You guys are admiting that racing doesn sell. You need a demo derby, or some side show to "pack" the place.
Sorry I just don't buy it... Sell RACING and you will pack the place.
Those that show up for the side show are there for a curiosity. They will not be back the next week to watch racing. They move on to another event. The Zoo, the drivein ect.. They are simply looking for variaty in what they do. You can't base your track on that.
What you need is the die hards. The people that go to a leafs game to watch the hockey. These are the folks that would like to be there every week. They are the ones that buy the seaons tickets. Look at nascar. Its the guys that live and breath it that keep it going. The guy that has Dale Earnhard underware and toothbrushes. Promote your product, not a gimick. ITs like selling the cerial box for the toy inside. You make a few quick sales but its dosn't last.
The track that have the most fan are the tracks that have the srongest classes of racing. Simple as that. Want to fill a place.. Caugua, the old Canada Day challenge. CASCAR with a few NASCAR drivers. IT packed that place. RACING PACKED CAUGA!! Not some side show at a track with 1/20th the seats....
with your reasoning, mosport should be turning people away
but then have more trouble packing the place than the tracks that have "side shows"
The track that have the most fan are the tracks that have the srongest classes of racing. Simple as that. Want to fill a place.. Caugua, the old Canada Day challenge. CASCAR with a few NASCAR drivers. IT packed that place. RACING PACKED CAUGA!! Not some side show at a track with 1/20th the seats....
And that wasn't a side show relative to the rest of the CASCAR season? Nobody's saying at all that the racing doesn't sell, just that there's more than racing alone to get people in the doors.
Spencer, I believe they used to wet the front stretch with that big old water truck (not sure if it still sits at the track or not), could be wrong, I was just a little puke at the time!
Rossevans, as for people sticking around for these 'gimmicks' that seem to irritate you so much; I will certainly hang around, and I know as a kid watching at Barrie, the 'gimmicks' were the highlight of our night.
Didn't Barrie have derby's too? I seem to remember motorcycle jumps over vehicles too. My parents told us it was Eivel Kneivel, but they could have been lying!! (they lied about our old dog running away too!) lol
Can anyone confirm, or correct my memory?
In 1976 Larry "Hurricane" McLean did a motorcycle jump at Barrie. He crashed and slid along the track and into the wall but he was unhurt other than being slighty shaken. I was in the tower that night when they brought him back up and he was saying he'd be okay in a bit and I thought he was nutz.
The Mad Canadian Ken Carter used to do some jumps in cars at many Speedways before his untimely death in a stunt at Peterborough.
There was a guy in a wheelchair Jim somebody (Wagner?) I think who did ramp stuff as well, T-Bone crashes and things like that.
I also remember a jet car at Barrie, they basically just fired it up with it chained on the back of the ramp truck and aimed the flames from the exhaust at some old cars stacked up.
Demo derbies were a staple throughout the 70s. Driver and 4 time Barrie Champion (in the Diamonds and 4 cyls) Garf Peacock was particularly good at them.
dad ran a demo derby at Barrie in 78' the year before his rookie year. He won...we have some pics of that car and dad beside it. he looks so young. He was only 18.
I particularly like the demo derbies and of course the ever so popular hell drivers. They would drive around the track on two wheels. was great to watch.