Did IICS Really Want to Work with ISC?

[pb]

http://www.stargazette.com/article/20100915/SPORTS10/9150401/-1/sports10/Levanduski-on-racing--IndyCar-fee-hike-put-Watkins-Glen-out-of-race

"It's always been a loss leader, but we supported it. The company (International Speedway Corp.) supported it. And we were willing to accept that because it brought classic open-wheel racing back to the Glen with some world class drivers."

Why did it lose money then?

"Our sponsors were huge. The problem was attendance," Michael Printup said.

Watkins Glen negotiated a new contract with IndyCar each year. The nail in the coffin this time was new IndyCar CEO Randy Bernard's request for an increase in its sanction fee. Printup said the increase was 30 percent.

With the increase, he said it brought their fee to run the IndyCar race to "north of $1.5 million.

"Where do you get off, in this economy, asking for that kind of raise?" Printup said.

[Sea Fury]

ISC wasn't promoting the races. Ties should have been severed long ago. This is just an arse-cover by the ISC PR department.

[pb]

Maybe, but I wouldn't pay 30% more for the same product next year, either. I had the impression WGI was pretty decent about trying to get the word out.

[SandWedge]

I've heard from a few people that the increase wasn't (all) a hike in sanction but included minimum marketing spend requirements etc. which to a track is sanctioning fee all the same.

[pb]

I've heard from a few people that the increase wasn't (all) a hike in sanction but included minimum marketing spend requirements etc. which to a track is sanctioning fee all the same.

That would make some sense. I can't picture a straight 30% getting much traction. Either way, it's a done deal (I guess an undone deal) now.

[brickyard1911]

I've heard from a few people that the increase wasn't (all) a hike in sanction but included minimum marketing spend requirements etc. which to a track is sanctioning fee all the same.

I like that approach from Randy. Hold their feet to the fire on promotion. If that really was the case it just kind of proves the "no promotion" theory with ISC.

[Spike]

I like that approach from Randy.

Assuming that it's true.

If that really was the case it just kind of proves the "no promotion" theory with ISC.

No, it really doesn't prove that at all.

For what it's worth, the management at Watkins Glen recently stated they spent almost as much promoting the IRL race as they do for the NSACAR race there.

[ptclaus98]

I'm starting to believe it's less ISC having a problem with IndyCar, and more Bruton pulling strings. I don't have a problem with that.

[Sea Fury]

Assuming that it's true.

No, it really doesn't prove that at all.

For what it's worth, the management at Watkins Glen recently stated they spent almost as much promoting the IRL race as they do for the NSACAR race there.

Define "almost."

[frif20]

Maybe I'm missing something here but when the gentleman at WGI states this..... "Our sponsors were huge. The problem was attendance," Michael Printup said. In reality, doesn't that mean that the track wasn't doing their part in trying to get more butts in the seats to decrease their loss???? And with Randy's hike in fee, isn't that a way to get them to get more butts in the seats?

[pb]

I'm starting to believe it's less ISC having a problem with IndyCar, and more Bruton pulling strings. I don't have a problem with that.

What would happen if/when there are a few more years of crowds at SMI tracks like the last Kentucky go-round? Putting all the eggs in the SMI basket might be a good idea but it could also backfire.

[BadazzZ06]

Maybe I'm missing something here but when the gentleman at WGI states this..... "Our sponsors were huge. The problem was attendance," Michael Printup said. In reality, doesn't that mean that the track wasn't doing their part in trying to get more butts in the seats to decrease their loss???? And with Randy's hike in fee, isn't that a way to get them to get more butts in the seats?

There seems to be a mis-perception on this forum (and elsewhere) that somehow, magically, "more promotion" will solve the problem of butts-in-seats.

If you're a man, and you see an ad in the paper (or on TV) that a local store is selling womens bra's at 50 percent off, are you gonna run to the store and buy one for yourself ?? If the store repeats the ad over and over again, is it the 5th time you see the ad, or the 10th time that gets you to go buy a bra ??

Tracks like WG know (they have been in the business for many years) what it takes to reach out to their fans. Virtually every track has a newsletter that talks about all the upcoming events, and the newsletter goes out to the list of anyone who has ever bought a ticket at the track. They put up billboards, they run ads in newspapers.

How many people on this forum don't know the next race is in Motegi this weekend ??? Did advertising paid for by the track make you aware of the race ?? If the track had done more advertising, would you be on an airplane heading for Japan right now ??

This idea that somehow ISC not "promoting" the races and that lack of promotion is the reason for poor attendance, sounds to me to be unlikely. When the number of people watching the racing for FREE on TV is declining, do you really think throwing out more advertising dollars will get people to watch IICS races at the cost of hundreds of dollars ???

Selling IICS racing to the public right now is about as difficult as selling a man a bra.

[PPGfan]

“We love this event, ” said Watkins Glen president Michael Printup. “These guys and girls race the hell out of this track, so I’m personally pushing very hard. We have a fantastic camping crowd this weekend and I’m pretty excited about that, especially in this economy. We did take a bit of a risk and put a lot of advertising dollars up in Toronto and Niagara Falls. I’m not sure that paid off. I really thought we could bring a lot of those people down here, but I don’t know if that’s working.”

What a bunch of BS. What kind of idiot would put a lot of advertising dollars into the Toronto area when the Toronto race is right after Watkins Glen? Was ISC trying to draw fans away from Toronto? Put all their advertising effort into taking fans away from a nearby circuit and make 2 races look bad in the process? I wouldn't put it past them...
BTW, this quote is from the days leading up to the Watkins Glen race when the rumors started flying about it being the last Indy race there.

[openwheelr]

WG ran radio advertisements in the Harrisburg (PA) area last year on the local sports talk AM station, don't know about this year. We're a good 4 hour+ drive from there, so they cast a fairly wide net. It’s disappointing. With Richmond gone I had hopes of going to WG but it didn't work out this year.

[Luigi]

I told RB not to mess around with ISC. They no good.