NZ V8's Series 2010/2011

[FIRE]

Thanks for your replies on the new car. Looking forward to see it.

[Ricky Bobby]

Looking at this from a distance, this series and the way it is run, looks good.
I'd be interested too, to know how we can get TV coverage of this series. Anyone know anything?
Mr Petch, any ambitions of coming to this side of the ditch to run our V8SC series? I think TC and his band of merry men might learn a thing or two...

[MarcosAmbroseFan]

entry list

http://nzv8s.co.nz/assets/file/Pukek...20NZV8s(2).pdf

[E36ST]

While it's great to see the Tier 1 meetings on TV I really don't understand the logic behind broadcasting it live or same day. Gate takings suffer enormously because people just stay at home to see it on the box. It's valuable income that car clubs / circuit owners miss out on.

Makes much more sense to broadcast it over the following week or 2 as before. People can then see it at the track and then re-live the entertainment on the box later on.

[Murphys Law]

Originally Posted by E36ST

While it's great to see the Tier 1 meetings on TV I really don't understand the logic behind broadcasting it live or same day. Gate takings suffer enormously because people just stay at home to see it on the box. It's valuable income that car clubs / circuit owners miss out on.

Makes much more sense to broadcast it over the following week or 2 as before. People can then see it at the track and then re-live the entertainment on the box later on.

I couldnt agree more. I used to enjoy watching it a week later. See the action you missed.

one of the smallist entry list for about 5 or 6 years but a more competive one at that. I think there are more guys with a shoot at a wins then in the Aussie v8s

[Mark Petch]

Originally Posted by Murphys Law

I couldnt agree more. I used to enjoy watching it a week later. See the action you missed.

one of the smallist entry list for about 5 or 6 years but a more competive one at that. I think there are more guys with a shoot at a wins then in the Aussie v8s

Not having a crack at you or your post.

However just for the record, last season only 21 competitors completed all 7 rounds. We are confident that we will end up with the same or very close to the same number of competitors this season.

Last season was in fact the smallest number of entries, since the category was awarded Premier Gold Star status by MSNZ, some 8 years ago.

No excuses, however, unlike Australia, we here in New Zealand are still trying to climb out of the worst recession since the Great Depression.

Personally speaking I think we [NZV8's] are swimming against the economic tide, whilst other New Zealand motor racing categories have been decimated by comparison.

I most certainly agree with your comments about the number of top competitors with a very real shot at the title this year.

Mark Petch
CEO NZV8's Ltd.

[mountainstar]

Originally Posted by E36ST

While it's great to see the Tier 1 meetings on TV I really don't understand the logic behind broadcasting it live or same day. Gate takings suffer enormously because people just stay at home to see it on the box. It's valuable income that car clubs / circuit owners miss out on.

Makes much more sense to broadcast it over the following week or 2 as before. People can then see it at the track and then re-live the entertainment on the box later on.

Yes I know that has been mentioned with the local club about the effect of live tv on gate takings last year.

I have mixed feelings about it.

Personally myself, whether something is live or not I don't get too fussed. I'm still watching recorded races from years ago I haven't seen yet, much less what is on this weekend or next. I didn't mind the old way of titrating out the old races over a few weeks.

But that's just me and I know a lot of people like it live.

[Chappelli]

Originally Posted by E36ST

While it's great to see the Tier 1 meetings on TV I really don't understand the logic behind broadcasting it live or same day. Gate takings suffer enormously because people just stay at home to see it on the box. It's valuable income that car clubs / circuit owners miss out on.

Makes much more sense to broadcast it over the following week or 2 as before. People can then see it at the track and then re-live the entertainment on the box later on.

Here’s a couple of points:

1) Live sport sells better and sounds sexier than non-live sport.
2) Top level/professional sport supplies it audience with live coverage, timing, results and news… anything else is less is probably perceived as amateur or of lower level/quality.

So with that in mind and assuming that most “normal” fans don’t follow the sport around the country and will therefore attend only 1 round on average you have the choice of two options.

1) Delay broadcast and live with the perception of being a lower level/quality sport not worthy of live broadcast … in which case the whole sport suffers and ultimately your gate takings are going to suffer anyway.
2) Broadcast live and try leverage the perception that you are at the level of the other sports worthy of live broadcast.

