Thank you
As we approach the end of another memorable year for V8 Supercars, I want to thank all of our fans for their incredible support.
We are truly blessed to have some of the most loyal and committed fans of any sport around the world. You only have to go to any of our events around Australia and New Zealand to see this. You are passionate and knowledgeable about motor sport and you make us want to raise the bar even higher to deliver you the best experience possible.
We've done this in recent years by trying to deliver an enhanced experience which takes you closer to the action than ever. There's perhaps no better example than the True Colours Trackwalk which allows fans to get up close and personal with drivers and their cars just minutes before a race.
We are also fortunate to have drivers who recognise how important our fans are and want to engage with you. It's this sort of accessibility which hopefully sets us apart.
We enjoyed wonderful support from our fans wherever we travelled during 2015 with over 1.7 million people attending V8 Supercars events. This was an increase of three per cent on 2014 (not including the Australian Grand Prix) and makes us the third highest attended sport in Australia.
Next year we will expand into Malaysia and look forward to building even more momentum with a more condensed calendar across the season.
Importantly our fans are also embracing the sport at home as well, with TV ratings up 29% in the first year of our historic deal with Fox Sports and Channel 10 as they enjoyed unprecedented coverage of the sport.
Equally our fans are engaging like never before on our digital and social platforms, with half a billion impressions on Facebook alone during 2015 and V8 Supercars in now the number two sport behind AFL in digital reach.
In 2015 fans were treated to more exciting racing. Who can forget Craig Lowndes sixth Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 win or his 100th championship win in Darwin. He is a true champion of the sport, on and off the track.
But without doubt the highlight of the year was Mark Winterbottom's breakthrough championship win. 'Frosty' waited a long time but he was a deserving and worthy champion and we congratulate him on his success.
His win also meant a lot to his loyal fans like Cathy Graves and her son Ben from Doonside in Western Sydney where Frosty hails from.
“Doonside always get a hard time,” Cathy said. “To have people like Mark show to the world that people from our area can achieve great things.”
Thanks to the support of our fans, this sport is stronger than it’s been in years. Profitability in the business has increased by 80 per cent and we are attracting new sponsors and renewing key partnerships with governments around Australia and overseas.
Interest in V8 Supercars events has never been stronger around the world. It seems everyone wants a piece of the action and we will continue to refine our calendar to put on the very best events we can to as wide an audience as possible.
I want to also thank all our dedicated teams and hard working V8 Supercars staff for everything they do to put on such a great show for the fans. Special thanks to our team owners for their ongoing support.
Quite simply, this is the best touring car racing of its kind in the world. But most of all I want to thank you the fans. Without you there would be no sport and we can't wait to do it all again next year, starting at Clipsal 500 Adelaide in March.
On behalf of V8 Supercars I want to wish you a Merry Christmas and happy and safe holiday season and look forward to seeing you in 2016.
James Warburton
