Series Support? - That’s a Laugh!
As long time and probably occasion readers know I’ve not been totally sold on the idea of another international open wheel auto racing series, let alone one that brands itself as SuperLeague Formula has with a tie-in to the “Beautiful Game,” football.
The latest to jump on this crapwagon bandwagon is the most successful club in the history of English football, Liverpool FC.
The “Reds” will make their racing debut less than 100 miles away from their Anfield home at the historic Donington Park circuit on August 30/31, the opener for the SuperLeague Formula series.
Liverpool becomes the 17th club to sign up for the championship and the second Premier League outfit – joining London team Tottenham Hotspur (Spurs). Local fans at Donington Park will now have three teams to follow covering the UK from top to bottom – Tottenham, Liverpool and Scottish side, Glasgow Rangers. (Here’s a short video of the race team unveiling in Liverpool.)
(Gee, wonder if their fans will get to see the live action, or will they get the shaft and have to pay an arm, leg and their first born to see the broadcasts as the A1GP fans are required to do? - ed)
Liverpool’s entry has given the opportunity to glimpse behind the curtain at SuperLeague’s finances. If your a football club owner it looks like a potential winner, if you’re a financier of the racing series itself not so much, more like a bottomless money pit.
Liverpool’s commercial director Ian Ayre is confident the club will feel the financial benefit of competing in the new Superleague Formula series. As well he should, it’s not only a cost-free experience for the club, but they are actually guaranteed to make money via a licensing fee charged SuperLeague for the right to use the club’s branding.
“We’re licensing our colours, our brand, into the series.” Ayre told BBC Radio Merseyside.
But wait there’s more…
“We get a guaranteed signing-on fee and each year we have a guaranteed revenue stream. The race series, the drivers, the tracks - all of that is covered by the race organisers and the series organisers.”
“We’re hopefully supporting [the series] and hopefully bringing some of our sponsors along to support it but we have no financial burden,” said Ayre.
I’d say Ian Ayre has a strange sense of what “series support” means, but your mileage may vary from mine.
Superleague Formula President and CEO Alex Andreu believes the addition of Liverpool will significantly boost the profile of the new championship.
“As a global sports brand, Liverpool is one of the biggest names in the world,” Andreu said.
I don’t doubt that, I just wonder where all this cash is coming from. It isn’t cheap placing 17 drivers/teams, 17 special-built Élan Motorsports tubs, and 17 Menard Competition Technologies V12 engines on a single starting grid.
Multiply that by 6 events and all the spares needed, plus 1 million euros ($1.4 million USD) in prize money awarded each event, and this is a huge undertaking.
I’d be curious to know what the sanctioning fee for each track is. Judging from ticket prices at Donnington (Sunday only: $35 USD, $57 USD with paddock access), they can’t be over-the-moon high.
Let’s face it, it isn’t F1, but for 57 bucks you get paddock access on race day.
To get that in F1 you’d need a multi-million dollar drivers contract, be a regular visitor to London sex dens to assuage your S&M sexual fetish, or wear short skirts and have silicone implants the size of hot air balloons. (or a billionaire Gnome - ed)
So that’s something, but still, where is all this cash coming from?
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A couple of weekds ago I mentioned that I had done a backflip on this series.
My logic is that talented drivers rarely have funding, yet, these teams are funded & require a hired gun. If some hotshoe in F3 (another series where Dad has to be filthy rich) can get a ride in
SLF then good luck to them.
I’m hoping that the Football club’s pride will force them to hire a quality driver.
Who knows, maybe we will have to eat our words……show me the driver listing.
Well Peter, Liverpool FC has already disproved your theory in one respect and also lays to waste thoughts this series is based on football fans supporting their “local team.”
Liverpool hired a Spanish driver, Adrian Valles, who they snagged out of World Series by Renault and GP2.
AC Milan has the biggest name Robert Doornbos. As for the rest you can pick through each clubs page, I’m too lazy at the moment.
When I think of this series’ financial plan I hark back to how A1GP started.
Each team had to pay a fee, based on the countries/principals ability to pay. If your team was a small fish economically or had little experience in motorsports your fee was smaller than say Italy or Brazil.
That said, they did a finance reshuffle after about 18 months or so and at this point I’m not sure if the same system is in effect.
BUT, it highlights my point A1GP is alive but struggled initially and they had team cash coming in. SuperLeague has none of that.
I see doom and gloom on its horizon, I hope not the more the merrier so to speak, I just have serious doubts.
Oh I have doubts too, but as they have gotten it off the ground I’m going to give it a chance.
However, it appears I’m going to have to wait until this first race to see what kind of depth the grid contains.
BTW, 750 bhp in the wrong hands will be plain dangerous.