CoT......And ALMS's HUGE Opportunity

[mayk]

Just another, of a continuing long line, of comments about NASCAR's CoT and how the manufacturers are having little impact with NASCAR....

Manufacturers don't have the flexibility to show what they can engineer, build and bring to the track. Everything is common and the same.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nascar/news;...yhoo&type=lgns

I think the ALMS really needs to go 'all out' in all areas to keep the message being heard around relevance, alternative fuels, etc. Not just in the racing circles..How great would it be to have a 60 Minutes segment around alternative fuels in racing and be all around the ALMS??

Open up the Wall Street Journal for front page reporting on alternative fuels?

This really could be the break out year for the Series!

Comments/Opinions?

KM

[Hallen]

I am sure the manufacturers might complain a bit about the fact that they have nothing to do with the cars on the NASCAR track, but it is no different now than it has been for a long time; it is just formalized now.

The fact is that ALMS can trumpet all they want about alternative fuels and relevance but it won't draw in NASCAR fans. NASCAR fans wouldn't know who Alan McNish is or the vast majority of other drivers. There's too many of those dern'd foreigners.

NASCAR has the critical mass, the hype, and the exposure.

NASCAR is racing for the ignorant. I am not saying it is not racing, it is, and I am not saying people who watch NASCAR are all ignorant, but what I am saying is that you can be totally ignorant about racing and still enjoy the spectacle of the NASCAR event. Just like so many people who watch the Superbowl for the hype and the commercials. They don't care about the game, they care about the event.
The alternative fuels thing is cute and who knows, it might eventually lead to something that is really viable in the real world, but it just isn't one of those things that can springboard you into greatness in my opinion.

The fact is, racing is entertainment. It is not strictly necessary to anybody. It is therefore wasteful. To me, talking about alternative fuels is only viable in the context of testing and expanding different technologies that could be used for the betterment of all in the future. I would bet that a single professional baseball team uses up tons more energy in a season than the entire ALMS does. All those airplane flights to their games, the huge lighting systems, etc, burns up tons of energy. That energy is most likely produced by oil and coal. The ALMS shouldn't have to be reminding people about how wasteful entertainment can be. Baseball teams certainly don't. Why should the ALMS? Talking about alternative fuels and "green" racing only highlights that entertainment is not strictly necessary.

If you want to talk about something, quit using the term "relevance". It goes right over the top of the heads of most NASCAR fans. Talk about safety. Talk about fuel economy that is transferred to real cars so you, the fan, save money. Talk about the craftsmanship. Talk about the specifics of what car manufacturer involvement in racing brings to us all. Don't talk about "relevance" it isn't relevant.

[Magical Trevor]

Originally Posted by Hallen

I am sure the manufacturers might complain a bit about the fact that they have nothing to do with the cars on the NASCAR track, but it is no different now than it has been for a long time; it is just formalized now.

The fact is that ALMS can trumpet all they want about alternative fuels and relevance but it won't draw in NASCAR fans. NASCAR fans wouldn't know who Alan McNish is or the vast majority of other drivers. There's too many of those dern'd foreigners.

NASCAR has the critical mass, the hype, and the exposure.

NASCAR is racing for the ignorant. I am not saying it is not racing, it is, and I am not saying people who watch NASCAR are all ignorant, but what I am saying is that you can be totally ignorant about racing and still enjoy the spectacle of the NASCAR event. Just like so many people who watch the Superbowl for the hype and the commercials. They don't care about the game, they care about the event.
The alternative fuels thing is cute and who knows, it might eventually lead to something that is really viable in the real world, but it just isn't one of those things that can springboard you into greatness in my opinion.

The fact is, racing is entertainment. It is not strictly necessary to anybody. It is therefore wasteful. To me, talking about alternative fuels is only viable in the context of testing and expanding different technologies that could be used for the betterment of all in the future. I would bet that a single professional baseball team uses up tons more energy in a season than the entire ALMS does. All those airplane flights to their games, the huge lighting systems, etc, burns up tons of energy. That energy is most likely produced by oil and coal. The ALMS shouldn't have to be reminding people about how wasteful entertainment can be. Baseball teams certainly don't. Why should the ALMS? Talking about alternative fuels and "green" racing only highlights that entertainment is not strictly necessary.

