Quote:
Originally Posted by a2cpc
Not necessarily true. GM have a factory team? I don't know. I do know that when I think Ford or GM, I think NASCAR.
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Drift is to racing what Figure Skating is to Speed Skating. Both require a great amount of skill, but one is racing and one is art.
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Yes, drifting is like figure skating. But to say it is not racing is discounting a whole range of automotive competitions, some which are not based on time alone.
As for GM and other domestic makers: Dodge used to compete in the series with the Viper/Charger for Sam Hubinette, and Ford has a current active sponsorship in the series with Vaughn Gitten.
But the bigger point is missed: motorsports as a whole needs active manufacturer participation to grow an active fanbase, as well as show relevance to the executives making the decisions to achieve the returns that marketing is supposed to bring. Without this, why would Subaru be interested in investing in, say, a ALMS/Le Mans BRZ in the GTE/Am class, if they can't even see a return on investment in lower forms of motorsports?
To give a factory sponsorship to a top professional (I won't say who it is in case there's an NDA surrounding the driver that I'm not aware of) is a pretty big deal in a major series, whether you see it as racing or not. One can only hope that it grows into a bigger thing.
-alex