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Revving Up Support for European Drag Racing
Financial challenges keeps us from defending the championship title. How can we attract more attention to drag racing in Europe?
6. June 2024
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It’s been a few days since I posted a video on YouTube and shared my thoughts on Instagram and Facebook, asking for ideas on how we can get more attention for drag racing in Europe.
I have to say, I didn’t expect such an overwhelming response. Thank you to everyone who engaged—your feedback has been incredible. It’s clear that this topic has sparked a much-needed discussion, and that’s fantastic!
This past weekend, I attended the race at Gardermoen Raceway and spoke with several of the teams. They echoed the sentiment that we need to do more to raise the interest in drag racing, both nationally and internationally.
I want to share some of the ideas you’ve suggested and offer my thoughts on them. However, let me be clear: I don’t have all the answers, and I don’t know how much work others have already put into this. My goal was to start a conversation and gather your insights.
Current situation:
Currently, each track offers its own streaming service with varying quality, prices, and languages. Many have suggested that a unified streaming service covering the entire championship series could be a game-changer.
My thoughts:
There’s already great work being done for the streaming services at individual tracks in the FIA championship. Instead of starting from scratch, we should build on these existing platforms and collaborate to create a unified streaming service. This service could include pit interviews shown during breaks to keep viewers engaged.
Santa Pod Raceway is setting a high standard with their live stream and YouTube channel. Tierp’s driver interviews right after the racers get out of the car are a great addition, and Hockenheim offers high-quality streaming, though it’s mostly in German. For a European championship, it should be accessible to everyone, which means providing content in English.
I believe better streaming services will attract more spectators to the races rather than deter them. It’s also a fantastic way for sponsors to gain more visibility.
If we can establish a robust streaming service with a large viewer base, it would undoubtedly make it easier to secure sponsors for both the live stream and the races themselves.
Current Situation:
At present, each racer or team manages their own social media updates. This fragmentation makes it challenging to provide a cohesive narrative and broad coverage of the championship.
My Thoughts:
We should create a unified social media account for the entire championship, where we can present drivers, share news, post results, and highlight exciting moments. Taking inspiration from the successful models of @f1, @nhra and the @officialwrc accounts, this common platform could significantly enhance our online presence.
In collaboration with the proposed unified streaming service, this social media account could feature race highlights and other engaging short clips. It’s important to acknowledge the excellent work already being done by Dragracing Europe and Eurodragster on the news front.
Perhaps Dragracing Europe could take on the task of managing this social media account? Their experience and expertise would be invaluable in creating and maintaining a vibrant and informative presence that can attract fans and sponsors alike.
Current Situation:
Several people have suggested that the prize money and travel allowances for teams should be increased.
My Thoughts:
I know that some dedicated individuals are already working hard on this issue. I don’t believe we can run our whole racing business on prize money, even in the NHRA they are dependent on sponsors. Of course, it would be fantastic if the prize money were sufficient to cover a higher part of costs. Higher prize money could also increase competition, as teams would have more funds to invest in spare parts. As we know, the faster you want to go, the higher the wear on parts and the greater the likelihood of breaking something.
However, since efforts are already underway to address prize and travel money, I believe the best starting point is enhancing our online presence. By building a strong online presence through unified streaming services and social media accounts, we can attract more sponsors and fans.
Thank you again for all your feedback and ideas. This discussion has shown that there is a strong community ready to support and grow drag racing in Europe. Let’s keep the momentum going by continuing to share ideas and work together to bring more attention to our incredible sport.
If you haven’t seen the video yet, you can watch it here. Please keep sharing your thoughts and let’s make drag racing thrive!
See the previous post below:
Financial challenges keeps us from defending the championship title. How can we attract more attention to drag racing in Europe?