Places for races: inside the circuits and services at the beating heart of motorsport
Behind every great motorsport event is a great circuit, carefully operated to attract a wide variety of series, fans and sponsors. But that’s not all. Services such as hospitality, ticketing, design and technology also play an increasingly important role in the operation of these venues and their events. BlackBook Motorsport’s newest report showcases several international circuits, exploring key areas of their businesses - from design and build, to venue operations and commercial partnerships, ticketing, hospitality, and adjusting to the new realities brought about by the pandemic. Representatives from Germany’s iconic Nurburgring, as well as Goodwood, Laguna Seca and The Concours Club, lift the lid on the running of their venues and the challenges faced over the past year. Also included is a deep dive into motorsport’s newest market, the Middle East, with contributions from Yas Marina Circuit and Bahrain International Circuit. In the services section of the report, Bob Barnard Track Engineering, Driven International, C&O Innov8 Consulting, F1 Experiences, The Paddock Club, PMY Group and Motorsport Tickets are profiled, providing insight into what it takes to run a motorsport event and the impact they have on a race weekend.
Behind every great motorsport event is a great circuit, carefully operated to attract a wide variety of series, fans and sponsors. But that’s not all. Services such as hospitality, ticketing, design and technology also play an increasingly important role in the operation of these venues and their events.
BlackBook Motorsport’s newest report showcases several international circuits, exploring key areas of their businesses - from design and build, to venue operations and commercial partnerships, ticketing, hospitality, and adjusting to the new realities brought about by the pandemic.
Representatives from Germany’s iconic Nurburgring, as well as Goodwood, Laguna Seca and The Concours Club, lift the lid on the running of their venues and the challenges faced over the past year. Also included is a deep dive into motorsport’s newest market, the Middle East, with contributions from Yas Marina Circuit and Bahrain International Circuit.
In the services section of the report, Bob Barnard Track Engineering, Driven International, C&O Innov8 Consulting, F1 Experiences, The Paddock Club, PMY Group and Motorsport Tickets are profiled, providing insight into what it takes to run a motorsport event and the impact they have on a race weekend.
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Introduction<br />
CIRCUITS<br />
SERVICES<br />
About<br />
Since <strong>the</strong> creation <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> famous<br />
circuit in 1948, Goodwood has<br />
become best known <strong>for</strong> hosting<br />
<strong>the</strong> Goodwood Festival <strong>of</strong> Speed<br />
<strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> Goodwood Revival, which<br />
are mainstays on <strong>the</strong> international<br />
<strong>motorsport</strong> calendar.<br />
The BlackBook caught up with<br />
Motorsport Director, Dan Garlick, to find<br />
out how <strong>the</strong> venue was impacted by <strong>the</strong><br />
Covid-19 p<strong>and</strong>emic, <strong>and</strong> how it has been<br />
bouncing back in 2021.<br />
ABOVE: Dan Garlick, Motorsport Director<br />
RIGHT: Goodwood’s famous hillclimb is <strong>the</strong><br />
backbone <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Festival <strong>of</strong> Speed<br />
THE BUSINESS MODEL IS<br />
BASED ON THE PYRAMID OF<br />
SPONSORSHIP, SO WORKING<br />
WITH PARTNERS IS KEY.”<br />
How are Goodwood’s events<br />
positioned in <strong>the</strong> international<br />
<strong>motorsport</strong> community?<br />
We like to do things au<strong>the</strong>ntically <strong>and</strong><br />
based on our passions <strong>and</strong> steep<br />
everything in Goodwood’s heritage.<br />
I think that is what positions us<br />
on <strong>the</strong> international calendar. The<br />
Revival celebrates 1948 to 1966, when<br />
Goodwood was a world class motor<br />
circuit. So everything pins back to<br />
something <strong>of</strong> historical importance.<br />
The Festival <strong>of</strong> Speed is a celebration<br />
<strong>of</strong> content - past, present <strong>and</strong> future<br />
- which is genuinely world class. You<br />
would not see that collection <strong>of</strong> content<br />
anywhere else. So, I think it’s just that we<br />
do things to an absolute level that’s true<br />
to <strong>the</strong> beliefs <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>the</strong>ories <strong>of</strong> what<br />
we’re trying to deal with.<br />
Could you explain <strong>the</strong> business model<br />
behind <strong>the</strong> events?<br />
The business model is based on <strong>the</strong><br />
pyramid <strong>of</strong> sponsorship, so working with<br />
partners is key. And <strong>the</strong>n retail, tickets<br />
<strong>and</strong> hospitality. You used to be able<br />
to talk about thirds <strong>for</strong> each <strong>of</strong> those<br />
streams. I think what we have seen, in<br />
more recent times, hospitality becomes a<br />
difficult sector, especially with Covid.<br />
As I said, we’ve swung more towards<br />
partnerships <strong>and</strong> retail, <strong>and</strong> hospitality<br />
on <strong>the</strong> sort <strong>of</strong> smaller side across <strong>the</strong><br />
mix. But, <strong>for</strong> us, it’s got to work <strong>for</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />
public that come to <strong>the</strong> events <strong>and</strong> <strong>for</strong><br />
our partners. But <strong>the</strong>n increasingly as<br />
www.blackbook<strong>motorsport</strong>.com<br />
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