You know how back in high school you did so well in certain subjects but not in others, and then one year you totally sucked at a subject in which you used to excel. Read more…
I was at the NASCAR race last weekend. It was an enjoyable experience, as most NASCAR races are because the company has really connected with its public.
It’s probably something that wouldn’t take too much work, as those fans are rabid for the stars of the series, but NASCAR doesn’t just count on that for success. It really knows how to market its brand, reaching out to sponsors and media as well as to its fans. All it requires is that everybody follow the rules it sets down (whether you like them or not).
It’s a tyrannical governance (with immediate and severe penalties in most cases) but all the parties involved seem to buy into the idea that although they don’t always agree with the decisions made by the governing body, they are willing to abide by them for the overall good of their interwoven existence.
Sponsors analyze every single detail of their involvement in NASCAR to the nth degree, and then usually reanalyze it. They bring much needed dollars to the teams and drivers, who in turn do their utmost to make themselves available to the sponsors and fans alike – if you’ve ever heard a post race interview, in which a driver rhymes off the names of all the sponsors with each answer, you get a sense of the commitment and appreciation.
NASCAR, in turn, grants a fair amount of leeway to sponsorship groups to make that connection between fans and professionals. You won’t hear any NASCAR representative in the garage area telling anybody not to do something – they either steer around onlookers or politely ask them to change positions in order that they may perform their duties. Walking in and out of garages is welcome, even as crew members are doing their jobs. Pictures can be taken anywhere, even around seemingly sensitive property.
Drivers and owners (the celebrities) often walk through the pits and paddock at the same time as the fans; quite often those short jaunts take considerably longer than expected with all the signing, handshaking and picture posing along the way. The smiles never leave their faces, and everyone is treated like a long-time acquaintance.
It’s a very comfortable atmosphere, where everybody seems to be happy all the time. And while immersed in that environment, I thought “wouldn’t it be neat if everything were like this all the time?”
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So, with the demise (temporary as it may be) of the Canadian Grand Prix, the Formula 1 circuit has officially cut its ties to North America (still the largest consumer car market in the world).
I say good riddance!
I’ve never been a fan of the racing, the personalities or the way it is promoted to the rich and famous; perhaps there are enough like me on this continent, which is why more “low-brow” types of racing such as the NASCAR series seem to have a broader appeal across North America.
I attended four or five Grand Prix races in Canada and although I never paid for attending (they were usually held in conjuction with some press junket by companies who fielded teams in the races – Honda, BMW, Mercedes, etc.), I always came away feeling cheated out of my entertainment dollars.
There is no denying the benefit the events have on the economies of the jurisdictions in which they were held but frankly, those cities could recoup their investments very quickly by finding a replacement, rather than spending millions trying to woo back Bernie Ecclestone and his band of glitterati.
One of the things on which Ecclestone insisted in the past, was the exclusive use of racetracks for F1 racing; in other words, if your racetrack had the honour of staging a Formula 1 race, it would not host any other car races. That “honour” became diffused when the circus decided to hold the U.S. Grand Prix at Indianapolis and the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve began hosting events for CART and NASCAR. That may have had something to do with the decision to not host an event beyond 2008, although the more likely reason is that Ecclestone demanded too much for the priviledge to host a race in this market.
Reportedly, he wanted $175 million over five years plus all revenues from private boxes and advertising. Does that sound terribly unreasonable to anybody else but Ecclestone, who reportedly says he has other cities around the world lining up for a chance to host a race and willing to pay considerably more for it.
I think it a good thing that the folks in Montreal let it go and hope they move on to replace it with one of the other premier North American series who better connect with consumers and aficionados on this continent.
If Ecclestone were to be less arrogant than he appears to be, he might someday see the error of his ways and come to North America offering a race and then we might again consider granting him that priviledge.
Until then, let’s concentrate on replacing those revenue dollars with events from IndyCar, NASCAR, American LeMans and Grand Am, all of which put on a spectacular form of racing with personalities that are more accessible and easier to work with (there’s a reason talented guys like Juan Pablo Montoya, Jacques Villeneuve and Michael Andretti didn’t last long in the Grand Prix circus despite varying levels of success). And while we’re at it, let’s get our TV coverage promoting those events to build up excitement and attract more fans to the live events. Why should we throw our TV revenues back to Formula 1 if we’re not “worthy” of hosting a race?
And maybe it’s time we resurrected the International Race of Champions (IROC) in its original format, to bring together the best in various forms of racing and put them in identically prepared cars (which they choose out of a hat prior to the race weekend) on four different circuits (say Indianapolis, Monaco, Daytona and a World Rally course) to see who really is the best overall champion.
I was at the Lexus IS F track event at Calabogie Motorsports Park last week and it really made me aware of a lot of the problems with excessive speed on our roads.
First of all, if you really have to experience the thrills of driving your car really fast, head out to a local track (and there are for more of them than you think … we can’t all drive Mosport, so deal with it) and pay for lapping sessions (no, nobody is going to give you free time at the track, so deal with that too); if you want to act like a real race-car driver, pay for the privilege. Racing is expensive; ask any professional driver.
