Champ Car Marketing at its finest

[Sean O'Gorman]

From the San Jose GP website:


San Jose Grand Prix at the 2005 San Jose International Car Show
Wednesday January 5 - Sunday January 9th
McEnery Convention Center
150 W. San Carlos Street - Downtown San Jose

In an effort to promote the San Jose Grand Prix, Indy 500 champion (2001 & 2002) Helio Castroneves will display his car from the 1999 season.

Information for the San Jose Grand Prix will be available on the lobby level, including ticket information, hospitality opportunities, merchandise and more!

The show is open Wednesday and Thursday 12pm - 10pm, Friday and Saturday 10am - 10pm, Sunday from 10am - 7pm.

:shakehead

[Ankf00]

:rofl:

[nrc]

Now that's downright bizarre. Why would Helio want to be involved in this and why would Cap'n Liverspots allow him? :confused:

[racer2c]

At least it's not his crapwagon. Bizarre indeed nrc. Getting ready for life without the IRl in '06.

[Dr. Corkski]

It's only fitting to have a clown to promote that event.

[dando]

Now that's downright bizarre. Why would Helio want to be involved in this and why would Cap'n Liverspots allow him? :confused:
Ca$h? :gomer:

-Kevin

[Fitti Fan]

It's only fitting to have a clown to promote that event.

Couldn't agree with you more cork, can you believe it, a street race in San Jose?????? You and I both know San Jose--WTF????


M

[Sean O'Gorman]

My guess is that they are just going to be displaying his '99 car, and that he isn't actually going to be there. But even so, that still raises three questions:

1) Why would you openly advertise the car belongs to Helio, who is clearly an IRL driver?

2) Why would you mention the Indy 500 at all?

3) Why can't they get a more recent show car?

[cart7]

My only guess. They found someone to loan them an old '99 still in Hogan livery for free. Since Helio's name was on it, some bright dufus must have made the connection after googling Helio's name.

"Duh, hey, I think that guy may have won the Indy 500! " :gomer:

Jubilation followed as they quickly typed up the press release without any further research. :rolleyes:

[Joelski]

By doing what they did, they get casual fans who recognize the name "Indy 500" to consider coming out to see race they might otherwise have not given a second thought to. Also, by having a car that is frozen in time, with a former driver's name on it, the boys get to poke a sharp stick at the earl with little fear of repercussion. I bet it pisses the :gomer: off more than anything; let it go. :cool:

[Amanda B.'s Mom]

Interesting........

No where does it say that Helio will be there, just the car.

Agree that this will probably upset some people, but it will also draw some casual fans to the event.

[Jervis Tetch 1]

OxyMORON :saywhat:

[Dave99]

.

[Sean O'Gorman]

By doing what they did, they get casual fans who recognize the name "Indy 500" to consider coming out to see race they might otherwise have not given a second thought to. Also, by having a car that is frozen in time, with a former driver's name on it, the boys get to poke a sharp stick at the earl with little fear of repercussion. I bet it pisses the :gomer: off more than anything; let it go. :cool:

Great. So ten years later, we're still dependent on using Indy to promote series? But its all ok if it pisses off the gomers right? :gomer:

[nrc]

I wouldn't think that this is a case of the promoters not knowing what they're doing. Bob Singleton is heading up the San Jose effort and he's pretty savy.

But adding to the puzzle is the fact that during the same time frame they have a separate press conference scheduled to officially unveil the San Jose course. Vasser and Lavin are supposed to be on hand. It seems odd under the circumstances that PKV or Forsythe could spare a show car. Or perhaps they'll have them there for the press conference and couldn't spare another one for the car show.

[Winston Wolfe]

My only guess. They found someone to loan them an old '99 still in Hogan livery for free. Since Helio's name was on it, some bright dufus must have made the connection after googling Helio's name.

"Duh, hey, I think that guy may have won the Indy 500! " :gomer:

Jubilation followed as they quickly typed up the press release without any further research. :rolleyes:

Obviously, NO ONE at the SJGPA had the foresight to run this proposed Marketing \ Press release by their compatriots over at CCWS offices (perhaps due to the recent layoffs ?), but just another example of a small mistake that is clearly annoying to Champ Car purists for all of the reasons listed above.

If its a '99 car, its a Hogan car, no Penske, no Marlboro, etc...
Couldn't they have found another driver \ car combo to display ? Sure.
How about one of PT's old cars ? Prolly can't due to tobacco laws...
Andretti ? Nope. YenWhore
Target Cars... Nope Yen-addict
Al Unser... or any other recognizable name in recent OW history ? Nope.

Why not one of Jimmy Vasser's cars....he is a NoCal fella, hailed from Vallejo, I believe, and has a Toyota and Chevy dealer in NoCal....he's a good choice.

Or why not just paint up an old "roller" Reynard, using current Champ Car orange and white color combo, with the " > " and get an engine stand with a nice Coissie on it, and make that work ? Throw a bunch of drivers names and pictures up there, including the most recent Champ.....

NAAAAA !... That might actually make sense, instead of contributing to the continual blurring of the lines that have been drawn in OWRS for the last 10 years so that all of the casual fans cant figure out who runs what car in what series :rolleyes:

[Ziggy]

I just read this thread, and cant believe it

How stupid are these guys? This is a page out of the Twirl's handbook. Latch onto something your not!

[Joelski]

Great. So ten years later, we're still dependent on using Indy to promote series? But its all ok if it pisses off the gomers right? :gomer:

Dude; no offense but it's about the benjamins and if you think that clout isn't worth a few bones, you might as well go lick windows with the gomers. :gomer: Champcar is a business, and if that means making money off of history, so be it. A lot of people seriously want that race back, albiet without the current regime, but they want it nonethelss. To me Indy is irrelevant, and I don't exactly like the tactic either, but if it works, what the heck? A good business (read: successful), operates on sound strategies, not foolish principals - The latter is what put Champcar into it's situation in 2003. The former is what's going to save this series!

