We might have started somthing big with our ties with the Lister Storm team.

Top clubs on fast road to fresh riches

Vivek Chaudhary and Alan Henry Wednesday August 9, 2000

Europe's leading football clubs are set to cash in on their popularity by joining forces with motor racing after the announcement yesterday of a unique commercial partnership between the two sports. Premier 1 Grand Prix will involve 24 cars, painted in the colours of Europe's leading football clubs, racing over the course of a season.

The likes of Manchester United, Barcelona, Real Madrid and Juventus have been asked to take part in what could be a lucrative extension of their brand names, generating millions of pounds in extra revenue.

The clubs - there will be four each from England, Italy, France, Spain, Germany and the Netherlands - will not have to invest any money in the new racing category but are likely to receive a share of the profits.

Initially, there will be 12 races in 2002, with 11 being staged in Europe and one in South America.

Graham Kelly, the former chief executive of the Football Association, is one of the directors of Premier 1 and has been liaising with English clubs and those on the continent.

The organisers have picked the 24 clubs on the basis of their domestic performances over the past six years and it is believed that, as well as Manchester United, Liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenal from the Premier League have been approached.

Kelly said: "Nobody has turned us down. There is quite a lot of interest and things are looking pretty positive. Motor racing can bring to football an extension of the club's brand images and there is also potential for fresh revenue streams, which are important with the transfer market going up and up.

"Clubs in Italy and Spain were much more receptive to the idea. There will be a cap on transfers [for drivers]. The last thing clubs want is a situation like the present one in football."

The project is the brainchild of SMC Capital Investments, a company owned by the millionairess Elizabeth Evans, who attempted to buy Silverstone three years ago and is a long-time acquaintance of the formula one commercial rights holder Bernie Ecclestone.

Premier 1 is not being seen as a rival to formula one and races will not clash with grands prix. All the cars in Premier 1 will be the same so there will be no constructors' competition and pit stops will be allowed only for tyre changes.

Plans for the new competition are to be formally submitted by the Motor Sports Association, the UK's national club, to the council of the FIA, the sport's world governing body, in October.

If the go-ahead is given then the new competition will be up and running by the start of 2002. An FIA insider said: "The requirement for a new formula is that it should be backed by a national club, and conforms to all the required safety regulations."

The organisers are hoping that by combining the money and high profile of football and motor racing, Premier 1 will provide a crossover for fans of both sports and generate huge funds in the process.

It is still not known what sort of crowds the new racing category could attract and how much involvement clubs and players would have in promoting it but clearly the commercial possibilities are immense.

According to Kelly, 38% of all season-ticket holders are also formula one fans. The Premier 1 competition, however, is far from completion. Organisers concede that they still have not got a television deal or an agreement with race tracks to host their competition.

The cars taking part will be single-seater and manufactured by the Italian firm Dallara. Its owner Gianpaolo Dallara said: "It is a very exciting project which we are tackling with great enthusiasm."

It is believed that the BBC might be interested in screening the new races following the loss of its formula one coverage in 1996. However a BBC spokesman said that it was too early to say whether the corporation would do so.

-- Anonymous, August 09, 2000