350,000 fans for Surfers Paradise?

[Chris - Melb]

Up until this year I would have said that the V8 Supercars were threatening to overtake Champ Car as the main event on the Gold Coast, however, I think the tide is changing.

Champ Car certainly got the bulk of the mass media attention down here in Melbourne. 70/30 in favor of Champ Car, if not more.

In Melbourne’s (Australia's?) largest circulation newspaper, The Herald Sun, Champ Car got almost twice as much coverage than V8 Supercar on Monday morning, and that is excluding a picture of Craig Gore that dominated the ENTIRE back page of the paper with words in big print describing what Craig thought about Sebastian Bourdais after hitting Will Power. It wasn’t pretty by the way!

The Melbourne newspaper ‘The Age’ devoted more than twice as much space to Champ Car compared with the V8s.

I would still have thought that the V8 Supercars may have been more popular at the actual circuit at Surfers until I noticed many empty seats at the end of the last V8 Supercar race on Sunday during the telecast, which was very surprising.

Australians are very patriotic when it comes to sport and there seemed to be much genuine enthusiasm for Team Australia, and the Champ Car race, during the weekend.

I think Team Australia has helped secure Champ Car’s long-term future at Surfers Paradise.

[luke]

Originally Posted by Robert Ryan

It was shown at a much more reasonable hours when CART was popular, but the ratings were never good.
Strangely Peter McKay the constant critic of AVESCO and V8Supercars admitted in today's Sydney Morning Herald.."that Champcar has been playing 2nd fiddle to the V8's for the last couple of years" now THAT is an amazing statement , bit like Robin Miller saying he loves NASCAR.

What are you trying to say and prove over the past few days on the Champ Car board Rob?

[D.R.T.]

Originally Posted by Chris - Melb

Champ Car certainly got the bulk of the mass media attention down here in Melbourne. 70/30 in favor of Champ Car, if not more.

Sydney as well. Had the radio on yesterday morning and all the talk was about the big one, The Lexmark Indy 300 - ChampCars.

Originally Posted by luke

What are you trying to say and prove over the past few days on the Champ Car board Rob?

Its a yearly thing for Robert to come and bag the ChampCars the day after the race and try to paint the picture of the event being aboot V8's.

Fact is it aint. What was everyone talking about today around the office - Will Power, methanol fires and Paul Tracy.

[Robert Ryan]

Its a yearly thing for Robert to come and bag the ChampCars the day after the race and try to paint the picture of the event being aboot V8's.

Fact is it aint. What was everyone talking about today around the office - Will Power, methanol fires and Paul Tracy.
Today 20:32

For the past 4yrs the Champcars have produced "crashathons". Today they raced.
Now in the next year, the ratings here will still be miniscule for any TV coverage, they will be still struggling to be recognised in the US and a lot of the overseas new events will not materialize. As a Lecturer said to me "explain the inconsistency"?

What are you trying to say and prove over the past few days on the Champ Car board Rob?

If genuinely Champcar had any following the ratings would show it. Even when Montoya was involved and openwheel racing was "Intact" it still struggled for ratings here on TV, during the year, that is why Peter Mckay(far from a friend of AVESCO, D.R.T. likes quoting him a lot) made the statement in todays Sydney Morning Herald

Power's superb, if surprising, pole and the late addition of classy Sydneysider Briscoe to the grid, heightened interest in the American series, which for several years has played second fiddle to the home-grown Ford and Holden V8s"

I think personally they are not going to sustain the interest. Ryan Briscoe although a wide experience in various types of motorsport has never really shone in any, except Karts. Will is OK, but did not excel in his forays in European racing.

[luke]

Power also didn't do bad in Europe either. I don't want to hide he is one of my favoruite drivers, heck its ironic but I've followed him since formula holden, and since then back in 2002, i knew that kid would be special. Never did I know he'd be in Champ Car making it that far and in contention to win.

I can't see why the team australia interest will suddenly stop and so will the big interest in Champ Car vanish. I'm sure many fans will be watching Mexico City to see how Power does and see if he finally wins.

As for oh the tv ratings are poor, they even were when montoya was in Champ Car. Who cares? Why don't we just look at the future for Champ Car which is 2007 instead.

And as already about V8 supercars being the show case race/s at Surfers Paradise, that's like me saying at the Brands Hatch 2003 CART race, that the fans only came to see BTCC.

[mountainstar]

Originally Posted by D.R.T.

Its a yearly thing for Robert to come and bag the ChampCars the day after the race and try to paint the picture of the event being aboot V8's.

We know

Champcar is the main event and a V8 only event would only attract half the crowds.

[Robert Ryan]

As for oh the tv ratings are poor, they even were when montoya was in Champ Car. Who cares? Why don't we just look at the future for Champ Car which is 2007 instead.

