MOTORSPORT: A whole different picture in melting pot

Social media looms larger for WRC and F1
The way motor racing is watched is changing – and bigger and broader changes may be on the way soon.

Already Australian television viewers will need pay TV next year to see every V8 Supercar Championship race live, with only half a dozen rounds to be simulcast live on the free-to-air Ten Network. The alternative is viewing over the internet, but again that comes at a price.

In rallying the man who for several years controlled the television rights to the World Rally Championship, David Richards – a world champion co-driver to the legendary Ari Vatanen and later, through his Prodrive business, head of the Subaru team that won six WRC titles – now sees that sport’s future on the internet rather than TV.

Richards has accused the latest WRC promoter – a joint venture between the Sportsman Media Group and Red Bull Media House – of having unrealistic expectations over TV coverage.

Richards said that trying to sell rally stages tailored for TV to broadcasters was “pushing water uphill”.

“The world has changed and we’ve got to change our way of thinking,” Richards said.

“People are still focused on attracting an audience which, probably, is unachievable.

“Convention says that you produce TV, which is very expensive. But if you aim to become the dominant internet motorsport then all you have to do is transfer all the spectators into people who watch it on the internet. What you then have is millions of people watching on the internet – you commercialise it that way round.”

British driver Kris Meeke, a member of Citroen’s WRC team taking part in this weekend’s Rally Italy, is one who agrees with Richards.

But it may not be that simple for the WRC. The danger for it is that the new Rallycross World Championship might steal a march on it with its short, sharp races – ideal for the internet and already with considerable manufacturer interest. Incidentally, European star Mattias Ekstrom’s team will make its debut in the series at the next round in Norway on June 14-15 with a pair of Audi S1s.

Peugeot, the fourth most successful manufacturer in WRC history but which has been out of it for a decade, has ruled out a return, saying it sees better value in rallycross.

“WRC fails to have good visibility,” Peugeot Sport director Bruno Famin said.

“From what I hear Volkswagen [now dominating the WRC] is not too happy with the return [on investment]. I wonder how many years will it be staying.”

There are reports of drops in TV audiences for Formula One in key markets Germany and Italy this year, the first of the new era with hybrid power units lacking the noise of previous engines, and that’s increasing agitation within F1 to pay greater attention to new media.

Already in recent times F1 has moved primarily to pay TV in major European markets – for example, in Britain the Sky pay service screens all F1 grands prix live, while the free-to-air BBC shows half of them live and a delayed package of the others – a variation of what Ten will do in Australia with V8 Supercars next year.

Paul Hembrey, motorsport boss of F1 tyre supplier Pirelli, says his company is both a technical partner and sponsor of the sport and he has told British media outfit Autosport: “We look at how many people are watching the sport and what they think of the current F1. Viewing figures so far this year are extremely disappointing – there’s no doubt about that.

“We’ve been looking at some studies done by [English] Premier League [football] and [telecaster] Sky and they’ve seen a very increased take-up on the iPad viewing and not watching on TV.

“That’s certainly a way many people are going.

“We’re seeing the world change and it’s not just F1 – it’s the whole way people follow their sports and get their entertainment.”

But F1 commercial supremo Bernie Ecclestone claims he’s not alarmed by the drops in TV audiences and says there’s no need to adapt more to social media.

Dismissing pressure to make more of the opportunities presented by YouTube, Twitter and Facebook, Ecclestone doubted that the social media boom would last.

“The change that is taking place is very short-lived, as these social media people are starting to think it is not as good as they thought,” Ecclestone told Autosport.

“We [F1] are commercial. If they find people to pay us [to do more social media] then I will be happy.”

A very traditional view that from Ecclestone. He’s  83 and embroiled in a criminal trial in Germany, charged with bribery, which could land him in jail for up to 10 years if convicted. Age alone, if not Germany’s judicial system, may mean he has far less impact on the media distribution of F1 races much longer anyway.

The track’s long straights, on which cars can reach 300kmh four times a lap, will disadvantage the Red Bull-Renaults of Australian Daniel Ricciardo and German four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel – fourth and fifth in the drivers’ championship this year – even more than in the earlier races.

Renault’s head of trackside operations Remi Taffin has said the company has more updates for this race “but they won’t give us more power”.

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner said: “Renault fully understands the predicament they are in. There are no ultimatums for Renault, other than we want to improve as quickly as we can.

“We have enjoyed a great deal of success with them over the years. All our world championships and victories have come with Renault engines and we trust in them to sort their issues out.”

Somehow Fernando Alonso is third in the drivers’ championship with just one podium in Ferrari’s F14T and the Spaniard and his Finnish teammate Kimi Raikkonen appear resigned – as is Vettel – to this season being a Mercedes walkover, although Alonso has praised new Ferrari team principal Marco Mattiacci.

“I think things are moving in the right direction – he has a good vision and a very clever approach.”

Whether Mattiacci can unlock technical genius Adrian Newey from Red Bull to revive the Italian scuderia is doubtful though.

Mercedes drivers Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg have been making conciliatory noises in recent days after the frictions of the recent Spanish and, more particularly, Monaco races.

Rosberg grabbed the championship lead by winning in Monaco but Hamilton has won three times in Montreal while Rosberg has never finished better than fifth.

While the pair claim the friendship they have had since karting days can endure the rivalry that comes with fighting for the F1 world title in the same team, the peace signals may be primarily for Mercedes corporate reasons more than anything else.

Subaru WRX STI beats its own Ilse of Man record
It’s been the annual motorcycle festival on the Isle of Man lately, but a four-wheel record has been set there on the famous TT course too.

British rally champion Mark Higgins, who is from the isle, whipped around the 37.8-mile (60.833km) circuit, in 19 minutes and 26 seconds in a production version of the latest Subaru WRX STI – an average speed of 116mph (186.68kmh) and reaching more than 160mph (257.5kmh) in places.

Higgins had set the previous record of 19 minutes 56.7 seconds in the previous-generation WRX STI three years ago.

“The chassis of the new car [with a 300ps, 2.5-litre horizontally-opposed turbocharged Boxer engine] is so much better,” Higgins said.
The fastest bikes on the isle lap in little more than 17 minutes, averaging more than 130mph (209.2kmh).

V8 Supercars names sporting and technical director
V8 Supercars is recruiting Erebus Motorsport V8 team manager Dave Stuart as its new sporting and technical director.

The next round of the V8 Supercar Championship in Darwin on June 20-22 will be Stuart’s last with Erebus before he takes up his new role on July 1.

Stuart will work with Damien White – whose title changes from general manager of motor sport to director of sport, operations and sanctioned events – and the V8 Supercars Commission to “develop an overall strategy for the future technical direction of the championship and development series”.

He will have “overall responsibility for ensuring technical parity” and “managing the homologation process for new makes and models of vehicles that enter the championship”.

V8 Supercars said Stuart was chosen from more than a dozen applicants and had “an in-depth understanding of the complexities of the new-generation race car”.