MOTORSPORT: V8 Supercar audience in reverse?

Two views on how V8 Supercars do on TV
As the V8 Supercar Championship enters the second half of its season at northern Victoria's Winton circuit this weekend still no word either way on the Sydney Olympic Park street race idea and some alarming signals on the TV audience for the series.

The regular bulletins from championship telecaster the Seven Network would have us believe that everything is going swimmingly, but reports from media agency Mitchell that have come our way tell a very different story for the past two rounds -- at Darwin's Hidden Valley and Queensland Raceway.

Indeed, Mitchell says the national TV audience for the Sunday of the Darwin round -- billed by Seven as "one of the big events on the V8 Supercar calendar" -- was down 22 per cent on last year and the Sunday audience for the Queensland Raceway round was down 13 per cent.

The Mitchell reports show that V8 Supercar racing does not have a lot of traction among young men -- those below 25, which must be a worry for the sport's competing manufacturers Ford and Holden, wanting to sell Falcons and Commodores to them -- but we can see that much of the category's popularity is enduring with older men.

However, it seems that fewer Australians have been watching TV anyway -- certainly on Sundays.

While the Repucom International report about which we wrote here in our last column very much confirmed a lot of our gut feelings about V8 Supercar racing, this Mitchell research tells us things we wouldn't otherwise know -- and certainly aren't getting from the Seven propaganda, which is posted regularly on website sevencorporate.com.au

To set the scene we'll go back to round five of the championship at Sandown on June 8-9.

Here's the picture painted by Seven:
"V8 Supercars on Seven's coverage of round five of the championship from Sandown delivered strong audience ratings across Sunday and the (Queen's Birthday in Victoria) holiday Monday -- with a peak five-capital city audience of 570,000 viewers on Monday (June 9).

"Seven's coverage from Sandown delivered a higher audience than the average audience achieved across rounds two-four (excluding the season-opening Clipsal 500 in Adelaide).

"Seven's coverage won its timeslot across both days in men 25-54.

"Seven's coverage of qualifying and the first race in the three-race championship round won its timeslot in Melbourne and Brisbane and delivered an overall national average audience (including non-metropolitan markets) of 598,000 viewers.

"Seven's coverage of races two and three scored an overall national audience (including non-metropolitan markets of 635,000 viewers."

That all sounds very rosy. Now here's what Seven had to say about the Darwin round on July 5-6:
"V8 Supercars on Seven's coverage of the SkyCity Triple Crown from Darwin dominated across Saturday and Sunday.

"Across all metropolitan and regional markets 2.6 million Australians in metropolitan and regional markets watched all or part of Seven's coverage. Across the five major metropolitan markets 1.69 million Australians watched all or part of Seven's coverage.

"V8 Supercars on Seven delivered in all key audience demographics across Saturday and Sunday -- dominating in men under 50 and winning in all viewers, 16-39s, 18-49s and 25-54s.

"Seven's coverage on Sunday peaked at more than 500,000 across the five major metropolitan markets -- and delivered a national audience (metropolitan and regional markets) of 593,000 across 1-5.30pm.

"Seven's coverage on Saturday scored in all key audiences -- 31 share in all people, 34 share in 16-39s, 36 share in 18-49s and 36 share in 25-54s. Including metropolitan and regional markets, V8 Supercars on Seven peaked at just under half a million viewers across the five major metropolitan markets and scored a national average audience of 502,000 viewers."

Again, very rosy. Indeed very, very rosy. But here's what Mitchell had to say about that same Darwin round:
"Compared with round six Darwin 2007, total viewers were down 19 per cent (259,000) this year.

"The Saturday telecast was down 15 per cent (down 90,000) year-on-year, while the Sunday telecast dropped by a significant 22 per cent (-169,000, from 780,000 to 611,000).

"Total male audience dropped by 21 per cent year-on-year (compared with a 15 per cent drop for women), with the 40 and over demographic experiencing the largest declines. Men 18-24 continue to make up a small percentage of total viewers, with 4 per cent in this round.

"When comparing average viewing of the Sunday telecast timeslot versus the same timeslot in the previous five weeks, audience levels dropped 16 per cent -- most of which was attributed to Seven!