I am and in the US it is not bright, joining it is the IRL. There is NO coverage for both series in the general media there and they are supposed to be major series.
If the ratings are poor, because people really do not care for the series, openwheelers except for dirt track Sprintcars struggle to get noticed.Champcar has its support place at Surfers, it is part of the "event" and its real status is revealed by how many people are interested in it after the event. The fact it it was lifted by the inclusion of two Australian Drivers , does not matter.

And as already about V8 supercars being the show case race/s at Surfers Paradise, that's like me saying at the Brands Hatch 2003 CART race, that the fans only came to see BTCC.

This is not England. I would agree I would watching the CART race rather than the BTCC. V8Supercar has the status of NASCAR here in Australia., a statement that irks DRT.
At the Daytona 500, if the had a CART race on the same week as the NASCAR event, would the same numbr of fans watch it...answer is no. Different emphasis placed on sedan and singleseater racing outside of Europe.

[luke]

Originally Posted by mountainstar

We know

Champcar is the main event and a V8 only event would only attract half the crowds.

Well said moutainstar

[Robert Ryan]

Champcar is the main event and a V8 only event would only attract half the crowds

That is why the V8Supercar only event in Adelaide gets Surfers Paradise crowds, in Adelaide of all places and Bathurst is our most watched race?

[drewdawg727]

Digressing back to the thread title, there was a total of 312,000 for the weekend, way to go Surfer's Paradise!

[Robert Ryan]

It is true that V8 supercars attract more Australian viewers than F1 and champ cars, both of which are usually consigned to late-night slots. But AVESCO is also guilty of selectively playing with the figures.

Reality bites, even Peter Mckay has to admit where singleseater/openwheeler racing ranks here. Luke we cannot get a half decent Openwheeler series to function here. Formula Holden that produced Will Power and Aus F3 are very much struggling. Champcar's influence is a "one shot wonder"

[luke]

Originally Posted by Robert Ryan

I am and in the US it is not bright, joining it is the IRL. There is NO coverage for both series in the general media there and they are supposed to be major series.
If the ratings are poor, because people really do not care for the series, openwheelers except for dirt track Sprintcars struggle to get noticed.Champcar has its support place at Surfers, it is part of the "event" and its real status is revealed by how many people are interested in it after the event. The fact it it was lifted by the inclusion of two Australian Drivers , does not matter..

Look we already know that open wheel racing in America is not bright. You must come here every year to tell us that October time. Well there is optimism for Champ Car. Look at the crowds at race tracks. 2 million mark each year and much less rounds then the CART days. Great crowds for street races. Hundreds of thousands to hundred thousand for street and oval races.
Infact you look at the crowds that F1 bring, Champ car isn't that far off on the road races. They get around 40,000 on road events. I can remember in 2001 the British GP got 60,000. That isn't bad in comparison (sp? sorry)
TV ratings, yes not good at all, but what do you expect being most of the time on SPEEDTV which not many people can get?
There is no way as many sponsers as there used to be. But other then that I can't see what you are trying to say.
With the new car, look at all the interest for 2007. Ex F1 teams are interested,F1 drivers are interested. Sports car teams have comitted, GP2 drivers, F3 drivers, F3000 drivers, IRL drivers are all looking into the window as an option in the Champ Car World Series for 2007 with the DP 01.
Then you look at the IRL. How many cars do you think will be at Homestead in March? Nothing against the IRL here but it looks like 13 at the moment. (Don't mean to start a war as I'm an open wheel fan) What's attractive for next year? Another expensive season of oval racing in an old car?

This is not England. I would agree I would watching the CART race rather than the BTCC. V8Supercar has the status of NASCAR here in Australia., a statement that irks DRT.
At the Daytona 500, if the had a CART race on the same week as the NASCAR event, would the same numbr of fans watch it...answer is no. Different emphasis placed on sedan and singleseater racing outside of Europe.

The BTCC is popular here, only second to F1 and MotoGP realistically. Live TV coverge on ITV the main stream channel. Saying if CART was at Daytona in February they wouldn't get many NASCAR fans to watch? Well what would you expect. Most if not nearly all NASCAR fans are the general public to an extent you could say. This is what Champ Car suffers from. Its ok amongst motor racing fans who have a broad horizion, but with the casual fan be it, Europe, F1 is what people watch, what is Champ Car? Its the same with NASCAR in America. This is why Champ Car is lacking exposure, I think a big factor is; No Indy 500 anymore and the name not being Indy Cars. I guess to the average American flicking through the channels, what's this, don't care?
Now I don't like talking politics but you had to go on with it....anyway I hope you understand what I'm saying.

Luke.

[Robert Ryan]

Digressing back to the thread title, there was a total of 312,000 for the weekend, way to go Surfer's Paradise

The crowd figure , does not mean much..we do not have an electronic barcode on the tickets like they had in Edmonton Canada , it is more guess work..and exaggeration.

[Robert Ryan]

Look at the crowds at race tracks. 2 million mark each year and much less rounds then the CART days. Great crowds for street races. Hundreds of thousands to hundred thousand for street and oval races.

Luke it is cobblers..the attendance is poor..their ratings are very poor..which means you are struggling to get a sponsors and someone who will sign you up to their track or street circuit. vicios circle.

