Thread: Is V8 Supercars Losing Fans?

There's a slippery slope ahead for V8 Supercars,and i'm not talking about the long haul up Mountain Straight on a wet track. V8 Supercar fans,the lifeblood of the sport,are starting to feel disenfranchised in increasing numbers. Forget about the end of the Ford/Holden duopoly. Nissan,Mercedes and now Volvo have come to play in the V8 sandpit and the sport is,I believe is better for it. But the real concern is that fans are feeling increasingly alienated from the sport they have followed,fostered and underpinned for the last 20 years or so since the V8 formula as we know it was born. First,the news that only Foxtel subscribers will be able to watch EVERY race live from 2015. That is seen as a kick in the teeth by a large number of fans,many of whom,faced with increasing financial pressures at home,simply won't be able to afford Foxtel,no matter how cheap the pay TV provider ultimately makes the required package.

Ticket prices at events also seem to be increasingly on the nose. AA receive a lot of mail in our Flatchat inbox and more and more the message seems to be that the sport is becoming to expensive for the average fan to follow. Just this week,one reader wrote of his disillusionment at V8 ticket pricing. "V8 Supercars has really lost touch with the fans and are pricing themselves out of existence," wrote longtime V8 fan and AA reader Neil Stratton. "The prices at Sydney Motorsport Park were a rip-off. The entry fee was okay,but an extra $35 for pit entry,extra $30 for grandstand seat and an extra $30 to stand on the pit roof area! Are you kidding? I am 54 years old and have been a motor racing fan for 48 of those years. Next year i won't be watching the V8's!"

His is not an isolated case. There are many more messages like Neil's in our inbox,clear signs that a trend is emerging amongst some of the sports most diehard and faithful fans. Of course,V8 Supercars is no longer just a sport. Like any mainstream sport,it's a business. And,as a business,it needs to make a profit to ensure its sustainability. That requires a delicate balance between making enough money to stay in business while at the same time ensuring the sport remains within reach of the average punter. I'm not privy to V8's business modelling,nor should i be. But i believe the sport's powerbrokers need to start listening to Neil Stratton and people like him. Otherwise there won't be any Neil Strattons left.

I fully understand where this bloke is coming from,the V8 race up here was not cheap when you add in a couple of kids and food and drink for the day. The move to have it on Foxtel is a BIG mistake in my opinion,that will lose many fans.

Originally Posted by Bytemrk

I think you are right Discoman,

I went to Sandown a couple of weekends ago for the first time in many years - the crowd definitely didn't seem as large as I remembered it used to be.

I went on a corporate pass, thanks to a supplier, which was pretty cool with full access, meals and booze thrown in. But I found out later..that 2 day pass cost $900

Like so many sports now days.... the grass roots supporters are being slowly pushed away by the dollars.

I spent a lot of the time messing around with my camera..

"Corporate Pass", you're a lucky man, the only way to go,..I've done it only a few times myself, but not for a long time....but I enjoyed it,...food, wine, good company, Cars,..ya can't beat it.
I've heard all this nonsense for years, about "the racing's no good" etc etc etc,...I heard it in the eighties during Group C days, & I heard it in Group A, so it's no different. True followers of Aussie motorsport will enjoy it, because simply, it's what we've got. Thinking about it, ya hear the same sort of stuff about F1,...computerised, cars are run from the pits, same with Nascar,..cars going around in circles etc,...yeah right, I'd like to see a few of these "critical" people "pushing" at 200 MILES AN HOUR.
Me, I just enjoy,...as I'm REALLY going to enjoy Bathurst.
Pickles.