Could drivers be paid

[OLD DOG]

Could it be possible for you drivers to get prize money from some organisation or may be goverment funding towards your teams?

[OLD DOG]

I forgot to say at club level not national.

[kartingdad]

Dream on. Why would they want to do that? We live in England, not Sweden, Finland, Japan etc. And even if you got funding the taxman would take it all back off you on the basis that you were deriving enjoyment from th expenditure.

P.s.

Watched a bit of the Bush address to the USA. The cheeky git actaully said that he had GIVEN $XXXMILLION back to the American people in the form of less taxes!

Ar$e. What he meant to say was "I've taxed you less (directly) so I can stay in office.

What he really said was," I'm getting you suckers someplace else."

e.g speeding 'surcharges' etc. etc.

Rant over.

Sorry folks, but politicians really get my vote. LOL

[blue nose]

Old dog you can sponsor me if you like just pm me!!

[danieljboys]

I would've said it could be possible if the championships and circuits were marketed a bit more? It could be possible if there was enough people through the gate. Tracks in the USA that run lower-level series outside of NASCAR and World Of Outlaws can do it so why can't we?

As an additional pointer - what ever happened to that Challenge Series that was announced last year? One of the marketing points was that drivers actually got paid to take part in the series.

[OLD DOG]

I have heared it could not take place at this time it is a shame.
Sponsorship there is a thought. How much would a season cost for a Formula Ford at club level?
I have been watching at Oulton Park for many years now and do enjoy watching you guys battle away.
Bluenose ............You have my message.
We look forward to this year.

[blue nose]

Thanks just e mail or pm.

[racingdad]

Way back in the 60's drivers in F3 & F2 could live on start money and prize money -its how Frank Williams and a whole host of other young brits survived - traipsing around europe with an old estate car and a trailer... what went wronG

[StephenRae]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by danieljboys
[B]I would've said it could be possible if the championships and circuits were marketed a bit more? It could be possible if there was enough people through the gate. Tracks in the USA that run lower-level series outside of NASCAR and World Of Outlaws can do it so why can't we?

If there were ever enough spectators through the gate, do you think there is any chance of the cash filtering down, through the circuit owners and the organising club to the competitors....... I don't think so!

[Bob Pearson]

Stephen,
You've hit the nail on the head. The difference between the 60's and now is that there is an army of people who have inserted themselves between the racer and the track, all stood with their hand out.

[StephenRae]

I've been reading on other threads about the possibilities of various 'find a driver' schemes and TV programmes being 'fixed' and generally questioning the organisers' motives. They are surprised, by the idea that they, and those who have a vested interest in motor sport in general, are doing it to line their own pockets.
We, the drivers are a product and we are probably unique in being the only 'product' who have to pay for the privelidge.

[kickstart]

Racing is far from unique in that it costs 99% of the drivers a lot of money to compete. Try and speak to the horse riding crowd and you will hear a similar story. I compete because i enjoy it and I know that my hobby will cost money as nearly all hobbies do. I have a friend who is seriously into Golf and reckons that it costs him £10k per year including green fees at the big courses and memberships.
I think that the only club/national championship where properly marketed you could draw in a decent crowd that would allow start money and proper prize money would be FF. And that is because the racing is damned exciting.

[HiRich]

It's fairly simple:
A typical race meeting apparently costs around £25k to stage - both the circuit owners and the clubs have to run profitable businesses (unless you want Octagon back).
That's the expenditure, so where does the income come from? Answer: almost all of it comes from the competitor entry fees, paying for the privilege of racing.
To reduce race entry fees (or god forbid, allow racers to be paid), you have to have another income stream:
- Spectators? Well they need to be told that there is racing on, and that it's a good day out.
Sponsors? Well they need an audience, since sponsorship is marketing, and that means it has to make business sense.

