Amid rain, fog, strong winds and gloomy skies, China's top
sports-car makers and racing teams gathered in Shanghai over the
weekend for the China Circuit Championship (CCC).
Billed as the country's top car race, the six-stop CCC had its
first stop last Friday through Sunday in the largest city of the
country boasting the world-class Shanghai International
Circuit.
CCC's aim is to become a leading world-class car race brand.
However, unlike other international brands such as F1 which
attracted tens of thousands to Shanghai and raked in profits for
sponsors, organizers and players, CCC 2006 turned out to be a
disappointment.
In spite of more than 40 eye-catching Hollywood car stunts
arranged between the races, only about a few thousand people showed
up in the main stands of the circuit which can seat 200,000
people.
"I regret buying a ticket to come; many people are here with
free tickets from the organizers," said one car sports fan surnamed
Wang.
Organizers attributed the low attendance to the bad weather. The
city had just been hit by a cold wave from the north which reduced
the temperature from 20 to 7 degrees celcius.
But many car racing teams and their sponsors pointed the finger
at lack of experience and poor marketing.
"The organizers should learn to understand their sponsors. They
are short-handed in providing professional marketing and good
returns to the sponsors," said Li Shanxiong, general manager of the
Beijing Hanstone Advertising Co Ltd, marketing partner of the
Beijing Yalun Linglong team.
Zhang Qi, a senior manager from team sponsor Shandong Linglong
Rubber Co Ltd admitted his disappointment.
"We invested millions of yuan in the car racing event. We
thought it was a good platform to promote our brand," he said.
Ricky Zhang, spokesman for the Hong Kong-based Ghia team, said
more time was needed to foster a car racing culture in the
country.
"We are at least 20 years behind Europe in this event. In
Europe, cars have become a daily necessity while in China it is
still a luxury for many people. Without driving experience, you may
not have the enthusiasm to come to the circuit," he said.
CCC's next stop will be Zhuhai in April. Shanghai, Zhuhai and
Beijing will each host two stops of the national sports car
event.
(China Daily March 14, 2006)