Personally, I suspect the issue has less to do with TV and more to do with the promotion of the sport….
3 Days out from Round 1: The website scarcely has any current information on it; it doesn’t have current driver or car profiles (last years points table is still on the front page). I haven’t seen any external marketing (outside of the promo TV3 have done for their coverage) and I’ve yet to see any PR from the promoters (and I work in the media…).

[Biggy G]

I think the live coverage is one of the best things to happen to the sport, being able to go to a prospective sponsor with "LIVE TV COVERAGE" splashed across a proposal is very appealing to them, and one of the reasons the NZV8's seem to be holding their own I think.

Throw in the multiple replays on Sky Sport and the NZV8 TV Package is one of the most appealing in NZ Sport at the moment.

[E36ST]

Gaining sponsors is one thing but it overlooks the big picture.

Without the income to the circuit owners they have less money to spend on facilities, maintenance and keeping their own sponsors happy.

Plus less crowds at the circuit have longer term consequences. How many of us became interested in motorsport because we went along to see live racing with our parents. I'm certain that less spectators at the circuit means less interest from the younger generation at participating in the future.

What good is having a high power brand name on the side of your car if you're running at a run down circuit with fewer people coming to see you.

The tier 1 meetings are a spectacle. It's not just about the racing that is broadcast on the telly, it's the flags, the pit girls the posters and stickers and autographs that kids collect. It's the nasty hotdogs and chips for lunch, the smell of fuel in the air and the throaty V8 sound that television speakers just can't deliver. It's a day out that leaves indelible memories.

I took a couple of kids to the NZV8 meeting at Manfeild a while back. One of them got a United Video hat signed by Craig Baird. A couple of weeks later he lost it and cried himself to sleep that night, it meant that much to him. Fortunately the hat turned up, but that boy has gone on to race karts and one day I am sure he will be lining up on the grid in his own race car.

You can't get that sort of experience watching it on a screen.

[Southern Man]

Originally Posted by E36ST

Gaining sponsors is one thing but it overlooks the big picture.

Without the income to the circuit owners they have less money to spend on facilities, maintenance and keeping their own sponsors happy.

Plus less crowds at the circuit have longer term consequences. How many of us became interested in motorsport because we went along to see live racing with our parents. I'm certain that less spectators at the circuit means less interest from the younger generation at participating in the future.

What good is having a high power brand name on the side of your car if you're running at a run down circuit with fewer people coming to see you.

The tier 1 meetings are a spectacle. It's not just about the racing that is broadcast on the telly, it's the flags, the pit girls the posters and stickers and autographs that kids collect. It's the nasty hotdogs and chips for lunch, the smell of fuel in the air and the throaty V8 sound that television speakers just can't deliver. It's a day out that leaves indelible memories.

I took a couple of kids to the NZV8 meeting at Manfeild a while back. One of them got a United Video hat signed by Craig Baird. A couple of weeks later he lost it and cried himself to sleep that night, it meant that much to him. Fortunately the hat turned up, but that boy has gone on to race karts and one day I am sure he will be lining up on the grid in his own race car.

You can't get that sort of experience watching it on a screen.

Well put.

[GTRMagic]

Bumper Field of NZV8s

Looks busy...

[Just Do It!]

Originally Posted by E36ST

Gaining sponsors is one thing but it overlooks the big picture.

Without the income to the circuit owners they have less money to spend on facilities, maintenance and keeping their own sponsors happy.

Plus less crowds at the circuit have longer term consequences. How many of us became interested in motorsport because we went along to see live racing with our parents. I'm certain that less spectators at the circuit means less interest from the younger generation at participating in the future.

What good is having a high power brand name on the side of your car if you're running at a run down circuit with fewer people coming to see you.

The tier 1 meetings are a spectacle. It's not just about the racing that is broadcast on the telly, it's the flags, the pit girls the posters and stickers and autographs that kids collect. It's the nasty hotdogs and chips for lunch, the smell of fuel in the air and the throaty V8 sound that television speakers just can't deliver. It's a day out that leaves indelible memories.

I took a couple of kids to the NZV8 meeting at Manfeild a while back. One of them got a United Video hat signed by Craig Baird. A couple of weeks later he lost it and cried himself to sleep that night, it meant that much to him. Fortunately the hat turned up, but that boy has gone on to race karts and one day I am sure he will be lining up on the grid in his own race car.

