Places for races: inside the circuits and services at the beating heart of motorsport

Introduction
CIRCUITS
SERVICES
About
SEPTEMBER 2021
PLACES FOR RACES:
INSIDE THE CIRCUITS AND SERVICES AT
THE BEATING HEART OF MOTORSPORT
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Introduction
CIRCUITS
SERVICES
About
CONTENTS
3. Introduction
4. CIRCUITS
5. Nurburgring
9. Goodwood
12. Laguna Seca
16. The Concours Club
20. New Horizons
29. Summit Sessions
30. SERVICES
31. Design
36. Hospitality
40. Technology
44. Ticketing
50. About
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INTRODUCTION
Behind every thrilling motorsport
event is a dynamic, interactive and safe
circuit. Indeed, races would not be the
major attraction that they are if it were
not for the work of circuit designers,
safety experts, ticketing operators,
digital and technology specialists, and
hospitality professionals. In the second
of its quarterly reports, BlackBook
Motorsport speaks to stakeholders
from each of these fields to learn how
some of the most storied venues in
motorsport function behind the scenes.
There are few more iconic circuits to
start with than Germany’s Nürburgring,
which was the first motorsport venue to
welcome back fans and visitors in the
wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. Those
at the track also have other stories to
tell from the last 12 months, after the
Nürburgring stepped in to support those
who had been displaced as a result of
extreme flooding in Germany in July.
Across the pond, Laguna Seca
Raceway in California has also been a
beacon of hope amid the pandemic for
the community of Monterey. The venue
is investing in significant upgrades to
modernise and appeal to a younger
demographic, whilst it has also been
supporting the local high school and
running a volunteer programme. The
venue has provided a strong example of
how motorsport can help its community,
especially in a time of need.
And what has become clear is that
circuits are no longer just for professional
racing drivers. Known as automotive
country clubs, venues such as The
Concours Club are providing a luxury
experience to those wanting to test their
vehicles at full speed on a circuit. The
club also features a restaurant and other
amenities, creating an experience more
akin to what one would expect at a fivestar
hotel.
Goodwood Circuit, which is nestled
in the UK’s South Downs, is another
venue that knows plenty about
creating a unique proposition for
motorsport enthusiasts. Granted Events
Research Programme status by the
UK government, the venue was able to
welcome 75 per cent of its capacity in
July for the famous Festival of Speed,
which alongside the Revival is one of
Goodwood’s two major attractions.
Elsewhere, there are few parts of the
world where motorsport infrastructure
is developing quite as quickly as in the
Middle East, where major circuits can
now be found in Saudi Arabia, Abu
Dhabi, Bahrain and Qatar. Two venues
that feature in this report, the Bahrain
International Circuit (BIC) and Abu
Dhabi’s Yas Marina Circuit, have played
their part in Formula One getting back
up and running following the disruption
of Covid and look set to continue to
contribute to the growth of motorsport
in the region.
Meanwhile, there are several operational
services that are integral to motorsport
events. Ticketing will once again be a
principal concern as fans start to return
following the pandemic, while integrating
technology at circuits is becoming
increasingly important in the digital age.
One company specialising in this space is
PMY Group, which is working in tandem
with the Australian Racing Drivers’ Club
(ARDC) to modernise Sydney Motorsport
Park with the introduction of new lighting
and LED screens.
And no circuit is complete without
hospitality, which has been a key
revenue stream for the likes of Formula
One since the 1980s. F1 Experiences
and those working at the Paddock
Club have learned that being able to
bring fans and corporate partners an
elevated experience is key to building
stronger relationships. Adapting during
Covid-19 in 2020 was no easy task but,
in the Virtual Paddock Club, the global
motorsport series was able to create an
offering that will outlast the pandemic.
Then there is the fact that some
of motorsport’s best known venues
would not exist were it not for the
hard work of circuit designers. In this
report, the likes of Bob Barnard Track
Engineering, Driven International and
C&O Innov8 Consulting outline some
of the challenges presented from a
general, technology and safety design
perspective.
All of these different strands combine
to create venues that are the beating
heart of motorsport. With an increased
focus on digitalisation, modernisation
and fan engagement, it is clear that
even the most traditional of circuits are
being finetuned to ensure they are well
positioned for the future.
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Laguna Seca
36.5843° N, 121.7535° W
The Concours Club
25.7969° N, 80.2762° W
Goodwood
50.8599° N, 0.7515° W
Nürburgring
50.3341° N, 6.9427° E
Bahrain International Circuit
26.0316° N, 50.5113° E
Yas Marina West Circuit
24.4710° N, 54.6030° E
CIRCUITS
Sydney Motorsport Park
33.8039° S, 150.8692° E
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WE THOUGHT ABOUT WHAT WE CAN DO IN
THIS SITUATION. WE TRIED TO HAVE A GOOD PLAN
AND TO HELP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION.”
NÜRBURGRING
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LEFT: Alexander Gerhard, Nürburgring’s
head of communications
BELOW: The Nürburgring is one of Europe’s
most iconic venues, hosting a wide range of
motorsport events
ONE CENTRAL TOPIC WE
WANT TO FOCUS ON IS THE
DIGITALISATION OF THE
RACING CIRCUIT.”
Nestled in the forests of western
Germany, the Nürburgring is one of
Europe’s most famous motorsport
venues. From May to October, the
track hosts a variety of B2C and B2B
events, including endurance racing, the
Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (DTM)
and bring-your-own-car track days.
In 2009, the Nürburgring transformed into
a multi-functional venue, assuming the
communications role typically shouldered
by the event organiser, enabling the circuit
to have greater control over advertising
both for the racetrack and the events held
at the venue.
As part of its development, the circuit
also introduced backstage garage
tours and exhibitions whilst also taking
advantage of the natural scenery which
provides the backdrop to the venue,
encouraging non-motorsport fans to
come and experience the ecosystem
around the circuit itself.
In the midst of this evolution, the Covid-19
pandemic struck Europe in spring of 2020,
causing motorsport venues worldwide to
temporarily shut down. However, due to
the naturally socially distanced nature of
individual motorsport, the Nürburgring was
able to reopen in April 2020 for its ‘tourist
drives’, where drivers bring their own
vehicles to cruise around the track.
“We could restart this very early in April
last year,” says Alexander Gerhard, head
of communications at the Nürburgring.
“It’s one of the parts that our business
kept running.”
While numerous circuits across Europe
had to fully shut down operations for
many months last year, the nature of the
Nürburgring’s ‘tourist drives’ means that
drivers are able to remain socially distanced
and the personnel needs are much lower
than that of traditional motorsport events.
The circuit implemented strict regulations
to be able to operate safely at some
capacity during the pandemic in 2020,
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which included mandated wearing of face
coverings and pre-assigned seating to
enforce social distancing measures.
However, those restrictions have still had
an impact on several activities at the circuit.
“What is still difficult is our museum
and all the other indoor locations, and
what is also still difficult is all the B2B
events,” explains Gerhard.
“In times before the pandemic, we
had 400 B2B events a year. And now it’s
not that much. The situation is getting
better, because all the companies are also
learning to handle this pandemic, and also
learning to bring employees together.”
That is not the only challenge the
circuit has faced of late. In July 2021,
several countries across Europe were
hit by devastating floods, with Germany
among the worst affected. Amid the
displacement and devastation wrought
by the floods, the circuit became a relief
centre for those who had lost their homes
or belongings as a result.
“The first day we needed nearly half a
day to understand what really happened,”
says Gerhard. “Then, we thought about
what we can do in this situation. We tried
to have a good plan and to help in the right
direction.
“So, in the evening of the Thursday,
we communicated that we had a help
centre here and that we are collecting
needed things for the region, and
because of our communication, people
started coming really fast.”
The circuit was able to quickly
transform to aid relief efforts in the
region. Its large stretches of tarmac
were repurposed to host emergency
responders, the infield section became
a helipad and the space used as the
paddock became a camp to host military
personnel and civilians.
LEFT: The Nürburgring transformed into a
relief centre during flooding in July 2021
RIGHT: Supplies such as food, clothing and
hygiene products were collected for those in need
WE FILLED THREE
DIFFERENT HALLS HERE
WITH TONNES OF SUPPLIES.
IT’S LIKE A CLOTHING
FACTORY RIGHT NOW.”
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ABOVE: The Nurburgring is nestled in the
forests of western Germany
WHAT WE NEED IS AI
RACE CONTROL. WE ARE
TRYING TO MAKE THIS A
REALITY IN THE FUTURE.”
“They were bringing things here and
we still were collecting things until
Sunday evening,” says Gerhard. “And
we filled three different halls here with
tonnes and tonnes of supplies. It’s like a
professional clothing factory right now,
everything is packed together, everything
is sorted.
“We have several boxes, for example,
with t-shirts size M, socks from 39 to 40
for women, children, whoever. So, this is
really crazy. And what we have now is
a centre which is open to the public, for
everyone who was hit by the flood. They
can come here, they can collect clothes,
they can collect hygiene products, they
can collect shoes, buggies for children,
everything that we have.”
In another attempt to help people in
need, the Nürburgring and local businesses
also provided food and beverages to those
who came to the relief centre. The venue
even cancelled scheduled events, such as
the Truck Grand Prix, as relief efforts and
support continued.
In a move that few people could
have anticipated, one of Europe’s most
significant circuits was able to adapt
and transform into a centre to support
the local community, an action that
will not be quickly forgotten. After the
devastating flooding, the Nürburgring
is now focused on how it can better
position itself for the future.