"With NO change in programming/format on the other free-to-air TV networks, the drop in viewing on Seven would appear to be a direct result of lack of interest in the Darwin round!

"Year-to-date viewing across all rounds is down 14 per cent, however this is driven by round five in 2007 being a three-day telecast versus a two-day telecast in 2008. Excluding the additional day's telecast in round five, year-to-date viewing is down 7 per cent.

"Metro markets dropped a significant 23 per cent across both days of this year's Darwin telecast (down 204,000). Audience also declined in regional markets by 11 per cent (down 55,000).

"Compared with average viewing across the five Sundays prior to the Darwin telecast, the total number of viewers (across all networks) declined 16 per cent on Sunday, July 6.

"While total viewing declined on Sunday, July 6, Seven experienced the largest drop (down 35 per cent).

"Program formats on July 6 on Nine and 10 were unchanged week-on-week, so the drop in Seven's audience was a function of lack of interest in the Darwin V8 round.

"School holidays may have influenced viewing, although this seems unlikely because Seven was the only station to record a significant drop. (The Darwin round in 2007 was telecast in a non-school holidays week versus 2008, where it coincided with school holidays in NSW, Victoria, SA and WA).

"Adelaide and Perth were the only markets to gain audience year-on-year for Saturday's Darwin telecast, while Melbourne lost almost half of last year's viewers. Sydney (down 70,000) and Brisbane (down 43,000) were the largest contributors to Sunday's decline in viewers.

"Over 40s again made up the majority of the audience, accounting for 67 per cent (versus 60 per cent of the population). Consistent with previous rounds, 60 per cent of viewers fell in the prime 25-54 demographic. Men 18-24 viewing remains low, accounting for just 4 per cent of total viewers.

"Indexed against Darwin 2007, all demographics dropped with the exception of women 55 and over. Across the two days, viewing among all male demographics was down year-on-year in all markets.

"Under 40s, as a proportion of the total, was the highest in Melbourne (37 per cent) and Brisbane (40 per cent). Viewing among men 55 and over was strongest in regional markets, making up 43 per cent of total male viewers.

"Overall, viewers are now [remember this is round six in early July] down 14 per cent (1.16 million) year-on-year, with round five (a three-day telecast in 2007 versus two days in '08) being a large contributor to this downturn."

Now that is a very different picture painted by Mitchell compared with telecaster Seven. So let's see what they each had to say about the Queensland Raceway round two weeks later.

First the Seven version:
"V8 Supercars on Seven's coverage of round seven of the Championship Series from Queensland Raceway dominated across Sunday (July 20).

"In total, 1.375 million Australians in five major metropolitan markets and a further 648,000 Australians in regional markets watched all or part of Seven's coverage across the weekend.

"Seven's coverage peaked at 413,000 viewers across the five major metropolitan markets and dominated in total viewers, 18-49s and 25-54s. Across Australia, including metropolitan and regional markets, V8 Supercars on Seven delivered a total average national audience of 494,000 viewers on Sunday.

"In the key audiences -- men 18-49 and men 25-54 -- V8 Supercars on Seven nearly matched the combined audiences of Nine and 10 across Sunday afternoon."

Again, a very rosy picture from the telecaster. But the Mitchell report on the Queensland Raceway round gives a different slant, although it is presented in a slightly different way to the agency's Darwin report.

It begins by pointing out that AFL on the 10 Network competed directly with the V8s on day one of the Queensland round (Saturday, July 19) and that male-skewed programming on Nine and 10 competed with the three-hour V8 telecast on the Sunday.

It then presented bar charts showing the metropolitan audience was 289,000 on the Saturday last year and 270,000 on the Saturday this year. (On the 10 Network in 2006 it was 188,000).

The Sunday metropolitan audience for the Queensland Raceway round was 391,000 in 2007 and 323,000 this year -- back down almost to the 321,000 on 10 in '06.

On a chart for regional areas the Saturday audience for this round has increased over the three years -- 122,000 on 10 in 2006, 148,000 on Seven in '07, and 163,000 on Seven again this year.

