Money in 70s Car Racing, Formula 1, NASCAR, Indy, Sports Cars, etc

Nowadays information about driver’s retainers, race earnings, the huge amounts some Formula 1 teams are paid, sponsorship deals seems public domain; $$$ are often featured in racing news stories. There are multiple reasons for that: public disclosure is required of public companies, a great part of the allure of motor racing these days seems pegged to the possibility of making large mounds of dollars, euros and pounds. Additionally, let us face it, we live in a very narcissistic world. Celebrities love to flaunt dough, and the sport has always been aligned with the idea of vast amounts of cash flying about. Buying a Ferrari to go racing in the 50s definitely cost more than buying soccer balls or swimming in lakes or buying cricket gear, after all.

I have conducted extensive research on car racing in the 70s, and to be honest, locating trustworthy and plentiful data has been challenging at best. People simply did not talk much about it, for reasons you may found out later. And some that do talk about it 40 years down the line perhaps embellish their stories a bit, and forget or add zeroes…

In my recently launched book Motor Racing in the 70s – Pivoting from Romantic to Organized, I discuss this very issue (and many others as well, such as sponsors), whenever possible contextualizing other economic data that will help readers assess what was really going on. You must also consider that a lot of published information does look awfully inconsistent, and some of the recollections from those active in the area often seem to have too many or lack some zeroes.

It does make for interesting reading and reflection.

If the subject interests you, make sure you get a copy of the book on Amazon.com today. Much more information about racing in the 70's can be found in my book MOTOR RACING IN THE 70'S - PIVOTING FROM ROMANTIC TO ORGANIZED. It is a 472-page book about racing in the period, with 242 photos, covering Formula 1, Formula 2, Formula 3, Formula 5000, other lower formulae, Formula Indy, NASCAR, Touring Cars, Sports Cars, Can Am, Trans Am, IMSA, DRM, local racing scenes, main driver profiles, plus long lists of makes that raced in the period, main drivers and racing venues from 85 countries, year highlights, performance and financial analysis of the sport. It can be bought at Amazon shops in the USA, UK, Italy, France, Germany, Spain, Canada, Australia, Japan,

https://www.amazon.com/dp/1732674426

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