Robin Miller Laguna Announcements Article

[Snrub]

http://www.speedtv.com/commentary/35861/

While there may be more to come basically to sum up the advances for the series (not teams and drivers) as of Thursday:
Mazda named the official vehicle (No engine badging and clearly no grand scheme like many claimed when the series ditched Ford)
Holmatro Rescue Tools named title sponsor of the safety team.
Track sponsors for Houston and San Jose.

Originally Posted by Miller

But the best news for Champ Car is that nobody noticed, because Media Day didn’t get a lot of national play. No USA Today. No L.A. Times. No Indianapolis Star. No Las Vegas papers. Not even new broadcast and marketing “partner” ESPN bothered to send anybody. It was just a quaint little group. Tristan, Zsolt, a few Internet sites, one racing weekly and SPEED. We came, we saw and we shook our heads.

I think that sends a pretty strong message as to the effect and believability of the series' overstatements regarding accomplishments. Virtually no media organization feels CC is significant enough to warrant attention and/or no one believed that anything significant would be announced.

[Fogelhund]

While bitter, I think Robin is mostly correct here. Everything is mostly good news from yesterday, but nothing that is really momentum changing, or "great".

I've heard that Global are considering dropping coverage of the Canadian Races now.

[mountainstar]

Mazda is more than the official vehicle of champcar.

I would not expect any less from miller at this point or for here on out.

Ultimately this is a test weekend. Even nascar test weekends hardly rate. Wait for the racing to begin.

[cptkablamo]

Yeah I agree that test weekends never really even deserve widespread coverage no matter who it is...but the announcements that have come from there have been lousy...considering what we are waiting for...

[mountainstar]

I don't know what champcar announcements though would really turn the world on it's head at the moment. At the end of the day we have Mazda who will be replacing Ford and I think Mazda has more potential for the future than Ford. We have a great tv deal with great announcers. We have title sponsors signed for several key races. We have some new drivers. We have some new personnel working at champcar in marketing/pr that have a good rep. We have a sponsored safety team. Etc. So I don't see what else would please the detractors short of Schumacher turning up to race champcar or a merger. What I do see is champcar putting some cornerstones in place to build the series.

[Fiorentina 1]

Ford didn't do anything for the series. I never once saw a Ford ad with a Champcar in it. I'm sure Mazda will advertise the cars & series and will actual promote it.

[f1manoz]

I really don't know what anyone was expecting. Anything announced by ChampCar at the moment isn't exactly earth changing simply because no-one cares to notice. Only the fans like us, who continue to follow the series, are noticing the changes.

Although the deals are not massive, at least deals are being done and the series is being noticed by sponsors, or potential sponsors. But, like the past couple of years, everything will be done with haste in the final month.

[Dudley]

Originally Posted by Fiorentina 1

Ford didn't do anything for the series. I never once saw a Ford ad with a Champcar in it. I'm sure Mazda will advertise the cars & series and will actual promote it.

You do realise Mazda is just Ford right?

[JohnSSC]

Whoa, Nellie!

Now I for one was being remonstrated in other threads by some of y'all with the good old, "Wait until Spring Training" statement as there were going to be gobs of Announcements.

Even the leadership at CC was saying that (KK & Johnson). Now that there was essentially nothing announced the new line is: "wait until the racing starts" or "this is about all you can expect from Miller."

The point is, Miller is the only journalist any of us have actually ever heard of WHO WAS THERE (sorry for the caps). So all those grand announcements that they were "saving up" for that grand and glorious day when NASCAR had settled down some and when the focus would be on CC courtesy of spring training didn't happen.

If Mazda replacing Ford (but not as title sponsor) was such a big deal then where was the media? Now there is a headline: "Safety Team Sponsored!" What kind of "plus" is it to have title sponsors for "some" races? The TV deal is "great." For ESPN as CC will be paying them - they fill a couple hours and get guaranteed $$ - heck, they did not even cover the spring training event. Marketing people with "a good reputation." Terrific. Any of them actually up to the task?

Laying cornerstones? How many do you need? The better question is if these are "cornerstones" than what are they trying to build?

Or more accurately, they did happen. The sad part is there was no sizzle to the steak.

[coyote9999]

Correction, there was no sizzle for you.

The Mazda deal was the important annoucement. Ford was let go cause they got a better deal with Mazda. Mazda provides everything Ford brought to the table and more and it leaves room for a new Title sponsor if need be. Same could be said for Bridgestone. They will contribute as much as they did in the past. For the casual fan they will notice new drivers, some we already know ill be good and others will be no names. The car count will be similar to last years but somehow more sponsors will be on the cars and at the venues. This is a breakout year for the series (owners) and not necessarily for the fans. The series is close to supporting itself. Meanwhile CC will have better coverage and visibility in many markets. Sure it would be best with 24 cars in Vegas and all drivers returned and we had a Title sponsor but reality is we are not there yet. We can whine all we want but we are not paying the bills. I'm not surprised with the changes so far but I agree the momentum has slowed in the past four months.

[icemachine]

You do realise Mazda is just Ford right?

Well not quite, Ford owns a 30% stake in Mazda, regularly plunders their ideas and personnel, and biggest difference is Mazda is making a profit.

