What's In It For Businesses?
Running this campaign is one thing but why should a company have anything to do with such an elitist sport (at least at the MotoGP level)? For no more reason than those that are in F1 we suppose, yet there are a number of businesses that enjoy that association. However, in order to improve the chances of getting more rides for British riders, we need greater awareness and support at the lower levels of bike racing. Naturally, no business is going to get involved without there being some return.
Let's look at British Superbike racing. BSB is considered to be the best domestic motorcycle race series in the world. and enjoys a huge following. Hopefully, the figures below will provide some evidence to support our case in thinking a business should become actively associated.
So what rewards might be offered? Firstly, there's TV coverage. For 2011, Sky's Eurosport channel has shown every BSB round live, including coverage of all the supporting races, plus a number of repeat transmissions. Audience viewing figures for 2010 were very encouraging, with 177,396 watching the final round at Oulton Park in Chashire. The estimated figures for the whole 2010 BSB season were in excess of 7.5 million people. In addition, the deal with Eurosport means the competition is transmitted to 44 million households across 61 countries. That is a very large potential customer base.
BSB enjoys the highest attendance figures for motorsport in the UK. It is by no means a "minority sport" and attracts a huge, highly devoted following. For 2010 there were 380,000 live spectators over the season, with an average attendance of 31,500 per round.
The "motorcycle racing" brand has a loyal following, from grass roots club racing through BSB, World Superbike up to MotoGP. There are hoards of fans willing to follow their heroes all round the country and indeed the world for some riders. The marketing opportunities are there for the taking. All we at GP Future want to see is British companies seeing those opportunities and taking the plunge.
For the price of a Premiership football players weekly wage, a team could run a bike and crew in a BSB support class race for a whole season. Surely this would give that sponsor far more publicity than a footballer can do in 90 minutes?
So; What's The Plan?
To that end, we want British businesses to get involved in our GP Future team. We will be spending the next few months talking to riders, getting feedback from organisations and making decisions as to which riders should form members of that team. To do this, we will create a business plan and construct a financial needs budget to present to businesses so they can see just what would be involved.
Some companies may only be willing to dip a toe in the water and provide a small financial input. Others may wish to take a larger share (and possibly control) of the scheme. Whoever joins, their company will be prominently displayed on the bikes and riders taking part. The bikes will sport a set livery and strategic publicity placings will be offered on the bike bodywork for sponsors.
As we grow, we hope to develop hospitality deals, so businesses who do get involved can offer a first-hand experience of paddock life. However, we know we need to walk before we can run. For now. we are asking businesses to get in touch to discuss potential options.
We know we're not alone in believing that there is something in it for businesses. In Australia, for example, where sport seems to be taken far more seriously by Government and Commerce, there is far more recognition of the benefits. So much so that a report compiled by Southern Cross University was commissioned and can be found on the Australian Government's Sports department website. We have been given permission to reproduce the article, excerpts of which can be found here.
In order for us to realistically assist a rider or create a team, we need funding. We will be seeking funding from corporations, smaller businesses and individuals, with the view to creating a set of sponsorship levels. For more information, take a look at the Get Involved page.