More from Gentilozzi...

[macdaddy]

A good read here...
http://www.speedtv.com/articles/auto/champcar/8306/

"We need to bring other things. We’re not done yet. We’re not done filling our afternoon. There’s going to be more activities that we’re in the throes of negotiating. I can’t tell you what, but there are going to be some import-related things that are going to fill the schedule and bring in a whole different crowd of people. If you read the Wall Street Journal last week there was a lot of stories about that market and what those cars are doing. So we’re looking at another professional kind of series that will fit at the end of our day.

We’ve got great windows of time. At 5 o’clock it gets dark, so what happens at 5:30 if we roll in 100 cars and have a car show? People will pay $25 to go to car shows almost everywhere. So for $25 we give them general admission tickets (to the race). And maybe only 20 percent come back and see the race but... we’re making fans. Which is the root of all of this."


About which current teams are returning in 2004...

"All of ‘em. There’s a couple that have sponsorship issues, but we’ve met with everybody . . . everybody in the series now wants to come back."


More...

"For a long time, the most important person in a Champ Car race was a team owner and then the driver and then the fan. That order has to invert."


And on his discussions with Tony George...

"He didn’t take notes."


More good news...

"Carl Russo is going to bring Allmendinger, and that’s going to be awesome, because the kid can drive. Bobby thinks Fogarty is a great kid and he’d love to have a spot for him. Danica Patrick is going to get a Champ Car test next year and she is coming back to Atlantic."

[gttouring]

sounds good- every race weekend should be an event crowned by our Champcars racing. a Car show and "paced" laps for car show entrants to see the track and feel it would be great and gathering fans and what have you.

[macdaddy]

I find it odd that GF and KK are keeping mum to the press.

[Emfa]

Maybe Big Paul got elected (elected himself?!?) as spokesman?

He's really playing up the "package deal" entertainment aspect.

[macdaddy]

The Detroit GP would still be alive today if they surrounded it with carshows, concerts, and whatever else they may have up their sleeves. Just a case-in-point, as I really like this business model that they're taking. It's obvious that something had to be done, and I can think of nothing better.

[dirtfan]

"People will pay $25 to go to car shows almost everywhere. So for $25 we give them general admission tickets (to the race)."
I don't know what planet Gentilozzi is on, but here in SoCal, promotors always want participants to fork over 25 bucks to show their cars, and let the eyeballers in for free. It's a good idea, though, but I'd think they'd need to be more like the LA Roadsters or GoodGuys and have 500 or so show cars. And maybe the Bud Girls, too.

[macdaddy]

Judging from the fact that Elton John performed their first concert, I would think that any car shows that they may have planned would be rather large in scale.

[KC]

Ford may be able to help in the car show aspect. The Mid-America Shelby Club that meets in Tulsa for a track day at Hallet Motor Racing Circuit and the next day at Tulsa International Speedway for drags bring more than 150 cars every year and they are the only show at that time. Ford always brings a couple of truck loads of promotionals and other stuff. It would seem natural for CART to hook up with the huge Ford/Shelby clubs all over the states and invite them to display their stuff at the races.

Another way to get younger fans is to do the same for the import tuner and domestic tuner crowd out in force. Let them show off their latest riced out Civic or anodized Focus and bring them into the racing fold. Allow them to do a parade lap before the races. They would become instant fans. Do the same thing with the bike crowd. Harley owners have grown outisde the old Hell's Angels stereotype and they are generally motorheads and love to have their customized bikes looked at.

[The Snout]

Is this guy a breath of fresh air or what ? I like his ideas for attracting fans and his value added approach.

[Liz]

I think he must have been listening to Don Panoz. "FOR THE FANS" is most important three word phrase (next to "keep the change") that I know in planning a spectator driven event. Contrary to what Formula One used to think, if nobody wants to (or is able to) view your event and all you have to sell is eyeballs, you will very soon be bankrupt.

My grandson and I attend the big international car show every February and it costs way more than $25.00 each. It's worth it to both of us. Put a car show at the Molson Indy and you couldn't get him to go home!

[muggle not]

I think it is great that Paul is doing some talking, whether he was the elected spokesman or not he is generating interest again. Obviously, he has fresh ideas and like he says, if they fail they will go down swinging. Kudos to P.G. for being willing to put his money on the line in doing something that he loves.

[The Snout]

Good point was made elsewhere that if CART is going to go after the import crowd and have some after 5pm night festivities for these guys, well, they are Toyota/Honda markets. If CART is feeding and servicing them that may make T & H rethink their involvement, or lack of it. Just an observation.

[Liz]

True. And if they can get the Speed World Challenge to run with CART, that would certainly get more of the Tuner crowd to come out as well.

[Brian W Keske]

Originally posted by The Snout
Good point was made elsewhere that if CART is going to go after the import crowd and have some after 5pm night festivities for these guys,

Why do I think he is talking about that 'craze' that has guy's go out on the track and provide exposition controled power slides all over the place with 1,000 HP. I'm not sure what it is called, but I do believe they run over in Europe somewhere, with somebody.

