What Happens Next?

[patnicholls]

Huh? What are THOSE numbers?

Gary

They're traffic ranking numbers of all the websites in the world. So the most visited website in the world (think it's google.com) is ranked 1, then other popular stuff like eBay, Facebook, MySpace, Yahoo, etc are all up there in the top 10.

So Formula1.com is the 1694th most visited website in the world, etc...

[ChaimWitz]

To help understand “what happen next” I thought it would helpful to provide even more third party perspective on the relative interest in the various forms of motorsports listed in the Autoracing1.com popularity poll.

After reading my post with the Alexa.com global site traffic rankings, a friend suggested a newer alternative: Quantcast.com, because this service provides insight into the USA traffic rankings along with estimates of the monthly unique users. These results can be “Quantified” by the individual site publishers submitting additional data such as Global traffic (only Champ car and ALMS have done this). Regardless, It is very interesting stuff:

Quantcast.com motorsports website US traffic rankings:

1) NASCAR.com
US Rank: 549
US Monthly Uniques: 2,800,000

2) IndyCar.com
US Rank: 17,392
US Monthly Uniques: 112,775

3) Formula1.com
US Rank: 23,893
US Monthly Uniques: 78,358

4) ChampCarWorldSeries.com (Quantified)
US Rank: 35,805
US Monthly Uniques: 49,684 (+50,985 Global Uniques = 100,639)

5) AmericanLeMans.com (Quantified)
US Rank: 39,417
US Monthly Uniques: 44,460 (+16,538 Global Uniques = 60,338)

6) Grand-Am.com
US Rank: 144,834
Monthly Uniques: 9484

7) V8Supercar.com.au
US Rank: 636,959
Monthly Uniques: < 2000 (1585)

8) A1GP.com
US Rank: 7,816,328
Monthly Uniques: < 2000 (376)

A number of things jump out at me:

* NASCAR is 2800 laps ahead. Only a mistake or a crash by the Frances can save American Open Wheel Racing from itself.

* IndyCar.com’s US traffic is twice that of Champ Car’s. No wonder it is hard for the Amigos to sell much meaningful US based sponsorship or attract media interest while the Indy Car Series still has a fair amount of both.

* Formula1.com has more traffic in the US than ChampCar's site and Formula1.com dwarfs ChampCarWorldSeries.com's tiny global traffic numbers. This is not encouraging for a series now claiming to be a 'world series" based in the USA.

* AmericanLeMans.com is nipping at the heels of ChampCarWorldSeries.com. How much longer before the ALMS’s web traffic passes CCWS's? BTW, the same thing is happening on TV in the USA.

* Very few people in the USA care about the NASCAR-style road racing represented by the Grand-Am.

* Virtually no one in the USA cares about A1GP or V8 Supercars.

Using the above information as predictor of “what happens next” leads me to the conclusion that Champ Car is now surrounded and marginalized by competitors on all sides. It has very little hope of escaping this fatal circumstance given its lack of a compelling brand identity and managment horespower.

Champ Car now looks decidedly third rate in the harsh light the digital age. There is simply no place left to hide. Uniphasers, Farce Shields and Spintron Torpedoes are useless against people who can see the objective truth... And the truth must be devastating to the Amigos during this year of renewal of the contract for “The Indy” at Surfers Paradise. One must now wonder what real commercial value the organizers think is left in Champ Car given the all the issues that the series has had since the last contract renewal.

One glance at the web traffic rankings from Alexa and Quantcast suggests that ChampCar brings precious little fan base with it wherever it goes – especially Australia. A1GP, GP2, Formula Nippon or the real “Indy” Car Series would probably do just as well there or better as a companion to V8 Supercars.

If Surfers goes… the question is again “what happens next?” If it doesn’t go, any reasonable person must then wonder about the terms of the deal.

The next few weeks should be interesting.

[sanguin]

that's funny stuff. 300k at Surfer's and none of them are CC fans? right.

That's why CC has Aussie teams. Attendance at CC events is up this year 16%.

[OWFan19]

that's funny stuff. 300k at Surfer's and none of them are CC fans? right.

That's why CC has Aussie teams. Attendance at CC events is up this year 16%.

The numbers given were U.S. based Sanquin. Why cant you look at all the facts, including the ones that are not in your favor?

If you are so impressed by the one race in Aus, maybe Champ Car can actually develope a business plan, and become an Aus based racing series. Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, those are 3 more markets that you havent screwed up yet.

[Andrewmcm]

No-one said people at Sufer's don't enjoy CC - I'm willing to suggest that whilst quite a lot of people go to only watch CC, the majority will go to watch the V8s/have fun/get drunk/ogle women.

The Brands race in 2003 was tagged on with the BTCC - ask around on these forums what the BTCC regular crowd thought of that race when they went along to watch the tin-tops. I was there and it was rather dull, mainly due to the Brands Indy Course being far too short.