“One central topic we want to focus on
is the digitalisation of the racing circuit,”
explains Gerhard. “Normally the marshals
are connected via radio signal. This is
something which works because it is a
process we’ve used for nearly 100 years.
But when you have this race control, you
have to decide anything on the basis
of a radio message. This is sometimes
really difficult because is there one yellow
flag, is there two yellow flags, do you
need a red flag to interrupt the race or
something?”
Moving forward, Gerhard and his team
plan to investigate the possibility of using
artificial intelligence (AI) in their quest to
improve the Nürburgring’s digital offering.
“What we need is AI race control,
where artificial intelligence screens the
pictures, and sorts out whether the car is
still driving, whether the car stops beside
the track. Then you can decide faster
because you can see what’s happening
out there [on the track].
“This is one central point we are trying
to make a reality in the future.”
Despite the challenges that the last two
years have presented, the Nürburgring has
shown community spirit and flexibility in its
operations. As the effects of the flooding
subside and the vaccine rollout helps to
bring the pandemic under control, the venue
is well positioned to remain an important
motorsport circuit for years to come.
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WE LIKE TO DO THINGS AUTHENTICALLY
AND BASED ON OUR PASSIONS AND STEEP
EVERYTHING IN GOODWOOD’S HERITAGE.”
GOODWOOD
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Since the creation of the famous
circuit in 1948, Goodwood has
become best known for hosting
the Goodwood Festival of Speed
and the Goodwood Revival, which
are mainstays on the international
motorsport calendar.
The BlackBook caught up with
Motorsport Director, Dan Garlick, to find
out how the venue was impacted by the
Covid-19 pandemic, and how it has been
bouncing back in 2021.
ABOVE: Dan Garlick, Motorsport Director
RIGHT: Goodwood’s famous hillclimb is the
backbone of the Festival of Speed
THE BUSINESS MODEL IS
BASED ON THE PYRAMID OF
SPONSORSHIP, SO WORKING
WITH PARTNERS IS KEY.”
How are Goodwood’s events
positioned in the international
motorsport community?
We like to do things authentically and
based on our passions and steep
everything in Goodwood’s heritage.
I think that is what positions us
on the international calendar. The
Revival celebrates 1948 to 1966, when
Goodwood was a world class motor
circuit. So everything pins back to
something of historical importance.
The Festival of Speed is a celebration
of content - past, present and future
- which is genuinely world class. You
would not see that collection of content
anywhere else. So, I think it’s just that we
do things to an absolute level that’s true
to the beliefs and the theories of what
we’re trying to deal with.
Could you explain the business model
behind the events?
The business model is based on the
pyramid of sponsorship, so working with
partners is key. And then retail, tickets
and hospitality. You used to be able
to talk about thirds for each of those
streams. I think what we have seen, in
more recent times, hospitality becomes a
difficult sector, especially with Covid.
As I said, we’ve swung more towards
partnerships and retail, and hospitality
on the sort of smaller side across the
mix. But, for us, it’s got to work for the
public that come to the events and for
our partners. But then increasingly as
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well, what is key to our partners is it’s
not just about being one event, it’s about
that reach 365 and around the world.
There’s no way, for example, that we
would be lucky enough to be working
with Mastercard, who have presented the
Festival of Speed, ten years ago, without
the digital reach and that global audience
that we have now.
How did the pandemic impact
operations?
Obviously 2020 was a horrendous year
for everyone in the country and for all
businesses. We finished our Members’
Meeting build back in early March 2020.
Then, we went through last year with plans
changing week by week. No one knew how
long it was going to go on. We created this
Speedweek digital event, which was really
a kind of amalgamation of Festival of Feed
and Revival. We ran that in the autumn and
the purpose of that was for us to be able to
say thank you to our customers, members,
partners by putting something on.
How were you able to secure Events
Research Programme status from the
UK government for this year?
We were fortunate that the pilot
schemes needed to test different sorts
of scenarios. We are a sports event, but
we’re a festival and not in a stadium, so it
helped that we were a fairly unique test
case. We’re lucky that it is a huge outdoor
space and most people drive to the
events anyway, so a lot of things that you
could worry about as risk were fairly low
risk at Goodwood.
It was a nerve-wracking time, because
if we built Festival of Speed, if we
committed to costs there and then not
been able to run, it would have been
pretty devastating to us.
So we were lucky that it worked out
and we were granted pilot status.
LEFT: Goodwood utilises both the estate
grounds and the circuit for its events
RIGHT: In addition to the hillclimb, the
rally stage is a popular part of events
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WE’RE GETTING INTO A COMMUNITY FOCUS OF
OPENING THIS FACILITY UP AND NOT JUST BEING A
PRODUCER OR HOST OF MAJOR EVENTS.”
LAGUNA SECA
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LEFT: Barry Toepke, Laguna Seca’s director of
heritage events and public relations
RIGHT: Laguna Seca plays host to a number of
American motorsport series, including IndyCar
WE’RE REALLY LOOKING
AT EXPANDING THE WHOLE
FOOTPRINT OF HOW WE USE
THIS FACILITY.”
Laguna Seca Raceway’s place in
American motorsport dates back to
1957, and the venue has since firmly
placed itself on the map, hosting events
for Can-Am, Formula 5000, IMSA
GT, the American Le Mans Series,
the Superbike World Championship
(WorldSBK) and MotoGP.
More recently, though, the circuit
has undergone a series of important
renovations to attract a wider
demographic and non-motorsport fans,
as well to benefit its local community in
Monterey, California.
“As late as maybe four or five years ago,
the Laguna Seca facility was operated
mostly as a racetrack,” explains Barry
Toepke, director of heritage events and
public relations at Laguna Seca.
“What’s different is we have big
campgrounds, we have track rentals.
Instead of focusing on just the racing
itself, we’ve got the track rentals, we’ve
got the campgrounds, we’re really getting
into a community focus of opening this
facility up and not just be a producer or
host of major events.”
Additionally, Laguna Seca has expanded
its reach into original equipment
manufacturer (OEM) activations and
track days, where local carmakers use the
venue to test new models.
“That adds dollars to the community,
the hotels, the restaurants and the
Starbucks down the street,” says
Toepke. “So we’re really looking at
expanding the whole footprint of how
we use this facility.”
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In order to appeal to a younger
demographic, Laguna Seca is looking
to add further off-track activities at its
events, such as concerts, kid’s zones, gokarts
and even a Ferris wheel. In the past,
some of the events at the venue, such as
the Monterey Motorsports Reunion, have
traditionally attracted an older age group,
so those at the circuit are now aiming to
broaden its audience.
“You don’t just sit in a stand and watch
cars go around the track, which is nice,”
says Toepke. “But what else are we going
to be providing to add that value and to
get the non-motorsport person in, who
can then come in and say, ‘wow, that’s
what they do? Now I want to go see
some motorsport events.’
“So, we’re always looking at increasing
that market. And I think after Covid there
is a pent-up desire to get out. And we’re
hoping and banking on the fact that
people want to do that. We just have to
get our story out to them.”
Equally significant, though, is that
Laguna Seca has put time, money and
resources into helping the local Monterey
community, especially during the worst
of the Covid-19 pandemic. In 2020, the
venue hosted high school graduations to
provide a unique experience during trying
times and to showcase the circuit to a
group of people who otherwise might
never have visited the track.
“During Covid we held high school
graduations, driving graduations,” adds
Toepke. “They came in the paddock. They
did the graduations. And then they took a
lap around the track. So many of them had
never been in here because they think, ‘if
I’m not a motorsports person, why would I
go to Laguna Seca, all they do is race.’
“So, we need to introduce them to
the park, introduce them to what we’re
doing here in so many more ways. It’s
part of our community involvement of
trying to get people in our community
understanding and knowing what we do.”
LEFT: Laguna Seca’s WeatherTech Raceway remains the focal point of a
facility that is aiming to diversify its offering into more off-track activities
WE’RE TRYING TO GET
PEOPLE IN OUR COMMUNITY
UNDERSTANDING AND
KNOWING WHAT WE DO.”
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Additionally, Laguna Seca also
served as an evacuation site during
devastating wildfires in 2020, opening
up its campgrounds to support people in
the Monterey community who had been
displaced from their homes.
Then, in May 2021, the circuit
established the Laguna Seca Volunteer
Association, a non-profit organisation
that brings volunteers to the circuit to
help produce events.
“We have a small staff 32 or 33 people,”
Toepke says. “We can’t produce events
on a large scale [on our own], so we have
200 to 250 volunteers who are going to
be in the paddock, doing admissions,
doing concessions.
“And by getting involved in the
community that way as well, and giving
back to them and giving back to the
service clubs so they can do their nonprofit
objectives, it gets us involved.
Hotel partners, putting up banners in the
streets and things like that, letting people
know that there’s something happening.
“Like I said, a number of us sit on
different boards around the county, and
[it’s about] just getting our voice heard
and being out there as a good partner.”
Laguna Seca is putting in the work
to prove itself as an established
community hub, providing opportunities
for volunteers, helping local businesses
and the people that live and work in the
Monterey area. That community-focused
approach paints a positive picture for
the future of the track and allows it to
position itself as integral to the region.
Looking to the future, the circuit already
has plans to improve and upgrade its
facilities to preserve its legacy and attract
new fans and sponsors.
“If we’re going to be growing
motorsport, growing our corporate
sponsorships, we need to make sure that
when people come into our facility, they
get the world class treatment that they
deserve, that they expect at a renowned
facility,” says Toepke.
“Everyone knows about the corkscrew.
