Le Mans aims to gain traction among fans and sponsors in Asia

This is not the Automobile Club de l’Ouest's first attempt at hosting Le Mans in Asia, but it appears to be the most ambitious. The first Asian Le Mans was held in Japan in 2009. In 2010 and 2011, the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup took place in Zhuhai in China. The following year, the FIA World Endurance Championship was held in Shanghai.

As part of the latest leg, there will be six three-hour races running from May to November across China, Korea, Indonesia and Japan. It is mandatory for each crew to have at least one Asian driver.

According to S2M, the promoters of the event, the Asian Le Mans will be a Pan-Asian series with an initial focus on China. It is being positioned as an accessible and inclusive motor sports platform. Organisers are keen to reach out to existing fans of motor sport as well as develop a new support base. According to S2M's managing director Mark Thomas, the aim is to build a long-term sustainable property that brings positive return for stakeholders and partners.

There are signs of enthusiasm from sponsors and advertisers. French tyre manufactuer Michelin tied up with event as its tyre partner while another French company, Total, has agreed to act as fuel partner. Thomas said more sponsors were in the process of finalising agreements for involvement.

Nissan, for instance, has signed on to be part of the race’s engine supply programme, which includes supplying teams with running gear. For Nissan, much of the tie up has to do with strengthening its presence in China, admits Simon Sproule, corporate vice president for global marketing communications. “We’re very supportive of the Asian Le Mans Series and are actively involved in it,” Sproule says. However, the automaker isn’t sponsoring any team, even though it is a key sponsor at the Formula one level.

At stake for advertisers is extensive television coverage, estimated to be worth US$4.4 million in advertising value. Organisers have planned a 52-minute highlight package to be produced following each race. It will be distributed to various broadcasters in Asia including Fox Sports, Eurosport Asia, J-Sport and Hubei Satellite TV. CCTV-5 will air a 12-minute highlight package as part of its weekly motorsport show. Event organisers are currently in negotiation with KBS in Korea and TVRI in Indonesia. 

Still, the Asian race hasn’t quite acquired the status of its other counterparts such as the European and American Le Mans Series, the FIA World Endurance Championship and the 24 Heurs Du Mans. BMW, a key partner of the event globally, will not to be tying up for the Asian leg, a spokesperson for the company said. Other big sponsors include Lotus, Mazda, GM, Aston Martin, Lamborghini, Porsche, Toyota, Honda, Audi and Ferrari.

Media buyers believe the event has the potential to draw in advertisers but will take time to carve out a legitimate place for itself.

“It is a new series for Asia and must be viewed based on its potential five to seven years from now and less [in terms of the] audiences it can attract today,” says Marcus John, MediaCom’s global head of sports. “Motorsport overall as a discipline is growing across Asia but consumer understanding of the various race series is still in its infancy.”

Indeed, ticket sales account for a miniscule portion of the event’s revenue model, Thomas concedes. But even that varies. In China, ticket sales are going to be insignificant while the Japan and Indonesia races are likely to be more popular on-site. “We’re just happy to bring in people right now,” Thomas adds.

“Motorsport is still considered a niche sport in Asia but a growing one as the middle class continues to search out sophisticated experiences that better define them,” says Kenny Hau, managing partner for GroupM’s Entertainment, Sports & Partnerships (ESP) unit. “But brands need to first be clear about what they intend to achieve and then identify the appropriate partnerships that enable that.”

Ben Flint, head of Omnicom’s Fuse in Asia-Pacific, believes that commercial partners will benefit more from the B2B elements rather than from media exposure. “I speculate the audience for this will be quite niche, certainly by comparison to the more mass appeal of Forumula 1.”