You can't get that sort of experience watching it on a screen.

You are exactly right. Every year the V8 Supercars ran at Pukekohe, with the exception of once, I took at least one new person along for at least one of the days. Every single one of them is now a fan to some degree. They all usually manage to watch 3 or 4 rounds a season - they aren't die-hards, but still fans. It's always a topic of conversation.

The key point is that we need to bring new blood into the sport as fans to keep the sport going.

Live TV for the NZV8s, I'm still on the fence with the concept.

The sustainability of the series is probably more of a key issue, given that in a couple of years, you will have to shed $200,000 in cash for a rolling Ceprnich chassis. Then there's the fact that no teams are commercial entities, rather top-end club racers who largely tend to poach each others sponsors rather than seek out new ones and they have the wherewithall to fund the operations themselves.

The next couple of years could be interesting.

[Chappelli]

Originally Posted by E36ST

Gaining sponsors is one thing but it overlooks the big picture..

Without the income to the circuit owners they have less money to spend on facilities, maintenance and keeping their own sponsors happy..

I guess that depends on what your view of the "big picture" is.
If getting 10,000 through the gate at Pukekohe beats getting 50,000 through the gate at Pukekohe.. Then you have a great point.
10,000 through the gate at Pukekohe, I suspect would be a dream for the organisers this weekend... 50,000 through the gate would have been a disaster when the V8 Supercars were at Pukekohe... The difference is whether your "big picture" is squeezing all the blood out of the stone you have, or whether your "big picture" is getting yourself a bigger stone.

Re: Tracks generating revenue.. Given that this weekends event will be broadcast, I wonder how much energy has been put in to selling signage space... it's a MASSIVE revenue generator for sports facilities around the world.... I wonder how much "Ford Mountain" has been sold for this weekend?

Originally Posted by E36ST

How many of us became interested in motorsport because we went along to see live racing with our parents. I'm certain that less spectators at the circuit means less interest from the younger generation at participating in the future..

If you’re anything like me, when I was a kid there was no such thing as the internet, facebook or mobile phones…. Whether we like it or not, the world has changed… get a ruler, measure them up and I’m pretty sure you’ll find the sports that are dead or dieing are the ones that are sticking with the “when I was a kid” act.
I'm also sure the people who run V8 Supercars, F1, NASCAR (and virtually every other successful sport in the world) would all say TV coverage is actually a REALLY important part of their strategy to get more people along to their events.

Originally Posted by E36ST

The tier 1 meetings are a spectacle. It's not just about the racing that is broadcast on the telly, it's the flags, the pit girls the posters and stickers and autographs that kids collect. It's the nasty hotdogs and chips for lunch, the smell of fuel in the air and the throaty V8 sound that television speakers just can't deliver. It's a day out that leaves indelible memories. …..
You can't get that sort of experience watching it on a screen.

So, if the live experience is so much better…. why would people then choose to watch it on the TV rather than come see it live?
My theory is this… If I’m a regular sort of fan, as of today I have seen absolutely NOTHING advertising the fact that I can see V8’s at Pukekohe this weekend… I know there’s V8 Racing on TV… but other than that… nothing...

So who’s promoting the events and what have they actually done to try and get bods through the gate? (because I know of at least a couple of fairly decent sized media outlets who, other than having people who work their who follow the sport have heard nothing about this weekend from the promoters… no press releases, nothing.)

[Southern Man]

Originally Posted by Chappelli

Re: Tracks generating revenue.. Given that this weekends event will be broadcast, I wonder how much energy has been put in to selling signage space... it's a MASSIVE revenue generator for sports facilities around the world....

Circuits don't quite have to supply clean stadia as we hear so much about for the World rugby Cup but TV do not show circuit signage for free. Their camera angles are set up to capture the series and events sponsor signage for they are the ones paying the bills that allows for TV to be there. TMC has contracted them to be there to look after their sponsors (and I suspect Competitors sponsors) and thats fair for as I said, they are the ones paying the bills for the coverage.

Look closely at the TV coverage and compare the signage you see with that you are aware of that is at that circuit, look to see if it is readable or just panned over as a background to the shot. Is it in close up or is it a long or wide angle shot. Circuit owners signage gets very little, if any exposure.