NEIL RANDON discusses BriSCA’s relationship with the media and why it needs to become more proactive if the sport is to thrive.
Below is the piece I wrote for the King’s Lynn programme on Saturday – it saves me repeating what I want to say as an introduction:
TIME flies by. This time last week the World Championship Final was held at Odsal Stadium for the first time since 1997. No one in their right mind would have said after the last World Final, held here at King’s Lynn in 2019 and won by Tom Harris, that the next one would be run at Bradford!
But Bradford it was, and for the most part it was a great success. The main event was an excellent race, and the rest of the card was good, too. And, of course, there was the tear-jerker moment of the night when John Lund came out on track for the parade prior to the World Final (after a pantomime moment when the crowd were supposed to be fooled into thinking he had car trouble and wouldn’t be in the race after all) and he paraded around the track standing on the back of his 1997 World Final-winning car.
The reception he received was wonderful to witness.
Unbelievably, John made his debut at Rochdale in 1976, when Harold Wilson had only just stood down as Prime Minister. Most of his competitors in this year’s World Final hadn’t even been born then.
And in the race itself he did remarkably well. He was into the top 10 after halfway, on the pace and would have finished higher but for an engine issue, which forced him to pull off.
But the race for gold was only really about two men, Tom Harris and Lee Fairhurst. Both at the top of their game, driving absolutely on the limit. Nothing was left out on track. Tom came out on top, but he could not afford to make any mistakes because Lee would have immediately pounced.
There was just one moment, when the world champion went to pass Frankie Jnr Jr in turn four and got out of shape for a split second, that Lee was given half a chance. He was up alongside Tom as they exited turn four but the leader floored it down the straight and managed to maintain a safe enough gap right the way to the chequered flag.
So Tom Harris successfully defended his world crown and was a deserving winner. To see him beaming from ear to ear afterwards showed how much it meant to win this race. Out of the three he has now won, this was probably the best performance.
As the undisputed No.1, Tom is proving his salt as the sport’s leading driver representative to gather publicity for BriSCA F1. He also represents the sport and Britain with his exploits in the States in the World of Outlaws and Midget car racing. He is more well-known among American motorsports media than he is over here.
And that’s significant, because BriSCA F1 needs the publicity. Why? Because while the crowd at Odsal was reasonable considering the Dutch fans were not there, the stadium wasn’t exactly bursting at the seams. The grandstand was only two-thirds full.
Plenty of fans on social media appeared satisfied with the turnout and will think my comment is a bit harsh, but as I mentioned in a Facebook post before the meeting, the sport should always think big, otherwise it means settling for second-best and over time expectations are lowered, and the sport lessens as a result.
So what do I mean when I say think big? I am going to discuss this on my FactorUK.com blog in the coming days but to start with, BriSCA should engage more with the media.
Media coverage is free publicity, so why not use it? This has always baffled me. Some will say it does get media publicity, via Premier Sports coverage on TV, local papers, and very occasionally through me in the national newspapers.
But this is the thing. I do my bit, when I can, to put BriSCA F1 on the national newspaper map. I can do this because I am currently employed by a national newspaper group and work daily with the group’s sport editorial team.
They give me a fair crack at the whip and I always appreciate it when I’m given space to write something on a minority sport that is utterly insignificant compared to the behemoths such as the Premier League, F1, Test cricket, tennis, golf, etc.
But it only happens because I make the effort and because I want to. I don’t have to do it. But BriSCA really do have to.
The problem here is there is no cohesion within BriSCA when it comes to the media. There should be a BriSCA press office, where news is sent out to all the relevant media, national and local newspapers and their online equivalent, national and local radio and TV networks. For big events there should be press accreditation, and a media facility for press to write reports, interview drivers and send photos.
Have that and it is possible the World Final could feature in the Sunday papers the next day. If something dramatic happened and a photographer captured the moment, it could be sent immediately to the national sports desks.
It can’t be THAT hard to arrange, surely?
Even though I work for the national press, I have never been sent one sentence from anyone on the weekend’s racing. Not a word. It will be said that I know what is going on anyway, but that really isn’t the point. As a matter of course, every media outlet should be sent info, news, features and reports.
John Lund’s World Final story is a remarkable one, but hardly anyone outside of the BriSCA F1 bubble knows about it.
That has to change – and soon.
