[Reid Smith]

The show is a curiosity in some respects.  I’ve seen no advertising yet that seems related to anything other than a general demographic, and I have no clue what demographic the producers or the network thought it would reach.  I think it would be interesting to see some Nielsen or share/rating numbers, but I wonder how anyone can possibly be making a nickel on the whole thing.  First of all, it would seem logical to me that large sanctioning organizations must own the commercial rights to their sanctioned events for any sort of broadcast purpose, so the orgs running these events must have at least given permission for use of the facilities and footage.

My impression of karting at that level is that it wouldn’t surprise me that some enterprising parents with cash to spare didn’t just create this type of docudrama to raise the profile of their youngster in pursuit of broader sponsorship opportunities.  I can see where it functions as a great PR tool for the individuals that are focal points, but I can’t see where the money is that drives it as a reality show.

The audience share can’t be enough to sustain it, unless my admittedly uninformed estimates of share/ratings are just way off.  That would then suggest that somehow it’s a vehicle for product placement…which has been a driver for lots of other “Reality” shows, whether the audience realizes it or not but I’ve seen zip advertising that would suggest that there is any sort of tie-in with any of the companies that we all know are prominent in karting.  I’m dying to know how the small amount of money involved flows around this show.  Producer finances show concept, pitches to small network.  Network agrees to buy X episodes.  Producer and network negotiate on how much episodes are worth.  Deal is struck.

What happens next?  Do parents “pay” to play? Do companies pay promotional fees to production company to feature products?  Does the production company pay a fee to the sanctioning orgs for rights and access?

If the producer or network is seeking permission from certain commercial entities to use their product name/likeness, then why not others (understanding this could have something to do with the rights that the sanctioning bodies or organizers have via pre-existing contracts with sponsors of the series or race)?

Who is it that looked at this whole scenario, fleshed out the details and said “Ya know, I think we can make some money on a TV show like this”?

Even with a master’s degree in business….I can’t make heads or tails of it.

 

 

[Reid Smith]

Did you ever get this sorted out?  My 11 year old was in an OTK cadet for most of last season, and he noticed quite a bit of difference in the brakes compared to the 2008ish era Arrow 1020 Sportsman/Junior chassis we ran for a few races prior to buying the Tony Kart used.  The brakes on the TKR were so soft and progressive (and a bit leaky on one side of the caliper) that I ended up completely rebuilding them.   He really had to put a lot into them to get close to locking up the rear.  In talking to other folks, I generally got the impression that the OTK brakes weren’t quite as direct on the input as, say, the Arrow.  I did read somewhere that OTK brakes that are working properly on an adult kart are much more similar to the kind of pedal feel and progressiveness on a larger race car.  He could haul the Arrow down with very little input, but I have more than a couple of instances of up in the top of the sweeper turns on our local track when he was adjusting to the TKR braking input required.  Rebuilding them shouldn’t be that difficult, but I wouldn’t think 2014 chassis would need it.

[Reid Smith]

From a basic exchange rate perspective, yes, that is the whole point of the ECB’s strategy.  Not too long ago, the Euro was 1.48 (early 2011), so during that period kart chassis sold to the US should have been quite expensive in US dollar terms.

 

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