The Guarantee

A Formula One Guarantee

Last week when I wrote about the results of Formula One in Valencia I expressed my concerns over the less than stellar ticket sales. I was concerned that should that happen again that would likely be the end of Formula One racing in Valencia. I was not alone in my concerns! Even before the event was over the Valencian Ayuntamiento (Town Hall) announced that it would co-sponsor the event to the tune of about 18 million euros a year for five years in order to guarantee the event in Valencia, for at least that long. It seems that the value to Valencia in terms of positive publicity far exceeds that amount, so it would seem like a good plan.

Formula One racing is big business, and those boys don’t like to lose money. It is a very expensive event to stage, so the support has to be there. The Valencian track is certainly exciting enough, and there is nothing wrong with the organising, but these are tough times, and you have to be very certain that your job will continue to be there on the Monday to allow you to plunk down the type of money demanded for a ticket on the Sunday.

It would be a shame if Formula One started pulling out of venues based on something the location has no control over. The financial crisis is continuing, and although I’m starting to hear optimistic sounding sentences about “The Recovery” I remain a sceptic. This recession has gone deeper and wider than anything I have ever known. It seems to point up the fact that all the past growth has been based on sand. So, a quick recovery won’t take us too far, nor for too long.

At least it’s nice to know that Valencia Town Hall is not napping.

Meanwhile, this weekend, six people were sitting in a van while it had stopped in the breakdown lane, because presumably it had broken down, when a massive truck hauling a trailer rammed into them, killing all six on board. While we are all contemplating the dire economic situation around us and are losing sleep, those six people lost their lives in an instant, on a day when they were actually on their way to work.

At times life seems to be so unfair, totally unpredictable, and just plain scary. The only antidote is to live life to the full while you can. Tomorrow is only a Promissory Note.

Copyright © 2009 Eugene Carmichael