Peugeot gave away tickets for the Silverstone 1000 k, the crowd seemed to me about 5 times bigger.
Do think they would have had a bigger crowd at Spa 6 hour this year if the tickets hadn't been 30 €.

[lofty]

the trouble with making endurance meetings too popular is every bugger wants to go.then camping pitches get marked out prices go up weird rules come into place like no handcuffs allowed.it will be a dress code next.hooray is sloane slang.i cant remember what for i was drunk when it was explained to me.viz top tip if you dont like the rules camp next to the motorway all weekend and get ratarsed.lm on the cheap every weekend.
p.s.i thought the bahrain race was a blinder.shame the toyota couldnt gaffa tap a tourch over their number board like ferrari did.