Everyone knows about the racetrack, but
we need to get the campgrounds up. We’ve
been repainting and a lot of different things,
but there’s still a lot to do, [we’re] probably
repaving the track next year.
“So stuff that was deferred or kind of
ignored is now high on the radar of what
we need to do to get this facility back up to
its stature of where it deserves to be and
where the county wants it to be as well.
“Because to look forward, we have to
look in the past a little bit. There was a
lot of deferred or neglected maintenance
in this facility. So, in the past year, we’ve
been able to start really focusing on the
facility itself, what needs to be fixed, what
needs to be repaired, what needs to be
replaced.”
LEFT: Laguna Seca is trying to draw non-motorsport fans
by embedding itself at the heart of its local community
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WE HAD A VERY CLEAR LASER FOCUS FROM
DAY ONE THAT OUR PRIMARY GOAL WAS
ENTERTAINING A VERY EXCLUSIVE GROUP OF
MEMBERS FIRST AND FOREMOST.”
THE CONCOURS CLUB
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LEFT: Aaron Weiss, president
of The Concours Club
BELOW: The Concours Club is located only 20
minutes away from Miami airport
WE’VE LET IT ORGANICALLY GROW
LARGELY THROUGH REFERRALS. WE
DON’T GO OUT AND SELL.”
Picture this: a purpose-built, private
circuit surrounded by luxurious
personal locker rooms, a bar, a tuning
shop with a service centre and even a
restaurant with a master sommelier.
This is the future of luxury motorsport
and is being spearheaded by The
Concours Club, a venue based in Miami.
A combination of America’s iconic
country clubs and a circuit, The Concours
Club aims to provide its members with
an incredibly exclusive experience that is
near-impossible to get anywhere else.
“We had a very clear laser focus from
day one that our primary goal was
entertaining a very exclusive group of
members first and foremost,” says Aaron
Weiss, president of The Concours Club.
“We also understand the importance
of automotive events and experiential
marketing, and understood that any
facility probably needs that business
as well in order to sustain a reasonable
business model.
“But we designed from the get go
everything we did to understand the
intersection points of those two businesses,
to ensure that our members still had an
incredibly exclusive experience.”
With a focus on luxury and exclusivity,
The Concours Club operates on an
invite-only basis, sourcing the majority of
its members through referrals.
“We invited a very small group of our
friends and influencers in the automotive
space and then we’ve let it organically grow
largely through referrals,” adds Weiss. “We
don’t go out and sell. We invite, and we
invite based on a set of criteria, and we also
rely on the referrals of members.”
Recognising the changing needs of
consumers, The Concours Club is able
to offer a space for people to test their
supercars to the limit in a controlled
and safe way, rather than speeding
on public roads. This has allowed it
to establish a foothold in the industry,
alongside providing a luxury experience
off the track.
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RIGHT: The Concours Club strives to deliver a VIP
experience from the moment its members arrive
“The whole world is changing in a variety
of ways from spectator to participant,”
explains Weiss. “Today, there’s multiple
models of car that have got faster and more
powerful, and it’s less appropriate to drive
them in a spirited manner on a public road.
Traffic has increased.
“I think all these things have driven a
participant-based world where people
want to experience what we would’ve
watched as kids.”
Automotive country clubs have been
expanding across North America quietly
yet quickly, but The Concours Club has
one feature that helps it stand out from
the crowd. Located only 20 minutes
from Miami’s city centre and airport, its
convenient setting has ensured a high
number of regular visitors.
“Our location is so unique and so
different to anyone else’s, that it completely
drives a usage pattern that’s perhaps
different than the other automotive country
clubs,” Weiss points out.
“Nobody else has built something like this
20 minutes from a major urban core. When
it’s a 20-minute drive to attend the club, your
usage patterns are completely different. So
we have a far greater social aspect.
“We have far more routine attendance,
but perhaps for shorter durations of time.
It can be part of your daily schedule, you
go to the gym in the morning, you go
to the club and take a couple laps, you
stick around for lunch, versus some of
the other clubs that are two, three or four
hours away from the urban core.
“Also, I think casual attendees and people
casually interested in motorsport are less
likely to drive three to four hours to a facility,
but very likely to stop by here and attend as
guests of our members. And I think we see
the same thing with families.”
Despite primarily being a motorsport
venue, The Concours Club’s strong focus
on luxury enables a seamless experience
for members from their arrival, to their ontrack
activities, to their food and drink after.
The club’s integrated restaurant, Verge, for
example, tailors meals to each member’s
needs. Even the on-track experience is
carefully planned and thought out.
“When you get to the car, there’s
somebody there to help you with your belts,
there’s somebody there to clean a mirror or
make an adjustment,” says Weiss.
“When you get out of your car, there’s
a concierge there to take your gear, take
your helmet and your gloves. So we’ve
elevated that luxury in everything we do.”
Alongside that, The Concours Club has
created a family-oriented environment
to mirror that of any typical high-class
resort, blending automotive and luxury in
order to take recreational motorsport to
another level.
“Our main goal was also to have a family
environment,” explains Susana Olmos, The
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Concours Club’s director of marketing.
“We wanted to provide our members with
experiences and the level of services that
they are accustomed to at any resort.
“We also have our locker rooms with
showers and grooming stations, robes and
sandals, grooming kits, anything that you
would expect that a five-star resort or hotel.
“It’s really, really personalised. And
since we have such a small group of
members, everything is tailored to them
individually. We don’t have 100 people
showing up at the same time.”
That personalised approach is the key
to providing an exclusive experience to
members of the club both on and off the
track. Indeed, elevated experiences, its
proximity and a dedication to luxury are
what ultimately set The Concours Club
apart.
“We put in some features after speaking
with a lot of our friends in the industry
and doing a lot of studying to understand
exactly what it is they’re looking for and
what drives those events,” says Weiss.
“Having a location like this where you
could host the luxury event directly next
to the circuit 12 months a year, only miles
away from the international airport, only
miles away from some of the best hotels
and entertainment in the world.
“We think that the only issue we’re
going to have with that is maintaining
space on the calendar.”
SINCE WE HAVE SUCH
A SMALL GROUP OF
MEMBERS, EVERYTHING
IS TAILORED TO THEM
INDIVIDUALLY.”
LEFT: Susana Olmos, The Concours Club’s
director of marketing
RIGHT: The Concours Club is synonymous
with the luxury automotive sector
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NEW HORIZONS
It is no secret that the Middle East is a growing
market for motorsport. With considerable
investment in infrastructure, advanced technology
solutions and strong fan engagement, circuits in
Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates
and Qatar are fast becoming important fixtures on
many international calendars.
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Before 2004, the Middle East had no
permanent motorsport circuits. Today,
17 years later, venues in Bahrain, Abu
Dhabi, Saudi Arabia and Qatar host a
series of motorsport events, including
Formula One, MotoGP, Formula E and
endurance racing.
Bahrain International Circuit (BIC)
became the first Middle Eastern circuit
to stage a Formula One race in 2004 and
has since become a staple of the global
motorsport series’ calendar. The venue
has since cemented its place as one of
the Middle East’s motorsport havens
RIGHT: Salman bin Isa Al Khalifa, chief
executive of Bahrain International Circuit
WHEN WE STARTED
OUT, WE DIDN’T WANT TO
JUST BUILD A TRACK AND
HAVE A RACE.”
by hosting a wide range of national
and international events, including the
World Endurance Championship (WEC),
Formula 2, the Porsche Sprint Challenge
Middle East and the Gulf 12 Hours.
“When we started out, we didn’t want
to just build a track and have a race,” says
Salman bin Isa Al Khalifa, chief executive
of BIC. “We really wanted to invest in the
sport long term. The history of motorsport
in Bahrain does go back, but we’ve never
had a venue, we’ve never had a racetrack.
“So that was a continuation in 2004
when we started putting Bahrain on the
map. And then, by hosting a big event like
Formula One, that served that purpose,
but it was always about more, about how
we were going to continue that and grow
that story.”
The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at Yas
Marina Circuit joined the Formula One
calendar five years after Bahrain’s debut.
The venue has since become known as
the home of the series’ season finale,
which is traditionally a day-night race
that takes place in late November or early
December.
“This has definitely played clear role
in the development of the sport across
the region,” says Ali Al Beshr, the circuit
operations director at Yas Marina Circuit,
when asked about the impact of the Abu
Dhabi Grand Prix. “We are widely regarded
as a home of F1 in the MENA region.”
Yas Marina Circuit was also able to
reaffirm its hosting credentials in 2020
despite the fact that a number of Formula
One races were cancelled due to the
Covid-19 pandemic. The venue staged
the final round in mid-December as the
championship brought the curtain down
on an interrupted season.
“The fact that we’ve been able to
deliver a Grand Prix, although there were
no spectators, was huge,” Al Beshr says.
“With the pandemic, as you can imagine,
it was difficult for us because we had to
lose a lot of the spectators. But I think
we did deliver a fantastic event where
Formula One were able to broadcast to a
lot of people.”
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As Al Beshr points out, hosting a
Formula One world championship event
in the midst of a global pandemic is no
easy task. However, Yas Marina Circuit
was able to do so by working with the
United Arab Emirates (UAE) government
and ensuring strict Covid-19 protocols
were in place.
“The pandemic was present, and it
was very challenging,” says Al Beshr.
“Thankfully, through a combination of the
hard work and the huge effort from key
entities, including our local government
entities, as well as the other stakeholders
involved in delivering such a huge event,
we’ve been able to overcome all these
challenges.
“I was one of the people who had
to quarantine for 14 days just to make
sure that we were not going to pass any
infection to international personnel.
