How much do V8 drivers earn ?

cavvy · 14 Jan 2005, 10:38 (Ref:1200705)

I was reading in the BTCC & WTCC forum that only 6 drivers were paid in BTCC in 2004. Am I correct believing V8 Supercar drivers are earning lots - that Ford luring Lowndes pushed the top dollar around a $mil per annum. Wasn't it public during the Gibson/Forbes court case?
Saw a report that Garth Tander is on $500k, nothing personal Garth as I am a fan, but you have got to be kidding.
Brighty, would have upped the ante, have either of the Kelly gang signed off yet.
Cant imagine LP paying silly money - is that why Ingall is not there?

Only 6 BTCC drivers paid in 2004!

TSR · 14 Jan 2005, 10:54 (Ref:1200725)

Isn't both Lowdnes & Bright both on $1m per year & Ambrose & Ingall would both be up there, and Skaifey would also be pulling in a sum along with the tryhard.

anthony81901 · 14 Jan 2005, 12:24 (Ref:1200813)

Last year when Jason Richards commenced legal proceedings against Team Dynamic for unpaid monies from the 03 season, his salary was quoted as $125,000.

Raglanparade · 14 Jan 2005, 12:36 (Ref:1200820)

Well if Jason Richard's is getting $125,000, then it would be fair to assume that the average salary of a driver on the grid would be around the $150,000 mark.

You will have some 'pay drivers', and then you will have some mega stars.

I doubt Lowndes is on 1 Million per annum.

thirty4 · 14 Jan 2005, 12:51 (Ref:1200829)

If Bright's getting 1 million from FPR, id say KRT are on a much better wicket paying 500K for Tander.

retro · 14 Jan 2005, 12:51 (Ref:1200830)

The Forbes court case listed Lowndes pay as $ 700.000 p/a plus a cut of merchandise. I believe thats where the million $ figure comes from. I think I have that right .

You would expect that Ambrose would be on something similiar and Bright is rumoured to be $1,000,000 p/a.(maybe some of that goes to Britek)

rdmdog · 14 Jan 2005, 23:44 (Ref:1201286)

Quote:

Originally Posted by cavvy

Only 6 BTCC drivers paid in 2004!

Was there 6 cars in the BTCC in 2004? Hard to believe the category that took over from 2L in Britian is held up by SORFs!!

Alfa Fan · 14 Jan 2005, 23:49 (Ref:1201287)

Quote:

Originally Posted by rdmdog

Was there 6 cars in the BTCC in 2004? Hard to believe the category that took over from 2L in Britian is held up by SORFs!!

22 cars in fact.

rdmdog · 14 Jan 2005, 23:56 (Ref:1201290)

Not bad, thats one per 5 million people in the country!!

Teretonga · 15 Jan 2005, 00:27 (Ref:1201307)

The Uk doesn't have a population of 110 million does it?

Alex Hodgkinson · 15 Jan 2005, 00:33 (Ref:1201311)

about 65 now

cavvy · 15 Jan 2005, 01:15 (Ref:1201325)

Quote:

Originally Posted by rdmdog

Was there 6 cars in the BTCC in 2004? Hard to believe the category that took over from 2L in Britian is held up by SORFs!!

Give your maths a run on DTM or JGTC or do you have axe to grind?

rdmdog · 15 Jan 2005, 01:16 (Ref:1201326)

Oh, I do apologise, that makes it one car per three million people (not including illegal immigrants?)

rdmdog · 15 Jan 2005, 01:34 (Ref:1201332)

Damn 10 minute limit!

No axe to grind, just find it interesting that we are told that the Euro series' are great with such a small (comparitively) field.

I'd love to see our fields racing on some of their circuits.

As for who gets paid, we have 8 drivers who own or are related to the owner of the team they drive for, 5ish that you would guess bring their cheque book full of talent, the remaining 20 or so are paid you would think that no more than 5 of these blokes are on $500K or more.

Lowndesfan6 · 15 Jan 2005, 01:55 (Ref:1201335)

A little guy that used to drive for GRM and switched to ford was being paid $250k in his final year with GRM, before accepting a $200k paycheck for his new team.

abr944 · 15 Jan 2005, 01:58 (Ref:1201338)

as printed in the melb sun herald last year skaifes salary was 4 million over 5 years.....thats 800 thousand a year....i would expect product endorsements and appearances would enhance that even more...

racer69 · 15 Jan 2005, 02:08 (Ref:1201339)

Quote:

Originally Posted by rdmdog

Was there 6 cars in the BTCC in 2004? Hard to believe the category that took over from 2L in Britian is held up by SORFs!!

No matter who was in it it produced some fine racing in 2004, every bit as good as the 'good old days' of 10 years ago.