PROACTIVE MEDIA PUBLICITY CAMPAIGN
Let’s get one thing absolutely clear. The return of Bradford as a stock car venue was a masterstroke by Steve Rees. The sport should be forever grateful he had the determination and will-power to pull off what most thought, including me, was an impossibility.
That Steve was able to host a World Final at Odsal this year was extraordinary.
But.
The 2021 World Final was yet another example of a wonderful opportunity missed to put the sport on the map.
BriSCA F1 is motorsport’s best-kept secret – that’s what you often hear people say like it’s some kind of badge of honour. The fact is BrISCA F1 IS motorsport’s best-kept secret – and there is one very simple reason for that.
We don’t tell anyone.
We’ve been down this route so many times, it’s becoming quite tedious.
I have been a fan for more than 50 years, employed all my working life within the sport media (40 years) and been to numerous motorsport events during that time as a member of the press. Within stock car circles, I have been intimately involved for 25 years and I’ve also worked on the other side of the fence as a press officer (for the ASCAR/Days of Thunder series).
Currently, I am assistant racing editor for Reach PLC’s daily national newspaper titles: the Daily Mirror, Daily Express and Daily Star.
So I’ve witnessed up close how some of the decision-making is made and have had plenty of off-the-record conversations with promoters, drivers and others about the good, the bad and the ugly surrounding BriSCA F1. These conversations have droned on for two decades or more. Nothing has really changed.
I had the same conversation at Bradford on Saturday. A couple of people I spoke with, who are well-known and respected within stock car circles, were incandescent at the lack of initiative and how the sport appears to be lumbering along as it always has, without much incentive to change or improve.
It’s curious, because if you read fans posts on social media, there’s a sense of excitement surrounding the sport, and very few seem to feel that anything needs to change. If you are a passionate fan, you always tend to see the glass as half full.
My King’s Lynn programme column focused on how the sport fails to embrace the media – whether that is through ignorance or apathy, it’s hard to know for sure, but it is a major concern.
And we have to be honest and accept the sport’s fanbase is shrinking. The only time it went up was after Gears and Tears was aired on BBC in 2010, but again the sport floundered around not really knowing how to make the most of this phenomenal publicity, the like of which it will never see again.
We don’t lack for drivers and cars – in that regard the sport is in a healthy condition and they put on an excellent show – but we do lack fans. The pandemic obviously has had an effect during the last 18 months, just when the sport looked to be back on track, but a plan should be in place now to rebuild the fan base.
Bradford has seen a number of people return to watch stock car racing. It is a magnificent venue for the sport. Along with Ipswich it has the potential to cater for the needs of fans, sponsors and the media. For big events King’s Lynn also has that capability and the developments made by Rob Speak at Skegness Stadium is bringing that stadium up to the standard required.
SHRINKING FAN BASE
Many will completely refute this next claim, but going on the estimate there were around 6,000 spectators at the World Final – reasonable considering there were no Dutch fans present, but not exactly earth-shattering by any means – crowd numbers at the regular “domestic” meetings must be in the region of 500, if that.
Bigger meetings, like the British Championship, may host around 2,000 on a very, very good day. So, being generous, we have a core fanbase of around 1,000-1,500 fans.
Let’s put these figures into perspective. My local football team, Merstham FC, representing a Surrey village north of Redhill with a population of 8,123 (2011 census) are in the Isthmian Premier League.
In 2016 they got to the first round of the FA Cup, when they played Oxford United at home and they attracted plenty of media attention as a result. The team had a full-page feature in the Daily Telegraph, and the game was shown live of Sky Sports. The Moatsiders crammed 1,920 into their little ground, when normally they would get around 200.
Many fans travelled from Oxford, but plenty also came from the local area. Many of those wouldn’t normally have gone to a football match, let alone watch a team as lowly as Merstham FC. But media publicity, national and local, captured the Merstham community’s imagination and the match was a sell-out.
One of the people I spoke with suggested that the number of spectators at Odsal on World Final night should be what we are aiming for on a regular basis during the season.
Coaxing ardent fans to travel to stock car venues is hard enough, but without publicity and awareness, no one will go. The fanbase won’t come to BriSCA, BriSCA has to go to it.
