Racer or Promoter?

I received an email today, asking for input on the possibility of a new flat track race series for my local area. The email asked the usual questions that have become all too familiar.

Would you race a 6 event series...?
At a major local track...?
Hosted by a big time promoter...?
On a Friday night...?
What's the earliest time you could arrive...?
How much are you willing to pay...?

Before I go into a local conversation, I'd like to publish my two cents on the responsibility of track support. Let's go big time first. Do you suppose, Bruton Smith contacts the Nascar drivers before he builds or buys a track and asks them if they would come to his track? Do you think Bruton asks the drivers if they'd be willing to pay a gate fee as well as an entry fee to race at his track. Do you think Bruton would charge everyone with the team coming in through the pit gate, the same gate fee as he charged the driver?

Okay, maybe that's far-fetched but I imagine Bruton Smith takes his job as track owner seriously. He takes a business approach and understands without racers he would not have spectators. His obstacle is getting spectators in the front gate not racers in the back gate. Bruton hires track managers to act as promoters and expects them to get the AIS (asses in the seats).

Now, who do you suppose is paying more for the privilege to walk in the gate? If you haven't purchased a Nascar ticket lately, it ain't cheap and it ain't hard to sell an extra if you've got one or four. The track manager is the one sweating bullet's hoping for a sellout crowd every event. In case it's not a sellout, he's also hoping for good concessions that will make up for any gap. He's going to sell programs, shirts, caps, jackets and 'frigerator magnets. He takes a business approach and understands without spectators he would not have the income to pay the utility bills, entertainment tab, trophy maker and winners purse.

Maybe that's just not a fair comparison. So on the local scene, let's look at the questions being asked every time the chance for us to race at a new venue pops up. Before the track will commit, they use email and forums to ask racers if they will come and if they will pay the fees required to cover track expenses. Wouldn't it be weird, if they asked the public (race fans that might fill the seats at the same track for a car event) if they would come out on another night and watch another form of professional racing. If the answer is yes, take the gamble, roll the dice, cook the corndogs!

Get on the radio, get in the paper, set up a display at some of the local business spots and increase the level of interest. Create a relationship with the racers and the racers will work for the promoter. Let me in free on a Saturday night and I'd be glad to display my race vehicles and talk to the spectators, handing out flyers and freebies.

I'm going to speak directly about quad racers now. My experience is there is no guarantee that a certain number of entrants will show up at the gate weekend after weekend. It is the weirdest thing. A quad racer could be fifteen minutes from trailer to track and if they don't feel like getting off the couch, they won't show up. But they will complain on the weekend there is no where to ride. Is it the gate fee that keeps them away? Is the entry fee? Is it the day or the time? It's all of it and it's unpredictable.

So I would propose to any track owner to not only consider getting a track promoter (someone to get the word out at the least) but I would suggest to the track promoter, to increase the interest by going to the sources. Encourage the bike shops to have displays on the busy days. It's to their benefit. Bring in a new racer and that racer has to buy something to race. Bring in the family and the racers spouse is going to be encouraged to spend Xmas money at the business. Get the dealer to bring his "big rig" to the track and he saves an advertising dollar by supporting what he sells. Wouldn't that be weird?

Track Owner/Promoter...If you don't want to go the extra mile and work for your tracks lifeblood, charge a yearly fee and turn it into a country club because that's what you've got. A place where the golf carts are charged and ready to run but you can leave the sprinklers spitting on the back 9 because half of the expected players have stayed home this weekend. Do some promotion as many weeks ahead of time as possible.

Team Owner/Racer...If you don't want to support your local track by working harder to help get AIS, expect to pay the tab. If you don't pay the tab, expect the local track to be closed for your enjoyment. And if the track is not self sufficient, don't expect the owner to empty his pockets to fill yours. Offer to run for a trophy if it's obvious the track needs a little help in the financial department. Make an investment that will payback next year. Don't show up and expect to be treated like a pro if you haven't made a personal appearance the week before. Do some promotion of your own.

Track Owner/Promoter, Team Owner/Racer...Treat each other with respect and as if you were on the same team, in the same boat, doing the thing you all enjoy the most and expect nothing more than a good time, safe time, then rinse and repeat. Everybody wins.

CHEERS!