Motorsport

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Thu
May 28 2009

Win on Sunday, sell on Monday?

Jim Holder
In the 1960s, the theory behind manufacturers getting involved in motorsport was summed up as, 'Win on Sunday, sell on Monday.'

Well, it seems there are still plenty of manufacturers out there who believe in the marketing power of motorsport.



The latest example of this is Ford’s decision to send two 780+bhp Fiestas up the famous Pikes Peak hillclimb course this summer.

Given the stir the announcement of the cars’ participation – and that of double World Rally Champion Marcus Gronholm – has created in Europe, it’s hard not to image the Americans getting similarly excited.

And what better way to introduce people to the Fiesta, which goes on sale in the US in 2010, than to have it flashing by them on full opposite lock, engine roaring and chasing down the course record?

But does 'Win on Sunday, sell on Monday' still apply? In this day and age it might not actually persuade someone to buy a specific model of car, but it must surely influence the way they think about it.

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About Jim Holder

Covered everything from F1 and the WRC to stock car racing and autograss while spending more than a decade at Autosport and Motorsport News. Switched to writing about road cars with What Car? before arriving at Autocar at the start of 2009.

Comments

Orangewheels May 28, 2009 1:36 PM

Will it be a US spec booted version that goes up the hill then?

jackjflash May 28, 2009 3:00 PM

“But does 'Win on Sunday, sell on Monday' still apply? In this day and age it might not actually persuade someone to buy a specific model of car, but it must surely influence the way they think about it.”

I would say absolutely it does, look at Audi and their domination of Lemans and the direct relationship it has on the perception of and influence of cars they bring to market. Corvette Racing’s participation in ALMS and Lemans has had a huge impact on the design and sales figures of their current offerings here in the U.S.

Uncle Mellow May 28, 2009 7:51 PM

Maybe the Americans will realise that these 780 bhp cars have very little in common with Fiestas you can actually buy. When Audi did it with a sport Quattro the car was relatively standard apart from short wheelbase and tweaked motor.

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