The point of course is that going to a country where CCWS/AN-Other series is not widely known will always involve what some might see as domestic "support races", when in reality these support races are really top of the bill for the natives. It's persuading these natives to watch on TV or return in future years to watch the non-domestic series that is the trick.....

[sanguin]

The numbers given were U.S. based Sanquin. Why cant you look at all the facts, including the ones that are not in your favor?

If you are so impressed by the one race in Aus, maybe Champ Car can actually develope a business plan, and become an Aus based racing series. Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, those are 3 more markets that you havent screwed up yet.

I don't think CC has "screwed" up any markets. They have good venues at LB, Houston, Cleveland,RA and LS.I hope they keep LV. Canada has 3 events and the Euro tour went very well. There is no need for them to stay in one country or leave the US.IMO.

[OWFan19]

I don't think CC has "screwed" up any markets. They have good venues at LB, Houston, Cleveland,RA and LS.I hope they keep LV. Canada has 3 events and the Euro tour went very well. There is no need for them to stay in one country or leave the US.IMO.

Your too funny. Denver, they lost a sponsor and couldnt get another. Phoenix, no sponsors. San Jose gone too. Almost lost Mexico, on a thread at the moment. Laguna, they barely got 20,000 fans to show up 3 years ago.

The reason why Champ Car continues to get negative Press is because you guys continue to deny any problems.

[sanguin]

Your too funny. Denver, they lost a sponsor and couldnt get another. Phoenix, no sponsors. San Jose gone too. Almost lost Mexico, on a thread at the moment. Laguna, they barely got 20,000 fans to show up 3 years ago.

CC isn't the only OW series to have problems in Phoenix. Denver's promoter got into trouble and the sponsor went BK. That had nothing to do with the GP. The Democratic convention made it impossible to hold the race for 2007 and 2008. San Jose killed their own GP,we replaced it with LS,it may be much more successful than 3 years ago and better than Sonoma. Mexico was never almost lost. Link please.

[ChaimWitz]

I did a little more online research at dictionary.com about the three words that keep coming to mind when I read certain posts in this thread and the positions they convey:

de·lu·sion
(dĭ-lōō'zhən)
- noun
1. a. The act or process of deluding.
b. The state of being deluded.
2. A false belief or opinion: labored under the delusion that success was at hand.
3. Psychiatry A false belief strongly held in spite of invalidating evidence, especially as a symptom of mental illness: delusions of persecution.

[Middle English delusioun, from Latin dēlūsiō, dēlūsiōn-, from dēlūsus, past participle of dēlūdere, to delude; see delude.]
de·lu'sion·al -adj.
(From the American Heritage Dictionary)

de·cep·tive
(di-'sep-tiv)
Function: adjective: tending or having capacity to deceive <deceptive trade practices> —compare FRAUDULENT, MISLEADING
(from Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law)

fa·nat·ic
(fuh-nat-ik)
–noun
1. a person with an extreme and uncritical enthusiasm or zeal, as in religion or politics.
–adjective
2. fanatical.
[Origin: 1515–25; < L fānāticus pertaining to a temple, inspired by orgiastic rites, frantic, equiv. to fān(um) temple + -āticus, equiv. to -āt(us) -ate1 + -icus -ic]

—Synonyms 1. enthusiast, zealot, bigot, hothead, militant. Fanatic, zealot, militant, devotee refer to persons showing more than ordinary support for, adherence to, or interest in a cause, point of view, or activity. Fanatic and zealot both suggest excessive or overweening devotion to a cause or belief. Fanatic further implies unbalanced or obsessive behavior: a wild-eyed fanatic. Zealot, only slightly less unfavorable in implication than fanatic, implies single-minded partisanship: a tireless zealot for tax reform. Militant stresses vigorous, aggressive support for or opposition to a plan or ideal and suggests a combative stance. Devotee is a milder term than any of the foregoing, suggesting enthusiasm but not to the exclusion of other interests or possible points of view: a jazz devotee.

Is it just me, or is the position of Champ Car now only supported or defended by those who fit all or some of the above definitions? I keep hoping the answer is "no" but after reading some of the foregoing posts and contrasting those with the astute writings of David Phillips this week and the objective posts of others on this forum, I think I have the sad answer.

Can somebody please prove me wrong and make a rational case for Champ Car's long term survival and prosperity?

[heelntoe]

CC isn't the only OW series to have problems in Phoenix. Denver's promoter got into trouble and the sponsor went BK. That had nothing to do with the GP. The Democratic convention made it impossible to hold the race for 2007 and 2008. San Jose killed their own GP,we replaced it with LS,it may be much more successful than 3 years ago and better than Sonoma. Mexico was never almost lost. Link please.

Just one more completely incorrect post and absurd spin. The convention had ZERO to do with the cancellation of Denver, San Jose was much CCWS's fault as the promoter in KK's backyard, and Mexico was MOST DEFINITELY near gone as it would not have happened without the 11th hour driver switcheroo. And why don't we now also add Miami (can't to hear how you spin that one!) and Fontana to the screwed-up race list.