“The main priority was for everyone
to be safe. That’s why we had to put
everyone, including myself, in quarantine
before we interacted with any of the
internationals.”
Bahrain International Circuit
26.0316° N, 50.5113° E
Yas Marina West Circuit
24.4710° N, 54.6030° E
LEFT: BIC was able to step in and host
Formula One testing in 2021
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LEFT: Endurance racing is just one
of many motorsports hosted by BIC
IN 2020, WHICH PEOPLE
SAID WAS A PANDEMIC YEAR,
WE HAD 148 EVENTS.”
As the venue prepares to welcome
spectators back for 2021, Yas Marina
Circuit has also been making track
changes aimed at improving overtaking
following consultation with fans.
“We engaged with the fans just to
understand their requirements,” Al Beshr
explains. “I believe one of the reasons
why we have this track upgrade was
because of the feedback we’ve received
from the fans.
“So, we are now changing our track
layout based on the feedback we have
received from the fans, and hopefully
this year we are going to have a new
exciting configuration where fans will be
engaged.”
Outside of hosting flagship events like a
Formula One Grand Prix, a challenge for
circuits everywhere is ensuring that their
venues remain busy throughout the year.
Al Khalifa, for one, points out that BIC
“didn’t want to be a venue that just had
Formula One”.
BIC also stepped in for Barcelona
at the beginning of the 2021 Formula
One season to host pre-season testing,
followed by the first race of the season.
Aside from that, the venue keeps busy
throughout the year to ensure that the
small island of Bahrain is having a big
impact in motorsport.
“We talked about grassroots and drag
racing being important, so we build those
into our calendar first,” says Al Khalifa.
“And then the rest of the team have to
plug in and find stuff.
“The last two, three years, we’ve been
sold out in our season from October,
November to about March every day.
We’ve had over 300 events, 260 events
in 2019. In 2020, which people said was
a pandemic year, we had 148 events.
January, February, March was really
busy, and then at the end of the year in
November, we had two Formula One
races, Formula 2 testing and other
events.
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RIGHT: Ali Al Beshr, circuit operations director
at Yas Marina Circuit
BELOW: Yas Marina Circuit has plans to change
its configuration following feedback from fans
WE ARE EXPLORING WHAT OTHER
ADDITIONAL AREAS THAT WE CAN
EVOLVE IN MOTORSPORT.”
“From November to this March, we’ve
had four Formula One events in four
months. So commercially, we have to
keep this track busy. We’ve got 146
employees and they need to keep busy.”
In the summer, when temperatures
reach 40 degrees Celsius, BIC also
makes sure its facilities are being used,
even if it’s not on track.
“It’s 40 degrees outside, so we’re not
going to bring a race car here,” says Al
Khalifa. “However, we have facilities, we
have suites where we do our gaming
events, our comic cons, IGN, anything
that utilises the infrastructure of a
Formula One track and all the fibre optics
that we have underneath the track.”
Given the appetite to make use of the
venue year-round, it is no surprise that
BIC has been eager to return to hosting
international motorsport events during
the pandemic in 2020 and 2021. But Al
Khalifa stresses that a priority has been
making sure operations run safely and
that there is minimised risk to those
travelling to the circuit.
Whilst visiting Bahrain, Formula One
personnel had to take Covid-19 tests
once every five days, and vaccinations
were offered to those who wanted it.
“We showed that we could come back
and support Formula One and the FIA
[International Automobile Federation],”
Al Khalifa says. “Credit has to be given
to Formula One and the FIA. They were
the first global sport to go around the
world during this pandemic in 2020, so
we wanted to ensure that all the Covid
testing was done right.”
Al Khalifa also notes that the fact
Bahrain has shown itself to be capable
of hosting events during the pandemic
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ABOVE: Yas Marina Circuit hosts Formula
One’s iconic end-of-season race
hasn’t gone unnoticed by the broader
motorsport community.
“We didn’t know where this was going,
so we tried to do as much as possible,”
he says, when discussing the protocols
that were in place. “Because of that,
because we hosted two Formula One
rounds in November, we have been
getting a lot of demand. Any place that
can’t race is calling us saying, ‘can I have
a round here?’ So there is the demand,
it’s not like we don’t have anything to do.”
BIC was also one of the first Formula
One venues to welcome back a limited
number of spectators to the venue in
early 2021, but tickets were only sold to
fans who had been vaccinated or had
recovered from Covid-19.
“Bahrain is one of the highest countries
that is vaccinating and I think has
the second highest number of fully
vaccinated people in the world,” says Al
Khalifa. “Because of that, you say, ‘OK,
am I going to live in this box of waiting for
everything to change? Or am I going to
say we need to move forward?’”
He adds: “Hopefully, in September,
when the weather changes, our track
days will start again and we’ll start
having events. I think it’s important to
give confidence. I think people want to
go back, and we should be a venue that
safely encourages that, instead of being
afraid of it.”
The Middle East clearly played its
part in motorsport getting back up and
running in the wake of the pandemic, but
its influence looks set to increase further
over the coming years. Formula One is
due to make its first venture into Saudi
Arabia in December with the penultimate
race on the 2021 calendar, while the
Losail International Circuit in Qatar
is reportedly expected to replace the
cancelled Australian Grand Prix for 2021.
Looking forward, Yas Marina Circuit is
eager to continue modernising and play
its own part in motorsport’s growth in the
Middle East.
“We look to how we can evolve and the
important thing for us is to continue to
find ways in which our products offering
can be improved,” says Al Beshr.
“As I mentioned earlier, the government
are investing to upgrade our tracks, just
because of the fact that we are taking
fan feedback seriously. So that’s a huge
investment that they put in place which
gives you an indication of how serious we
are about taking in the fans’ feedback.
“Similarly, we are exploring all the
options and discussing with our local
ASN to see what other additional areas
that we can evolve in motorsport, i.e.
motorcycle racing, as well as track racing,
drift championships and so on.
“We have all these infrastructures in
place that is all ready to be used.”
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HOOKIT INSIGHT
HOW MOTORSPORT’S TOP CIRCUITS STACK UP ON SOCIAL MEDIA
BlackBook official data partner Hookit
analysed the performance of 30 of the
world’s leading motorsport circuits*
on social media to determine how
effectively each venue engages its
fanbase and drives value for commercial
partners.
Each circuit and its social media activity
was examined across Facebook, Twitter,
Instagram and YouTube between 1st
January 2020 and 1st September 2021.
To learn more about Hookit’s solutions
and the key trends in the motorsport
sponsorship space, head to hookit.com.
* Aintree Motor Racing Circuit, Bahrain International Circuit, Bristol Motor Speedway, Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, Circuit de la Sarthe,
Circuit of the Americas, Daytona International Speedway, EuroSpeedway Lausitz, Fuji Speedway, Goodwood, Hockenheimring, Imola Circuit,
Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Istanbul Park, Korea International Circuit, Laguna Seca, Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Melbourne Grand
Prix Circuit, Monaco Grand Prix Circuit, Nürburgring, Road America, Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, Sebring International Raceway, Sepang
International Circuit, Shanghai International Circuit, Silverstone, Sonoma Raceway, Spa-Francorchamps, Suzuka Circuit, Texas Motor
Speedway, The Concours Club, Yas Marina
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SOCIAL DATA
Total Social
Followers as of
Sept 1, 2021
Follower Growth
since Jan 1, 2020
Fan Engagement
2021
Fan Engagement
Change
2021 vs 2020
Nürburgring 1,561,931 13.6% 18,274,272 144.4%
Yas Marina Circuit 787,279 0.8% 919,291 -85.1%
Fan Engagement on social media is measured
by any interaction that a user makes with a post,
including a like, comment, share, or video view
as they are known on each platform. Total Fan
Engagement is the sum of these interactions on all
the posts by that particular entity within the time
period across all their main social media accounts.
Bahrain International Circuit 355,240 10.9% 918,768 33.3%
WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca 185,114 2.4% 169,433 8.4%
Goodwood Motor Circuit 62,029 41.5% 3,974 -29.4%
The Concours Club 10,207 0.7% 16,892 267.9%
Median among 30 circuits examined 238,157 10.2% 1,378,725 18.3%
f
Nürburgring is one of three venues
examined that has over one million
followers. The other two are Circuit
de la Sarthe (shared account with 24
Hour of Le Mans) at 2.4 million, and
Daytona International Speedway,
with 1.6 million.
f
Goodwood had the third highest
follower growth rate among the
examined circuits, behind Circuit de
Monaco (84 per cent) and Circuit de
Spa-Francorchamps (83 per cent). All
three have fewer than 150,000 total
followers.
f
Nürburgring is in the top five
circuits by total fan engagement,
joined by Circuit de la Sarthe /
24 Hours of Le Mans (21 million),
Indianapolis Motor Speedway (11.6
million), Bristol Motor Speedway (11
million), and the Saudi Arabian Grand
Prix (8.6 million).
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SPONSORSHIP DATA
f
# Branded Posts Avg. Promotion Quality Sponsorship Value (AAV)
Nürburgring 361 20.1% $643,000
Yas Marina Circuit 570 36.9% $37,500
Bahrain International Circuit 228 20.4% $31,000
WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca 669 22.2% $10,700
Goodwood Motor Circuit 2 22.7%

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SUMMIT SESSIONS
The BlackBook Motorsport Virtual Summit
brings together industry leaders to discuss
the future of motosport. Click the video
links below to relive two recent sessions
featuring senior executives from venues
including Laguna Seca, Silverstone and
Bahrain International Circuit.
