IMO A1GP is not a threat to CC. They have their own problems, canceling races and changing drivers.They are also having sponsor trouble. Besides the fact they run in the winter.
As far as the International series for CC, great idea.
IMO A1GP is not a threat to CC. They have their own problems, canceling races and changing drivers.They are also having sponsor trouble. Besides the fact they run in the winter.
As far as the International series for CC, great idea.
Regardless of how much they spend directly, 7-11 is owned by a Japanese conglomerate and there are obvious reasons there would be ties to Honda. Over 32,000 stores worldwide is nothing to sneeze at. Wouldn't that be better spent on an INTERNATIONAL SERIES with so many stores overseas? Apparently not. How many Sonny's Barbecue( no disrespect to Sonnys- thanks for the involvement) stores are there? I suspect the 7-11 money spent in the IRL and on their related promotional activities, which there were many, is chump change to them. I know my 7-11 still has Indy car paraphernalia all over it and the season is now long over and the closest race is 190 miles from here. The amount they spent on styrofoam cooler sales in the stores is probably three times what Sonny's spent on their CCWS sponsorship. At least their sponsors do activate their deals on a large scale aimed at luring fans to the IRL. Where is that commitment ot champcar by even the glorious CDW sponsorship. No CCWS specific commercials and a full page ad when JW won a race and now poof, gone. Why is that??Quote:
Originally Posted by sanguin
Latest News from CCWS:Quote:
Originally Posted by sanguin
Greenlight Collectibles to supply Diecast Replicas.
Latest News from A1GP:
Ferrari to supply engines and chassis.
:rolleyes:
Alexamateo - at last someone as put this argument into prespective. even though it was brief - this is the post of the week (maybe the year!!) .Quote:
Originally Posted by Alexamateo
Let the facts speak for them selves - well done, great post!!!
A post with this little knowledge should not be allowed to be viewed by intelligent people. David Clare has been given the amunition from Ferrari to bury any idea of CCWs performing or getting sponsors in Europe or any region within the FIA arena...look to A1GP to move out of the winter only schedule and in sync with F-1 (where David Clare worked) eliminating the last great hope of CCWS abroad.Quote:
Originally Posted by sanguin
The fallacy that they run in only in the winter is just that, a fallacy.Quote:
Originally Posted by sanguin
They run exactly three of their 10 races in the Northern hemisphere winter which is of course summer in the venues where they run. Their season runs from September through May, currently an overlap of three months (4 if Phoenix had made it to the green flag) of the 2007 CCWS season in the fall and 2 months in the spring, 3 if the CCWS returns to a March start date as I suspect it may to keep Las Vegas. If you consider that Champcar essentially disappears from the US market for months on end three separate times, their schedule is essentially little different to a fan looking at the very real prospect of no more than 7 US races over a span of 7 months. Not exactly a resounding commitment to the home territory. They are courting the same international sponsors as Champcar is apparently looking at now.
Add to that A1GP has actually run 2 races in China and have two on the current schedule, one on the very track CCWS has been trying to run unsuccessfully. One race in Australia, Champcar's most successful market, with a V8 super car series openly and justly lobbying for a greater piece of the Surfers pie, which I suspect they will be granted. One race in the Netherlands with a strong consistant series presence, in the same basic time frame as CCWS does. A race in Mexico City on the very same track as CCWS has been with token Mexican fan presence and a dwindling crowd. Then they also have a modestly successful street race on a track that was allegedly and unsuccessfully targeted by CCWS in South Africa, and a race at Brands Hatch that was basically a total flop when run by Champcars.
They are a spec series with a revolving driver lineup yes, but they will now be racing Ferraris, and not just any ferrari, but what is essentially going to be a two year old F1 design with a V8 engine expected to produce in the vicinity of 700 hp. A serious threat to Champcar performance and clearly higher than GP2.
Exactly what is Champcar going to be offering that is better or significantly different? An unbranded poorly promoted spec series with no manufacturer support or panache, with a revolving lineup of unknown international drivers, competing for a "world cup", skipping all over the world, with a marginal TV package, little evidence of a true home market and no evidence of sustainable support from outside of the series itself.
They are already a potential threat to champcar in many ways internationally now and should be seen as a future threat to Champcar if they are going to be pursuing so many of the same markets that A1Gp is already in.
Champcar better step up their game in a MAJOR way in very short order as the new kid on the block does not appear to be going away any faster than their 12 year old cross town rival.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rogelio
I never said it explained ALL the woes. But team and series financing is the biggest of all those woes. Yes, the series was still strong for a couple of years, as existing contracts ran out. But then the advertisers, (remember THEY are the ones who fund this entire effort) ran for the exits with one destination in mind. One destination and one race. No amount of card playing ever could or ever will counter Madison Avenues fascination with the 500. For a long time I hoped against hope that this was not true, but sadly the past five years have proved my hopes false.
If this were not true, please explain how we see recognizable company names on sidepods in IOWA??? The advertisers are not there to advertise in Iowa, trust me.
Gary
Absolutely it does. It speaks to the differences in priorities between the two series. Someone knows what matters and will make a long term difference, and one is worried about a couple hundred diecast car sales. A deal which by the way took what, over a year and a half to finally close.Quote:
Originally Posted by mark123
And now that they have The Ferrari name tied to the series, how long before A1Gp locks up a deal to race on the new racetrack in Dubai, one that champcar is allegedly trying to land and one that has the Ferrari brand intertwined into it at so many levels.
Champcar is being beaten to the punch in almost every place they try to go internationally and domestically. Sponsors, television, manufacturer involvement, international markets. I hear there is a chance they are going to try to rescue those abandoned moon buggies and be the first to race on the Moon. :rolleyes:
That's because the stench eminating from that place lately is enough to even drive a buzzard away. Why keep it a secret who you saw there? If CCWS is in such a strong position as to lure in a well known IRL owner, surely there is no threat to that owner staying in the IRL rather than jumping to CCWS? Or could it be that owner is in fact a vulture circling its carrion.Quote:
Originally Posted by FerrrariF1
Quote:
Originally Posted by sanguin
ALMS has the significant involvement and manufacturer support for teams and races to pay the bills. The ALMS also shows clear evidence of knowing what they are and reacting to challenges with positive results and exposure. Audi, Honda, Porsche, Chevrolet, Aston Martin and possibly Pugeot, a manufacturer that doesn't even sell cars in the US. They also spend wisely on their television package rather than paying an arm and a leg to show a race broadcast rarely better than something from the local college access channel.
A deal with Eurosport? Is that the same one I hear constant complaints of schedule changes, truncated or cacelled race coverage and a follow the bouncing schedule change practice? Where's that full season Mexican TV package and The Australian season long package. I hear the loyal Canadian fans were just thrilled with their TV package this year. Going to europe is going to make that better how? How does a team from Indiana benefit from that again? Oh yeah, with sposor that disappears and a driver that is kicked to the curb as soon as that race in his home country has passed.
Sounds like a wonderful plan. Remind me why should I watch that again? What happens when Paul Track realizes that he just isn't that fast any longer and Graham goes to race else where, which he certainly will be.
Remind me what channel I can't see the next two CCWS races on?