Getting people to the races...what I did

[Triple R]

Getting people to come and watch our racing, is damn hard.

For the Britten event, the budget was well over 250K.

Advertising just in Christchurch was over 50K spent.

There was a marquee for Trade and product display.

Marquee for Better food and coffee. Subway was there for the event, which was a first.
There was also still the normal quick food.

A good sized area was set aside for Kids; bouncie castles, clowns, kids trains, small 4 wheelers, face painting......etc etc.

Largest prize money ever.

Good TV. (Large Screens cost too much to have then........maybe still do).

Pit girls.......

A heap more toilets, especially for women.

Corporate area for sponsors........with top of the line food etc.

An area to leave helmets etc.

Over the weekend, there was approximately 6000+ spectators, plus kids.
Kids were free, youths up to 16 half price. Special deals for families etc.


Tried to get the Aussie riders, but it was hard to work with the then promoter of their series, to make it all happen.
Timing of when events are put on also needs to be taken into account. There are so many things for families to be entertained with these days.

The only real way to get people back in to watch our racing, is to have something combined in with the Aussie series, at somewhere like Hampton Downs.
Which is something I am working with to see if it can happen.
Us verses them...........but even that would take time to build.

World Superbikes.........now this would be the best way to bring exposure to the sport.
Also, by having riders racing overseas, espically successfully in the UK/Europe and the US.
My big dream (and it is really rather a big dream........!!!!.......), is to one day, have the support, to take my team into the World Superbikes; To have my team running as a Kiwi Team (with possibly an Aussie or 2...lol...), there by giving young Kiwi riders a potential place to get into International racing and getting us back onto the World stage..........like we have been before.

And still are with MX............just need this for Road racing too.

:-)

[CHOPPA]

I heard great things about the Britten event! It was way before i was racing but my olds and all there friends travelled down from Tauranga to watch

[steveyb]

Also, by having riders racing overseas, espically successfully in the UK/Europe and the US.
My big dream (and it is really rather a big dream........!!!!.......), is to one day, have the support, to take my team into the World Superbikes; To have my team running as a Kiwi Team (with possibly an Aussie or 2...lol...), there by giving young Kiwi riders a potential place to get into International racing and getting us back onto the World stage..........like we have been before.

And still are with MX............just need this for Road racing too.

:-)

This is also the longer term goal of Moto Academy NZ, but at the youth end.
To develop a team that we can take to MotoGP125 (or whatever class it is by then, maybe electric scooters given how long it might take).
There are a few teams in there right now that are effectively national-type feeder teams.
Money, money, money..... oh, and time to develop the management and marketing skills.
We are on our way there with the Moto Academy NZ/Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup tie-up. Keep an eye out in BRM and here for an announcement of the selected rider for 2009.

But as for all the other things Pete said about attracting spectators, he is absolutely correct. There needs to be attractions that will attract kids and mum along with Dad. It all boils down to understanding, and deciding for that matter, that the competitors and the event are there not only for themselves, but for the spectators also.

Hence my bleat somewhere else about tidying up bikes, crews, riders and pit spaces. Just look at the Hamilton 400 to see what can be done. We are not at that level, but it only takes a bit of effort to emulate just a small part of that.

Steve

[t3mp0r4ry nzr]

Motorcyce racing (road) has massive potential to attract big crowds. The hamilton 400 was plain boring. Little passing and in fact the racing was done and dusted in qualification. The racing was just a waste of fuel and tyres. Taxi racing is just plain boring! Rant over

However, look at the crowd turn out and the professional course layout. Imagine having a budget comparable to this event and the accessibility of street racing to the joe public. Im sure the public would cream themselves with excitement.

As mentioned, it is a long road and needs to be managed by private interested to ensure all amenities are provided. It is not enough to simply put up the signs and expect people to come. This aint the 70's/80's/90's, events need to be effectively marketed and the events need to be dynamic. Large financial backing is needed to attract private management but this isnt gonna happen overnight. Riding off the back of world superbikes and/or aussie events may well be the way forward.

I like Red's thinking. Oz has more money in their sport and more opportunities for our riders. If we can get their "money" and professionalism over here for an event or two, just like the v8 super-cars, this will greatly increase the exposure of our sport. Maybe a change of thinking and focus is needed to progress the sport. OZ is only a 3hour flight away so maybe start thinking of partnering with oz rather than push shit up hill with a pointy stick here??

I think alot can be learned from looking at car racing

[Patch]

Motorcyce racing (road) has massive potential to attract big crowds. The hamilton 400 . . .

. . . . this will greatly increase the exposure of our sport. Maybe a change of thinking and focus is needed to progress the sport.

perhaps one should start thinking about going to where the crowd already is - rather than trying to attract it.

Tag an extra day/couple hours into the existing format of the race. One certain way of promoting the sport. Could have a hot lap shoot-out between a V8/Porsche and SBK.