However, the Sunday audiences in regional areas have shrunk from 232,000 in 2006 on 10 to 210,000 on Seven in '07 and 199,000 on Seven this year.

Overall Mitchell is showing the Saturday audience for this year's Queensland Raceway round down a little more (1 per cent) on the Saturday (from 438,000 in '07 to 432,000) and 13 per cent on the Sunday (from 602,000 in '07 to 522,000).

So much worse deterioration on the Sunday than the Saturday, but on top of the declines it showed for the Darwin round certainly worrying signs for the V8 Supercar Championship series organisers.

Mitchell also has charts showing the cumulative V8 Supercar audience nationally this year -- simply adding together the totals of the seven rounds so far -- to have been 8.498 million, down 1.274 million -- or a little more 13 per cent -- from 9.772 million last year.

Those numbers compare with 6.880 million on 10 up to round seven in 2006.

Seven made a lot of noise at the end of last season about how it had drawn a much bigger audience for V8 Supercars than 10, but the former telecaster had a rationale for why the figures jumped on Seven -- a lot of it to do with AFL game scheduling, and that's all a broader picture that we might return to another time.

In a nutshell, Mitchell showed the 2006 audience total on 10 to have been 17.524 million and on Seven last year to have been 21.923 million.

Just for the record, some other comments from Mitchell on the Queensland Raceway round:
"Adelaide, Perth and regional markets gained audience year-on-year for Saturday's telecast.

"The Melbourne market was up 17,000 year-on-year.

"Over 40s again made up the majority of the audience (total for the round), accounting for 67 per cent (versus 60 per cent of the population). Consistent with previous rounds, almost 60 per cent of viewers fell into the prime 25-54 demographic.

"Men 18-24 viewing remained low, accounting for just 5 per cent of total viewers (6 per cent of population). Under 40s, as a proportion of the total, was highest in Sydney (45 per cent) and Melbourne (36 per cent).

"Viewing among men 55 and over was strongest in regional markets, making up 35 per cent of total male viewers."

Again, great cause for concern for the series organisers we would think.

Our concluding impressions are that the sport does not have the appeal it ought to young people, men in particular, that it has more appeal than might be good for it among older people, and that while its strength seems to be holding up in regional areas it needs to nourish the heartlands in the big cities.

We have applauded previously V8 Supercars' initiative in going to places like Townsville, with a new race there next July (although we think it would be more viable on a permanent circuit).

Such provincial centres for too long have been denied major sporting events, but inevitably the success of V8 Supercar racing is going to be determined in the big smoke.

That's why V8 Supercars Australia has to get Sydney and Melbourne right. And Perth, where the WA government's feasibility study on whether to redevelop Wanneroo/Barbagallo Raceway or assist in building a new one is reportedly nearing completion (after V8SA's street race hopes were KO'd).

The big one, though, is Sydney. Unless the Sydney Olympic Park plan gets the green light (and it's a questionable street race even if it does), with V8 Supercar chairman Tony Cochrane vowing not to go back to Eastern Creek and Oran Park gone after this year, Australia's biggest city is a potential vacuum for the country's major form of motor racing.

Our boys on the international scene
A mixed weekend for Australians racing overseas, with more plusses than minuses.

Daniel Ricciardo, the Perth teenager who has blitzed Formula Renault in Europe this year, winning eight of 12 races, made his Formula 3 debut at Germany's Nurburgring, qualifying eighth and finishing sixth in an F3 Eurocup race won by Nico Hulkbenberg, Germany's former A1 GP ace who is looming as the next driver to break into Formula 1.

In the later race there Ricciardo stalled on the grid, was hit in the rear, but got going and finished within 25 seconds of winner Jon Lancaster in 15th place -- and on the tail of New Zealander Brendon Hartley, who like Ricciardo is a Red Bull-backed driver but qualified only 25th.

Italian Edoardo Mortara leads the championship by a solitary point from Hulkenberg.

Next up for Ricciardo is the F3 Masters at Zolder in Belgium in two weeks, with the two Formula Renault championships he is leading not resuming for another month.