Any event can be properly marketed (to quote kickstart), cost-effectively. Basically, every extra paying spectator through the gate is straight profit. The income from an achievable crowd dwarfs the cost of staging the meeting. The key appears to be some top-notch marketing thinking (of the sort you'd expect from the top high street brands), and some joined-up thinking. I'm quietly working on just such a proposal right now, based on a very low level club meeting, and the numbers are very positive - the business case is very strong indeed.
I don't want to preach too much (in case we don't pull it off) - but by heck I will be if we do.

[racingdad]

Sounds like Rockingham

[StephenRae]

HiRich... How are you going to get around the fact that the gate money goes to the circuit owner, giving the organising club no incentive to promote the meeting. They just increase their charges and the club increases entry fees.

Good luck.

[kartingdad]

most race circuits derive a lot of their income from track days, race schools,corporate days etc. If nobody races at the circuits 'cos of high entry fees/costs etc, then the circuits would not be able to market 'their' side of things so effectively. No racing = not a race track. The money they make from racing , say max, 30 days per year is small compared to the money they attract for the other 320.

They are taking the mickey - £200 for a test day and £50 for a garage. They should be working closely with, say, the BRSCC as partners in the best sense of the word, to get spectators through the gates on raceday. The more punters there mean higher profits.

If the BRSCC were to get 'commission' on the gate money, then that could easily, (and morally!!!) be reflected in start money, lower entry fees etc.

More competitors = better racing = more spectators = better media coverage and public awareness = more marketable for driver/team sponsorship = more competitors and so on. It can't be that hard.

Unfortunately, I feel it would just engender more blazers and toys for the officials.

[OLD DOG]

Could you guys let me know how much it would cost to sponsor a driver for a season. ie race entries,tyres fuel ,and testing.
It would be an experiance to get involved and get to know you guys.

[Mackmot]

How much money do you want to spend. You can do alsorts. If you wanted to do just NWFF most drivers would be glad of any help you can offer. If you have a lot of money to spend you could put up a prize fund for the championship, thereby sponsoring everybody. Or you could invest in a young talented driver and help him/her as far as you can up the ladder.

[GolddustMini]

sadly all the gate money i assume goes into come big persons pocket somewhere, i assume very very little of it actually goes back into maintaining the circuit, some of it does filter down and those new garages assembly area etc is a definite improvement (when i started going to OP, they still ahd the mingin toilet walls and the scrutineering used to be in the middle of the paddock) i was only about 12 at the time, somehow motorspot had passed me by up until then, after the first visit in 96or97 me and dad used to go almost every week (FF used to the be best races obviously, well apart from the xr3i chalenge of course (don your baseball cap backwards, hurl the CVh engined heap of poo into the corner at stupid speed and hope to f**k someone else is the way to stop u leaving the track...)

im ranting!


on another side note, the hospitality centre,... anyone been in, i went in there once, they wouldnt let me eat anything, grrrr





to think that the greedy person with the full pockets would take some out to maintain the circuit probably takes some prying (or poking with a large electric power bovine shocking device) to get cash out of them, to think he'd take his hand out to give money to the competitors is shear stupidity, although it would be nice i guess club racing will always be an expensive affair with for the vast majority nothing in the way of financial gain (apart from a few extr 000's on the overdraft figure!)

[OLD DOG]

Thanks to all the guys who have sent me the information .
It seems to vary from person to person so we shall take the middle line.
We are going to help out a driver this year,For me April can not come soon enough.

[Mackmot]

Old dog as I suggested above, why not sponsor the championship, you will get your logo on every car and you will benefit every driver.

[Russfeld]

Oh man, I hate those. Series sponsors take up way more space, and in more valuable areas, than represents the money they put into the championship. And they often do so on exclusivity terms, reducing your prospective sponsorships.

That applys to really top line pro-series as well.

[blue nose]

Series sponsors ruin the graphics on your car so stay clear I say?

[Russfeld]

Well that too, but that can be fixed with a good art guy.

[blue nose]

What do series sponsors do ,How does it help us ?
It only works for SOM