Promoter raises concerns for future of supercar race

By Paul Pickering
DEPARTING Sandown 500 event promoter Jon Davison has fired a parting shot at the owners of the Springvale venue, claiming that decisions made by the Melbourne Racing Club (MRC) and corporate promoter IMG have alienated local fans.
Mr Davison ended his 17-year tenure as promoter on Sunday after being overlooked by the MRC for another contract.
With the MRC poised to take control of the Sandown 500 V8 car race on 1 October, Mr Davison this week admitted to having concerns about the future of the event.
“I thought the event lacked atmosphere and the crowd was noticeably down,” he said, questioning the official crowd figures of 51,000.
In his pitch to retain the promoter’s licence earlier this year, Mr Davison offered to spend $2 million to improve the venue in a bid to allow greater interaction between the fans and teams.
Mr Davison said he was unsure where the event was headed.
“I’m disappointed that there has been no growth in the event at all in the last 10 years,” he said.
“The pre-event promotion needs to be examined, with greater emphasis on TV and a special ad design for the 500 – the advertising needs to relate more to the blue-collar supporter base.”
While Sandown manager Wade Calderwood noted that the promotion of the Sandown 500 was a matter for IMG, he said the MRC would be looking at a range of issues in a bid to give patrons greater value in the future.
IMG was unable to respond to Mr Davison’s concerns in time for print.