Ryan Briscoe took pole position for the second straight weekend in IndyCar, ahead of Penske teammate Helio Castroneves.

The Brazilian had a better race set-up and overtook Briscoe on the third lap in Edmonton, Canada, and the Aussie lost several places when he spun mid-race in an encounter with Brit Dan Wheldon, but salvaged sixth place.

Fellow Aussie Will Power was out early with a bent suspension.

Brisbane-born New Zealander Scott Dixon notched his fifth win of the season, jumping the Penske pair on a restart and stretching his championship lead over Castroneves, who finished second for the sixth time this season, from 58 to 65 points with four rounds to go – with a win worth 50 points.

Britain's Justin Wilson was third for Newman-Haas–Lanigan -- his best result since the amalgamation of Champ Car with the Indy Racing League -- and Canadian veteran Paul Tracy finished fourth in a one-off return for Vision Racing in a car prepared by Derrick Walker that he qualified 16th.

Power's teammate Oriol Servia finished fifth for the second week in a row.

Power remains 11th in the series on 257 points, while Briscoe is fifth on 324 points -- 28 ahead of Danica Patrick but way behind Dixon on 505 and Castroneves on 440.

"I think we had a podium-finishing car but I guess, all things considered, sixth place was a good result," Briscoe said at Edmonton.

His pole was Team Penske's fourth straight and its 50th since joining the IRL in 2002.

Marcos Ambrose had his first oval race in NASCAR's premier Sprint Cup in the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis, finishing midfield in 22nd place in his Ford Fusion after qualifying 24th -- and admitting that he "never been so anxious, nervous and apprehensive in all my life".

Jimmie Johnson, Cup champion the past two years, won the race in a Chevrolet but Kyle Busch still leads the series in a Toyota after an event that became a fiasco because of horrific problems with the Goodyear tyres.

A most unsatisfactory situation in light of this being the 15th Brickyard 400 -- and the Formula 1 debacle there three years ago.

More on the rubber wrangle later in the week, but on Saturday Busch gave Toyota its 15th victory of the year in the secondary Nationwide Series in which Ambrose drives full-time.

Ambrose finished 12th in this Nationwide round at Raceway Park in Indianapolis -- ahead of series leader Clint Bowyer in 18th and championship second placegetter Brad Keselowski, both in Chevrolets.

Six of Toyota's wins in that series have been courtesy of Busch, even though he doesn't contest all rounds -- and the latest one came despite a curb on Toyota's engine power.

Joe Gibbs Racing, for which Busch drives, has delivered 14 of Toyota's Nationwide victories this season.

Mr Justice Eady found there was no evidence of a Nazi theme in Mosley's five-hour Friday afternoon session in a Chelsea flat and awarded him a record 60,000 pounds -- more than A$120,000.

However, Mosley did not get the exemplary -- or punitive -- damages he sought, and says anyway that the money he was awarded will go to the FIA Foundation for its work on road safety and the environment.

Mosley is now instigating a libel action against the News of the World, which not only splashed its story all over its front page but posted video on its website -- and will have to pay costs, which could amount to $1 million, in the case already concluded.

Mr Justice Eady said Mosley "had a reasonable expectation of privacy in relation to sexual activites, albeit unconventional, carried on between consenting adults on private property".

"There was bondage, beating and domination," the judge said. "But there was no public interest or other justification for the clandestine recording, for the publication of the resulting information and still photographs, or the placing of the video extracts on the News of the World website -- all of this on a massive scale.

"No amount of damages can fully compensate the claimant for the damage done. He is hardly exaggerating when he says that his life was ruined."

Mosley also has set in train legal action against Germany's Bild newspaper, demanding 1 million Euros from the newspaper and 500,000 Euros from its website.

There is some speculation that MotoGP superstar Valentino Rossi may be enticed to compete at some rounds with the Italian team, depending on his off-season motorcycle testing program for Yamaha.

Rossi tested an F1 Ferrari several times a couple of years ago, but his first four-wheel love is rallying.

The new A1 GP cars will be Ferrari-powered.

No Australian round has yet been confirmed for the next series.

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