Couple things to note:


Another non-drag cover car, which makes 4 consecutive months of non-drag cover cars, and only 1/6 this calender year

Editors Note:
http://www.dragsport.com/issue...shtml

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">If you compare the manufacturer support for import drag racing today to the dollars invested by sponsors five years ago, it would be easy to declare that the sport of import drag racing is on life support. Today, the event producers and sanctioning bodies are only receiving 10 to 30 percent of the sponsor dollars that they received in 2002. As for the number of professional racing teams and overall racer participation, these numbers are roughly one-third to half of what they were during the sport's peak. As for the crowds, the event attendance is just a fraction of the numbers from five years ago.

Many believe that import drag racing slipped into a coma after the entrance of the NHRA Sport Compact series, the introduction of factory-backed racing teams and the emergence of drifting. The NHRA diverted sponsor dollars away from the existing event producers and relied on local tracks for promotion of the events. Most of the tracks didn't have the budget needed to promote the NHRA events with TV and radio promotion. Limited promotion resulted in limited crowds. In addition, the factory-backed racing teams made it next to impossible for privateers to compete. Finally, the emergence of drifting caused manufacturers to reallocate budgets away from import drag racing events. While not everyone will agree on the exact causes, the reality is that the import drag racing scene is definitely different than it was five years ago.

Comeback in the Making?

As the import drag racing scene transitioned, the IDRC was eventually forced to shift its focus away from the professional racers to the grassroots and privateer teams in 2004. The new strategy showed promise last year as racer and spectator attendance in 2006 was higher than 2005. However, these increases still didn't make the IDRC event series profitable in itself. A difficult business decision had to be made before the start of the 2007 IDRC season. Ultimately, DSport agreed to fund the series for the year with three or four events.

The 2007 season opener and farewell to Palmdale (LACR) event was an incredible success. Racer turnout was 260 cars for a single day event, just a few cars short of the record levels of 2002. As for the spectator turnout, there were 2500 real fans in attendance (that's about 7,500 people in event promoter talk). Financially, the event was a success as all of the event costs were covered. More importantly, the event was a success in providing entertainment to the fans, a stage for the racers to shine and a venue for the vendors to interact with their die-hard customers. The event action will be captured in print next month with the video coverage being delivered in the August 2007 issue polybag. </TD></TR></TABLE>

comments?

 

that **** is hot, the car is NOT!!!

NDRA has beem seeming to have a decent turnout so far.

NHRA gets around the east coast more than they do though.

 

I think the non drag car on the cover is GAY.

 

Race because you like it not because of whats on the cover of a mag. Let the sport go back to the way it was back in 96-99, it was more pure and fun back then anyway.

 

they should call the magazine "RSport" for Rice Sport.

 

I like the white integra in the corner of the cover!

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by tony1 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I like the white integra in the corner of the cover! </TD></TR></TABLE>

I heard it was a mexican strippers car

 

Ohh no its my American IDOL
ART TURBO

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by miller &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I think the non drag car on the cover is GAY.</TD></TR></TABLE>

lol that is gay!

is this the issue with arturbo?

i think you should put up a drag car in the next issue

 

to Arturbo and the coverage! I picked up my copy this weekend.

 

kool ARTturbo congrat's man.

 

I've been featured in 2 magazines this month. Make sure you go get both issues!!!!

D-sport


And lets not forget Latino Future:

 

I think you should have a little more experience in the publishing world before starting a post like this. When was the last time you had to make a decision on what car ended up on cover? It's not the easiest job in the world, and quite frankly - having a drag car on the cover doesn't sell issues. Just like how they are scaling back their IDRC events, D Sport avoids drag cars on their covers because they want to STAY ALIVE and MAKE MONEY, in my opinion. I'm not speaking on behalf of D Sport here.

To those that keep preaching on and on about how sport compact drag racing is dying, or making posts like this, it's fairly counter productive to the entire industry.

And besides, you're probably the #1 supporter of drifting on this board, you posting something like this is like self-assurance that drifting is better than drag racing.

It's a no-brainer that drifting is getting the money right now. It's the new excitement in the industry and it's a spectator driven sport. I'm fairly certain that both NOPI and NHRA have recognized this and by incorporating both events into one, they are trying their best to reassure that there is a future in drag racing, not just drifting.

 

drifting is nothing but car olympics.

judges, what do you think about his angle??
FOR A

 

What's the big deal with a drift car on the cover of a drift magazine. Makes "someone" look like a hypocrite, IMO.

 

bigman, i do recall dsport is "drag"sport when they came out and not drift sport which it looks like today.

either way dsport is a great mag that i pick up all the time.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by tony1 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">
I like the white integra in the corner of the cover! </TD></TR></TABLE>

me too!

 

That would be like changing our National Dragster magazine to National Nascar because more supposedly more people watch nascar. We will still put on drag race events but it will sell more issues because a Nascar is on the cover. If they (DSPORT and IDRC) are so concerned about the direction of the sport--step up and put some deserving sportsman on the cover. Arturbo deserves the cover--not a thumbnail.

By the way, We have this conversation with the "major" enthusiast mags on a daily basis.

The enthusiast mags have lost a majority of their circulation in the last couple years. This "trend" started when the drift cars started showing up on the cover. Things that make you go hmmmmmmmm....

 

a very good point and art does deserve cover spot

 

Not that it matters much, but i was told that any cover car for DSport has to be shot in their studio, and the reality is that there are alot more drift cars in cali than there are mag. worthy drag cars. Not many sportsman racers are going to haul their car to Cali. for a photo shoot.

 

Congrats art

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Arturbo &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I've been featured in 2 magazines this month. Make sure you go get both issues!!!!

D-sport


And lets not forget Latino Future:
</TD></TR></TABLE>

haha

 

just picked the magazine up. I like the white integra

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by tony1 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Not that it matters much, but i was told that any cover car for DSport has to be shot in their studio, .</TD></TR></TABLE>

If thats the case, then i dont see their mag being around very long..

Mind as well call it C-Sport....

 

Well, Stephanie isn't from Cali, Kenny isn't from Cali, etc. I'm just saying, probably not many sportsman cars that deserve to be on the cover to begin with, and not to mention having to haul the car to Cali for it. At the end of the day they're the only mag really featuring the sportsman drag cars, how you gonna give them a hard time?