Frauenfeld 2021: Planning without an audience
HARD DECISION After this year's forced break, which affected all organizers of SM races, the ACS Thurgau wants to hold its car racing days in April 2021 if possible. Unfortunately, this can only be done without spectators. The Thurgauers were in the midst of final preparations last spring when the nationwide lockdown forced them to cancel. Half a year later, the [...]
The Thurgauers were in the midst of final preparations last spring when the nationwide lockdown forced them to cancel. Half a year later, the situation is not much better. Hardly any organizers can make firm plans for 2021, at most provisionally, as the provisional race calendar from Auto Sport Schweiz shows.
Drivers must play along
As the first speed event, the popular car racing days Frauenfeld on 24/25 April 2021 are in it. At last week's meeting, the Sports Commission of the ACS Thurgau decided to hold the slalom in principle. Certainly as a club-internal event, if possible also as a run to the Swiss championship.
This depends not least on the will of the drivers to buy a national or at least regional annual license. Many of them did not do so in 2020. To cover the costs, a similar number of participants as in previous years is needed, since the revenue is generated exclusively through them.
Planning only works without spectators
In order to have planning security, there will be an event under exclusion of the public - provided that the health situation relaxes again until then. This means that there will be no costs for infrastructure, advertising, etc.
With this concept, the Thurgauers fell on open ears with the gun range administration, which was followed by the verbal commitment. The managing director of the ACS Thurgau and OC vice president regrets this hard but unavoidable decision.
Christof Papadopoulos: "Thanks to the spectators, our race has grown in recent years to become one of the biggest and most popular events in the region and has developed in this way. Now we have to take a radical step back, so to speak. But this is the only way we can once again offer the riders a race."
Desire for a livestream
Spectators should be able to see what is going to happen on the Great Allmend in a different way. In the minds of the OC members, the idea of broadcasting the 2021 car racing days as a live stream on the Internet is maturing. To realize this project, however, they are dependent on the goodwill and financial support of sponsors.
Christof Papadopoulos: "We would be happy if specialists could submit us payable offers for a livestream and we would then be allowed to examine them. It would be great for our many fans if, together with existing and perhaps new partners, we could at least broadcast the biggest Swiss automobile slalom live in these extraordinary times as a novelty if they are not allowed to attend it."
