GP’s the Future is Rosy?
“Approaching 100
Grand Prix later the championship is flourishing ….In recent weeks it has been
confirmed that the giant IMG organisation, the biggest marketing company in the
world, have taken over BSI Speedway with a promise to make the Speedway Grand
Prix even better and bigger”
Peter Oakes
Swedish GP programme 26/05/07
The speedway
press and various internet forums have recently been full of comments from the
powers that be and the fans on the terraces on the likely effects, on both the
Speedway Grand Prix (SGP) itself and league speedway in general, of the
takeover of BSI Speedway by the IMG organisation.
The majority view
appears to be that the takeover will result in a greatly enlarged SGP series,
on par with Formula One and the Motorcycle GP series, with GPs being staged
throughout the year and throughout the world. In time it is believed that SGP
riders will be forced to give up their league commitments in Europe to
concentrate on the SGP full time either through shortage of time or the SGP
organisers banning them from riding in the leagues fearing that their star
performers could be injured and so devalue their series in which they have
invested so much money.
So the question
must be asked will IMG be able to expand the SGP as much as people fear? For
the series to be greatly expanded so that it becomes a year long worldwide
series various things will need to happen.
-
Enough riders of a high enough standard
must be prepared to take part in the enlarged series.
This may prove
difficult especially if SGP becomes a year long series, and IMG ban SGP riders
from having other riding commitments. In the end I would suggest that it will
all come down to money. IMG will have to vastly increase the prize money
available to the riders taking part to cover the increased expenses of
transporting bikes and support staff throughout the world and to cover the loss
of earnings from their British/Swedish and Polish leagues. Bear in mind that on
10th April 2007 the leading Polish newspapers “Gazeta Wyborcza” claimed that
the average rider in Poland ask for £270 per point plus a £35,000 signing fee
and the top riders want even more one rider it was claimed demanded £6,250 per
meeting no matter how many points he scored.
When the SGP
started back in 1995 the riders were told that monies would increase as
sponsors came on board to support the riders. Yet throughout its history the GP
prize money has been very poor often remaining the same for 3 years or so and
even now increases are small and I would be surprised if it has over the years
kept pace with inflation. For example the 2007 pay rates were the same as in
2006 and as all GP prize money is in US$ and so taking into account the poor
exchange rate of the dollar against most European currencies the riders were
looking at a 10-15% wage cut hardly the sign of a series that is flourishing.
Another factor which should be borne in mind is that the prize money covers
everything there are no travelling expenses, no hotel expenses and no start
money so the 2007 figures of 1st $11,000, 2nd $8,200,
3rd $6,900, 4th
$6,000, 5th $5,250, 6th $5,100, 7th $4,650, 8th 4,500, 9th $3,850, 10th $3,700,
11th $3,650, 12th $3,600, 13th $3,550, 14th 3,500, 15th 3,450,
16th $3,400 17th
& 18th $2,100 do not appear very generous. These figures meant that in 2006
Jason Crump earned $8,140 per GP, Scott Nicholls $4844 and Lee Richardson
$3,620
-
Spectator numbers to increase greatly.
This would have a
double benefit. The increase in income would go some way to off set the increase
in prize money, or of course you could increase the admission prices, and also
filled stadiums would suggest that the series is a success and encourage major
international companies to become associated with SGP by becoming sponsors.
Once again it appears
that IMG may have a difficult task. Based on official FIM attendance figures
the average crowd per GP since 1997 are 1997 12,916, 1998 9,583, 1999 15166,
2000 13,672, 2001 15750, 2002 20,100, 2003 17,163 and 2004 15,793. These are
less than wonderful figures, and questions exist about how accurate the
official figures are. Many are suspiciously rounded and I have been told by a
member of the BSPA that when they receive their share of the monies from the
ticket sales it is not based on the “official” attendance as BSI inform them
that many of the tickets were give aways. If the SGP can not fill stadiums in
its European heartland IMG will have a major task when they expand into areas
where people know little if anything about speedway to get a reasonable
attendance unless of course they flood the market with free tickets which will
of course not do their bank balance any good.
-
Attract major international companies as
sponsors.
It is to be hoped
that IMG will be able their contacts built up over the years to get
international household companies on board as sponsors. Not only could the
sponsorship money go towards an increased prize fund for the riders but it
could also be used to cover any shortfall in funds as they try to expand the
SGP into new counties especially where these counties have little history or
knowledge of speedway. Judging by the fence advertising boards at this years
Swedish GP at
PartyPorker.net. An internet gambling site that is a “title” sponsor
for a number of the 2007 GP’s
Veidec A Swedish based specialist aerosol company. ON its web site it features
its sponsorship of both car and superbike racing but not its association with
the SGP.
Speedy Hire A equipment hire company trading in
Meridan Lift. A south coast based lift service company, Its web
site has no mention of its association with the SGP or its general sponsorship
of speedway.
J.A.K Workman A Danish company which is the official clothing
supplier to SGP. Their web site does not mention its association with the SGP
Mitas. Czech type
company.
Vist Wales.com The Welsh national tourist board which also had a ad
about the delights of visiting
All the other
fence ads were either for the official SGP web site or for ticket sales for
upcoming GPs. So either the organisers of the SGP have decided that they do not
want to maximize income and sell all the fence advertising to sponsors or they
can not sell the remaining spaces and have decided rather than have empty
spaces to “sell” them to themselves. Also whilst I am sure that the companies
associated with the SGP are very good at what they do they are not exactly
household names in
I wish IMG the
best of luck as they expand the SGP from