01 cover sbi 152.indd - FIFA/CIES International University Network

MOTORSPORT:
OVERVIEW
Simon Berger, IM2 CEO, is the man
behind the Motor Sport Business
Forum. Here, by way of introduction
to our motor sport feature, he gives
his overview of where the industry
sits on the cusp of 2010.
In this time of economic instability, how would
you say the motorsport industry has stood up
I think every industry has suffered in the global
downturn, just in varying degrees. Motorsport
has been affected by the withdrawal of several
manufacturers and sponsors from the sport
and this has been compounded recently with
certain global suppliers announcing that they
are following suit at the end of 2010.
It is not all bad however. Several new teams
will appear in various series, new sponsors are
emerging as the cost of sponsorship falls and
I believe that nearly all the commercial rights
holders are looking to improve ‘the show’ to give
more value-added to the sponsors and the fans.
The banking sector has been hit hard - it is
only natural that they have to look both internally
and externally at everything they spend. A few
have left the sport, but several have remained
despite the hard times, which reiterates the fact
that the ROI they receive through this medium is
both quantifiable and justifiable.
Is motorsport still a financially viable investment
for brands and sponsors
The simple answer is yes. Motorsport is still
truly global and there aren’t many other sports
that can say the same.
It is also interesting that in F1 next year we
will have at least 12 and potentially 13 teams
on the grid and many of them come with new
investors in the sport. You just have to look at
Malaysia’s investment in the Lotus team and the
fact that the founder of YouTube is investing in
USF1 to see that motor sport continues to attract
major investors.
Is there a case for saying the recession has
actually helped some of the series For example,
F1 in terms of cost cuts and Rally in terms of
cutting manufacturers from the series
I wouldn’t say the recession has helped. But
I think that F1 and WRC will be better for the
changes that they have had to make. There is no
doubt that the cost cuts made in F1 have paved
48 SportBusiness International • No. 152 • 12.09