British teams, using the Cooper model of the �kit car�, and others like them formed a power base throughout the 1960s, and this was emphasised in the early 1970s when Bernie Ecclestone � a former car-dealer and Formula Three racer � bought into one of these teams. An incredibly astute businessman, Ecclestone hauled the sport kicking and screaming into the world of commerce by banding the teams together in order to present a united front during negotiations with race organisers. Soon, and with the help of the emergent TV deals, the sport and the team owners became vastly richer.
Previously the only important players were the big roadgoing factories � such as Mercedes or Alfa-Romeo � who comprised the sport. It had therefore been a sport dependent upon their economic performance in the marketplace and was vulnerable. The new era made the sport�s health more independent of the industrial complex, with the major players now having the sport as their means of livelihood. Ecclestone and the power base the independent teams represented remain at the centre of the sport�s centre of gravity, regardless of which of them is winning on the track.
Previously the only important players were the big roadgoing factories � such as Mercedes or Alfa-Romeo � who comprised the sport. It had therefore been a sport dependent upon their economic performance in the marketplace and was vulnerable. The new era made the sport�s health more independent of the industrial complex, with the major players now having the sport as their means of livelihood. Ecclestone and the power base the independent teams represented remain at the centre of the sport�s centre of gravity, regardless of which of them is winning on the track.
No comments:
Post a Comment