Car club hopes board game will fuel more interest in motorsport
The South Canterbury Car Club is rolling the dice in an effort to rev up interest in motorsport among young people.
The club has teamed up with Timaru-based SPF Marketing to launch a ‘‘Thrills and Spills’’ card board game based on the Levels circuit where the first versions will be given away during tomorrow’s round of the South Island one and threehour endurance championship.
‘‘It’s an idea we came up with in the office ... we’ve been playing around with it for about a year,’’ car club secretary Karen Paddon said.
Tomorrow’s giveaway starts with three collector cards of drivers plus the board game, dice and markers.
The cards interact when playing the board game to help negotiate the circuit.
Players can get up to eight cards on the first day by attending two different autograph-signing sessions.
Overall there will be a limited edition of 100 cards with the remainder being released at the car club’s race days at Levels during the 2019-20 season.
Paddon said it was great that the game ‘‘can be kept being built on’’ during the season.
She added the promotion – believed to be the first of its kind in New Zealand – had already been well received by competitors and those wanting autographed cards.
‘‘We are really happy at how the competitors involved have responded to it.
‘‘Race drivers are busy people, but all are participating, which is really cool.’’
Paddon said while there was a Levels Raceway promotion angle involved in the launch, she would also like to see the cards and board game ‘‘make some stars’’ out of the racers.
Among the racers featuring in the first giveaway are Timaru brothers Murray and Karl Beeby, who share the lead in Class C (3501cc+) in the one-hour championship after two of the four rounds, driving a Nissan Skyline R32 GTR.
Murray Beeby said he hoped the game would help inspire a younger generation of fans and make motorsport more of a family experience.
Tomorrow’s driver signing sessions will be at 11.45am-12.10pm and 2pm-2.30pm.
Endurance events are set to start at 11.15am (one-hour) and 1.30pm (three-hour).