If you want to talk about something, quit using the term "relevance". It goes right over the top of the heads of most NASCAR fans. Talk about safety. Talk about fuel economy that is transferred to real cars so you, the fan, save money. Talk about the craftsmanship. Talk about the specifics of what car manufacturer involvement in racing brings to us all. Don't talk about "relevance" it isn't relevant.

Just to add a bit:
Finally, talk about how the racing really is great and about what a legitimate spectacle ALMS events really are; about fan interactivity and accessibility.

[HORNDAWG]

I will say that I would agree with Ken and Hallen to a certain extent. I think that there is a relevance that needs to be displayed to the public on 60 Minutes and in the Wall Street Journal, among other outlets. And to a degree this will/would be lost on a majority of NASCAR fans and that to reach them it would be of more relevance to show them how it transfers to dollars out of their pockets or safety etc, etc, etc... Whether the word used is relevance, transferability, significance, bearing, application, importance, weight, consequence, applicability, germaneness, et cetera can be adjusted accordingly to get the same message out to people that use a different vernacular!

[Doctor Gonzo]

Ken

odd how you should raise this topic.

I posted an opinion piece on this very subject.......and others..........on Saturday.

It's on SportscarPros ( The Power Struggle) and basically argues that if the sport and in particular endurance racing is to have a future that we must be at the vanguard of the renewables movement................I would link but I am not sure whether that is allowed on this forum....and I am too lazy to plough through the site rules.

Catch phrase for this movement should be “Fast & Frugal” ®

I would be interested to hear your views on this.

John Brooks

Originally Posted by mayk

Just another, of a continuing long line, of comments about NASCAR's CoT and how the manufacturers are having little impact with NASCAR....

Manufacturers don't have the flexibility to show what they can engineer, build and bring to the track. Everything is common and the same.

CoT=Follow the leader? - NASCAR - Yahoo! Sports

I think the ALMS really needs to go 'all out' in all areas to keep the message being heard around relevance, alternative fuels, etc. Not just in the racing circles..How great would it be to have a 60 Minutes segment around alternative fuels in racing and be all around the ALMS??

Open up the Wall Street Journal for front page reporting on alternative fuels?

This really could be the break out year for the Series!

Comments/Opinions?

KM

[fanta]

Manufacturers don't have the flexibility to show what they can engineer, build and bring to the track. Everything is common and the same.

I don't see this being any different than it has been recently. What they can't show on the track seems to work just fine for their commercials aired during the race. I don't think the NASCAR viewer cares about the engineering and technology put into a car. They identify with a brand. Of course, these are just my observations.

[Nick Koske]

Originally Posted by Hallen

The fact is that ALMS can trumpet all they want about alternative fuels and relevance but it won't draw in NASCAR fans. NASCAR fans wouldn't know who Alan McNish is or the vast majority of other drivers. There's too many of those dern'd foreigners.

I don't think ALMS should be chasing NASCAR fans...Maybe NASCAR money...i.e. Support from manufacturers. Leave the fans though. The big three and Toyota need to realize that a NASCAR fan goes into NASCAR already with brand loyalty intact. I doubt there are many NASCAR fans changing from Ford to Chevy fans, Chevy to Toyota, Dogde to Ford, etc... When the manufacturers realize that their marketing efforts in NASCAR really isn't changing people minds that's when they might want to find something new...ALMS perhaps.

The ALMS needs to attract a fan that thinks NASCAR is boring, but appreciates cars, there's a lot of them out there. Problem is most people, even car people, have no idea the ALMS even exists. That's where I see a 60 minutes segment or a Wall Street Journal article effective...bringing the ALMS to the masses. Use the 'relevance' or 'green-ness' to shop the ALMS to new people...whatever gets more eyeballs on it.

[Hallen]

Originally Posted by Doctor Gonzo

Ken

...and basically argues that if the sport and in particular endurance racing is to have a future that we must be at the vanguard of the renewables movement...

John Brooks

I would disagree with that. Endurance racing is first and foremost, entertainment. To survive, it must entertain. Good racing with inspiring cars and recognizable teams and drivers is what is required.

The renewable energy thing can be important and can be a good for endurance racing, but it should not be the main platform for the series. It is more of a environment for proving these technologies and as a way for manufacturers to promote their success with these technologies. The marketing hype for this type of things will come from them.