My book Heavy Metal focuses on the sport during the 1960s through to the early 1980s, when stock cars at venues such as Nelson, Rochdale and Hyde Road, Belle Vue were thrilling the crowds – and it was the local community who helped to support it. Admittedly, a number of our stadiums are located in rural areas, but these days very few people within a ten-mile radius of the stadiums are aware that a dramatic motorsport, BriSCA F1 stock car racing, is happening on their doorstep.
Looking at some of the successes for a moment, the BSCDA have done an excellent job with their Off Track interviews, hosted by Jonathan Abbott, as well as some amazing action footage produced by JC Productions. Jordan Cooper is very creative and the results are professional and compelling to watch.
The Off Track World Final programme was fabulous. Some brilliant interviews, hosted by Jonathan, who is developing into an impressive anchor for these programmes, plus more dramatic action footage via JC Productions. The wives/partners of drivers were also interviewed, and these were possibly the best feature of the whole programme – a really interesting angle. It was something different.
However, no matter how good this was, and it was very good, outside of the online stock car social media bubble, no one knows anything about it.
Such a lot of time and effort much have been invested in this, but who actually benefits? OK, so nearly 7,000 people with an interest in stock car racing have watch it, but that is but a drop in the ocean compared to the number who could have viewed the event, say on a live stream.
A pay-for-view live stream, via 24/7TV for example, would have meant the huge Dutch following would have been able to watch the World Final, as well as our New Zealand fans, and others from Australia, the United States and across the world. Anything to give the sport media coverage has to be a bonus. And if money can be made from it to benefit the sport, then even better.
Gathering extensive media coverage doesn’t happen overnight obviously, but there are plenty of ways to achieve it, whether it’s via TV, radio or print journalism.
Before any of that can happen, however, there has to be – as I mentioned above – a press office. It is a fundamental requirement, with either a full-time employee or a number of freelancers on a rota system, who can send press releases each week to all the media outlets to inform them of upcoming events – reports from the previous weekend, plus points charts, interviews and photos – you know the sort of thing.
It needs to be as organised and as relentless as Megan Markle’s PR team, and while not everyone will bite, some will.
Next up, the brilliant JC Production footage. Same thing, these films should be sent to all the media outlets, notably online newspapers and magazines, TV networks. Just short promo packages, that include any major incidents, with a story attached.
Newspapers love this sort of stuff – not endless footage of cars going round and round, but anything short and sweet that grabs the attention and is likely to produce clicks on their websites. Joe Booth’s dramatic crash at Odsal is one incident that springs to mind.
Over time, some media outlets, particularly local ones, will publish footage and stories, and will promote them on social media. People who click on the website or read the paper will see it and some may actually then be curious enough to visit their local stadium. The more media coverage the sport gets, the more likely sponsors will come on board – especially if their brand is mentioned regularly in print or seen via the on-board camera footage.
What follows is my vision – something that should have happened 20 years ago or more.
WORLD FINAL PRESS DAY
The World Final is the shop window for the sport. During an official countdown to the event, the stadium would host a press day, where the media are invited, and the leading contenders would be present with their cars. A press conference would be held in a conference room, with the cars out on the track.
As an introduction a film showing a brief history of the sport and brief highlights from the best World Finals would be shown. This would be followed by a round-up of the current season’s World Championship and how the contenders qualified for the big event.
After that, a brief presentation would be made either by a BriSCA or BSCDA representative explaining who each of the drivers are present. Then the media would be positioned out on the terracing and the drivers would give a demonstration run, not dissimilar to the Autosport Live Action Arena at the Autosport Show. After that the drivers would come in for a Q&A session. There would follow a buffet so press and drivers, in a relaxed environment, can interact, and the press/film crews could then go and have a closer look at the cars in the pit area for any further interviews – and that would be that.
For the actual World Final itself, there would be a room allocated as a press centre, with a BriSCA or BSCDA representative working there to help invited media with any questions and requests. The centre would overlook the track so the journalists can follow the event. After the race a press conference hosted by BriSCA/BSCDA would be held with the top-three finishers, followed by a Q&A with the visiting press. Reports can be written and sent that night, as well as photographs.
Job done.
Of course, to coax the media to a track takes effort and not many will turn up at first. But over time as the BriSCA/BSCDA press office gathers momentum and more experienced at working with the press, it would become second nature. Relationships with journalists would develop – in much the same way they have with me over the last 20-odd years – and coverage would become more complete.
But, there is still work to be done on the actual product.
And one area that needs addressing is the World Championship itself.
