Grumpy,
I picked the Willow COCOA event in October in order to allay some of the expenses that you speak of. Virtually every manufacturer has a Southern California presence of some nature. Therefore travel is not a big deal. (Also, the weather is a known quantity at Willow in October, Sunny 70 degrees and windy. This cannot be said for very many other tracks in the US.)
As the cars have to be dead stock and run inexpensive crate engines, the investment will be minimal and there should not be any need for spares. We have cars that have this combination with 40k on them with the only failures being the odd alternator now and again. (And these cars have run many open track days and events.)
Also, the cars could be offered for sale after the event with the dashboards signed by whatever pro driver is picked. Also a special commemorative dash plaque could be affixed proclaiming the car as a factory participant in the event.
As an aside, the cars should a bit more attractive to a buyer as they would know that the car was constructed as a "best of breed" by the manufacturer .
Valpodoc
I do not think that prize money is needed. There would be excellent press for any manufacturer involved. It should get editorial space in certain magazines. (This of course will be up to whomever organizes the event.) It would also create a lot of “BUZZ” in the industry and with prospective customers. Much more important then a bit of prize money, in my opinion.
Also, the COCOA event has a very large participant base and it would certainly add value to the Cobra manufacturer challenge.
But, I have never been one to turn down a buck.
Wait a minute, you are not talking about appearance money are you?
