HOT READS, HOT RODS.
We're now three races into the Formula One season. This weekend was the Australian Grand Prix, but my husband, John, said it should have been renamed the Calamity Grand Prix, as nearly half the field was out by the end of the race.
A number of crashes resulted in the safety car having to be dispatched around the track four times. Even the ubiquitous, seven-time world champion, Michael Schumacher, suffered a rather spectacular smash-up. My favorite driver, Juan Pablo Montoya, nearly lost his own car at the exact same spot, but managed to recover, only to fall prey to electrical failure.
Still, I was happy that John's favorite driver, Kimi Raikkonen, managed to place second, at least, although we had both hoped that he would catch Fernando Alonso in the end. But it wasn't to be. From beginning to end, despite all the mishaps that occurred to many of his competitors, Alonso ran away with the race.
Although I'm a big fan of Formula One, I know that many of my colleagues prefer Nascar, which has teamed up with Harlequin to produce Nascar-themed romances.
USA Today reports that:
I wonder what Formula One's female fan base is like---and if there will ever be Formula One-themed romances, as well. I can at least hope. *g*"It's a partnership between two extremely brand-loyal groups," says Kerry Tharp of NASCAR. "We're trying to reach out and do more to appeal to our female fan base."
NASCAR fans buy $2 billion in licensed products annually. Harlequin devotees bought 130 million books last year.
"It's a very good fit," agrees Marleah Stout of Harlequin, pointing out that women account for 40% of the sport's fan base.
4 Comments:
Sorry to be commenting so late.
I imagine Formula One-themed romances would probably sell very well in Europe, where everyone from Finland to Monaco seems to love the races (or at least the glamour surrounding them!) and know everything about them. But then, would North American readers be able to relate? As a European not much into sports, I am forced to confess that on my part I had never heard of Nascar until coming to the United States!
Best regards,
Danielle C.
Danielle...feel free to comment at any time! I don't know whether it's true, but I've heard that Formula One is the most watched sport in the world. So I'm always a little surprised that it doesn't have more of a following in the U.S. I think you're right that F1-themed romances would do very well in Europe, at least.
I'm working on a Formula 1 romance!
My husband and I are F1 fans in a Nascar neighborhood. (I live about 15 mins from NHIS). But we're hoping next year to make the trek to Indy. The Canadian Grand Prix is only a few hours from us, but we'd like to see the US race. (Assuming they recover fully from last year's fiasco there.)
And I agree that a F1 romance would do best with a publisher with a large international sales base.
Shannon...what fun! Are you going to have some of the real drivers in it?
Yes, I certainly hope the U.S. race will have recovered from last year's fiasco!
Good luck with your F1 romance! I hope it does well. Then maybe there will be more such romances. :)
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