Originally Posted by
Woodcraft
This has been a challenge for many years, and it's not just here. At Daytona during bike week there is a massive crowd of Harley guys right down the road, and yet the attendance for the Daytona 200 is next to nothing. I think in the end it's something that matters to all of us. More people = more money coming in for purses, amenities, more sponsor exposure, more industry press time, etc. It also brings in more money for the racetrack, which gives us more leverage to but things like airfence and pay for lots of the little things we all want in this thread. This topic could spawn it's own thread that could go on for pages, but in short you need a couple things to get a crowd to the track (and it's all easier to say than it is to do).
1. Create a show that has more than one thing to do. You want to get a crowd to the Loudon Classic, take our races and add supermoto, add dirt track, add a MX race, add demo rides, do a stunt show, add a vendor area, do a spectator parade lap, have an auction, ....all of which can be done but each thing takes someone to grab it by the horns and run with it. It's a ton of work, and you need people who are committed to the long haul because many of those things listed will not be profitable in the first couple seasons.
2. Create a program that every spectator has access to for each venue that gives people someone to root for. Names, photos, home towns, bikes ridden....history on some riders. Whether it's a brand, rooting for someone near their hometown, or their favorite color bike - when people feel a connection to the riders they are watching on the track they become much more engaged. Coupling this with things like speakers in the bowl is great.
3. It takes a grass roots effort to get it started. If we want people to come, then we need to invite them. Maybe the track provides an incentive for groups of "X". Maybe dealers get a perk for having a group ride that ends up at the track. Maybe there are flyers and social media posts that are low cost and that we can all get behind distributing.
...just some ideas to start with.