Minority Report

WORDS: Dave Stewart We are a minority sport, whether we like it or not, so we need to make sure that we have the best possible structure – look at what that’s done for British Cycling in the last decade Car racing always had a fairly good are. This is a structure, with Formula First feeding into significant and , then on to Formula 3 and – essential part hopefully Formula One. That structure has of the supply become a bit frayed at the edges in recent chain to the years, so something had to be done to top of our restore that middle tier. MSVR (Motorsport sport. We’re Visions Racing division) and the BRDC not BSB and events, like , , (owners of Silverstone) got together to insert we don’t want to be, but already nearly half and Silverstone have to the BRDC Formula 4 championship into that the riders in the BSB support paddock have concentrate their efforts on making the best vital stepping stone and it looks as though it made their way through our series, which is a return on their investment in those meetings. is going to be very successful. So you might situation we are very content with. That is why you get website information wonder why that same structure isn’t seen Where venues are willing to work with on their sites about pretty much all non- as important in bikes. Well it is, we’re just us, we can already generate far bigger promoted events that just says “Club Bike perhaps not quite as good at getting the audiences than the F3/GT package. In 2012 Championships” or “Clubmans Cars” making message out. the second largest spectator attendance absolutely no distinction between the vast I always wanted Thundersport GB to take behind British Touring Cars at Rockingham difference in quality between progressive up that vacant space in the marketplace was….. Thundersport GB. Three of the senior organisers like us and the real Sunday league below BSB and above Club Racing, which in 4 members of staff at Rockingham had never stuff. This is perhaps why we have come to wheeled motorsport is occupied by Formula 3 seen any live bike racing other than Moto- think of a crowd of 2,000 spectators being / British GT racing. That is to say:- not having GP and they all thought that the Aprilia an excellent turnout. This figure is something as big a following as Touring Cars, but with RRV450GP and Superteen races were better that any 4th division football team owner much more interesting racing, better youth and more exciting than anything they’d would be crying in his beer at the post match opportunities and with a bigger variety of ever seen. They also loved the variety and dinner about if his crowd fell that low. classes. quality of the other races, so our package It does seem as though Football is the Having recently looked at a British GT is definitely promotable, even to the sport to which all others are compared, from meeting at Rockingham Motor Speedway, uninitiated. Formula 1 right through to Wednesday night I can see that I may have set my sights So it’s hard to understand why it doesn’t pub darts. Have you ever thought about why a little too low, as we seem to be above happen. that might be? that level already. There is still no real The answer lies in the marketing strategy I don’t think it’s a case of mass acknowledgement out there though that of each venue, or group of venues and participation, because most of the salad Thundersport GB is in all but title the “British whilst it might appear to be an odd choice, dodgers that populate the terraces look to me National Cup” for bikes. We need to change the venues don’t actually have the time or to be pretty unlikely to take part in any sport that and we won’t be able to fully do that resources to promote every event. Venues that requires any movement more complex until the circuits really understand what we that are lucky enough to host many major than lifting a pie at half time. More people probably go to the gym than actively play viable way forward. There are numerous bike what it’s all about, only to be disappointed football, yet gymnastics is not a sport that enthusiasts out there who don’t even know with the service they get. If that happens, generates over 2 million paying spectators that any of the non-promoted events even you’ll never see them again and that every Saturday of the season. exist. If you think about it, you actually have completely defeats the object of the exercise. Football is all about marketing and money. to go looking for information on club bike Events are much better if they are built year They are very good at it too and they have a racing, it doesn’t jump out at you. on year in an incremental fashion and that set ladder of progression that the big teams How do you actually generate a greater is what we have been trying to achieve with all invest heavily in. They know that the better following though? If you ask 20 people our five selected venues over the past three the structure is below the Premier League, that same question, you’ll get 20 different seasons. Cadwell Park has got better and the better quality players it will produce and answers. They’ll inevitably include better for us each year and the venue staff those players will pretty soon be wearing advertising, bike shows, trade stands, leaflet there are extremely flexible as they only really their shirts and playing in front of their drops, mail shots, Twitter and Facebook. The have BSB as a major headline event and are grandstands. It’s easy to understand the truth is, it isn’t easy and you have to target keen to build around other regular events structure and the progression in football and not only the right audience, but also the right such as ours. Anyone who was at Cadwell that is one of its major strengths. events. Park with us last month will know what a Motorcycle racing is a minority sport, It might be better to ask what the optimum great meeting it was and the number of with a minority following in comparison to number of spectators might be for any spectators who have contacted us since then football. If we get a genuine paying crowd particular event. A really successful event, is has been amazing. of 60,000 people to the British Moto-GP, one that the staff managed to cope with – but We think that by targeting six of our we are ecstatic almost beyond measure. only just. If everyone gets the job done and meetings each season as Super-weekenders, The fact that this only just covers the cost of no one notices that the place is stretching we can build up a following not only for us, putting the event on, seems to be a minor just a little at the edges, that is a great event. but also for the venues, the competitors and point that we don’t really want to talk about. Most venues are set up and staffed to be able local business. The key thing is that we think it has widened to cope with around 3,000 people on site for Last year we had a genuine spectator the appeal and reach of our sport to a bigger a normal event, any more than that and more attendance of 2,300 at Rockingham through audience. staff are required (in some instances more a strategy of working with the venue and two If someone is enthused enough to want facilities too). An event like a Thundersport different magazines. Next month our plan is to get into bike racing though, there are a GB meeting already soaks up almost half of to grow that by another 25% and continue bewildering array of options for them to start that capacity just with the riders, mechanics, that trend year on year. off with. A clearer path that was agreed by teams and paddock support. So in theory we All of our supporters can help us to do this everyone, would make this a lot easier, but hit a glass ceiling at around 1,750 spectators by spreading the positive word about the putting something like that in place would per event dependant on the venue, unless good things that are going on here. I spoke be like persuading the turkeys to vote for an extra staff / facilities are budgeted for. No to a gentleman at Cadwell Park who had in early Christmas. venue wants to budget for those extra things, his hand a programme from one of my old In the absence of strong leadership from only to find that nobody actually turns up. events at on 19th March 2000. the governing bodies, generating a bigger The larger and better organised venues do He had 5 signatures in that programme, one pool of fans to draw on seems to be the only have more scope than the small independent was Peter Goddard, one was John McGuiness venues in this and the other three were what he thought respect, but it’s were talents for the future who were racing not an unlimited in the Aprilia Superteen Challenge – Chaz amount of elbow Davis – – Casey Stoner. That room. man had an eye for talent! The competitors Therefore if you here are racing in the most progressive do manage to get championship in the land and they should be an unexpected proud of their achievements. The spectators crowd of 3,000 should be proud that they saw them here first people turning up – and should maybe start collecting a few at an event where signatures…... the venue just isn’t Thundersport GB – The home of Sportsman prepared for it, you Racing could easily have a PR disaster on your hands. Nobody wants to strive to get all those people along to finally see