The focus of any motorsport series is to create an environment of endlessly entertaining competition for those who participate in it. Racing is made of speed, strategy and passion and fostering those elements will lead to success and prosperity.

Cutting the cost of racing by weakening racing is not a strategy for growth. By eliminating innovation and creativity you eliminate the human element, and eliminate competition. To keep costs low, the expenses of testing and development should be shared amongst participating teams, and prices for equipment and parts brokered by the sanctioning series. By sharing costs and setting prices, a cost cap can be implemented that will make the economics of running a team simple, and let the team focus on racing and innovation.

With innovation back in racing, rules can be loosened. A looser rules package will create differentiation and experimentation which will generate fan interest and even corporate interest.

Building a “closed loop” economic model for racing will eliminate the outside influences that have damaged racing series in this country. Ultimately, all money for racing comes from fans, so by bypassing large corporations & sponsorships and directly asking our generally affluent fans for direct support through higher ticket prices, the series can be more stable. Returning to a strong purse system for paying teams will also create innovation to win, and eliminate the need for big-money sponsors and pay-to-race drivers.

Live events are the future of all sports, and recruiting strong, outstanding promoters is central to furthering open wheel racing. By working with the best, most resourceful promoters in the country we will create events that will last. Care should be made to focus on partnering with great promoters first, before choosing tracks or markets. The schedule can also be expanded, as cheaper racing costs should make more events possible.

TV is also the most visible aspect of the series, and budgets cannot get in the way of presenting the series in the best possible light. It is the first point of engagement with fans, and needs to tell the stories that engage fans and bring them into the fold. The goal is to get long-term promotional value, not short-term sponsorship dollars.

Points:

1. •Create a “participation package” where the major expenses of testing and development (wind tunnel, shock rig, part design, part fabrication, etc.) can be shared.
   

2. •Broker prices. Chassis, engines, tires, transporters and other major expenses will be purchased by the series then sold or leased to teams at set prices.
   

3. •Create an expense cap for teams to limit spending and focus on racing.
   

4. •Eliminate, as much as possible, dependancies on outside money by minimizing sponsorship and other corporate influences.
   

5. •Implement a strong purse structure.
   

6. •Increase ticket prices.
   

7. •Recruit outstanding promoters to build events, and focus on the competency of the promoter rather than the desirability of the track or market.
   

8. •Improve TV broadcasts to be the best presentation of the series as is possible.
   

Finally, it is necessary for the teams to back a strong executive to manage this system, and not look back. This form of racing has faded into irrelevancy using current methods, and there is no point in trying to make “adjustments” to a formula and series that has never been successful.