In this, our second season of televising major events at Willowbank, it is timely that an examination be made of the pros and cons of our involvement with the small screen.

First, the most obvious benefit is that it gets our message to an audience many times larger than would be possible at the racetrack alone. For example, the Konica Winternationals drew a total attendance of just over 36,000 over the three days. Two shows were generated from the event, a two hour show and a one hour "Sportsman" edition. The cumulative effect of both TV shows on the Seven Network in Queensland and nationally on Foxtel would be over 200,000 viewers. It is an "estimated" figure because the suppliers of cable television don't supply audience figures at this point of time.

Nevertheless, this is fairly impressive, considering we get next-to-nothing from the TV Channel in the way of lead-up promotions. This has provided us with excellent leverage in the search for sponsorship, with the presence of the TV show being the catalyst for a number of sponsors to get involved. As well, some enterprising racers have gained personal sponsorships on the back of the publicity the show generates.

However, at this point the overheads of the TV show are still greater than the money generated from it. Following on from this, there is a body of anecdotal evidence, both from Willowbank and from Ravenswood, pointing to the fact that the presence of the TV show can be a deterrent to attending the track, particularly on weather affected days and at events with weak features.

While there is some credence in this, there is another factor at play in Willowbank's case - the Konica Winternationals. We can directly plot the downsizing of our smaller events directly to the growth of the Winternationals. There is an old saying that goes "how do you keep them down on the farm, after they've seen New York?". The bottom line is, you can't. Many years ago, the "Sheffield Shield" used to enjoy huge crowds. But with the ascendancy of one-day cricket and intensive marketing of international games, Sheffield Shield games these days draw Street meet crowds. Remember the days before the Broncos when Lang Park was jammed full for the Queensland Rugby League Grand Final? These days you hear nothing about the local rugby league. I know it still exists, but you would never know from today's media.

So it is with Willowbank. We have to accept that our smaller events will remain so, but we must adjust our strategies to accommodate the situation. The TV show will continue, because it is now an integral part of what we do. Drag racing is a constantly evolving entity. Nothing stands still. We need to recognize trends as they happen and adjust our strategies to take advantage.

It all started with fine, noble intentions. Create a class to allow kids under license age to race on the nation's dragstrips. Great idea. And indeed it has proved to be a huge success, despite a raft of stupid, unnecessary rules.

When the class became reality some years back the class was restricted to petrol based fuel, a minimum weight and a maximum engine size. But of course, when you create rules, you must police them. So over the last few years, we have witnessed absurdity bordering on farce in the policing of these rules.

First rule to go was the requirement for petrol, when Gary Densham refused to bring son Stevie's car unless they were allowed to use methanol. But prior to this, some kids were penalized for running the demon alcohol in their tanks. Remember, this is a dyo (dial-your-own) class, so no advantage is gained.

Next to go was the restriction on engine size. With the creation of a rule, you must police it. So again we witnessed engine tear-downs of J/D engines. One would have thought the resources of ANDRA would have been better utilized in areas where illegal engine size provided an advantage. Not sure how many were penalized, but I'm sure there were some. Remember this is a dyo class, so no advantage is gained.

Next, farce number three. A Junior competitor at Willowbank was disqualified for being a few pounds light. Remember this is a dyo class, so no advantage is gained. But while some of these rules were being thrown out, more were appearing. Any car running quicker than 9.50 would be excommunicated or some other vile punishment. Remember this is a dyo class, so no advantage is gained.

If you are looking for an ogre to vent your rage on as one by one these stupid rules went by the wayside, look no further. I am the culprit. Wasting time on meaningless rules made no sense. It might have made some of the "dads" feel important as their engine is torn down on the scales while a fuel sample is taken for the demon methanol. But the silliest thing in this whole farce is that a model for the running of a dyo class was already in existence - the Group 3 rules, which have been unchanged since 1981. Re-inventing the wheel with square corners is not that smart.

