Phil Vanner (justifiably) writes:
> I have to think that entry fees at a commercially owned purpose-built
> facility are going to be higher than what we're currently paying.
Agreed. And we're getting what we pay for... oddball lots that aren't being
used on weekends with less than optimum paving, public exposure, and creature
comforts (timing gear, posting, shade, restrooms, concessions?). Cities with
abandoned airbases or reasonably priced stadium-parking-lots-not-broken-up-
with-planter-boxes need not be counted.
[I'm deleting much of Phil's good points because I think they're fairly
obvious]
> It's not much of a spectator sport live, so ticket sales aren't going to
> do it. It seems like it would have to be entry fees.
Where do the numerous drag strips and go-kart tracks get their money? In
Oregon we've got at least 2 dragstrips of quality (one private, one public)
and 2 go-kart tracks of quality (one private, one public). (Unfortunately the
go-kart track that's useable as an autox facility is 4-5 hours from the big
population center)
> And how many of these facilities can we support, nationally?
How many cities have (or did have) Malibu Grand Prix? How many are getting
indoor go-kart tracks? [For crying out loud, the Seattle area is starting
their second indoor track and we don't have one in Oregon yet! OTOH, we DO
have a 20+yr old Malibu Grand Prix operation and Seattle never had one.] How
many dragstrips are there nationally?
As a rough guesstimate for dedicated facilities, I'd say that every
metropolitan area that can support an NBA team could have one and you'd cover
85% or more of the current autox population. Yet that would provide a local
club with a huge potential audience over what is currently possible.
> If there were a way to differentiate ProSolo2 as the televised sport
I don't think it's necessary. Doesn't happen for drag racers, does it?
> But I can think of a lot of reasons golf courses might be different,
> starting with the fact that you can play when there isn't an event
> scheduled, and you don't need a dozen guys to chase your ball for you.
Golf, except for the private club, isn't a very good analogy... equipment
costs are WAY less, facility construction is WAY more. And golfers do have
dedicated greenskeepers, which would be akin to our conechasers.
A better analogy is drag racing: much closer to our equipment cost, facility
maintenance, land use, event structure, and other requirements.
> I'm not a Luddite, really, but just because it looks like progress, doesn't
> necessarily mean it is.
Understood. I'm taking you more as a well-informed devil's advocate doing the
reality check.
George Emery
gemery@aol.com
http://members.aol.com/gemery/scorpion.html
|