2022: BTCC and support series
Discussion
ols said:
Robmarriott said:
I might not be able to afford to finish the season, please buy a hat
What is your point? How else is he supposed to raise enough funds?If you don't want to buy a hat or help the cause, then all power to you. Nobody is holding a gun to your head.
Very few sponsors around with the dark times we're heading towards but he has managed to pick up some new ones. He's doing the packages because his fans have asked over and over for him to do a crowd funding which he refuses to do for the reasons he states in the video.
Motor racing isn't his hobby either.
Motor racing isn't his hobby either.
Robmarriott said:
Lol ok. My opinion is that if you can’t afford to do something, you don’t do it, it’s as simple as that.
So only those who can afford to race without outside support should be racing then?Selling merchandise is no different to chasing sponsors. I really don't get the negativity around what Dan is doing.
Indeed. In these days on online shopping and social media selling branded tat is a good revenue source (I'm sure there's several big name teams/drivers earning big chunks of their income in the same way).
Even direct crowd funding isn't a new idea, there were 'Racing for Britain' type schemes back in the 70's getting grassroots fans to chip in a small amount.
Even direct crowd funding isn't a new idea, there were 'Racing for Britain' type schemes back in the 70's getting grassroots fans to chip in a small amount.
Surely the point about Dan is that he could afford it until an extraordinarily unfortunate accident blew his finances clean out of the water. A mid-season bill of well over a hundred grand must be rare if not unprecedented in modern BTCC.
I'm not a particular fan of his, but everything he's offering is legit and has a value. I might even stump up for a signed poster. Fair play to the guy for at least trying to stay on track.
I'm not a particular fan of his, but everything he's offering is legit and has a value. I might even stump up for a signed poster. Fair play to the guy for at least trying to stay on track.
JoelH said:
So only those who can afford to race without outside support should be racing then?
Selling merchandise is no different to chasing sponsors. I really don't get the negativity around what Dan is doing.
No, that’s not what I’m saying. I’m not suggesting it should only be rich gentleman racers but at every other level on the way up the ladder, you have to either pay for it yourself or find a company willing to help you in exchange for some advertising or hospitality. Companies.Selling merchandise is no different to chasing sponsors. I really don't get the negativity around what Dan is doing.
IN MY OPINION - posting a sob story video every few weeks and asking people to buy some s
te branded stuff to pay for you to do a ‘job’ (which is a hobby) is not right. I’ve been involved with various drivers at various levels and without exception, people have had to miss rounds from lack of funding. Not a single one of them begged random people to buy a hat, they would have sold stuff they owned, worked another job, overtime, remortgaged their house, got a loan…
I don’t agree with the idea and it’s a simple as that. You can, I don’t.
Sebring440 said:
Robmarriott said:
My opinion is that if you can’t afford to do something, you don’t do it, it’s as simple as that.
I guess you don't do a lot then.Can you afford to run a car?
Robmarriott said:
No, that’s not what I’m saying. I’m not suggesting it should only be rich gentleman racers but at every other level on the way up the ladder, you have to either pay for it yourself or find a company willing to help you in exchange for some advertising or hospitality. Companies.
IN MY OPINION - posting a sob story video every few weeks and asking people to buy some ste branded stuff to pay for you to do a ‘job’ (which is a hobby) is not right.
I’ve been involved with various drivers at various levels and without exception, people have had to miss rounds from lack of funding. Not a single one of them begged random people to buy a hat, they would have sold stuff they owned, worked another job, overtime, remortgaged their house, got a loan…
I don’t agree with the idea and it’s a simple as that. You can, I don’t.
the problem with that philosophy in terms of the BTCC, is that if you sell your house or car, and finish the season, you're still going to have to fund the next season somehow. There's very few if any paid drives in BTCC, maybe the NAPA guys and maybe the Turkington at BMW, So if you want to race you need sponsors, and if you don't get some, there will be someone else along to take the ride from you.IN MY OPINION - posting a sob story video every few weeks and asking people to buy some s
te branded stuff to pay for you to do a ‘job’ (which is a hobby) is not right. I’ve been involved with various drivers at various levels and without exception, people have had to miss rounds from lack of funding. Not a single one of them begged random people to buy a hat, they would have sold stuff they owned, worked another job, overtime, remortgaged their house, got a loan…
I don’t agree with the idea and it’s a simple as that. You can, I don’t.
I think Dan is a good racing driver.
I do have some queries over his approach however,
1) he owns or rents his own home.
2) he's taken a lease out for a BMW
both of these things tell me he has an income. Is that part of the money he raises from sponsorship or does he have another job ( doesn't appear so)
I am also not sure about his approach to sponsor getting, it sounds like he sends off some copy and past brochures to various companies. Seems a bit old school. I think there could be a better more targeted way of getting money but it would require a complete rethink as to how he goes about racing.
Also, and maybe Wookie can answer. The cost of the accident does seem extortionate. over 100k? it was bad but it didn't look like a write off. Are the figures being inflated for commercial gain. Is he playing the victim to drive the YouTube?
that said, he is a good driver, so hope he finds the money.
Dynion Araf Uchaf said:
I think Dan is a good racing driver.
Don’t get me wrong, I don’t dislike Dan at all, I’ve met him several times when he drove for Eurotech (in a work capacity), he’s very approachable, happy to chat to anyone and he is a great driver. I don’t have an issue with the person, it could be anyone doing it.Dynion Araf Uchaf said:
Also, and maybe Wookie can answer. The cost of the accident does seem extortionate. over 100k? it was bad but it didn't look like a write off. Are the figures being inflated for commercial gain. Is he playing the victim to drive the YouTube?
It's a chunky bill and you can't really guess without knowing the details of the damage and how the team bills. If it irreparably damaged the engine and the gearbox then that can be 40k by itself, spec subframes and suspension parts aren't cheap, and shells can be up to and over 50k but are rarely beyond repair. Also each teams bills differently for damage, some include damage (usually up to a limit) in the budget others don't to minimise the budget. Some teams repair in house at cost, some make their own margin out of it, others outsource and therefore carry supplier margins.A 90k bill (I think that was quoted before) is certainly possible, and it was a big hit.
As for the crowdfunding I've said in the past it's not something I would ever feel comfortable with, but then I race in a different way to most of the others.
cuprabob said:
Ollie, how are you finding the hybrid system compared to the previous ballast system?
It was something brought up on the Snetterton thread and it would be interesting to have first hand knowledge.
I wont post the full detailed moan as I will get in trouble It was something brought up on the Snetterton thread and it would be interesting to have first hand knowledge.
What I will say is that the extra weight in the car really hasn't suited my driving style and I've struggled to adapt and find a setup that works for me, hence why my results have been... well mostly crap! In the change we also seem to have lost a bit of edge with our car compared to the other teams too which has made it hard work to get results.
Personally, I thought the cars were much more enjoyable to drive before and the racing better, and not just because of the success ballast, I mean outside the top ten too.
The Wookie said:
cuprabob said:
Ollie, how are you finding the hybrid system compared to the previous ballast system?
It was something brought up on the Snetterton thread and it would be interesting to have first hand knowledge.
I wont post the full detailed moan as I will get in trouble It was something brought up on the Snetterton thread and it would be interesting to have first hand knowledge.
What I will say is that the extra weight in the car really hasn't suited my driving style and I've struggled to adapt and find a setup that works for me, hence why my results have been... well mostly crap! In the change we also seem to have lost a bit of edge with our car compared to the other teams too which has made it hard work to get results.
Personally, I thought the cars were much more enjoyable to drive before and the racing better, and not just because of the success ballast, I mean outside the top ten too.
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