Tracks are inherently safer than streets because of two main factors – all the cars are going the same way so there is reduced risk of head-on collisions; and, there are usually corner workers with flags warning you of bad things such as debris on the pavement or a faster car coming up from behind.
Being on the track will also open your eyes to some realities of driving fast – it takes a lot of skill to go fast; and, you are not as good as you think you are; or more to the point, there is always someone better than you.
That last point proves one of the great mysteries of my time. I’m a more skilled driver than the majority of you out there, and especially more so than you testosterone-fuelled, squeaky-voiced Vin Diesels cruising around in your thumpity-thumped up plastic-armoured compact cars or your daddy’s high-end sports sedan. Sub-woofers bouncing air explosions off your car’s interior doesn’t make the car go faster nor even seem faster; it only alerts people down the road to an approaching narcissist.
I could make a stock Aveo5 run rings around your tricked up Prelude or Celica, so why would you even try to egg me on when I’m in a Porsche Turbo or Nissan GT-R? Or anybody for that matter … their cars are faster than yours out of the box; they have nothing to prove.
That’s why, no matter what I’m driving, I laugh at you when you look over and tap the throttle.
Yet, I get out there on the track and I’m middle of the pack among my peers. They’re slower and less skilled than the drivers who teach advanced driving courses to people like us. Those people are put to shame by professional drivers like Scott Pruett and Patrick Carpentier. And those guys are middle to rear of the pack on elite professional circuits.
The one thing we all have in common, though, is that we know there’s a proper time and place to drive fast.
And for all of you out there who think you’re better than the guy beside you at the light, and will do anything to prove it, remember that there comes a time in every session, where you have to lift in order to preserve your car and/or yourself.
You cannot go around a track lap after lap, getting faster and faster (unless you started off really, really slow and worked your way up far too gradually). Sooner or later, you’re going to come to a point where your car will tell you “this is as fast as you go through here” and you either lift and concentrate on getting through the section safely, or disregard the warning and lose it.
If you don’t lift and end up losing control, you’ll be lucky to not do any damage to your car or yourself (except maybe bruise your ego, but the bruise goes away quickly).
On the street, there is usually no such safety margin. If you lose control in a street race, you will more likely than not hit something that is either stronger than your car or your body, or you will hit something that is far more fragile. Either way, there is considerably more damage than just a bruised ego.
And just like you will have to pay for any damage you cause on the track (usually to your car, your reputation or yourself) with your wallet, you also have to pay for any damage you do on the street (to property or life), usually with your life (be it if you lose it, or if society takes it away from you).
You are not as good as you think you are. Live with it!
Still on the topic of racing, the greatest racing movie of all time will be available on DVD this summer.
Grand Prix is a fictional account of the 1966 World Championship but features some of the earliest applications of onboard cameras (with F1 champion Phil Hill actually taking one aboard for laps of the Monaco and Belgian Grand Prix practices). The film won Oscars for sound and effects in 1967 and reportedly inspired the 1998 PC-simulator Grand Prix Legends (itself not a great seller but revered by those in the know).
You will see some familiar historical occurences, such as a crash into the Monte Carlo harbour, and some parallels to the real racing world, such as the up-and-coming Japanese Yamura team (Honda). The personalities and their attire were based on contemporaries, so you’ll see characterizations of Jackie Stewart and Chris Amon, among others.
Not a blockbuster, but it’s a considerably better plot and features better developed characters than anything before or since … yes, even better than Days of Thunder … and amazing racing footage.
July 11 – circle that on your calendar, if you’re a racing fan.
As you embark on this full day of auto racing, I’d like to offer something to set the mood. Just turn down the sound on your TV and turn up your computer speakers. Enjoy!
Sunday is the day on which those of us who have never seen the attraction of spending all day in front of a TV watching football can at least sympathize with those who do it every Sunday between November and February.
It’s World Motorsports Day (unofficially, though I’m hoping to gather enough support to have it declared a worldwide stat holiday).
It starts off at 7:30 am (all times DST) with the Formula 1 Monaco Grand Prix. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, it should wrap up around 9:30ish which gives you just enough time to do the expected 2 hours or so of housework before you have to rustle up some lunch, then sit down to listen to Jim Nabors sing “Back Home Again in Indiana” prior to the start of the Indianapolis 500 (green flag is due at 1:00 pm).
At about 4:30 pm (give or take a couple of yellow flags) that race will be wrapping up just in time to stick a roast in the oven (forget the barbeque because you need to sit there and watch meat cook) and set the table for the rest of the family (you won’t be joining them, though, as you settle back into the couch with a TV tray for the start of NASCAR’s Coca Cola 600 at 7 pm).
Around 12:30, with the kids’ goodnight kisses a mere memory of a passing annoyance like a commercial break, you can retire after the victory-lane celebrations. If you are truly prepared, you won’t have to change into pyjamas, as you wouldn’t have changed out of them.
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