Part of the "inspiring cars" is probably the technology in the energy source used. This can be inspiring. But without a good product in the first place, with the fan base that comes with that, your dedication to renewable energy isn't going to bring you anything. If the fans don't come, the manufacturers won't come, and you won't have racing no matter how the rules favor "green" energy.

I think part of the problem with Sports Car racing in general is the mobility and instability in the driver's ranks. The same driver will be driving a BMW sedan in one race, and the same day, hops into a Porsche for a completely different team for a race in a different series. Yes, other series like F1 have their silly seasons and drivers change marques all the time. However, with rare exceptions, a driver sticks with the same team and same marque for the season. In Sports Cars, drivers hop all over the place often driving for two or three different teams in a season. At least Factory drivers generally just drive one marque, but not always.

I understand why this does happen, and I don't have any answers on how to fix it (if it needs fixing in the first place), but it is a problem for attracting fans.

People relate to people mostly. There are some of us that relate to the cars first and then the drivers, but most people aren't like that. You have to get behind somebody to really enjoy the race. You have to have a favorite team or driver or car to root for. Sports Car racing makes that more difficult to do for a novice fan. You pretty much have to pick a car and root for it, even if you have no idea who the driver is (today) or what team is running it.

NASCAR on the other hand, inundates you with the drivers and to a lesser extent the teams. The cars are a distant, distant third and really a distant fourth because the sponsors probably garner more support than the cars do. People more easily relate to the drivers, what they like, what they don't like, how good looking the driver is, etc. None of this has anything to do with the racing, but it promotes loyalty of a fan to a driver and insures continued interest from the fan.

The ALMS needs to find its fans with strategic marketing that promotes the things that the fans can bind to. The "cool cars" commercials were probably heading in the generally correct direction. It just lacked polish and professionalism. Part of the message can definitely be the use of renewable energy, but I personally think that should be tied in with the "cool cars" concepts. I also think the sophistication and class of the ALMS and Le Mans needs to be promoted more heavily. There are a lot of people out there that would be interested in racing if they didn't have this image of toothless, hairy backed NASCAR fans and dingy, greasy garages in their minds.

[John Thawley]

You know... many, many years ago, computers weren't cool. They were the wet dreams of the pocket protecter set at best. And yet here we are deeply entrenched in processing chips. They hang out of ears, they're in our pocket, our cars, on our desk... and on, and on.

Point is, there are those of us that take the term human "race" literally... we want to race. Bikes, cars, boats, shopping carts, etc. etc. It's human nature to go forward... quickly.. efficiently.. and yes, with style.

So... at what point does smelly old exhaust become un-cool? When man mounts machine, who's to say what form the machine takes... or for that matter, the propulsion of that machine?

I would suggest that the American Le Mans Series has hit the right nerve in pursuing RELEVANCE. It's appealing to manufacturer's and opens the door to many marketing opportunities. Obviously, the real hot "buzz" on relevancy appears to be GREEN.

I've commented that while I love the initiative... and full support all the effort they're giving it, I'm still looking for the angle that makes GREEN sexxy to the race fan. We respond to the sights, and sounds of a race car. (remember the negativity regarding the R10's lack of noise?) So, how do we get GREEN to make the race fans heart pound? As quickly as I say that though... you don't have to look too far down the paddock to see Mazda and BP demonstrating the proof in the pudding.

Just keep in mind, we don't know what transportation will look like over the next 25-50 years. We don't know what form function will demand. Or... propulsion.

So... I say, "good for you," to the American Le Mans Series. Unlike other racing bodies, they've removed themselves from TELLING US what we should see on the race track... ie; CoTs and DP's and spec thingies. Instead, they've develope a philosophy that is open to new technologies and the future. In short, build it... come race with us and prove it to the world... then go out and sell it.

It's very ambitious... but it's the right thing to do.

JT

[mayk]

John Brooks:

As always, SportscarPros is a must stop for all who love great writing and photography....need to read your article....

On a interesting note, any comments from the forum on this lovely gem:
NASCAR officials said they were not concerned about the lower car counts, saying they were following normal cyclical patterns
NASCAR - CUP: Daytona Car Count Plummets - SPEEDtv.com