[coyote9999]

That's what many people on this and other forums where saying to downplay the possible entrance of Mazda in CC. People said no way will Mazada rplace Ford. This is the good news. Mazda trusts the people in place and will actually help in promoting the series something Ford has not dne in the last three years. Where have all the Naysayers about Mazda gone????

[JohnSSC]

Careful here. Mazda is providing the "official cars" of CC. They are NOT replacing Ford (or Bridgestone or FedEx or PPG) as Series sponsor. Less is not better.

And I would dare say, Coyote, that there was no sizzle not only for me but for a lot of people.

[Snrub]

^ Exactly, Mazda is not a title sponsor and is not badging the engines. They are NOT a replacement for what Ford was doing. There's no way that can be misinterpreted to be good (exchanging Ford for Mazda).

I don't know what champcar announcements though would really turn the world on it's head at the moment.

Engine badging, title and presenting series sponsors, a greater number of second tier sponsors, title sponsorship for the majority of races. From an overall health of the series perspective having a majority of cars with primary sponsorship. If those things occured the series would really be on its way to being on track.

[Muzza]

Originally Posted by coyote9999

Ford was let go cause they got a better deal with Mazda.[...].

Ford was not let go. Ford left.

Time to wake up and face reality.

[coyote9999]

What did having Ford as Title sponsor bring more in terms of Cash or Visibility. Exactly nothing!

[norman-normal]

Originally Posted by Muzza

Ford was not let go. Ford left.

Time to wake up and face reality.

Beg pardon, Ford Rep' said "we were pushed off the island"

If you have some 'greater reality' please share it.

[Snrub]

Originally Posted by coyote9999

What did having Ford as Title sponsor bring more in terms of Cash. Exactly nothing!

Do you think they had title (or presenting - whatever) sponsor status without paying for the prviliage?

[coyote9999]

Actually it is rumoured the deal was for Fast Last program, some commercial purchase for television and the vehicles needed for the series. Many have even gone further in their comments (I have not) in saying that was KK's decision when we purchased Cosworth from Ford. A way for him not to brush them off. At the beginning any help was accepted. Then they were pushed off the island because they wouldn't or couldn't increase support. Mazda offered to give slightly more (so KK says) but without Title sponsor privileges. The same was done with Bridgestone. They decided to stay on with CC pretty much giving the same as the past but without Title sponsor privileges. This opens the door to another player for the future.

[mountainstar]

Ford had a price they were willing to pay and champcar got a better deal from Mazda. Simple as that. The mazda deal works better for champcar. There is now a clear path from skippy/star mazda/atlantics/champcar all with Mazdas name on it.

I take the glass half full approach than the half empty approach. Rather than ****ing on Mazda for being involved, I'm glad to have them. And if we can make this worth their while and make the current deal work for them than that opens up possibilities for the future.

As coyote said the Ford deal ran it's course. Time for something new.

Can't wait for the racing to start. The endless pole vaulting over mouse turds over this or that is getting old.

[JohnSSC]

I have not seen anyone here giving Mazda a hard time for being involved - if anyone here does I would love to see where that is happening.

I think you have the participation level of Mazda way overblown here, mountainstar. While Mazda is deep into it with Atlantics, they are providing only the cars used by CC. so no, there is no "clear path...all with Mazda's name on it" here at all. If, over time, they step up to the level of a series sponsor than I would agree with your statement.

Ford's deal ran it's course? Sure it did. Ford got "pushed off the island" in that CC had a much more overblown notion of how valuable Ford's association with CC was for Ford than Ford did. Time for something new? Sure is. Problem here is that you don't lean on/push your title sponsor unless you have another title sponsor lined-up. CC did not. Mazda providing a pace car is no way value for value, let alone "better."

What part of "Mazda is not a title sponsor" is anyone not getting here?

[Fogelhund]

As John has stated, Mazda is not badging the actual Champcars, they are sponsoring the Safety, and Pace cars, in addition to commiting to buying adverts. All very positive stuff mind you.

Of Ironic note, it is kind of odd to see that the safety vehicles are finding an easier time to find sponsorship, than the actual race cars are.

[Snrub]

Originally Posted by JohnSSC

What part of "Mazda is not a title sponsor" is anyone not getting here?

For me personally, it's the "is" part. What exactly is your defitinition of "is"?

On a more seriously note, if anyone has hard evidence to suggest that Mazda providing pace cars and advertising is somehow better for the series than Ford providing title sponsorship, engine badging, pace cars and advertising, please provide concrete citations (links & quotes).

[mountainstar]

As I understand it from my source, Mazda is providing more dollars than Ford did.

Putting the dollar figure aside, I think the Mazda provides more potential for the future than Ford did.

[norman-normal]

[QUOTE=Snub:

On a more seriously note, if anyone has hard evidence to suggest that Mazda providing pace cars and advertising is somehow better for the series than Ford providing title sponsorship, engine badging, pace cars and advertising, please provide concrete citations (links & quotes).[/QUOTE]

You expect others shoulder the burden of proof and allow you the luxury of not bothering with the details.
Do you know what or if Ford was paying, or, if Ford was paying?
It seems entirely plausible that the title sponsor, the engine badging and the pace car was all part of the Cosworth deal.

My "souses": NY Times, WSJ, BARRON'S, CNN, CBS, NBC, ABC tell me that Ford is in deep doo doo; if you can say that Ford owns Mazda then you must agree that Ford is owned by its creditors and they don't like sponsoring racing, or anything for that mater.