Guest column: The teams are the backbone of STCC

There have been hard words exchanged in the media war between STCC and TTA/SRL. There is nothing strange about that, but behind the tough tone, there is a reality which does not match the propaganda.

The backbone of STCC is the teams. Do not believe anything else. There is no organiser in the world that can do without competitors and the STCC is no exception.

An investigation made by me shows that the teams (STCC and support classes) accounted for almost half of STCC AB’s turnaround of 23 million (Swedish Kronor), directly or indirectly. The other money came from the class sponsors of the championship, of which two of the biggest have left, and from the circuits that paid a good sum of money to host the races.

The STCC organisers are of course trying to tone down the importance of the teams leaving the championship. But you can not ignore the facts.
The four TTA teams (Brovallen Design, WestCoast Racing, Volvo Polestar Racing and Flash Engineering) together had a turnover of about 90 million (Swedish Kronor) during 2010. They represented 60 percent of all articles in media about STCC teams in 2010 and the drivers of the teams represented 70 percent of all driver related articles (all this according to STCC’s media reports). An unconfirmed report reads that the TTA teams bought 70 percent of all invitational entry tickets last year.

That the TTA teams have now started their own series is nothing short of a disaster for the STCC and there’s a real question to be asked if the Championship can survive this blow.

I do not think so.

The TTA group consist of the teams that have taken six out of the last seven drivers and team titles. The group also features one of Sweden’s few really well-known motorsport profiles, the media genius Jan “Flash” Nilsson. Through the purchase of the Swedish Racing League, The Touring Car Teams Association (TTA) has in a clever way secured a working organisation including support classes. The TTA has also got something STCC is lacking, people in leading positions that are not only skilled businessmen, but also people that have got their feet in to the Swedish Motorsport soil. TTA also has a concept car that interested drivers can test. The group has a plan for the financing of the cars and an interesting plan where participating teams and circuits are part-owners of the series. TTA has presented a calendar and also a guaranteed grid.

STCC is in another situation entirely. The new STCC technical regulations have been pushed forward by one year. There are very few teams and drivers confirmed for 2012. The only trump card for STCC today is the name.

Many know what STCC is while TTA/SRL is only known to the motorsport fans, but a brand is never stronger than its content, and if the brand of STCC is going to continue being strong, the Championship has to enlist a competent field next year with a lot of cars.

How that is going to be achieved remains a mystery for me as three of the four strongest teams have left the Championship.

Meanwhile, TTA is far from having everything set for 2012. The group needs to get external sponsors that bring in a lot of money from the start. TTA is also in need of a strong TV deal on one of the big, terrestrial channels.

At first glance, a conflict of this kind is never good, but the gap between TTA and STCC is the size of the Grand Canyon. With hindsight there was a possibility to avoid a split if STCC owner Rickard Pålsson had sold the company to the TTA group, but the parties did not agree and the deal was lost.

I have followed the STCC since the start and I have been in charge of the coverage for the Sports section of Dala-Demokraten since 2000. I have seen the majority of the races on site for the past ten seasons and it is with sadness that I note the fact that the STCC is on the verge of going down.

The STCC has created something unique in Swedish motorsport history. 20 years ago, the domestic racing scene was more or less dead. We had a Championship in 2011 of incredible standard and strangely there is a very high risk that 2012 is going to be its last year.

When the contradictions are this big, the ground for continued growth is not good. Maybe it is better to build something new and let the spectators and the market determine the heading for Swedish racing of the future.

TTA/SRL or STCC.