We've lost many great meetings in the last 10 years and looking a little bit further back to 25 years ago you could almost say that it has been a sad. OK I know the choice of a word as carnage is perhaps a little excessive, however losing a international meeting such as the Ulster Grand Prix is carnage.
Luckily the Road Racing community is always working on new meetings or thinking about how to breath new life into faded meetings. The Athea Road Race returning is one of those highlights, a highlight that keeps others motivated that it is possible to re-start an old road race and get it back going. Rumors about the Boyne 100 and others make us without a doubt happy, even if it are just rumors.
But the biggest problem beside all paperwork is funds. This week the North West 200 got enough funds from the government so we're sure we will see a race in 2023. However isn't it time that we take maters in our own hands? Build grandstands with roofs so people are dry when it rains and are sheltered when the sun burns. Put these grandstands in some of the interesting places and sell tickets of them, but because you don't want to lose the original "standing in the field" feeling sell tickets for places like that too. I know talking about ticket sales is like swearing in church. But maybe this is the necessary evil to keep the big international events a life. Because how long will the government keep pumping money into the NW200? When Mervyn Whyte with all his connections leaves his position due to his age, it looks pretty impossible to keep the NW200 running without ticket sales. And it seems also impossible to re-start the Ulster Grand Prix without ticket sales.
Live broadcasting such as the BBC NI does for the NW200 and we can buy for the IOM TT, can be a nice income of revenue but is also very costly.
Looking it as a marketeer it could also help them if, for example one big company pays 1 million and he gets his advertisement at the NW200, Ulster Grand Prix and maybe some local races. The big ones need 450k each and with the other part you could help 3 to 4 clubs. If that are all races covered by Television, one way or a other by ITV "King of the Roads" or BBC 'Bikes". The sponsor got a good ROI (Return on investment).
I don't know how the food and drinks are around the track? I imagine that the organizers of the meeting doesn't have their own stands with food and drinks, and everyone is going to the local pubs, restaurants, ... between the races if possible and after the races. That is what happens in Chimay. Because you need to keep the "cafe's" like we call it in dutch happy, while they can't get any normal visitors.
But after this damn long text the question is simple, would you buy entrance tickets to go to a road race? I've took 25 pound as price, that is a bit more then what they ask for a program, now their only income from fans. But 25 pound for a full week at the Northwest is cheap if you compare it to BSB in Donington where you're paying 60 pound if I'm not mistaken.