© Neil Randon 2021
Photos: Neil Randon
Well said Neil 👍you’re the man 😊
Thanks mate!
Absolutely spot on! The BSCDA have taken it on well with the social media coverage & the Youtube channel but BriSCA themselves need someone or multiple people to get the message out there themselves.
Cheers mate – had to be said
very true what you say neil coventry to all of us was the worst thing that has happend to our sport for many would meet here and always bring new people to the sport the sport has always been difficult to even promote as a driver people assume its banger racing even the top people in our sport find this happens the power of the press can only be a good thing ex driver 162 and my dad johnny pratt 394 he tried for me and his self for sponsorship with exxon we have tried if it dont happen now it will kill itself good luck
Thanks Richard
The Mirror & Star used to regularly have the results & previews in back in the 80’s. Even motorsport news rarely has any coverage these days, and no longer has the weekends fixtures on show
Whilst I agree that BriSCA is the best kept secret in motorsport, would raising the profile be in its best interest long term?
I too have watched for 50 years and what attracts me to it are the simple things. Access to drivers, local stadiums, car parking, modest crowds, family oriented and genuine people involved are all about the sport not the benefits.
So if the profile was raised would those key attributes remain, therefore keeping my interest in the sport?
More interest would generate more money, more money would see more being spent on getting the cars to be engineered to be racing machines not Stock Cars. The smaller teams and budget racers wouldn’t get a look in and thus be sidelined.
Are there enough stadiums in the country to race at with wider publicity?
The more people going to meetings creates more spectator car’s attending, will stadiums cope with car parking? Bradford just about coped, would Kings Lynn, Skegness & Northampton cope with the higher volume?
I didn’t go to Birmingham because of car crime and bigger attendances would surely increase that risk.
What kind of people would these extra attendees be? Would BriSCA attract so called “football hooligans” if entrance fees stayed modest, which then leads onto the fact that if more people attended the gate fee would surely rise thus maybe pricing many regulars out of going anyway. It would certainly hit families harder as it would become an unjustified expensive evening / day out.
These people would probably stay home then watch the highlights on tv, just as many people do for football; opting not to go but to watch Match of the Day instead.
I believe trying to publicise the sport would eventually turn it into an exclusive sport, just like F1 Grand Prix.
People would have an interest in it, catch it via the media but not attend. I would be one.
Final thing I’ll say is that I really don’t think Stock Cars or any kind of oval motorsport comes across on tv well.
It’s a sport where you need to be there to fully appreciate the atmosphere and the spectacle.
It maybe controversial to your views but in my opinion “Stock Cars” are fine as it is, as it’s coped without financial & media attention and remained a “family” sport for nearly 70 years. 👍
Nice piece Neil and bang on the money as usual!
Thanks mate! Parts Two and Three to follow!
What you say is bang on, Jonathan Abbott, BSCDA, JC Productions – Jordan Cooper do an outstanding job on a very limited budget to get it out there. The drivers / teams bust a gut to get very well turned out cars to race in numbers, more often than not ending with time consuming / exspensive repairs BRIsca (promoters) need to change now, If not, set up BRIscar, incorporate the BSCDA, arrange for fixtures to be held at non BRIsca affiliated venues and air it on one of the main TV channels, Job Done!
Well said neil. We have been trying to get tracks to “go live” for some time now including this season. We were told that was the plan for this wf by another company but it didnt happen. We are battling hard to keep brisca stock cars on tv as unless someone puts big investment into it then it will be gone probably for good.
The bscda do a great job and we are trying to work with them if possible and maybe we can push the sport forward.
Great piece Neil. We’ve had many a chat about stock car racing so you know my views. I can’t disagree with a word you say. As I see it there are basically two problems. One, it’s an amateur sport run by amateurs (and I mean that in the true sense of the word, not as a derogatory description) Two, the sport is run by a committee of promoters, each pulling in their own direction, which isn’t necessarily for the long term good of the sport. It’s an oft quoted phrase that a camel is the result of a committee designing a horse. Sadly, at the moment, the sport definitely displays dromedarian tendencies. That doesn’t mean it can’t or won’t change, but it’s going to take some major changes of direction for that to happen.
I’m one of the few that think there needs to be an overhaul of many aspects of the sport, and am constantly disappointed by the attitude of the many – that there is little wrong with BriSCA F1. I’m glad I’m not alone and look forward to reading your thoughts in your next couple of articles.
