Sponsorship

[boxerscott]

Or lack of it. Can not help notice the paint jobs of most GP bikes and F1 cars, due to the lack of sponsorship. When most European circuits lose money,when teams are on the verge of insolvency Bernie still makes loads of Wonga How on earth does he get away with it Why do tv pay him so much? why do not the circuits hold the event to ransom?

Falling attendances at WSB hardly a soul at Losai l( albeit very good racing) and utter cringe podium presentations and banter at F1

[Fw190]

Or lack of it. Can not help notice the paint jobs of most GP bikes and F1 cars, due to the lack of sponsorship. When most European circuits lose money,when teams are on the verge of insolvency Bernie still makes loads of Wonga How on earth does he get away with it Why do tv pay him so much? why do not the circuits hold the event to ransom?

Falling attendances at WSB hardly a soul at Losai l( albeit very good racing) and utter cringe podium presentations and banter at F1

Can't watch F1 any longer, the whole SKY thing and lack of free to air TV has apparantly seen viewing number fall, and I'll certainly not pay to watch it.. it's truly awful to watch.. media generated rivalry between drivers, there's no character to any of them, it's all PR managed to the enth degree.

Moto GP see's viewing numbers on TV fall and the lack of sponsors is having an effect, but it's never going to go back to free to view. I can't help thinking that as money gets tighter and numbers coninue to fall teams will struggle to obtain real money to run.

motorcycling on the whole is in trouble in Europe where licence laws and legislation discourages youngsters to take up riding, that and the fact that most dissposable income is amongst the 35-55 year old bracket. Almost everyone below that age are struggling to find work (Italy Spain France has huge youth unemployment issues) Without sounding all doom and gloom, unless things change not only in the sport we love and the way it's covered, but motorcycling in general, motorcycling is going the way of the dinosours, maybe not in our (my) lifetime, but it's on its way..

Or maybe I'm just being grumpy co's I'm full of manflu, it's raining and I can't ride my bike!

happy easter

Ty

[Al]

Don`t think you can judge the decline(if any) by looking at the crowd for round 2 in Thailand, the spectators are a long way from the track as it is a car track so the run offs are large, plus the entrance fee is more than some earn in a month.
I was at the Phillip Island round and the crowd seemed bigger this year than last(probably just to see Bayliss). the attendance at the far east F1 events always look a bit thin on the ground apart from the grandstands, although I have to agree with most of fw190`s points about legislation etc putting youngsters off two wheels, but saying that you still see a lot more scooters in Europe than here.
I think a lot of the fall in viewing figures is due to the lack of coverage on terrestrial tv as you now need sky and now BT to see BSB, WSB and the GP`s and the free internet streams are never very good quality.

Al.