WATCH NOW
Saif Al Noaimi
Deputy CEO
Paulo Pinheiro
CEO
Barry Toepke
Director of Events
& PR
Moderated by:
Peter Jones,
Executive Director,
BlackBook Motorsport
25TH AUGUST | 4-5PM BST
ICONIC ASPHALT:
A REGIONAL LOOK AT
CIRCUIT DESIGN
Sheikh Salman Al
Khalifa
CEO
Francois Dumontier
CEO
Moderated by: Mark Gallagher, Founder, Performance Insights
Stuart Pringle
Managing Director
23RD SEPT | 2-3PM BST
RACE TO
SUCCESS:
HOW CIRCUITS
SURVIVE & THRIVE
WATCH NOW
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MOTORSPORT HAS ALWAYS HAD SUCH A
SIGNIFICANT AND ATTRACTIVE CORE PRODUCT IN
THE RACE THAT’S HAPPENING ON THE TRACK.”
SERVICES
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THE SPECTATOR MODEL DOESN’T
REALLY WORK FOR PEOPLE ANYMORE.”
LEFT: Bob Barnard of Bob Barnard
Track Engineering
BELOW: Barnard designed the famous
Apex Motor Club phase one track complex in Phoenix
DESIGN
Carefully thought out and integrated design
work is the backbone of any motorsport
venue around the world. Implementing
safety features, ensuring technology
developments are taken into consideration
and guaranteeing that the venue is engaging
for fans, sponsors and teams are all
significant factors in modern circuit design.
The BlackBook caught up with industry
experts from organisations such as
Bob Barnard Track Engineering, Driven
International and C&O Innov8 Consulting
to hear their thoughts on where circuit
design is heading and what’s next.
Bob Barnard boasts a wealth of
knowledge in circuit design, construction
and operation from working on projects
spanning the former Formula One venue in
Adelaide, Australia, to the redesign of the
Philip Island Circuit and the reconstruction
of Daytona International Speedway in 2004.
Now, Barnard is focusing much of
his attention on one of the growing
trends in the motorsport venue space –
automotive country clubs.
“I’ve currently got six projects working
all in America,” he says. “All except one is
what we call a private country club.
“If you think of the concept of a
private golf club, an upmarket club like
Wentworth, you take out the golf course
and you put in the driving course, and it’s
there for members primarily.
“There are something like 20-plus of
these in America that have them, and I’m
actually building five right now.”
Automotive country clubs are clearly
the direction that the luxury motorsport
industry is moving towards, as spectators
have a greater desire to become involved
in the racing themselves. Without
grandstands, parking and other facilities,
the venues are cheaper to build and
circuit owners no longer need to rely on
ticket sales for income due to revenue
from memberships.
“The spectator model doesn’t really work
for people anymore,” says Barnard. “The
beauty of these clubs is two things. One,
you can build them a lot cheaper, because
you’re not building grandstands, parking
lots and all sorts of facilities for people.
“The other thing is you’re not reliant
on ticket sales to get your money back.
You build a track, you start selling
memberships, within a reasonable period
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LEFT: Barnard designed Formula One’s
famous Adelaide circuit, which featured
on the calendar from 1985 to 1995
WE WANTED TO TEST DRIVE OUR OWN TRACKS, AND
REALLY EXPERIENCE THEM AT A ONE-TO-ONE SCALE.”
of time - usually three years, if not less -
you sell enough memberships to pay for
the actual facility.
“You actually build the facility in stages,
so you’re not building the whole thing out
at once. As long as you’ve got one piece
of track and something for people to drive
on, they’ll turn up and they’ll pay their
money. And then you start building it out.”
Since Barnard made his entry into the
field in 1984, the needs of the motorsport
industry have changed significantly
to reflect the comfort-focused,
environmentally-driven and constantly
connected society within which it sits.
Automotive country clubs are only the tip
of the iceberg, according to Barnard.
“There’s been a pretty steady
transformation, in my view,” he says.
“There’s so many things going on in the
world that is moving at an incredibly fast
pace. The younger generation, a lot of
them don’t really care about a car, they
think the car is anti-environment.
“One of the German manufacturers
said that what you basically want is a
lounge room on wheels, which you don’t
have to own, which drives itself, and has
constant Wi-Fi connection. And that
pretty much to me sums up what that
generation wants.
“There’s also the rush to electric vehicles,
which I don’t personally think is the right
solution. I’ve been a believer in hydrogen
power since the mid-80s, and I think a lot
of people are looking at that as well.”
One important development in the
circuit design space has unsurprisingly
been in the area of technology. For many
years, Driven International has been
a significant player in the motorsport
design sphere, creating everything from
karting tracks to International Automobile
Federation (FIA)-homologated circuits.
Now, with the help of technological
advancements in virtual reality (VR), the
company is able to offer clients a whole
new experience when showing them
their circuit design plans.
“We basically realised that we do a lot of
technical drawings and plans for circuits,”
says Ben Willshire, the managing director
at Driven International. “It’s a little bit like if
you’re doing an extension on your house.
You can look at the plans, but people
often really struggled to get a sense of
scale. Now, architects use virtual reality for
walking people around their new homes
and you can really see what it will look like
using this 3D software.
“So, we really pushed hard on that for
the last five years to develop some tools
where we wanted to test drive our own
tracks, and really experience them at a
one-to-one scale.”
Driven International has worked closely
with former Formula One driver Karun
Chandhok to test its circuit models virtually
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once they have been designed. In doing so,
Willshire and his team are able to test drive
the track virtually, make sure it is suitable
and then make any necessary changes
before pressing ahead with construction.
“When we’ve done design, what we
usually do before we go too far is we lay
out the track and quickly sanity check
that it feels OK to drive,” Willshire adds.
“Before we put run-offs or barriers or
start designing the buildings, we just
check that the track is actually OK. We
put it into the simulator, just a very basic
model, the engineers here will build the
model, put it into the sim, drive it.
“Then we might open up a few of the
corners or change some of the layout to
get a bit more overtaking or widen some of
the corners. Then we just feed that back,
so that means the design can be updated,
we’ve got a bit more confidence in what
we’re doing.
“Once we’ve developed the design a bit
more, we’ll put it back into the simulator.
At that point, we’ll do more testing on it to
really refine the design. It might be things
like where a curb goes or checking barrier
angles or where you need a brake board,
so it’s a little bit more detailed at that stage.
“At that point, we would build out all of
the buildings, the landscaping, all of the runoff
areas, the barriers, so it can look very
realistic. We’re also correlating real-life data
and we’re overlaying, so we know that the
simulator model that we’re doing is valid.”
The accuracy of the simulator, paired
with the benefits it gives clients, makes
it no surprise that motorsport is now
adopting similar solutions that are being
used across the design space at large.
Allowing clients to test the tracks virtually
ultimately allows for a smoother process
and creates the ability to assess whether
certain features are up to scratch.
LEFT: Ben Willshire, managing director
of Driven International
RIGHT: Driven International utilises
VR to test its tracks
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RIGHT: Olaf Bierfreund, director and cofounder
of C&O Innov8 Consulting
IT’S ABOUT MAKING
SURE THAT THE TRACK IS
A SAFE ENVIRONMENT IN
EVERY SINGLE WAY.”
“Generally across the industry now a
lot of the design companies are using
that method,” says Willshire. “I would
say probably in the last two years, it’s
become more of an industry standard.
“The FIA have taken quite an interest in
that technique. I think they’ve found it quite
useful for their own assessments of tracks.
“And also, the way the design industry
is moving, forgetting motorsport, if you
look at architecture and engineering, if
you design a new building, you would
expect to see 3D renders, you would
expect to see visualisations.
“The wider design industry are using
those tools, but motorsport has been a
little bit behind, so I think we’ve helped it
catch up in that regard.”
Another crucial aspect of circuit design
is the ever-increasing focus on safety
infrastructure, which is an area that civil
engineering consultancy services company
C&O Innov8 Consulting specialises in.
“What we don’t want to see is people
getting hurt,” explains Olaf Bierfreund,
co-founder and director of C&O Innov8
Consulting. “So it’s about making sure
that the track is a safe environment in
every single way. That includes - from a
layout and design perspective - always
making sure there’s enough space so that
people don’t hit anything at full speed.”
Large fencing is a familiar sight around
the perimeter of a motorsport track and
obviously improves the safety of a given
circuit. However, it can negatively impact
the experience for people watching the
race at the venue. Something Bierfreund
therefore has to consider is striking
the right balance between spectator
experience and ensuring the venue is
safe for the competitors.
“From my side, it’s looking at the
hard infrastructure,” he says. “There’s
a movement to make sure that that is
appropriate as well and strikes the right
balance between ensuring the best
possible safety, but also looking at the costs
- not just for the initial implementation,
but on the ongoing maintenance and the
spectator experience.”
As safety infrastructure continues to
modernise and improve, Bierfreund and
his team make sure to evaluate new
advancements, including relating to
barriers and circuit draining. When racing
is suspended, the circuit is losing money,
so it’s about making sure venues are safe
enough to ensure that any stoppage to
activities is minimal.
“Whether it’s a Formula One event
or whether it’s a club day, if you have to
stop the activity on track, the track loses
revenue,” says Bierfreund. “So it’s looking at
how can we get the best balance there?”
Additionally, service access points
and drains are important elements to
consider. Bierfreund points out that the
positioning of these is key.
“In terms of the other elements that
make up the circuit,” he continues, “the
focus there is on any drainage chambers
and service access points, that they are
positioned as safely as possible. Where they
are absolutely necessary, it is important that
they are designed to be as safe as possible
so that you don’t have incidents where
covers suddenly become loose because
somebody forgot to put in some screws.