Many years ago we hired a professional p r company expensive but worked ie the daily mirror gp. Loads of coverage massive crowd at Bradford world final that was when promoters worked together
Awesome bit of reading Neil. Great to see you recognising the efforts of the sports two biggest assets at the moment in terms of publicity. JC & JA. Keep it up.
I agree with everything you said but to start with the basics need doing. So I live around 15 mins from Bradford. I have to travel through large part of Bradford to get to Odsal or the M62. My friends say to me if you never mentioned Odsal I wouldn’t even know it had re opened. Not a single advert seen anywhere near the stadium or on social media. I was parked in an estate near to the track. A couple where cutting their hedge. So I asked them what they had experienced since the track had re opened. They where very positive about the situation and didn’t know it was world final weekend. From as little as £10 you can advertise on Facebook. A tenner gets your advert to 1300 people a day for 5 days. The more you spend the more it reaches per day. £100 advert would be around 1/4 of a million people. You can also direct that advert to areas only. So the advert could of been sent to Bradford/Leeds only. Odsal use to have a sign facing the main road of what’s coming next. Where’s that now?
So many great points, surely there is a serious conversation to be had.
I fear too many people have personal interests that take precedence over developing some sort of blueprint that would be for the good of F1 stock cars.
Spot on. For years I have walked away from Autosport live action arena hearing people who obviously don’t know about BriSCA saying “them f1s were bloody mega”. If only there had been someone handing flyers out as they were leaving…..
Hi Stuart, on your point, Odsal has had FULL PAGE ADVERTS this year AND FACEBOOK exposure, more than £100! / expenditure and tremendous support from local media such as T&A etc. The reach now for advertising is so diverse and diluted. We have in recent months enquired about National Ads with, eg Mirror, Sun etc but costs are eye watering. This has NOT been a normal year, if next year is then as far as Odsal is concerned, doubling with Sheffield, we shall return to TV twice in 22, this year from May – July we had to be advance ticket only and restricted crowds, so this year is almost a ‘soft launch’. I agree with much of the ‘warmth’ re PR Neil exudes, working with BSCDA and their PR machine, they do a commendable job BUT all our utopian views are ‘shared and liked’ by the converted so, you would expect wholesale approval as we are passionate. T&A and local media engaged with WF at Odsal, other media did not as they had actually covered it in some depth in April and May. Also, for interest, details of the weekend were posted on most if not all residents group FB sites in the area. The other issue in advertising and event specific, a HUGE campaign may well generate ‘hit’s’ to the website, conversion is the real test. I have several years of analysis supplied by various media we advertise with that breakdown ‘clicks’ ‘engagements’ etc and the conversion rate to actual purchase would be less than 1 – 2%, a ratio akin to direct marketing, so some of us are not ignorant to such analysis. A world final is a ‘premium’ product and locally, at the premium price, might create interest but conversion at the price would be negligable – £20 etc yes, We have run ‘full page’ ads and facebook for some Odsal’s this year with family tickets etc with some success and 99% audience has been local and well received. It also about understanding the audience who are much simpler people, looking for an evenings affordable entertainment, usually as a one off and quite simple ‘cars crashing’ nothing more – or less! Speedway DOES have Press Officers, huge media presence however, teams are closing down so that whilst ‘utopian’ is neither the actual elixer of life. I profess after 27 years to have tried most things but cannot offer ultimate solutions tbh – ALL sport is in a very different demographic and socio profile to what they were 30 years ago. Having a dedicated press office for BriSCA would probably incur a cost of around £30k a year [ necessitating at least a £6k contribution from each promoter on top of already high expenditure – and has been done before ] PR & Advertising is like a duvet you wrap around you and you can grossly ‘overspend’ – we have, ultimately it all comes down to ‘measurement’ and cost effocacy on conversion results.
