IndyCar again eyeing China, Geely eyeing IndyCar engine? (6th Update)
Geely signed a final deal to acquire 49.9 per of Lotus from Proton. If (big if) Geely were to consider IndyCar would they badge the engines Lotus?
06/23/17 Hulman & Co. CEO Mark Miles "continues to look at possible international venues" for IndyCar, and recently he has "taken a hard look at China and Mexico with the hope of adding a race in one of those markets" in '18, according to Anthony Schoettle of the INDIANAPOLIS BUSINESS JOURNAL.
IndyCar officials confirmed a SportsBusiness Journal report from earlier this month that the "best bet for an international race" in '18 is Mexico.
IndyCar execs are "talking to promoters in Mexico and China."
However, IndyCar officials said that a deal to race in China "likely won’t come together" until '19 at the earliest. One issue is "finding a venue and promoter willing to cough up an eight-figure sanctioning fee."
For domestic races, the IndyCar Series usually commands a $1-2M sanctioning fee, but series officials "seek a higher fee for a race on foreign soil to help the teams and series cover costs involved with international travel" IBJ.com
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| Mark Miles has no big TV viewership numbers to tout. Hence his next big deal is always in a year or two. You can't build a series on Twitter feeds and Facebook followers |
06/20/17 With rumors of a Chinese team eyeing F1 after seeing their huge worldwide TV viewership numbers, it's no wonder IndyCar, with its minuscule TV numbers, has no chance to lure new manufacturers and big sponsors. If the Hulman George family doesn't reach in their pocket to secure a network TV deal and better international TV deals, so they can tout large viewership numbers to potential sponsors and manufacturers, they can expect the series to continue its decline into oblivion.
Bernie Ecclestone built F1 into the mega-sport it is today on the back of worldwide TV deals and TV viewership numbers. TV ratings bring sponsor dollars.
Facebook followers, Twitter followers, and Instagram views bring $0.00 in the way of sponsorship and manufacturer participation, and encourage fans to switch off the TV and follow the races on their free twitter and FaceBook feeds.
We have heard rumors of new international races, new manufacturers and new sponsors for IndyCar for years. It's all talk. With no large TV viewership numbers to tout they ain't coming.
Take away Roger Penske's business-to-business deals in the IndyCar paddock and the whole series would collapse. Does anyone doubt the IndyCar series sponsor Verizon, plus Roger's two Penske Verizon sponsored cars are B2B deals because Penske uses Verizon communications (cell and landline) in all his other businesses? Ditto with Pennzoil, Hitachi and all the rest.
06/13/17 Mark Miles said this past weekend that an engine deal they hoped to land has fallen through. One can only assume it was Geely.
Geely wants to sell cars in the USA. They probably looked at the NBCSN viewership numbers and said, we're outta here.
Why invest all that money in IndyCar for that little exposure?
IndyCar has tried for 9 years to land another engine manufacturer and for 9 years they have failed….that is how long the NBCSN contract has been in place.
When is IndyCar ever going to learn that TV ratings drive sponsorship deals. Not twitter feeds, not facebook views, not Instagram messages – TV ratings drive sponsorship deals. Those that have 1 million viewers or more each event get sponsorship deals, and those that do not, don't.
05/27/17 This is old news for AR1.com readers, but there is something to add to this rumor – RACER reports that Mark Miles told them IndyCar won't go to China before 2019 and that all IndyCar races will be on network (not cable) TV in China as the Chinese begin to educate their folks about what IndyCar is. Too bad all IndyCar races couldn't all be on network TV in the USA.
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| Artist's impression of Ningbo International Speedway |
05/09/17 Rumor has it that if IndyCar races in China it will be in Ningbo. Ningbo International Speedway is one of a crop of new tracks opening across China under the stewardship of auto maker Geely (owner of Volvo). Located near to the fast-growing Ningbo city in Zhejiang province, the circuit is one of five being built by Geely subsidiary Mitime Investments, in order to develop car culture and motorsport in the region.
Mitime is an offshoot of Geely, specializing in car sports. It is responsible for the promotion of the CFGP and the F4 China. Since 2015, Mitime owns the Utah Motorsports Campus (formerly Miller Motorsports Park ), manages the career of Bruno Carneiro (2014 champion of F4 China) and is building a circuit in Ningbo.
The new track has been designed by Alan Wilson, well-known for his works in the United States at the Utah Motorsport Campus (which is also operated by Mitime and where Wilson is general manager) and Barber Motorsport Park among many others. Wilson has been retained by Mitime to pen all five of its new facilities.
The project was officially launched on December 28, 2015 and is scheduled to be completed at the end of June 2017. The 2.5-mile track will be homologated to FIA Grade 2 standards, allowing it to host all but Formula One competition.
Geely is not scrimping on its investment, with the whole facility set to cost around 900 million Yuan. As well as the main course (which can be split into a shorter circuit and a club racing variants, which can be run simultaneously), the 1,1130-acre facility also will boast a separate 9.85 km kart track and commercial and amusement facilities. The main grandstands will seat around 15,000 spectators and, given their elevated position, should offer good views across the majority of the circuit.
The inaugural event is set to be a round of the China Formula 4 series in August before it makes its international debut in October, when it replaces Shanghai International Circuit as the venue for the World Touring Car Championship's Race of China.
Will IndyCar be next in February, 2018?
The Ningbo International Speedway is located at Chunxiao in the rapidly-expanding Beilun coastal development area, near to the city of Ningbo in Zhejiang province, China. Ningbo Lishe International Airport is the nearest to the track, around an hour's drive away in Ningbo city.
The track is still under construction, but access will be from the main X803 Yanhai Middle Line highway once it opens.
05/08/17 Mark Miles, CEO of IndyCar’s parent company Hulman & Company, says there are ongoing talks between IndyCar and Chinese group Mitime about not only a new race but also developing motorsports in China reports David Malsher or Motorsport.com.
There have been proposed Chinese races for Champ Car and IndyCar over the past dozen years, most recently the so-called Beijing 600 to be held on a street course in the city’s Fengtai district.
However, Miles told Motorsport.com that the Mitime discussions are on a different level, but it would be “very premature" to say they are near finalized, and he added that the race may not happen until 2019.
“Mitime [pronounced ‘my-time’] is a group we’ve had substantial dialog with," he said, “and they are certainly looking on our behalf and are a prospective partner for a race in China. They could also be a partner for television distribution over there, among other things.
“Mitime is a group started by a guy who is chairman of Geely Motors, which is the largest non-government owned automobile manufacturer in China. They have huge assembly operations there. And he’s very serious about this relationship because he’s interested in developing motorsports within China, including providing on-the-job training for motorsport engineers and mechanics, through IndyCar.
“So that’s the idea, beginning with Mitime helping us to establish the race we want to run, which we’d want to be held in one of the four major regions of China."
Miles said that he’s still aiming to have international races in February, before the mid-March Grand Prix of St. Petersburg.
“We have a reserved space in February for anything international, and that’s still possible for 2018. But it’s getting late so I think this venture may be more likely for 2019."
AR1.com speculates that discussions with Mitime also include Geely Motors as the third engine supplier to IndyCar as Geely Motors is now selling cars in the USA. Cosworth would be the most likely company to do an IndyCar engine for Geely.
Sweden’s Volvo, now owned by Geely Auto of China, has shipped more than 1,000 copies of its S60 Inscription to the USA.
Geely is an unknown brand in the USA and those who know the brand do not view it very highly. Ahead of Geely selling cars under its own name in the USA, Geely would have work to do to improve its image and an IndyCar participation could be just the ticket.