WebberForWDC · 15 Jan 2005, 05:43 (Ref:1201401)

Quote:

Originally Posted by abr944

as printed in the melb sun herald last year skaifes salary was 4 million over 5 years.....thats 800 thousand a year....i would expect product endorsements and appearances would enhance that even more...

When you put it that way it sounds like a hell of a lot. 4 mil!!!! for Skaife's services for 5 years!

I'd say that the level of talent isn't really as high as it seems to be when you consider in F1 terms, so most of the V8 drivers all have a very good deal. Even Jason Richards and now Will Davison reportedly on impressive $100k+ salaries even at a troubled team like Team Dynamik, and in Davison's case despite limited V8 experience.

'specially when Mark Webber & probably Markko Martin were on less money (reported around $US500k for the junior young gun cut-cost FordMoCo salaries) to drive in World championships with Jaguar and the Focus, than the likes of Bright this year. (IMHO who was a very capable open wheel driver but still not THAT GOOD in my opinion, and I think Murph didn't even win a Formula Holden championship... I think that he came into V8s only being towards the top in F Holden?

)

Troy · 15 Jan 2005, 10:13 (Ref:1201470)

http://tentenths.com/forum/showthread.php?t=63833

Quote:

Craig Lowndes earns about $1.3 million a year and Mark Skaife, Marcos Ambrose and Jason Bright are all in the $1 million wage bracket, a salary level ringing alarm bells in touring car racing.

eduardo1 · 16 Jan 2005, 22:49 (Ref:1202585)

Salaries are difficult to work out because they're made up of two different sources - team contributions and manufacturers contributions.

The big money is paid by Ford and Holden, while the teams will pay smaller proportion of the driver's salary. It's only been the past 5 years that salaries have grown across the board - coinciding with Ford's signing of Lowndes and its focusing of money on motorsport (such as ditching the Tennis sponsorship).

Ambrose, Lowndes, Bright etc are Ford employees (or contractors), sub-contracted out to SBR, 888, FPR etc. If Ambrose and the Stones had the mother of all falling outs tomorrow, Ambrose would be relocated with another Ford team.

That's where the big money is. Skaife has been on big money since the early '90s ( around $400K back then) thanks to tobacco money and his roles with Holden/HSV. But there were very few guys earning much more than an 'above average' wage until a few years ago. Now, even the midfielders are earning six figures while the elite are some of our best-paid domestic sportsmen - majority funded by the manufacturers - who according to TC don't have a right to have a say in his sport.

stoned pony · 17 Jan 2005, 01:12 (Ref:1202663)

I once heard Brad Jones say that no V8 Supercar driver was worth any more than $350,000 so that might give you an idea of what he and JB are taking home (pre-endorsments).

leonardus · 17 Jan 2005, 02:52 (Ref:1202678)

Quote:

Originally Posted by cavvy

I was reading in the BTCC & WTCC forum that only 6 drivers were paid in BTCC in 2004. Am I correct believing V8 Supercar drivers are earning lots - that Ford luring Lowndes pushed the top dollar around a $mil per annum. Wasn't it public during the Gibson/Forbes court case?
Saw a report that Garth Tander is on $500k, nothing personal Garth as I am a fan, but you have got to be kidding.
Brighty, would have upped the ante, have either of the Kelly gang signed off yet.
Cant imagine LP paying silly money - is that why Ingall is not there?

Only 6 BTCC drivers paid in 2004!

If you think V8 Supercar drivers are being paid too much, what about our cricketers, they play 15 - 20 games per year and most, that is most of them are on over $1mil per year, plus endorsements making their take home pay approx $2mil.
I think that we have probably reached a pay salary plateau and dont think that it would go much higher than where we are today.
I believe V8 Supercar drivers are being paid what they are worth. You get what you pay for!

dynamik gal · 17 Jan 2005, 02:53 (Ref:1202679)

Majority of drivers have a base income from the team. Some, on top of this, have personal sponsors which the money goes to them. Some also get cuts of merchandise and if they appear on ads for personal sponsors, get paid for this as well. Then there are endorsements (as per any regular tennis player), and most teams have a performance based bonus system, where if you come 1-5th you get $X, etc etc.

$1m per year is a bit steep, but for Ambrose, Lowndes I could JUST see where this comes from.

As for Brighty etc, i'd say $1m is for a 2-3 yr contract. Same for the $500k Garth and that he'd get a cut from merch & performance bonuses on top of this, so pan out to be about $250,000 pa.

Pro Racer · 17 Jan 2005, 03:00 (Ref:1202683)

what is murph on p/a and how long is his contract with PWR?

stoned pony · 17 Jan 2005, 03:39 (Ref:1202691)

What exactly do cricketers, tennis players and golfers do to earn so much? I mean, football, horse, bike and car racing and the like have an element of danger that explains the pay but what do these other guys get -- a nasty splinter, a particularly spiteful bruise, a sore leg because they were forced to walk around a very big lawn when the golf buggy broke down?