Local media coverage is also very much driven ‘locally’, rural areas have more success but in cities such as Sheffield and Manchester, the huge sports base usually revolves around football, we are too small for editorial interest, we have tried HARD – much now depends on individual editors preference. BV could get almost zero coverage from MEN, BBC, ITV until planning application came in – and then focused on the Greyhound ‘cruelty’ bereft of facts. I engaged in a long dispute with MEN about their one sides coverage and no request for comment from us – some weeks later they did do a ‘levelling up piece’. Neil is a professional with whom I have huge respect, gained over many years and projects a ‘popular’ opinion which as a ‘fan’ I share but at the coalface, unsure but would welcome ongoing dialogue and advice. Someone comments upon ‘when promoters worked together, I go back to 1996 as a promoter and I can state with a degree of authority promoters work more closely together today [ yes, they are competitive and yes as in all walks of life there are ‘French politics’ ] some things that occur today could never have been dreamed of 25 years ago, such views can only come based on lack of knowledge and personal opinion. The BMB has pulled the sport together an checks and balances, problems of division with drivers, a regular occurrence, 60’s-70’s-80’s and 90’s have all but vanished since the formation of the BMB in 2007. Opinions and views are always worth listening to but then have to be flltered from dystopian and utopian to results orientated. Lastly, Odsal specific, Stuart we are trying to get a huge sign for Odsal and intend to use the Bulls A board outside – however, this year has been more focused on actual getting the venue opened in huge restrictions, by necessity a soft launch to get things right and learn. Incidentally, we did take a full page AD in Motorsport News and whilst reader base is relatively ‘low’ we felt more connectivity for conversion for a one off annual event and premium of worth than eg local advertising. It’s not at all easy and again being respectful, you have to be on the other side of the fence and at the coalface to understand the challenges. For what it’s worth, and something we are learning – always learning, PR and marketing is now such a complex and targetted beast, growth needs to be local and organic and social media influenced and social media influencers and in recent weeks we have been talking to several. In conclusion, F1 is a niche product that enjoys within a passionate ‘hardcore’ audience – niche also means to a degree ‘minority’ – the challenge is educating firstly, Mr 2.2 to actually attend a ‘stock car meeting’ and deliver expectations, more easily realised with a Banger meeting where they do what it says on the can – with then, the more difficult challenge of conversion to become ‘regular’ attendees – and then the even bigger challenge of ‘upselling’ to BriSCA F1 and for ‘mass appeal’ that’s where market research may be necessary delivering a product a wider populace may wish to pay to watch. The sport has moved from in many aspects ‘enetertainment’ focused event to 20+ race in effect ‘track days’ which do bring necessary revenue but possibly presents an inaccurate image of the product if you attend for the first time – and fall asleep!
NB – Autosport and flyers – we have been there, done that also. Philip Bond once gave away ‘thousands’ of vouchers for Eurocar at NEC, and whilst a distant memory across the year got 17 ish back! At shows, people certainly pick up on things, fill carrier bags with leaflets and flyers, a few days later most are emptied into the bin – fact and 3 months later they have ‘forgotten’ – People STILL in Manchester do not know the Belle Vue Aces still exist, 90-+ years later!
Steve has hit the nail on the head when he writes ‘ the challenge is educating firstly, Mr 2.2 to actually attend a ‘stock car meeting’ and deliver expectations,’
‘Gears and Tears’ wasn’t just a motor sport programme – it engaged with all the family in different ways – the rivalry between the families, the lifestyle, the excitement, the downers ….and people watched …. and then wanted to come along and watch the racing.
They came along and what did they find, interminable delays, numerous race stoppages after a few laps and worst of all, if they weren’t standing right next to a loudspeaker, they hadn’t a clue what race it was, who was winning and so left the stadium never to return.
In my humble opinion it is absolutely necessary for the spectators to be able to hear the commentary over the noise of the cars. No I am not suggesting higher powered loudspeakers which would no doubt gain engage the wrath of the near neighbours but maybe think outside the box and use the technology that is available.
I would say that most people attending would have a mobile phone – broadcast the commentary using a Bluetooth signal that reaches all parts of the stadium but does not go beyond so that people can listen in with an earpiece.
At the old Belle Vue we managed to transmit the commentary and our video from the roof of the stand into the bar on the Hyde Road end of the and we heard afterwards that they were also managing to watch it in a pub farther down the road …..oooops!
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I don’t think it should be up to the fans to have to make the effort. When I was a boy, 50-odd years ago, at Plough Lane, Wimbledon, the stadium had a lap chart with the top six positions in the race, just as Coventry did. People just need to see who the leaders are if they lose the thread of a race. Only King’s Lynn has this facility. If the other promoters jointly invested in a mobile screen that was placed on the centre green in clear view of the spectators, that would help.