TV ratings, yes not good at all, but what do you expect being most of the time on SPEEDTV which not many people can get?

75 million view it in the US

Most if not nearly all NASCAR fans are the general public to an extent you could say. This is what Champ Car suffers from

That is why V8Supercar is popular here, as you agree in the rest of your post , there are a lot of prblems..People in Australia knows it has problems.

[luke]

Originally Posted by Robert Ryan

The crowd figure , does not mean much..we do not have an electronic barcode on the tickets like they had in Edmonton Canada , it is more guess work..and exaggeration.

The crowd figure doesn't mean much? It tells you how popular the event was.

[Robert Ryan]

Great crowds for street races. Hundreds of thousands to hundred thousand for street and oval races.

Are they there for the "event" or the race...Long Beach is an "event" not so much a race. I cannot verify the numbers that turnup to the ovals, but if the are like the IRL "attendance" then that is not so good.
Luke that something is VERY wrong is the ratings are abysmal..you cannot keep going on as an organisation relying on "Three Amigos" funding to keep you going.

[Robert Ryan]

The crowd figure doesn't mean much? It tells you how popular the event was.

The EVENT...not the races. Also how many were really in attendance I would say a lot less than the organisers claim, but that does not mean much more for them as the whole thing is now a poltical football between various political parties in Queensland.

[luke]

Originally Posted by Robert Ryan

Luke it is cobblers..the attendance is poor..their ratings are very poor..which means you are struggling to get a sponsors and someone who will sign you up to their track or street circuit. vicios circle.
75 million view it in the US.

Attendance is poor? 312,000 Surfers Paradise. I can't remember Long beach but its large. Edmonton 175-200,000? Long Beach a similar? Mexico City a few hundred thousand. Cleveland over 100,000 this year. Toronto 150,000? I know some may seem a bit high, they are guesses but I'm sure some maybe a bit lower and some maybe a bit higher. On Road courses except Mexico City and airports the attendance is some what 30,000 which isn't good but not bad considering who cares 'bout road racin' in America? Ovals, we all know about two people for Champ Car lol.

But don't get me wrong RR I am actually a big V8 supercar fan and Craig Lowndes fan and I've watchings since 2002.

[mountainstar]

Originally Posted by Robert Ryan

it is more guess work..and exaggeration.

Where is the proof for that? I have no doubt based on first hand accounts that the crowd numbers are accurate.

[mountainstar]

Originally Posted by Robert Ryan

That is why the V8Supercar only event in Adelaide gets Surfers Paradise crowds, in Adelaide of all places and Bathurst is our most watched race?

Adelaide gets 55-60K on race day almost half of what surfers got on sunday.

Bathurst is the #1 round of the national championship and the race is seven hours long, so no surprise it's the most watched race.

[luke]

Originally Posted by Robert Ryan

75 million view it in the US

For SpeedTV yeah...? Well how come I they got I believe 0.1 or 0.2 at one race, yet Montreal rained out on NBC they got 1.0 or 1.1.? The CBS or NBC races are better then IRL's, worse and the same, so average, yet on SPEED much much much much smaller..

[mountainstar]

Originally Posted by Robert Ryan

I am and in the US it is not bright, joining it is the IRL. There is NO coverage for both series in the general media there and they are supposed to be major series.
If the ratings are poor, because people really do not care for the series, openwheelers except for dirt track Sprintcars struggle to get noticed.Champcar has its support place at Surfers, it is part of the "event" and its real status is revealed by how many people are interested in it after the event. The fact it it was lifted by the inclusion of two Australian Drivers , does not matter.

I guess we can count you out for season tickets then

There is coverage in newspapers across the US. Probably a little less than the CART indycar years, but it's still there. Champcar is still prominent in Performance Racing News(canada) and Racer Magazine(usa) and other racing magazines and in most locales the print and tv media cover the series extensively when champcar is in town.

Rather than looking at things in a negative way, champcar has really strived to move forward and improve the series. They are doing a damn good job. Yes the tv package needs to be worked on. Half of the country doesn't have speed. Hopefully at some point we can get a good deal on CBS or NBC for the season. It is well documented the difference in ratings between the networks and speed tv.

Yes I'm sure having an Australian racing in the series and doing well at surfers was a positive for the crowd. How could it be any other way?

Also, regardless of this or that, the event was a huge success. Can you deny that?

In addition, I do not see how champcar racing at surfers takes anything away from the V8's or anyone else. Compared to what the Victorian government is wasting on F1, the Qld government seems quite pleased with how things have turned out. Certainly the Victorian government has to be asking some questions about the value of F1.

I really don't know what you are getting on about Robert. The event was a huge success enjoyed by all and it is a well established event that is very popular. It is not going anywhere, like it or not. Whatever 'problems'(if one can even define them as such) champcar has, they are well known by management and well harped on here. Champcar had a successful season this year and a lot of new sponsors, races, teams and drivers are on board for next year.