[Ankf00]

and so the first postwars of '05 began...

[Winston Wolfe]

J-ski....
I see where you are going with your post, but trying to validate, or put a positive spin on this gaffe is pretty thin....
I can partially agree with your thinking, but we are all speculating WHY this type of a press release coulda \ woulda \ shoulda made it past ANYONE with an inkling of the status of OW racing and "the Split" in North America in the promotions \ press release department at SJGP.... and it seems more obvious than not, at least to me, and many others who are posting here, that this was an oversight \ screwup \ mistake by someone who does not know much about the current state of OW issues and the current market.
Yeah, we can continue to want Indy back, but it has been said to the enth degree here, that none of the purists and fans want each others current management to own \ govern the other series, so a merger is out of the question ad naseum....
I think this is just a screw up, plain and simple....
SJGP needs some assistance....

Cork - you live in the area.
You have a degree.
Ank is your buddy (at least here, on the forums)
he has a degree.
He is pretty sharp (at least here, on the forums)
Sean O....
He doesnt live in the area
He ..... probably... has a degree
He seems pretty sharp (at least here on the forums)

Why dont you "Three Amigo-itos" go on and type yourself up some sort of "Clean White Paper" and show them fellas in Santa Fe how to write up a proper press release !!!! :p

Now that is a capital idea, Fester !!!! :D

[Sean O'Gorman]

Sean O....
He doesnt live in the area
He ..... probably... has a degree
He seems pretty sharp (at least here on the forums)

Just my PhD (playa hatin' degree) right now. :D The marketing one doesn't come until August.

Anyway, my whole point, as far as the show car is concerned, is not to associate with the IRL. Yes Indy still has some value, but it isn't our series. Hey, while we're at it, why don't they go display Casey Mears' old WorldCom Champ Car, he may be a NASCAR driver but he used to race in Champ Car, and the NASCAR and Mears names carry valuee with the casual fan. :saywhat:

Maybe if Champ Car had some sort of identity, this wouldn't be an issue.

[Joelski]

Just my PhD (playa hatin' degree) right now. :D The marketing one doesn't come until August.

Anyway, my whole point, as far as the show car is concerned, is not to associate with the IRL. Yes Indy still has some value, but it isn't our series. Hey, while we're at it, why don't they go display Casey Mears' old WorldCom Champ Car, he may be a NASCAR driver but he used to race in Champ Car, and the NASCAR and Mears names carry valuee with the casual fan. :saywhat:

Maybe if Champ Car had some sort of identity, this wouldn't be an issue.


Every race up to 1996 :rolleyes: , thanks Tony.

For Winston: I didn't say the press release was accurate, I said it was fine as-is, except for shelio. Whatever the reason for the gaff, I guarantee this is pissing off more gomers then Champcar fans; mainly because we know it's not likely to happen and they don't posess that logic.

Anybody who thiks this it is ALWAYS stupid to copy somebody else's ideas: Don;t you agree that playing on the words "Inny fi-hunnert" have a little more substance than copying drivers walking throught he crowd to their cars?


PS: Tony George can take away the race, he can take away the popularity of open wheel racing in the United States, he can even take away the once great teams (But who's kidding who? It was the yen!). BUT HE CAN'T TAKE AWAY HISTORY!!! Revisionists be damned!

[racer2c]

Every race up to 1996 :rolleyes: , thanks Tony.

For Winston: I didn't say the press release was accurate, I said it was fine as-is, except for shelio. Whatever the reason for the gaff, I guarantee this is pissing off more gomers then Champcar fans; mainly because we know it's not likely to happen and they don't posess that logic.

Anybody who thiks this it is ALWAYS stupid to copy somebody else's ideas: Don;t you agree that playing on the words "Inny fi-hunnert" have a little more substance than copying drivers walking throught he crowd to their cars?


PS: Tony George can take away the race, he can take away the popularity of open wheel racing in the United States, he can even take away the once great teams (But who's kidding who? It was the yen!). BUT HE CAN'T TAKE AWAY HISTORY!!! Revisionists be damned!

Cheerleader!

[Spicoli]

FTG. :flame:

There. That felt good. :gomer:

[Joelski]

Foi cough :flame:

[Joelski]

:D


:postbuild:

[Spicoli]

Foi cough :flame:


you are sofa king lame Postski. :)


:runs:

[Railbird]

Reminding people that you used to run Indy just points out that you don't anymore.

They might as well roll out Sweikert's KK500c

I'd rather see Mario's '84 Long Beach winning Lola.

Build your own identity

[RTKar]

Must have been the cheapest roller available.

[pinniped]

Couldn't agree with you more cork, can you believe it, a street race in San Jose?????? You and I both know San Jose--WTF????


M

Maybe they'll run over a few Berkeley hippies. :)

[fourrunner]

San Jose has a large Gay Hispanic population just ripe for Helio's Amorous Desires ... better than an ad in the paper ... Give the guy a break!! ;)

[rabbit]

Maybe they could borrow Earnhardt's 1998 Daytona winner. Now that's some history people can identify with.

[JT265]

Must have been the cheapest roller available.


Doubt it would be much cheaper than any of KK's own show cars. More along the lines of someone falling down in the promotors office.

[KLang]

The San Jose Grand Prix website has been updated. There is no longer any mention of Helio or Indy. :thumbup:

Just a goof by someone in the back office IMO.