What Le Mans Got Right (and Wrong) About Social Media
The grueling race did a great job courting Millennials and young fans, but it could have been so much better.
A weekly newsletter by Ryan K. ZumMallen | @zoomy575m
Happy Race Day, especially to everyone who chimed in with a pun about this kitten crawling through a rotary engine.
You might think that since I wrote a book on the topic, with enough material left over to produce a weekly newsletter, that people might stop asking me whether car culture is dying.
You would be wrong. People challenge me all the time. They challenge the premise of Slow Car Fast, saying that young people “don’t care about cars.”
There’s tons of evidence that they’re wrong. But my favorite thing is when organizations prove it — by changing the way they reach and engage with their audience. Because they know that’s where the fans (and their money) are.
The latest example is the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The historic race held its 88th running this weekend, but due to COVID, it ran without fans that usually flood the massive grounds. It needed to improvise.
How did it go? Fantastic. The race’s team stepped up on social media, posting funny moments, interesting angles and fascinating insight that made people feel involved. They posted 19 times in 24 hours on Instagram alone.
This is so vital. A 24-hour race may not seem appealing in today’s moment-to-moment culture. But by adapting to its tastes, you can remain popular and relevant. Just under different circumstances.
LM24 not only posted, but also responded to questions and comments in real-time. That helped people follow their favorite teams, understand complex rules or find livestream video so they could watch the race in full.
While a full 24-hour race may not appeal to everyone, there are plenty of tiny moments that will appeal to someone. Fans posted clips of the evolution of Le Mans winners over time, followed the outstanding finish of the only all-women team (P9!), and showed off their own viewing setups from home.
They also shared and conversed with people who were on the scene. After all, how can you not love shots like this?
Ironically, the highlights posted to the race’s official YouTube page were disappointing. It’s just raw racing footage without commentary, which is okay to watch but really hard to follow. Frankly, it was easier via IG.
But that’s okay! Room for improvement. We’re all learning.
Just don’t tell me young people “don’t care about cars.” We have receipts.
BOOK UPDATE: Good news! More copies of Slow Car Fast are in stock. Which one are you reserving for yourself? (Fifth from the top? Wow, good choice.) Order here.
AND FURTHERMORE: I’m truly sorry, but the holidays are coming up sooner than you think. It might be a good idea to browse our Bookshelf.org curated list for the top automotive nonfiction titles out there. Disclosure: We earn a portion of all proceeds.
Culture
I truly enjoyed this podcast with Charlie Martin, the transgender racing driver who has withstood a lot to build her career in motorsport. You can read or listen here. It’s also on Apple and Spotify.
This hit me hard:
“There was no way of knowing, from what I saw in the world around me, whether it would all be okay.”
That show is hosted by The Race and it’s called Hidden Voices, with each episode shining a light on diverse voices in the racing community. What a fantastic mission! To me, it’s evidence that motorsports is not only diversifying, but that there’s an audience specifically interested in that kind of content. Beautiful.
Tired: Electric vehicles are killing old cars. Wired: Electric vehicles are keeping old cars alive. Great piece in the Wall Street Journal.
Since Mack sums up my entire automotive philosophy here, and since he’s a great writer, and this is a great topic, I have no choice but to recommend this article:
A good way to keep the spirit of your famous vintage car alive is to build tribute models of your current hypercar, like McLaren did with these F1-inspired Sennas.
Video Reel
For those not in the know, Mustangs have a reputation for drivers that get a little too excited and pose a danger to crowds at car shows. This Mustang-based Maverick isn’t helping matters.
If you’ve never seen Japanese “Dekotora” trucks before you are legally obligated to watch this video.
This walkthrough of the ‘90s arcade Racing Jam Super Deluxe, which came with a 70-inch curved screen and the owner calls his “holy grail,” is simply stunning. Watch it just to see how he got it running.
Jay Lynch, a renowned stunt driver and important part of one chapter in Slow Car Fast, pulled off one of the tightest maneuvers I’ve ever seen in an Emmy’s promo.
I don’t usually share posts from meme accounts but this kid is incredible.
Race Results
Sit back and enjoy the marvel that is WRC at the 2020 Rally Turkey. Sometimes I can’t believe this much fun is legal. Who won? Who cares. HELICOPTER SHOTS:
NASCAR driver Bubba Wallace is leaving his team to join a new outfit owned by three-time Daytona 500 winner Denny Hamlin and… Michael Jordan:
Ever the showman, Bubba made sure to get the final word on all his haters, too. Hey, after the summer he had, he deserves any celebration he wants.
This Weekend
IMSA is allowing fans to attend its Mid-Ohio race in a few days. Crossing my fingers!
And Finally…
Congrats to these future leaders:
Drive hard and be safe. Black Lives Matter.
Want your event included? Shoot me a note with subject line “Race Day” at ryan@carrarabooks.com.
Don’t forget to follow Carrara Media on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook and visit our store to order your copy of Slow Car Fast in paperback or eBook.