“So for the initial design, it’s about them
with the contractors so that they select
the right products that are self-sealing.
Or, if they are existing installations, slowly
working with venues, with the circuit, to
start to replace them where possible,
particularly in critical locations.”
It is clear, then, that technological
and safety advancements are playing
an important part in the development
of motorsport circuits across the globe.
Automotive country clubs, VR simulators
and striking the right balance between
safety and the spectator experience are
just some of the things contributing to the
creation of more dynamic circuits that will
stand the test of time.
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SPONSORPULSE INSIGHT
HOW MOTORSPORT PROPERTIES COMPARE IN THE US
THE TOP FIVE BY OPPORTUNITY SCORE
Opportunity
Score
Engagement Intensity Momentum Passion Excitement Consideration Favourability
1 NASCAR 19 38% 40% 18% 13% 29% 11% 11%
2 Daytona 500 16 38% 35% 14% 12% 22% 8% 9%
3 Formula One 14 32% 39% 14% 10% 22% 10% 9%
4 IndyCar 12 33% 38% 11% 8% 18% 8% 6%
5 Extreme E 12 31% 43% 10% 9% 17% 8% 6%
6 European Rally Championship 11 30% 43% 9% 8% 19% 9% 7%
7 Formula E 10 29% 38% 10% 9% 15% 7% 7%
8 World Endurance Championship 10 28% 42% 9% 7% 20% 7% 7%
9 24 Hours of Le Mans 10 28% 39% 9% 8% 15% 8% 7%
10 World Touring Car Cup 10 28% 41% 8% 8% 17% 6% 7%
11 W Series 10 30% 43% 8% 6% 14% 6% 6%
12 Endurance World Championship 10 29% 43% 7% 6% 16% 7% 6%
13 Supercars 9 28% 41% 8% 6% 16% 6% 6%
14 MotoGP 9 26% 40% 9% 7% 15% 6% 6%
15 Supercross 8 27% 39% 8% 6% 14% 5% 6%
16 American Flat Track 6 22% 38% 5% 8% 14% 4% 4%
19
16
14
12
12
NASCAR Daytona 500 Formula One IndyCar Extreme E
SponsorPulse’s Opportunity Score is a universal currency that helps measure and
compare sponsorship opportunities instantly across 18 of the world’s largest markets.
The table above shows how the leading motorsport properties stack up in the United
States. Data collected between July 2018 and August 2021.
CLICK HERE
To find out more
Nascar leads the way with an Opportunity Score of
19. Interestingly, the fledgling off-road electric SUV
championship Extreme E sneaks into the top five having
generated notable excitment among US motorsport fans.
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WE WANTED TO BE TRANSFORMATIONAL, WE
WANTED TO GIVE FANS A CHANCE TO SEE AND DO
THINGS THEY HAD NOT BEEN ABLE TO DO BEFORE.”
LEFT: Keith Bruce, president of F1 Experiences
BELOW: Formula One’s Paddock Club offers a
luxury experience for fans
HOSPITALITY
An important part of any Formula One
race is the fan and corporate experience.
Established over 30 years ago, the
Formula One Paddock Club presented
a way for fans and corporate partners
to get closer to the series through an
upscale hospitality offering positioned
above the team garages. Then, in 2017,
F1 Experiences was created as one of
the first business ventures under Liberty
Media’s ownership to offer fans a wide
range of ticketing packages.
F1 Experiences offers a multitude of
packages across a Formula One race
weekend, including behind-the-scenes
access, hospitality, driver meet-andgreets
and accommodation. Previously,
Formula One’s experience package had
only covered hospitality. Under Liberty
Media’s ownership, the series has sought
to expand that offering.
“That typically was the experience for
fans,” says Keith Bruce, president of F1
Experiences. “It was The Paddock Club,
or maybe some promoter hospitality in
the grandstand. That was it.
“So F1 Experiences came in to
completely change the dynamic of
attending a Formula One race. We wanted
to be transformational, we wanted to give
fans a chance to see and do things they
had not been able to do before.”
Working in tandem with Kate Beavan,
who recently stepped down as global
director of hospitality and experiences
at Formula One, Bruce endeavoured
to build out the Paddock Club, offering
passes for one, two or all three days of a
race weekend, as well as the opportunity
to watch the podium ceremony up close.
As hospitality experiences continue
to gain popularity in all areas of
entertainment, Beavan and her team
have been working to ensure that
Formula One goes the extra mile.
“Sport is a passion point for lots of
people,” explains Beavan. “What makes
Formula One different? It’s got 70 years
of heritage, it’s travelling across 23
countries a year, it’s nine months of the
year, every two weeks, sometimes every
week. Most other sports can’t say that.
“On the experiences side of it,
what makes Formula One different is
simply the architecture of our events.
Formula One paddock hospitality is by
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LEFT: F1 Experiences brings guests
to the heart of Formula One
WHAT MAKES FORMULA
ONE DIFFERENT? IT’S GOT
70 YEARS OF HERITAGE,
IT’S TRAVELLING ACROSS
23 COUNTRIES A YEAR.
MOST OTHER SPORTS
CAN’T SAY THAT.”
architectural design right at the heart of
the action. It is above the team garages.
“Also, crucially for Formula One on the
corporate side, it allows corporates to
be able to build a corporate programme
around a three-day event that really
maximises the value for them.”
Even as Formula One seeks to
expand in both new and existing
markets, including the Middle East
and the US, Beavan notes that some
of the series’ iconic venues such as
Monaco and Spa-Francorchamps
remain popular among members of the
Paddock Club.
However, she points out that races
in Singapore and Abu Dhabi are also
gaining traction.
“Over the last 20 years Formula One
has been developing new markets
quite relentlessly,” says Beavan. “The
Singapore race, which isn’t new anymore,
quickly developed into one of the most
popular races on our calendar.
“The busiest hospitality race that we
do is in Abu Dhabi - not in Silverstone
or Spa or one of our more historic
circuits, so that’s been really interesting
to see.”
F1 Experiences, meanwhile, has been
generating more business in the Middle
East, which is no surprise considering
Formula One’s addition of a Saudi
Arabian Grand Prix.
“The fact that the calendar ends on
the two races in Saudi and Abu Dhabi,
demand has been incredibly strong
for those for those races,” says Bruce.
“Interestingly, Saudi is more domestic
to the Saudi Arabian corporate market
and local domestic fan. Abu Dhabi
tends to be more multinational in terms
of its appeal.”
In addition, F1 Experiences is seeing its
business grow in the US, where a second
Formula One race in Miami is set to join
the calendar in 2022. Bruce says having
two Grands Prix across the pond from
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next year will be “phenomenal for our
business” because the US is the “number
one market” for F1 Experiences.
“Roughly about 40 per cent of our sales
are from North American buyers, and
about 35 per cent of our sales are from
European buyers,” he continues. “So, 75
per cent of our business is North America
and Europe.”
Last year, Formula One’s hospitality
branch was forced to adapt quickly
when the pandemic struck. With
fans unable to attend most races, the
Paddock Club had to make the switch
to digital. As a result, Formula One
partnered with video communications
company Zoom to launch the Virtual
Paddock Club, which has been such
a success that it is now a permanent
feature of the series’ hospitality offering
alongside its in-person experiences.
“We had to pivot very quickly to
support our client base, which is mainly
the guests of the teams and the team
sponsors, the guests of our own VIPs and
sponsors,” says Beavan.
WE ARE VERY PLEASANTLY SURPRISED
AT THE PENT-UP DEMAND THERE IS OUT
THERE TO COME BACK TO LIVE EVENTS.”
ABOVE AND BELOW: F1 Experiences
enables guests to get closer to the action
“We decided that the most interesting
thing that people wanted to see - that
was akin to hospitality - was they wanted
to be live at the track and see behind the
scenes. They were all closed events, so
nobody was really having a look at how
this race is operating live behind the
scenes.
“It started out as a small partnership
[with Zoom], it’s now turned into a
significant and longer-term partnership.
So we’ve been able to develop the
technology to make sure that not only
are we live from the circuit, but we’re
interacting.”
Looking ahead, things appear bright for
the Paddock Club and F1 Experiences.
There was initial concern about whether
the pandemic would impact consumer
habits, but Beavan reports that there
have been no such issues as events start
to open up again.
“One of the things that excites us most
is the demand side,” she says.
“We are very pleasantly surprised, quite
shocked, at the pent-up demand there
is out there to come back to live events.
A year ago many of us were sitting
around going, ‘will this global pandemic
permanently change the way people
behave? Will they no longer want to go or
feel comfortable going to large sporting
or music events?’
“We were pondering these questions
very, very seriously last year. What we
see now is, whilst it’s difficult to get the
events back on, the demand is certainly
there.”
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SPONSORPULSE INSIGHT
HOW FORMULA ONE RESONATES ACROSS TEN KEY MARKETS
THE TOP FIVE BY ENGAGEMENT
Opportunity
Score
Engagement Intensity Momentum Passion Excitement Consideration Favourability
1 Italy 43 60% 42% 31% 25% 45% 13% 13%
2 Spain 42 57% 39% 34% 23% 47% 15% 17%
3 Brazil 40 58% 25% 30% 20% 49% 20% 17%
4 Portugal 33 51% 20% 33% 16% 52% 15% 14%
5 Mexico 30 53% 28% 23% 16% 37% 15% 13%
6 United Kingdom 28 42% 36% 30% 19% 45% 12% 12%
7 France 17 37% 23% 20% 16% 33% 9% 9%
8 Australia 17 35% 26% 22% 16% 34% 10% 11%
9 United States 14 32% 39% 14% 10% 22% 10% 9%
10 Canada 14 31% 27% 20% 14% 28% 9% 8%
60%
58%
57%
53%
51%
Italy Brazil Spain Mexico Portugal
SponsorPulse’s Engagement metric is based on the total number of people
who have engaged with a property over the past 12 months. Engagement
is tracked across linear and digital broadcast, social or traditional media
following, buying or wearing merchandise, playing fantasy or betting, as well
as word of mouth recommendation to others. The table above shows data for
the ten markets in which Formula One resonates most among consumers.
