Athlete Valuation on Social Media
Companies are trying to put numbers behind what an athlete or celebrity with a strong platform on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram can do for their brand. Forbes, with the help of Hookit (which tracks sponsorship value in social and digital media and is featured frequently here on Racer X Online) tracked how much value global soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo brought to brands he is sponsored by. According to the study by Hookit, “Ronaldo generated $36 million in value for Nike on social media alone via his own accounts through 59 posts over the last 12 months.” It’s important to note that Ronaldo has 215 million followers (!!!) on social media across Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, 60 percent more than any other athlete and that his 112 million Facebook fans are more than any other person on the planet, according to Forbes.
Hookit put together the top 25 athletes by media value. Per the article, “Hookit’s valuation methodology to determine “Earned Media Value” takes into account promotion type and quality, type and number of interactions and market-driven costs per interaction and platform to deliver a dollar value for each post. They track 3,000 brands, including all of the ones mentioned over the past year by Forbes’ 100 top-earners.” The entire article can be read here.
Harley Going Electric
Reports surfaced late last week that Harley-Davidson will produce an electric motorcycle for customers within five years. In speaking with the Wall Street Journal in May 2015, Harley CEO Matt Levatich said that the company is waiting on battery tech to improve. “Will we get to that Nirvana that customers say they want? Probably not,” he said. “Will we get close enough? I believe we will.” Harley unveiled the prototype for “LiveWire” in 2014 and it was showcased on an episode of Jay Leno’s Garage later that year. Now Harley has green-lit the project. More from Asphalt and Rubber:
Details beyond this statement are lean however, though we can imagine that the news is in response to rival cruiser brand Victory Motorcycles' continued push of its electric prowess with its Victory Empulse TT electric street bike, and its racing programs at the Isle of Man TT and Pikes Peak International Hill Climb.
This announcement is fairly superfluous, however. Lead times on new models – motorcycles that actually require engineering and design, not just a different fuel tank and extra letters – take roughly three to five years, from concept to completion.
The real news is that Harley-Davidson has finally green-lit its electric project, and has committed itself to bringing a commercially-viable version of the LiveWire to market, with the initial work on that new model now just beginning.
LaFerrari vs Super Duke
What happens when you take an 80 horsepower, 400-pound KTM Super Duke superbike and a 950 horsepower, 3,500-pound hypercar and square them off in a tug-of-war? For a brief moment, I thought about not spoiling this with the winner, but if you actually thought the Super Duke won, you have bigger problems than this column can address.
There is one thing I think we can all take away: how in the hell did the LaFerrari not yank the bike, and the rider, in one fell swoop? It’s incredible that the Super Duke put up a, albeit very small, challenge.
Isle of Man Crash
The Isle of Man isn’t a Grand Prix race. The track doesn't have run-off areas. Instead, the course is lined with lined with houses, trees, posts… you get the idea. Crashing at the Isle of Man is very unforgiving. In this year’s Superstock TT race, James Cowton crashed into a barrier, taking a sponsor banner with him, and proceeded to roll right back into the racing line. Horst Saiger, who was trailing close behind, could do little to avoid the fallen Cowton. Luckily, he managed to miss him, only hitting the banner and both riders were unharmed in the crash. This could have been very, very bad.
TP at Nitro
All these years later and Travis Pastrana is still doing some next-level stuff on a dirt bike. Simply amazing!
GoPro and FI
Take a ride with Red Bull Racing’s youngest Formula One star Max Verstappen.
Valentino Rossi: The Doctor Series
Monster Energy has released episode 3 (of 5) of the Valentino Rossi documentary “The Doctor Series.” The episode journeys to Rossi’s Ranch in Tavullia, Italy, where the nine-time MotoGP Champion trains and continues his legacy in the sport through the VR46 Academy. Modeled after the American-style ranches that belonged to road racing legends in the 1980s and 90s, like Kenny Roberts, the land was purchased by Rossi’s dad, Graziano, and has hosted the who’s who of motorcycle racing. Our own Jason Thomas had a chance to visit the Ranch in 2014 and wrote this piece about it.
Indian IS Returning to Flat Track
Indian Motorcycle announced this week that it will return to flat track racing full-time in the 2017 season. The brand will compete in one AMA Pro Flat Track Racing event in 2016 and added a huge name as a test rider: Jared Mees, the three-time AMA National Champion (2015, 2014 and 2012) and recent X Games gold medalist. The brand, which was purchased by Polaris in 2011, will use the Indian Scout FTR v-twin engine, which measures 750cc and is liquid-cooled. This is the brand's first factory supported team in the sport since the 1950s.
“We are very excited to return to the AMA Circuit,” says Steve Menneto, President of Motorcycles for Polaris Industries. “We have established the new Indian Chief and Scout series as the cornerstones of our production line-up, and now is the time for us to return to racing in a big way. We know that fans of Indian Motorcycle have been anticipating this announcement and can’t wait to see Indian Racing back in action.”
Mees is currently vying for a fourth AMA championship with Rogers Harley-Davidson, a team he’s been with since 2009. The announcement didn’t state if Mees would be the factory rider for the brand in 2017 or not. For now, he’s just a test rider.
“I can’t express how excited I am to be the guy to bring Indian Motorcycle back into the forefront of AMA Pro competition,” says Mees. “We will have a lot of work to do to develop a 100 percent new race platform, but I’m committed and excited at what I have seen on the drawing boards and what the plans are for Indian Motorcycle Racing. This is history for the brand, and being a part of it is truly exciting for me and this sport.”
360fly at Isle of Man
Bell Helmets and 360fly teamed up with Gary Johnson to bring you one of the best views of the Isle of Man TT you’ll find—and it’s filmed in 4K. Remember to play around with the arrows at the top left. I recommend pausing and looking around at all the angles.
(Note: to view in 360 on Desktop, use Google Chrome. To view on mobile device, use YouTube mobile app.)
I Give it a 10!
This is absolutely unreal (via @redbull)https://t.co/moxY5T65Oq
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) June 12, 2016
SI Launches New Site
Sports Illustrated is launching a new site focused on “Tech & Media,” the company announced this week. Per the release, the site will be focused on “covering the intersection of sports, media and technology in partnership with the website SportTechie.” The site will be anchored by Richard Deitsch’s column “Media Circus,” and four current and new members from the SI staff. You can read the new site here.
“From video replay to VR, from social media to wearables and the total transformation of the full spectator and athlete experience, the crossroads of sports, media and technology is alive with innovation and is an integral part of the sports landscape today,” said SI editorial director Chris Stone. “These are deep-dive stories that no one is telling and we are going to cover them across all of our platforms and in the best tradition of Sports Illustrated.”