Rate the 2020 Austrian GP

[PTRACER]

Bottom post of the previous page:

Oh American Indy Car Racing was always sponsored, for over a 100 years. Not sure how Grand Prix Racing operated without sponsorship.

America has always been really good with branding, plus it seems there was good sports coverage on American TV back in the day. In the 1960s, the UK only had 2/3 channels (of which only one featured any kind of commercials) and sport wasn't covered very well. I'm sure it also helped that the USA had large-capacity, family-friendly venues like Indianapolis, while motorsport in the UK meant getting muddy feet and standing around with a load of straw hats and tweed jackets. Perhaps mainland Europe was the same.

The point being advertising wasn't going to bring in that much profit compared to in the USA.

[Everso Biggyballies]

To be honest motor racing worldwide has always been sponsored in one way or another, be it wealthy car owners paying the entries and getting people to drive their cars or other more blatant forms of commercial sponsorship.... for instance as long ago as 1924, decades before Lotus cars were called John Player Specials, Raymond Mays sold himself and his Brescia Bugatti to G.H. Mumm, calling his car a Cordon Rouge, after their famous champagne. While his sponsors did not pay much towards running his race car, more supplying him with champagne and VIP entertainment for their clients in return for his advertising, they did allow him to be able to spend more money (ie his start money) on his racing, having no drinks / partying bill to cover!

By 1938 Fangio was getting sponsorship from an Argentinian hat manufacturer in races in his native country, and when he came to Europe he had sponsorship from an Argentinian shirt manufacturer. These sort of things did not pay for his racing, but they helped him to live as a racing driver, like Raymond Mays and his champagne.

Also by the same token tyres, petrol, oil, brakes, spark plugs and the like all provided free product in return for being able to say for instance, Castrol / BP/ Dunlop / Ferodo/ Champion wins at Le Mans or whatever. Covering a lot of the costs, transporter fuels etc. Indeed sometimes those companies would pay for a team to use driver X in cars they backed to increase their chance of winning. In the same way as a car manufacturer would pay a professional driver.

In essence the best drivers never actually owned their cars, although obviously some of the wealthier people did. In the same way as today where we have the Latifis and Strolls of this world. Those types, wealthy, who loved Motor Sport have been around for ever.

[erwin greven]

... I'm sure it also helped that the USA had large-capacity, family-friendly venues like Indianapolis, while motorsport in the UK meant getting muddy feet and standing around with a load of straw hats and tweed jackets. Perhaps mainland Europe was the same.

Think most circuits only had grandstands at the start finish straight. At Zandvoort you were lucky when you could sit on the dune sides, which acted as natural grandstands. Also the Nürburgring, Clermont Ferrand and Rouen had these 'features'. But it was hell when it was muddy after rain.

[jimclark]

plus it seems there was good sports coverage on American TV back in the day.

Don't believe it. At least about auto racing coverage in the U.S.; it sucked.
The only coverage we got was the occasional few minutes of highlights of major events on the Saturday afternoon ABC television show "Wide World of Sports". Live coverage of racing didn't really kick in until cable TV and ESPN.
My only source from the early sixties was short article coverage in auto magazines such as "Road & Track" or "Car & Driver". In '68 a slot car racing buddy turned me on to the weekly tabloid "Competition Press and Autoweek". I subscribed immediately and when it arrived the Wed. or Thurs. after the weekend, I'd read it cover to cover in the bath. Having discovered it, I was in heaven.....
As I said, ESPN and other cable stations added coverage (The Nashville Network and TBS to name a couple) and the "On Track" magazine (bi-weekly) was a good read.

[Ruslan]

Response to @jimclark

I used to subscribe the Road and Track, Autosport and On Track. But I gather there was a big difference in coverage of American Racing pre- and post-gas crisis 1973-1975. American racing and the love of power cars died in the gas crisis and the 55-MPh speed limits. Back in the 1960’s who won Indy was big news. Everyone knew who A.J. Foyt was, and Andretti and Unsers, etc. Everyone knew the Can-am cars, the Trans-am cars, etc. That all changed in the 1970s and by the end of the decade, open wheel racing was almost dead. It was never able to return to its former glory.

[PTRACER]

plus it seems there was good sports coverage on American TV back in the day.

Don't believe it. At least about auto racing coverage in the U.S.; it sucked.
The only coverage we got was the occasional few minutes of highlights of major events on the Saturday afternoon ABC television show "Wide World of Sports". Live coverage of racing didn't really kick in until cable TV and ESPN.

Considering how few TV stations there must have been, even a 30 minutes highlight show like this seems quite impressive:

[SBan83]

Normally, I'd rate it 8 but because it was such a wonderful return to action, I gave it a 9 for the added feel-good factor.

[jimclark]

plus it seems there was good sports coverage on American TV back in the day.

Don't believe it. At least about auto racing coverage in the U.S.; it sucked.
The only coverage we got was the occasional few minutes of highlights of major events on the Saturday afternoon ABC television show "Wide World of Sports". Live coverage of racing didn't really kick in until cable TV and ESPN.

Considering how few TV stations there must have been, even a 30 minutes highlight show like this seems quite impressive:

Indeed. That would have been a special occasion.
What we usually got, if at all, for auto racing, out of "all" five of our stations (NYC mind you...channels: 2, network WCBS; 4, net. NBC; 7, net. ABC; 9, independent WOR; and 11, ind. PIX), was what I mentioned above, the Saturday 1 hour Wide World of Sports. This included, like 4 or 5 different sports (ooohhh...let's say lumberjacking, weightlifting, boxing, pocket billiards, and maybe, just maybe, some race.). You would then have to sit through a little of each, each a piece at a time, "We'll continue this later in the show", so you would watch the whole show to see all the adverts.

We were gifted with the first and last hours of Le Mans live in '65 and '66 thanks to ABC's coverage of Ford's assault. That was a blessing (My mom even let this 12 & 13 year old stay home from church those two years to catch the final hour with a friend...thanks mom!)

But, do you know what?
The anticipation and suspense was so much better back then (when auto racing was a test about who could design, build, develop, set-up, and last the distance of a race to prove who was best for real auto race fans), that the wait, and little bits, were Soooo much more worth waiting for..

Rather than the "leveling of the playing field" and putting on a "choreographed" close "show" for the masses to watch the "exciting" sponsors "billboards" go round and round. 'Nary a breakdown 'else you be penalized for changing a piece of drivetrain. (heaven forbid we actually gamble on making it to the finish before blowing up...'can't take the risk of having the sponsors disappointment of said "billboards" not going 'round for the full two hours).

I'm getting old(er), I shall not have to suffer through much more of the demise of REAL auto racing.


Oh my....'almost "show" time (P-3)........unless it's raining too hard. Don't want those poor "boys" getting wet and catching cold, now do we???

[jimclark]

Holy Sheet!!! It's barely raining. It's worse than I thought. Aiye yi-yi......

[erwin greven]

Standing water is the problem

[Star]

I am wondering if we'll give this weeks race as good a score as last weeks, in theory we should given it's the same track but as we all know, races can vary greatly despite that.

[jimclark]

With some rain, it could be better.....or not. One never knows.