Two years ago, we created a local class for supercharged cars called "Top Comp". Modelled on the Group 3 format, it had the simplest of rules - 8 open cars, 8 sedans, minimum dial 8.30, no electronics. After two years this 200 mph class is totally free of controversy and boasts a healthy growth rate.

The best rules are the least rules. This has been proven, time and time again. The French call it "laissez-faire." Another current nonsense being touted around is that with no restriction of dial-in, safety will be compromised. Yet kids on karts can run wheel-to-wheel at speeds equivalent to our Juniors without the protection of five-point seat belts, neck collars and six point roll cages and separated 30 feet from each other. Then there's mini-bikes. Kids from six years and older, racing at speeds up to 60 mph with scarcely no protection.

Of all the Junior motor sports around, drag racing is by far the most safe. Plainly this makes a nonsense of this argument. Finally, we provide the best opportunities for Junior racers in Australia, with a Junior Street Series and a Track Championship series for the major meets. All this is predicated on the format being "user friendly". The Juniors are important for the future of drag racing and we will not be intimidated by nonsensical, irrational rules.

It was an experiment. We needed to "test the water" to determine if a demand existed for the concept of a "high dollar entry", "high dollar payout" bracket race. We were hoping for around 160 entries. We got 144. But careful budgeting ensured we did a little more than break even.

I was disappointed with the roll up of bikes in the slow bracket, considering their entry fee was around the same as regular meets. Examining the fields, the roll-up was comprised of most of the "hitters" from Group 3 racing in South Qld. But most of those who didn't show were the prey the "hitters" feed on in the Group 3 wars. I guess that many figured their $100 entry was just a donation to the "guns".

However, aside from one message on our answering machine complaining the bike handicaps were too great (?), we have had a lot of positive feedback on the concept, sufficient enough to give it another trial. As well, we got to see some great racing, culminating with the Australian Champions of Super Sedan and Super Street racing for the final purse, something that cannot happen under our regular formats. Bracket Blast 2 is on Saturday September 11th, 1999.

If we are faced with the G.S.T. in year 2000, this is what you can expect. Competitor entry fees will increase 10%. Pit admission and spectator admission will increase 10%, as will hot dogs, chips, soft drinks etc. Corporate and reserved seating will increase 10%.

Willowbank is a part of the tourist industry and the G.S.T. will be a disaster for that industry. Without doubt our spectator numbers will decrease. But that's not all. The extra work involved once Willowbank becomes an official tax collector for the government will be enormous. Has there ever been a simple, user friendly form from the public service? They tell us it will be good for the country. That may be so, but there are two sides to a coin. And it looks like we will be on the down side!

At the recent A.G.M. of ANDRA a proposal to steer all existing non Gas classes into comparable Gas classes was not accepted.

But this is not the end of it. A system that allows some classes to split their index inputs over different classes, at the expense of the Gas classes, cannot be allowed to continue indefinitely. Aside from the Gas classes, the other seventies based classes are looking decidedly dated.

This can be backed up from the survey taken at the Winternationals. Super Stock did not get a mention to the question "Other than Top Fuel, what is your favourite category?" But Super Street did, along with Top Comp, a two year old local class.

Super Stock's role in the "big picture" of drag racing is to be a "feed" to Pro Stock. But right now, only one group of classes, the Gas classes, fulfil that bill.

Recently, Global Info-Links, our Internet service provider supplied us detailed statistics of Willowbank's web site. This was for the period April 10 to August 19. Briefly, our site is averaging almost 1000 "hits" per day! Over the above period we drew 130,543 "hits". Most active day was June 8th, the day after the Konica Winternationals, with an amazing 6,614 "hits".

The Internet continues to grow at a breathtaking rate and its role in the marketing of Willowbank will continue at an ever increasing pace. A more detailed report will be available in the November issue of "The Elapsed Times".

The October 10th event goes to air on the Seven Network (Qld wide) on Sunday, October 25th at 2:00 pm. to 3:00 pm. The Foxtel date will be advised later.

from Willowbank's Latest News September 24, 1998 © Willowbank Raceway 1998