Data collected between July 2018 and September 2021.
CLICK HERE
To find out more
Formula One’s reach and engagement is highest in Italy,
home of 16-time world champions Scuderia Ferrari.
Brazil, Spain, Mexico and Portugal round out the top five.
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WE’RE FOCUSED ON THE DRIVER AND VISITOR
ENGAGEMENT, CONTENT EXPERIENCE AND SOME
FEATURES THAT HAVE NOT BEEN SEEN IN MOTORSPORT.”
LEFT: Paul Yeomans, PMY Group’s
managing director
BELOW: PMY is working with the ARDC to
modernise Sydney Motorsport Park
TECHNOLOGY
From small, club motorsport venues to
global International Automobile Federation
(FIA) Grade One tracks, circuits are
currently undergoing a transformation
to integrate multimedia experiences, fan
engagement technology and improved
infrastructure into their venues.
Technology advisory and delivery
company PMY Group has helped a
number of sports and entertainment
venues, such as Australia’s Sydney
Cricket Ground (SCG) and Optus
Stadium, to adopt innovations that
enhance their live event experience. Now,
alongside the Australian Racing Drivers
Club (ARDC), the company has made the
move into motorsport.
PMY Group has partnered with
the ARDC to invest some AUS$4
million (US$2.9 million) on upgrading
the technological facilities at Sydney
Motorsport Park across a ten-year period.
“It’s a multi-phased project where we’ve
partnered with [ARDC chief executive]
Glenn [Matthews] and his team to update
Sydney Motorsport Park for both drivers,
stakeholders and industries, deploying the
latest in next generation technologies,”
explains Paul Yeomans, PMY Group’s
managing director.
“The first phase of the project is a AUS$4
million investment and something we’re
really focused on is the driver and visitor
engagement, content experience and some
real surprise and delight features that have
not been seen in motorsport, certainly in
the southern hemisphere, but for the most
part around the world.”
According to Yeomans, working with
the team at the ARDC has enabled PMY
Group to discover the best technologies
that will benefit the venue and make it
more engaging for organisers, sponsors,
fans and drivers.
“We’ve been really focused on
identifying the organisation that we see
as the absolute market leader in that
particular sector that we’re looking to
focus on,” he continues. “For us, given the
amazing work that Glenn and his team
have done in the lights for the circuit,
the future innovation pathway, Sydney
Motorsport Park was the natural market
leader for us to seek to partner with.”
Across the duration of the project,
PMY Group and the ARDC are looking
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WE PUT IN PLACE A NEW CORE NETWORK TO DRIVE
THE LATEST IN CONTENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS.”
ABOVE: PMY has big plans for
Sydney Motorsport Park
to implement new content management
systems, LED screens and assets, a
smart operating platform and improved
trackside lighting.
This technology will allow for improved
content gathering at different points around
the circuit, serving fans both at the venue
and remotely. With audiences hungry for
more information, the new technology
being implemented by PMY Group and the
ARDC means there will be increased data
at their disposal to meet those demands.
“We put in place a new core network to
drive the latest in content management
systems and integrated stacks and
data feeds across LED panels, large
format displays, and other freestanding
multimedia devices around the track,”
Yeomans explains.
“So all centralised to be able to shoot
and deliver content to different zones
around the track - real-time, dynamic
commercial content, driver engagement
and statistical information feeds, as well as
operational safety and other messaging.
“Sitting behind that is a smart
operating platform that will continue
to capture and drive further real-time
data about visitors, drivers and industry
interacting with the track.”
Building up the lighting and fibre optic
infrastructure at Sydney Motorsport Park
is something that the ARDC and PMY
Group are also collaborating on.
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LEFT: Glenn Matthews,
ARDC chief executive
RIGHT: Sydney Motorsport Park remains a
favoured stop within Australian racing
“Our circuit has four different
configurations that we can run, two
separate events on the main track at the
one time, we can split that back into two,”
explains Matthews. “For the whole project
we spent about AUS$16 million. That wasn’t
just the lights, far more than that was the
backbone of infrastructure that we put in.
“So we’ve got our whole fibre optic
network around the circuit now, the lights
have got some pretty funky features in terms
of different coloured lights to follow cars
down the main straights. But for us, it was
really putting in the infrastructure to allow us
to have opportunities going forward.”
Yeomans is keen to point out that
motorsport was an obvious area to
expand into for PMY Group, which has
previously worked with horse racing,
National Basketball Association (NBA)
and cricket venues.
“Motorsport has always had such a
significant and attractive core product in
the race that’s happening on the track,”
he says. “However, some of the features
and innovations we have seen in other
sports hadn’t yet merged with that.
“We thought and felt that the atmosphere
that can be delivered and enhanced over
the top of what is already a really dynamic,
high octane, fast paced experience, could
be very well amplified by some of the latest
in the multimedia environment.
“So firstly, we thought that there was
value that we could add. Secondly, there’s
very few venues where the fan can also
be the participant and also be the player.
“So we thought it was a wonderful
sector to be able to show the full
diversified value of technology
across both the experience for fans,
the experience in broadcast, for the
major events, driver engagement and
interaction on a day-to-day basis,
operational efficiencies, and bring that
all together into a unique and cohesive
integrated project that hadn’t been done
really anywhere in the world before.”
By bringing new technology to Sydney
Motorsport Park, PMY Group and the
ARDC are looking to enrich the fans’
multimedia experience at the circuit. With
the latest innovations integrated at the
venue, spectators will be able to have a
curated and personalised experience to
ensure they are interacting with content
they prefer at any given moment.
Looking beyond the current project
with the ARDC, Yeomans confirms that
PMY Group is seeking to expand its work
in motorsport.
“We’re really well positioned across the
United States, across the various Nascar
environments and positioned well across
the UK and Europe to play roles in and
around our technology implementation
and management,” says Yeomans.
“Our principal objective at the moment
is to prove our wares, to learn a lot about
the sector, and to work with Glenn and
the team to showcase Sydney Motorsport
Park on a global scale.”
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SPONSORPULSE INSIGHT
HOW MOTORSPORT PROPERTIES COMPARE IN AUSTRALIA
THE TOP FIVE BY OPPORTUNITY SCORE
Opportunity
Score
Engagement Intensity Momentum Passion Excitement Consideration Favourability
1 Supercars 20 36% 27% 26% 18% 36% 13% 12%
2 Formula One 17 35% 26% 22% 16% 34% 10% 11%
3 MotoGP 12 28% 29% 17% 14% 26% 10% 10%
4 NASCAR 9 25% 29% 14% 10% 22% 9% 8%
5 IndyCar 9 23% 31% 13% 11% 22% 8% 10%
6 World Touring Car Cup 8 24% 33% 11% 8% 23% 7% 7%
7 24 Hours of Le Mans 8 24% 34% 10% 8% 19% 7% 9%
8 Supercross 8 20% 29% 12% 10% 23% 11% 9%
9 World Endurance Championship 8 25% 25% 8% 6% 19% 9% 8%
10 Endurance World Championship 7 21% 35% 9% 10% 20% 7% 7%
11 Formula E 7 22% 32% 11% 7% 20% 6% 5%
12 European Rally Championship 6 21% 30% 8% 7% 20% 5% 6%
13 W Series 6 22% 34% 7% 5% 12% 5% 6%
20
17
12
9
9
Supercars Formula One MotoGP NASCAR IndyCar
SponsorPulse tracks seven key metrics across more than 2,500 properties every
month before combining them to create an Opportunity Score. Here’s how the
leading motorsport properties compare in the Australian market. Data collected
between September 2019 and August 2021.
CLICK HERE
To find out more
Perhaps unsurprisingly, Supercars boasts the highest
Opportunity Score of any motorsport property in its home
market of Australia. Formula One, which has staged a Grand
Prix in the country since 1985, comes in a close second.
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WE WANT TO BE THE DESTINATION FOR
ANYTHING MOTORSPORT-RELATED.”
LEFT: Dale Ballentine, Motorsport
Tickets’ chief executive
BELOW: Motorsport Tickets has seen a surge
in sales within the US market
TICKETING
An important but often forgotten part
of the operation of motorsport circuits
is ticketing. Part of international media
and technology company Motorsport
Network, Motorsport Tickets has spent
over 16 years building a reputation as one
of the go-to ticket sellers for motorsport
events and experiences.
“We are essentially a ticketing agent
for motorsport events all over the world
– our biggest being Formula One, not
surprisingly,” says Dale Ballentine, chief
executive of Motorsport Tickets. “Our
biggest revenues come from Formula
One, but we’re at the moment working on
diversifying that as much as possible.
“So, essentially, our business is we
work with circuits, promoters, teams,
series to market their tickets.”
Despite Formula One being the most
profitable championship for Motorsport
Tickets, the company also sells tickets for
MotoGP, the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the
World Endurance Championship (WEC),
the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters
(DTM), the Isle of Man TT, Superbikes,
the British Touring Car Championship
(BTCC) and Formula E.
