Future Plans

[racer69]

What does everyone think of AVESCO's future plans. It seems to be following the same path as CART, taking a successful national formula and taking races all over the world, only problem is now the CART World Series has nearly no following in the USA and nearly no AMerican drivers, is this what the future holds for 5 litres. I reckon the calendar should go back to something like 1998, proper tracks and Bathurst was separate

[Crash Test]

The problem is that V8s wont have universal appeal all over the world like CART does, and at worst, the series is only going to be filled with Kiwis

[RaceTime]

There is one problem trying to compare CART with V8SC - CART is run by Americans who do NOT belong, as V8SC do, to the FIA. Whilst CART have agreed in principle to run no new races outside of North America on road courses, this was done to appease teh FIA after the Gold Coast event started - the FIA feared that CART would challenge F1 if they were allowed to continue.

Thus CART are their own sanctioning body.

V8 Supercars, on the other hand, are ultimately sanctioned through CAMS by the FIA - to race 'all around the world' they have to become an internationally recognised series and thus an International Championship - something I don't think has yet sunk in to AVESCO - the fees are going to be astronomical. I can hear TC's whinges now asking for government assistance!

[Ray Bell]

Asking? Expecting would be a more appropriate term... as he carried on about at Bathurst last year!

There is no real appeal, as mentioned, outside Aust/NZ. The cars are restricted in sale principally to these countries. And what do they have to offer in terms of spectacle that a local race in any other country couldn't come reasonably close to providing?

New Zealand is stretching the friendship, really, with the costs that must be involved.

But AVESCO don't care which friendships they stretch...

[Crash Test]

I'll pick this up before anyone else does- but a fair few countries around the world sell Falcons and Commodores (apparently). Will this mean that V8s will work in these countries? All I can say is that they sell Audi's and BMW's in Australia, and that didn't really help their cause in Super Touring...

[Ray Bell]

No, and the other countries selling Commodores and Falcons would sell them in similar numbers (or smaller) than the Audis and BMWs sell in Australia...

Is that my point?

[Crash Test]

No, it wasn't you point, just adding to why they shouldn't go overseas.

[philneast]

In the middle east they sell a very nice right hand drive Chevrolet Lumina with all the sporty options. We know them here as Holden Commodores.

I fhtey took the series overseas maybe they would sell more cars. After all ther racing is supposed to promote the road cars, not the other way round.

[elephino]

Ah, a nail has been hit on the head. It is sold as a Chevy overseas, not a Holden Commodore and therefore branding problems come into it as well.

The Commodore is sold in South America and the middle east in any barely significant numbers by world standards plus a few countries in Asia.

P.S. Seems Holden had a few extra badges when they came out with the Lumina special edition.

[kmchow]

elephino wrote:

>Ah, a nail has been hit on the head. It is sold as a Chevy overseas, >not a Holden Commodore and therefore branding problems come into it >as well.
>
But then, perhaps, the car model, instead of the brand, should be promoted? "Watch the Vectra in action" instead of the Opel/Holden/Vauxhall/Chevrolet Vectra? OTOH, in the Commodore's case, they are using even different model names???

In this regard, ST was definitely a better series and could have had more appeal had more manufacturers participated and sponsored teams in every major country!!!