Motorsport: Promoter working to ramp up interest

Martin Whitaker. Photo / Supplied

One of the keenest spectators in Hamilton this weekend is the CEO of V8 Supercars, Martin Whitaker - who is not just watching the racing.

Whitaker, now in the role for a year, will be keen to see how this year's event fares after the demise of the previous promoters, Caleta Street Promotions, who went to the wall owing millions.

V8 Supercars have taken on the promotion this year and are looking to ramp up interest and ticket sales to get the crowds back up to somewhere near that of the first couple of years.

A projected crowd of 110,000 was predicted likely to front up over the three days of racing.

"We know we have a great following in New Zealand and we're really looking forward to putting on the event for the first time as promoters," said Whitaker. "It's been a big task for us stepping in quite late and it's been a lot of work. One of the crucial things, and the prime difference between V8 Supercars and other championships worldwide, is that we focus an awful lot on entertainment and the experience.

"It's important as a promoter, for nine events now, that we look to the future. It is our duty to make sure that people paying good money to come to an event over three days have a really good time. And, importantly, they leave wanting to come back next time."

Whitaker has a lot of experience when it comes to being involved in, organising, or running anything to do with motor racing. He was a fruit farmer before he started working with a leading UK publication, Motoring News.

Shortly afterwards he moved to the RAC Motorsport Association, the overseer of motorsport in Britain. He became director of motorsport at Ford followed by stints working for two FIA presidents (Jean-Marie Balestre and Max Mosley), Formula One Management and McLaren International.

His gig before V8 Supercars was as CEO of the F1 track Bahrain International Circuit.

The V8 Supercars' brand in New Zealand took a bit of a hit last year owing to the fracas over the real cost of council spending, unpaid bills and business owner gripes.

Whitaker and his team have a bit of a job on their hands to get the locals back on board.

"There's no doubt about it - it's been a difficult period for everyone in New Zealand and we're very conscious of that.

"I think it's nice that people have an opportunity to get out and see one of the big sporting occasions of the year.

"I think sometimes people forget the economic impact V8 Supercars brings.

"It puts people into hotels, fills shops and restaurants. Then there's hire cars and taxis and all that.

"I know we do a great job on track. I know we can do a great job for the community and it's been encouraging to hear from the business community how they are beginning to engage with the race. This is our first year as promoter and we're looking to build on that.

"Formula One, Nascar, and frankly ourselves, are probably the only ones who are really attracting anything like the crowds you get at some of these street races," said Whitaker.

The V8 Supercars CEO is also the architect of the Car Of The Future project (COTF) - which is aimed at providing a common race car structure (chassis, roll cage and the like) but allows each competing manufacturer to develop the rest of the car to its own specifications.

It is also aimed at attracting more manufacturers than just the traditional Ford and Holden - a concept that has not always been popular with the traditionalists.

The project hit its first bump in the road when the transition year of 2012 was scrapped in favour of complete changeover in 2013, when every car on the grid at the start of the season will be the new configuration.

The extra development time, according to Whitaker, was to allow time "to get the product and its introduction absolutely right.

"We have support from all the teams in this and it's a commonsense decision that allows all teams to be on an equal playing field at the start of 2013."

Two prototype cars, a Holden VE and Ford FG have been built by Paul Ceprnich's Pace Innovations. It is rumoured they will be ready in time for winter testing.

By building prototypes and allowing enough time for exhaustive testing, Whitaker is making sure any potential problems will be ironed out well before they are introduced to the series.

In a previous interview, Whitaker outlined why it was important for V8 Supercars to entice other manufacturers to join Holden and Ford.

"I think it is crucial for the sport," he said. "This is difficult for me in one sense because I have come into a sport that is very much Red and Blue. But at the same time I think the Red and Blue camps are the first to recognise they are in a competitive market place.

"We talk about evolution of the sport but it's evolution of the motor industry as well."