Probably a logistical nightmare etc etc but one can only wonder/ask/suggest/hope

[vifferman]

Getting people to come and watch our racing, is damn hard.

For the Britten event, the budget was well over 250K.

By "the Britten event", are you talking about the NZ GP at Ruapuna in '95 or '96, where there were three (3!) Brittens racing?
If so, that was fantastic!

[k14]

By "the Britten event", are you talking about the NZ GP at Ruapuna in '95 or '96, where there were three (3!) Brittens racing?
If so, that was fantastic!

No he is talking about the John Britten memorial races held in 2002?? (or was it 03?).

[t3mp0r4ry nzr]

perhaps one should start thinking about going to where the crowd already is - rather than trying to attract it.

Tag an extra day/couple hours into the existing format of the race. One certain way of promoting the sport. Could have a hot lap shoot-out between a V8/Porsche and SBK.

Probably a logistical nightmare etc etc but one can only wonder/ask/suggest/hope

thats a quote taken out of context, but, the largest crowds for road racing are at Paeroa and Wanganui street races. They are not at the circuits..

[Kiwi Graham:Me]

The only real way to get people back in to watch our racing, is to have something combined in with the Aussie series, at somewhere like Hampton Downs.
Which is something I am working with to see if it can happen.
Us verses them...........but even that would take time to build.

I'm with you on this, we need to highten the profile of bike racing, bringing a series to say Hampton Downs will go along way to doing that......Bigger money, TV coverage etc.

This format has worked for the V8's and they only got to race round Puke (no offence Puke) until last year!

[soundbeltfarm]

could they have a race at the hamilton 400 or is it a safety issue with no bales and stuff?
i reckon the crowd would love something like that.
we were in the hinemoa stand and heaps of people were saying for 180 bucks they wanted better entertainment than harleys riding around and drag cars you had to watch on tv screen and the birds doing a bit of a dance.
if that was possible to race do you think that would get it out there?
i spoke to a few people and it was their first time to any motorsport.

[BM-GS]

My perception of the problem is the opposite: I want to watch the racing (so do my boys, and mum will come along too) but no bugger ever tells us where/when it is up here! Where is easy for road-racing; it's Pukekohe, but trying to find a date to PLAN what the family gets to do is impossible. That Yank Kevin Somethingorother was here racing in Feb and I couldn't find a damned date until about the week before. FFS, no wonder you can't get people there!!

We could have gone out on the dirt bikes, to yet another flippin' 4th birthday party, gone to the beach, bicycled somewhere for icecream or lunch, but it was only because I'd heard about the race and badly wanted to go that I dug and dug and finally found the date.

Birchy (top enduro-bod, if ya don't know) is organising the City Scramble at Britomart on May 31st. He's put ads in the mags, on here, all over (OK, the dates have moved a fair bit, but the thought was there) and I'm not about to miss that.

I plan to keep an eye on what happens at Hampton Downs, but people need to know before the preceding Saturday paper, especially if we're going to get the next generation of racers/supporters along.

Good luck to all those who keep these events running, for all of us.

[scrivy]

Is there a website that will e-mail members with race dates etc???
Clubs could add their details to the database and each week refreshed info could be sent to members.
Or is this currently being done?

[twistemotion]

...but no bugger ever tells us where/when it is up here! ...

Is there a website that will e-mail members with race dates etc???
Clubs could add their details to the database and each week refreshed info could be sent to members.
Or is this currently being done?

Exactly. I've been looking for websites with NZ bike road racing info, but am dissapointed with them being out of date or very hard to use / poorly laid out. If the info is hard to find, people won't show up, that's just the way it is nowadays. They want the info quick and easy to get to - i.e. "let me Google that for you". Pay someone professional to design a proper website with e-mail reminders etc., keep it up to date and it will pay for itself in no time.

[HDTboy]

Doesn't MNZ's website have an up to date calendar? I thought that was part of their job?

[twistemotion]

Doesn't MNZ's website have an up to date calendar? I thought that was part of their job?

Yes, but do a NZ google search for "motorcycle racing". MNZ's website doesn't even come up within the first 6 pages. The first entry that comes up is http://www.motorcyclesport.co.nz. On this site you can't see quickly what's on where, and you don't always know if something is a link because the mouse pointer doesn't change when hovering over a link - sorry, but the site's not user friendly at all. The page layout is also bad, for instance there's no paragraph breaks in the reports, they're hard to read.

MNZ should get a web hosting/design company to do search engine optimsation for them. This is to get your website in the first few hits when a search is done for specific keywords. Also, how about running a few online ads for upcoming events on sites like Trademe, Metservice or some radio station websites? To make money you have to spend money (not saying it's not being done, just that one has to keep that in mind, and focus the funds in the right areas).

Some people might think the abovementioned stuff like the layout of a website or search engine hits is not important, but we're trying to attract the general public as well, and have to play by their rules to get a piece of the expendable income pie.