Although Motorsport Tickets’ main
market is the UK, the business has grown
in popularity elsewhere, with Formula
One’s recent popularity surge in the US
driving ticket sales. Additionally, other
prominent markets in Europe that engage
heavily with motorsport make up the bulk
of the remaining customer base.
“The nature of the business means
that we’re primarily UK - 65 to 70 per
cent of our business is in the UK,” says
Ballentine. “Then, 20-odd per cent is
the Netherlands. And then after that,
Germany, France, Italy, the US and
Australia are our next biggest markets.”
As expected, Formula One may be the
series for which most tickets are sold,
but global motorcycling series MotoGP
is gaining in popularity. However, the
impact of the Covid-19 pandemic posed a
difficult challenge for Motorsport Tickets,
as many series cancelled events or opted
to run races behind closed doors, not
allowing any spectators to attend.
“MotoGP is the second biggest that we
have,” explains Ballentine. “Unfortunately,
coronavirus has had a bigger effect
on MotoGP. Formula One, at least we
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managed to get some fans to events, but
with MotoGP, we’re just not selling anything
at the moment, there aren’t any events. But
in a normal year, MotoGP is a big chunk of
what we do. Then, Le Mans and the WEC
series is kind of the third biggest after that.
“Looking to next year, I wouldn’t really
expect anything to change. I think Formula
One is always going to be the biggest,
then MotoGP. But I think there’s definitely
been a growing interest in MotoGP,
there’s definitely been a lot more interest
around it and the Isle of Man TT as well.
Unfortunately it’s been cancelled for two
years, but we would expect that next year
it will be quite a big year for the TT.”
In addition, motorsport’s broader
attempts to diversify it audience has
seen Motorsport Tickets’ consumer
base change. As younger people and
more female fans begin to engage with
motorsport on a greater scale, this is
being reflected in who making purchases
on the Motorsport Tickets platform.
“A couple of years ago, our average
consumer was a 40-year-old man,” explains
Ballentine. “We’ve definitely seen that now
shift towards mid-30s as our average age
now, and we definitely see more women
buying tickets as well, most definitely.
“Almost 20 per cent of our purchasers
are women, which is great. Going back a
RIGHT: Motorsport Tickets is selling more
tickets to MotoGP events
ALMOST 20 PER CENT
OF OUR PURCHASERS ARE
WOMEN, WHICH IS GREAT.”
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BELOW: Formula One remains
Motorsport Tickets’ most popular series
few years, women would hardly register
on our Google Analytics. But now we’re
definitely seeing a younger audience and
a more female audience.”
As Motorsport Tickets looks to
expand in the future, the company has
ambitious plans. Firstly, Ballentine and
his colleagues aim to expand the number
of series they sell tickets for. For the first
time, for example, the platform is selling
tickets to DTM and Nascar events.
“We’re bringing on more series, we’re
working with a lot more series,” says
Ballentine. “So, this year, we’ve got
Nascar tickets on sale for the first time.
DTM as well, this is the first time where
we’re selling DTM. And there’s a range of
smaller events out there.”
In addition, Motorsport Tickets has
plans to expand its scope to be the
one-stop destination for any motorsportrelated
experience.
“We’re very much now positioned as a
ticketing partner, so we have technology
that we can put into a circuit,” says
Ballentine. “So, really, our new focus is
two ways. We want to be the destination
for anything motorsport-related. So, if
you want to go and see any race, in any
country, then our ambition is to be the
place people come to for all of that.”
On top of that, Motorsport Tickets
wants to make sure that its partners are
benefitting from exposure to its parent
company’s network of 56 million visitors
per month.
“Secondly, we want to work with
circuits and put our technology in there,
but then support them with marketing.
So, Motorsport Network has 56 million
visitors, and in the past year, we’ve been
working really hard to make sure that
every one of those 56 million people
get to see a tickets button or get to see
an advert for one of our partners to buy
tickets.”
Motorsport Tickets will no doubt be
looking forward to returning to some
form of normality as motorsport events
begin to welcome back spectators and
hospitality guests. The company has
recently agreed to acquire rally sport
hospitality provider European Sport
Communication, following its acquisition
last year of Travel Destinations, a tour
operator for sports car and historic
motorsport events.
Moving forward, Ballentine says
Motorsport Tickets is focused on
“bringing all these businesses together”
to enhance its offering.
“A focus for the next 12 months is to
make sure that we have the best offering
out there for customers, circuits and
promoters,” he says. “If you run a track
day somewhere, there’s something that
we can offer everyone to just help them
sell more tickets, essentially.”
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SPONSORPULSE INSIGHT
COMPARING PURCHASE CONSIDERATION ACROSS THE UK AND US
UNITED KINGDOM
THE TOP FIVE BY CONSIDERATION (UK)
Opportunity
Score
Engagement Intensity Momentum Passion Excitement Consideration Favourability
1 Formula One 27 42% 36% 30% 19% 46% 12% 12%
2 Formula E 11 25% 32% 16% 12% 29% 10% 10%
3 MotoGP 11 27% 34% 13% 10% 28% 8% 7%
4 World Endurance Championship 10 24% 32% 13% 11% 27% 7% 9%
5 World Touring Car Cup 8 23% 20% 11% 7% 24% 8% 7%
6 Endurance World Championship 7 22% 31% 9% 7% 20% 7% 8%
12%
10%
8%
8%
7%
Formula One Formula E MotoGP WTCR
WEC
UNITED STATES
THE TOP FIVE BY CONSIDERATION (US)
Opportunity
Score
Engagement Intensity Momentum Passion Excitement Consideration Favourability
1 Formula One 14 32% 39% 14% 10% 22% 10% 9%
2 World Endurance Championship 10 28% 42% 9% 7% 20% 7% 7%
3 Formula E 10 29% 38% 10% 9% 15% 7% 7%
4 Endurance World Championship 10 29% 43% 7% 6% 16% 7% 6%
5 World Touring Car Cup 10 28% 41% 8% 8% 17% 6% 7%
6 MotoGP 9 26% 40% 9% 7% 15% 6% 6%
10%
7%
7%
7%
6%
Formula One WEC Formula E WTCR
EWC
SponsorPulse’s Consideration metric highlights what percentage of people are
more likely to consider purchasing a brand that sponsors a given property. The
tables above show data for six series that work with Motorsport Tickets in both
the UK and the US. Data collected between September 2019 and June 2021.
CLICK HERE
To find out more
When comparing the six analysed properties by
purchase consideration, Formula One comes out on top
in both countries.
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SPONSORPULSE’S OPPORTUNITY SCORE EXPLAINED
SponsorPulse, a BlackBook official data partner, was developed to provide sponsorship professionals with instant access to global
consumer data, and to answer a set of pressing questions that have been distilled into seven key property metrics:
f Engagement: What is the annual reach of the property?
f Intensity: What percentage of people engage with the property at least once per weekly basis?
f Momentum: Is the property’s relevance growing, declining or stagnant?
f Passion: Are people passionate about the property?
f Excitement: Are people excited about the property and what it brings to the table?
f Consideration: Are people more likely to consider purchasing a brand that sponsors this property?
f Favourability: Are people more favourable toward brands that sponsor this property?
SponsorPulse tracks these metrics across more than 2,500 properties every month and combines them to create an
Opportunity Score - a universal, insight-driven currency that helps measure and compare sponsorship opportunities instantly
across 18 of the world’s largest markets.
For this report, the methodology is utilised to measure the performance of various motorsport properties in different territories
globally. These include Formula One, Formula E, MotoGP, the World Endurance Championship, Nascar, IndyCar, Extreme E, W
Series, the European Rally Championship, Supercars, the World Touring Car Championship, Supercross, and American Flat Track.
To find out more about SponsorPulse and its Opportunity Score, visit SponsorPulse.com.
www.blackbookmotorsport.com
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ENTERING
MOTORSPORT’S
NEW ERA
16/02/2022
Leonardo Royal Hotel
Tower Bridge, London
Phone / +44 (0) 20 7549 3250
Email / events@blackbookmotorsport.com
www.blackbookmotorsportforum.com

Introduction
CIRCUITS
SERVICES
About
About BlackBook Motorsport
BlackBook Motorsport is a business
community for the international
motor racing industry, supported by
SportsPro, covering the business
behind global motorsport across
print, digital and events. BlackBook
Motorsport subscribers can keep
up-to-date with breaking motorsport
business news and gain invaluable
analytical insight into each major series
through our comprehensive reports
and comprehensive commercial guides,
whilst members also gain access to
interact with key figures in motorsport
with our industry-leading events.
Find out more at
www.blackbookmotorsport.com
About SportsPro
SportsPro is the world’s leading
international media company for the
sports industry in print, digital and
events. Launched in 2008, SportsPro is
our highly respected flagship magazine
combining in-depth reporting and
analysis with diverse features and
top-level interviews, while SportsPro’s
digital and social platforms offer a highly
regarded showcase of analytical features,
insightful interviews and the best of the
print magazine. Since 2014 SportsPro has
also hosted annual conferences across
the globe providing outstanding content,
access, and networking opportunities.
Find out more at
www.sportspromedia.com
Credits
Editorial Director
Michael Long
Deputy Editor
Sam Carp
Staff Writer
Georgina Yeomans
For more information about future
reports, please contact:
Peter Jones
Executive Director, BlackBook Motorsport
pjones@blackbookmotorsport.com
Renee Frizzell
Partnerships Manager, BlackBook Motorsport
rfrizzell@blackbookmotorsport.com
www.blackbookmotorsport.com
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