A few weeks ago, Australian Supercar Racing came to Perth.
Supercars are road style production cars that race at up to 220km around a tight bitumen racing surface. Perth has had a purpose-built racetrack for many years. Supercars is an exciting form of motorsport with all the glitz and glamour.
The Wanneroo (Perth track) is 2.7km long and has 7 turns with only 2 or 3 areas where you can make a passing manoeuvre. Average racing time is just over 1 minute to complete a circuit and in the timed sprints the times drop under 1 minute to complete the lap.
The races are generally 32 laps and are very strategic. To make it even more interesting often conditions are imposed like all cars having to go into the pits (pull off the track and into the garage) to change tyres at least once.
These cars travel very fast, and their tyres are slicks (they are smooth and don’t have any tread) to allow them to gain maximum speed.
New fresh tyres are important because that is when the cars can go their fastest. The compulsory stops done well can take between 3 – 8 seconds to pull into the pits and change 2 or all 4 tyres.
Can you imagine having your tyres changed so quickly? Everything has to work like clockwork.
The last race is always the most exciting, it is for positions for the day plus overall championship points are on the line. It becomes very strategic to when to change the tyres, at what lap to pit, where to try and pass and when.
The 2 top teams had different plans.
One pitted early so that meant they were in front of the others and could work their way back up the order of the race to lead.
The other team stayed out much longer.
Remember I said that new tyres allowed the cars to get faster lap times?
The first team started to get track advantage and was pulling away from the 2nd team who had the older tyres. Then there was an accident which meant a safety car came out for a few laps. No passing is allowed under safety car conditions and all the cars slow down to 60km an hour which feels and looks like they are crawling.
Once racing recommenced the 2nd team was able to pit and get their new tyres which gave them more speed and ultimately allowed them to win the race and the day.
A very exciting, colourful and eventful day. So much fun to watch.
Does Your Marketing Strategy Align with Your Business?
Business can be like motorcar racing when to expand your marketing, when to wait, and which tactics will work for your team.
If there had not been a safety car to slow the race down would the first team have had enough time advantage to win the race?
Are you following someone else’s marketing plan that was set up for their business situation and not yours? Wondering why you are not getting the result you need?
Contact Cathy Smith at CATCO Enterprises for Tailored Digital Marketing That Works for You.
Cathy Smith has run the same marketing agency for more than 20 years and has helped hundreds of business owners achieve their marketing goals. At CATCO Enterprises we create attraction and competitive benefits for businesses through holistic marketing – comprehensive strategies that build relationships, honesty, integrity, and trust.
