Record Media Coverage For Sol Rally Barbados 2010
Record Media Coverage For Sol Rally Barbados 2010 Internet and television drive interest in Europe
Record worldwide media coverage of Sol Rally Barbados in 2009 is already helping to kick-start interest in the 2010 event, which marks the 20th Anniversary of the inaugural running of the Barbados Rally Club’s (BRC) International All-Stage Rally; since the BRC confirmed Anniversary incentives for overseas crews last week, there has been an upsurge in interest, particularly in the UK and Ireland.
Produced by Acceleration TV, an hour-long programme on the Caribbean’s biggest annual international motor sport event was first aired on Motors TV UK early afternoon on Saturday, October 31, with five repeats up to November 10; in addition it was shown a further 14 times on Motors TV International before the end of the month, broadcast in five languages to 16 million homes in more than 50 countries across Europe and the African sub-continent.
Adding in programmes broadcast earlier by RPM Productions in Ireland, radio and television reports in North America and the coverage aired around the wider Caribbean, the worldwide air time enjoyed by the event – and the island – has already comfortably surpassed last year’s record of more than 24 hours, and that doesn’t include the explosion of viewership through the Internet.
In an exciting new development, a longer 80-minute version of the Acceleration TV programme has been available worldwide on the Internet since the end of November, and can still be viewed for free until mid-January, at www.autoclassique.tv. Acceleration TV producer David Winstanley explained: “This is the first time we have put a full-length programme on-line, and we thought that Sol Barbados Rally was the perfect ‘guinea pig’ for our new venture, because of it’s enduring and wide-ranging appeal.
“It is available to view for free until Sunday, January 14, which is when Autoclassique.tv goes ‘live’, after which it will be available on pay-per-view, along with a broad cross-section of other motor sport material. Sol Rally Barbados is one of the most enjoyable events that we cover, the island folk are so friendly . . . and we find something new to film away from the rally itself each time we come. And from a rallying point of view, we get tremendous feedback from British fans.”
Winstanley largely concentrates on the motor sport side of the programme, while co-presenter Terri Metcalfe takes a look at other island attractions, sampling traditional Bajan food and drink in roadside bars and restaurants around the island – she even learns how to fillet flying fish – while they both visited cricket and football matches. The programme is also available on DVD from the Acceleration TV web site (www.rallytv.co.uk).
Apart from the Club’s direct e-mail approaches to individual competitors, the 2010 media campaign is already bearing fruit, in particular through the use of internet forums, which are playing an increasingly-significant role in providing information to an important target audience; Britain’s most popular rally forum (www.britishrally.co.uk) has approaching 20,000 members, while the Irish equivalent (www.rallyforums.com) is now nearing 9,000 – the Irish forum’s thread discussing Sol RB09 was comfortably the most popular in the motor sport segment, attracting nearly 30 per cent more ‘views’ (more than 11,000) and well over twice as many responses (approaching 500) than any other subject.
This year, within the first four days of Sol RB10 information being posted, the four relevant threads in the UK and Ireland have been viewed by nearly 1,200 forum members; these have included some who have already competed in Barbados, and can therefore pass on useful background knowledge from personal experience, and at least two overseas crews confirming their intention to enter for the first time.
Sol Rally Barbados Chairman Barry Gale said: “I am delighted that overseas TV producers continue to find our event so appealing, as the coverage we enjoy benefits not only our event, but also the island.
The Acceleration TV programme shows far more than simply rally cars and their drivers, creating a package that is as much travel programme as sports report, and that is of tremendous value to our sports tourism product.”
Sol Rally Barbados and Shell V-Power King of the Hill are organised by the Barbados Rally Club, which celebrated its 50th Anniversary in 2007; Sol RB10 marks the 20th Anniversary of the inaugural running of the Club’s International All-Stage Rally.
For further information:
e-mail – robin at bradfax.com
web site – www.rallybarbados.bb
Additional Information:
December 28th, 2009