Heck, I have an idea, why not fix the racing and the series first? This other stuff will follow. Concerts, carnivals, car shows, how bout they get cheerleaders for each team; that would bring them in! .....yadda yadda yadda....how bout some racing?

Does anyone else get the feeling we are listening to a reincartated Chris Pook on lots of caffine?

Maybe it's just me.....

(backing towards the ALMS message board)

[The Snout]

Originally posted by Brian W Keske
Why do I think he is talking about that 'craze' that has guy's go out on the track and provide exposition controled power slides all over the place with 1,000 HP. I'm not sure what it is called, but I do believe they run over in Europe somewhere, with somebody.

Heck, I have an idea, why not fix the racing and the series first? This other stuff will follow. Concerts, carnivals, car shows,.....yadda yadda yadda....how bout some racing?

Does anyone else get the feeling we are listening to a reincartated Chris Pook on lots of caffine?

Maybe it's just me.....

(backing towards the ALMS message board)

They aren't my crowd but they are part of the community as well and if CART/OWRS wants to have them involved in the events then I don't see any harm.

[Brian W Keske]

I dunno, give me free time to wander through the paddock watching mechanics working on cars, or look for race souvies along the midway, or just sit on a hill and read my racing program and chat to other fans. Or just relax between practice, qualifying, and races.

I guess my entertainment does not have to be high-octane 'fluff'. I usually go to races for races.

Or maybe I'm just an 'old fart'.

I'm real close to not caring one iodta anymore. Because the future does not look to bright. Thank god for the ALMS.

[brightline]

Originally posted by The Snout
They aren't my crowd but they are part of the community as well and if CART/OWRS wants to have them involved in the events then I don't see any harm.

I totally agree. CART has not really experienced growth in its established communities recently with level or slightly declining attendance. CART needs a swift kick in the a** and PG has his foot ready and in position.

A lot of people in this forum claim with motorock that racing will be sacrificed for "the show" while I totally disagree. The concerts, the car shows, the festivities are ways of getting butts in the seats without sacrificing the on track product. So what if not everyone comes for the race the first year, everyone knows if they watch they'll be hooked, it's just a matter of getting people in the door.

Instead CART could always put coffee table rear wings on the cars and throw yellows for debris to improve "the show"!!!!!

[Brian W Keske]

I don't agree. What got everybody to the races in the old days from 1982-96/7?

Those are the people that have left. Why?

Perhaps the problem lies at the feet of CART for it's quality of racing, and the constant politics with the IRL. Folks either got sick of it, or bored with the racing, or both.

[brightline]

Originally posted by Brian W Keske
I don't agree. What got everybody to the races in the old days from 1982-96/7?

1. No cable/digital cable tv
2. No high speed internet
3. Network TV contracts with lots of local blackouts
4. People still thought NASCAR was for "rednecks" and "good 'ol boys"
5. Open wheel never nurtured a new generation of fans...other sports like football, baseball, basketball, soccer, hockey, etc. did

[Brian W Keske]

Good points.

So now it will be a revolving door of new fans? Kinda like the x-games? I just don't buy it.

When you get to old for the party, you may just want to leave, and hopefully the next new younger generation will take over.

[Brian W Keske]

And reagrding a younger fan base. I bet most 'hardcore' CART fans are indeed younger today than they were back in the 80/90's.

It's the older fans we seem to be constantly losing.

[brightline]

it's not about being too old for the party...
the party is a bonus, you don't have to stay up late to have a good time. I guess what I'm trying to say is that the uncompromised racing will always be there, the rest is just a bonus! If you feel like going home a 5pm after qualifying it's cool, cars will still be out at 8am. Now there's a lot more to do in between. It's win-win.

[Brian W Keske]

The racing already has been compromised IMO. I think that is the reason most my old race buddies left the series to begin with.

[brightline]

I'll agree with you to a point, I was talking about post-penske, post-andretti/green, and especially post-ganassi. They all did so much to boost the sport but also so much to hurt it in the past couple years. I guess I've tried to view CART as more of a clean slate this year. By the way I see you live in Cleveland...I grew up in Euclid, OH.
Lots of fun at Burke and Mid-Ohio.

[Brian W Keske]

I've turned to IMSA/ALMS for my clean slate. It gives me everything I gripe about CART not having anymore

Yep, Cleveland is a great area for racing...Burke, Nelson Ledges, Mid-Ohio, and BeaveRun is only about an hour and a half away. Most my family was from the east side; Mayfield, Euclid, Chesterland, etc. They don't understand how my wife and I ended up on the west side..she is from Newbury.

Spent many nights in my youth at Euclid Beach. They even had 'racing' rollercoasters there at one time PG would have loved that I'm sure.