ChampCar at home in Europe

[jonovision_man]

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/58838


Champ Car World Series president Steve Johnson has hailed the championship's foray to Europe as a 'coming home'.

Addressing the European motorsport media in London at the start of a four-day promotional tour, Johnson declared: "I didn't think we were a world series when I took up this position in 2005. With the addition of Europe and China in 2007, I believe we are.

"It's good to be here interacting with the most knowledgeable open-wheel media in the world. I think it's fair to say that Champ Car has come home, in a lot of ways, because this series has a lot of European drivers and in terms of victories over the last few years, it has been dominated by European drivers."

Bart Rietbergen, promoter of the races at Zolder (26 August) and Assen (02 September) declared there was "tremendous excitement in Holland that Champ Car is coming.


Dominated by a European driver... Bourdais. But before that it was mostly Brazilians and PT. :)

Will be really interesting to see if the promoter's being accurate, would love to see big crowds for these races.

jono

[rabbit]

Hmm, I always thought of the Midwest as the "home" of Champ Car racing. But what do I know?

[jonovision_man]

Hmm, I always thought of the Midwest as the "home" of Champ Car racing. But what do I know?

Midwest Europe? :)

He was probably just excited, getting to ride in a big shiny airplane and all. ;)

jono

[dando]

Hmm, I always thought of the Midwest as the "home" of Champ Car racing. But what do I know?

Maybe he means Europe is a :gomer: free zone? ;)

-Kevin

[Indy]

You think this is a shot across Bernie's bow? Screw with China and we will go for your fans?

I hope so. But my question is, how can you have time for this kind of thing when you don't even have a TV deal in Australia yet?

[KLang]

European promoter is suggesting Champ Car may make a second trip to Europe in May of 2008. Link (http://www.crash.net/news_View~cid~3~id~148021.htm)

Perhaps this is why they left May open this year?

[jonovision_man]

There are some very interesting news bits coming out in this European swing...! Certainly we're seeing a big departure from the Pacific Rim strategy...

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/58859


Speaking on the second day of Champ Car's media tour, today in Amsterdam, Rietbergen stated that Champ Car Europe has an agreement with Champ Car USA through to 2011. He said: "That means we can race anywhere. So for example, next year we could race in say, France and Germany. I don't see that happening, but that is the deal.

"I look around and I see the enthusiasm from the Dutch media, and I am confident that our Assen race will be a success."


Champ Car Europe?? I haven't heard that term before, it's almost like they've got a franchise agreement rather than just a promoter deal. Especially if they negotiate a second European 2-race swing in May as KLang's post suggests.

This seems like a bigger (and probably better!) deal than the European get-aways in the past... time to get to know our friend Rietbergen, he sounds like he's going to be a permanently important person for the series...

jono

[Easy]

Bart Rietbergen, promoter of the races at Zolder (26 August) and Assen (02 September) declared there was "tremendous excitement in Holland that Champ Car is coming.

There are only two things I hate in this world. People who are intolerant of other people's cultures and the Dutch.

[opinionated ow]

biting off more than they can chew I fear. again. the teams can't afford to race at tracks they can drive too, how the heck are they supposed to be able to afford to race in Europe? and I honestly do not see how the fans are going to turn up in their droves. This is Formula 1 country. Even local drivers won't work. The Euro ovals thing got big crowds because it was so different, a bit of the American style racing in their backyard. They have plenty of road racing series in Europe, another foreign one isn't going to work.

[Andrew Longman]

biting off more than they can chew I fear. again. the teams can't afford to race at tracks they can drive too, how the heck are they supposed to be able to afford to race in Europe? and I honestly do not see how the fans are going to turn up in their droves. This is Formula 1 country. Even local drivers won't work. The Euro ovals thing got big crowds because it was so different, a bit of the American style racing in their backyard. They have plenty of road racing series in Europe, another foreign one isn't going to work.

IIRC Brands Hatch has a good turnout. And so long as the promoter is paying the freight, teams can afford to travel. Consider too that a Euro tour opens CC to the Euro supply of open wheel drivers and sponsors. Got to follow the money.

[FTG]

long as the promoter is paying the freight, teams can afford to travel.

I know everyone here is smarter than KK, but I really think he's capable of figuring out that the promoter has got to pay the freight.

[opinionated ow]

IIRC Brands Hatch has a good turnout. And so long as the promoter is paying the freight, teams can afford to travel. Consider too that a Euro tour opens CC to the Euro supply of open wheel drivers and sponsors. Got to follow the money.
no it doesn't. two races does not a series save. we already have more europeans than I care to count in this series. In fact i think about 2/3 of them are european. they aren't making the series rich with sponsors, and by racing in countries that none of them are from for two races is not going to do anything at all. champ car needs to remember that it is not formula 1, it is not even close. It is a national championship, that is all. And until they get it through their skulls and realise that TV ratings are the most important thing in the immediate future of the series, they are not going to get anywhere. this Europe trip is a pointless junket, as is china (if it happens), even Australia really is (why bother to race in front of a crowd that isn't there for you?). Having 8 races in the USA, none in the midwest, east or south, and 8 overseas is not going to advance their product. You can't expect to build a fanbase when there are not ways for the American public to access the sport. Events do not even need to be street circuits to get people, they can be anywhere and there has to be months of publicity to get the people to the track.

incoherent rant over for now. i am tired physically and tired of the idiotic club racing style leadership championship racing has taken on.

[Andrew Longman]

My sympathies opinionated. And I empathize.

But TV ratings aren't going to happen overnight. The CC business model can't really rely on them to draw sponsors at this point. Sponsor interest can only really come from the events themselves and the B2B and marketing opportunities they create. If running races in Europe helps draw drivers, sponsors and fans of those drivers, then that what they need to do.

CC is not CART and it doesn't have the 500 and whatever is left of midwestern open wheel interest to rely on. They've got to build it from something else ("the NA interpretation of formula racing" says KK) and the process is not pretty.

BTW Cleveland and RA are in the midwest. And the IRL schedule is all over the midwest and almost no where else.

[jonovision_man]

IIRC Brands Hatch has a good turnout. And so long as the promoter is paying the freight, teams can afford to travel. Consider too that a Euro tour opens CC to the Euro supply of open wheel drivers and sponsors. Got to follow the money.

I agree.

If they can find promoters who are willing to pay to bring them in and pay a sanctioning fee, that's fantastic, can't ask for more. Dump the self-promotes that aren't making money and replace them with winners.

And like you said, racing in Europe opens the door to more sponsors, and that's a good thing.

I wouldn't want them to lose the American character of the series, but I really believe CCWS is still mired in red ink and this is trying to save the series from going away forever...

jono

[Duroc]

US Dollar has fallen around 25% against the Euro since May 2003. Would this make the costs more attractive to European promoters?