Grappling with new realities
From May 15-17, 2020, we ran a nine-question, multiple-choice survey through RACER.com from which we received 563 responses.
The aim of the survey was to get a sense of how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected those working and volunteering within motorsport.
This survey, identical to the survey conducted between April 29 and May 1, offers some insights into the how the sentiment among motorsports participants may have shifted in the intervening 15 days.
Given that the survey period coincided with the first live race of the COVID-19 era with NASCAR restarting at Darlington Speedway on May 17, there is evidence of an increasing shift toward returning to action. For example, 55% of respondents now say it is appropriate for racing to get going with appropriate social distancing – a 13 point increase from the last survey.
While a small majority are ready to go racing now with social distancing the rest is more conflicted – a sign that we maybe exeriencing the shift from a passive wait-and-see mode to a more active grappling of how best to move forward.
As with the last survey, 53% believe it’s unlikely for racing to return to pre-pandemic normal this year; however, 28% (+ 3 points) feel like it’s “somewhat likely.” Likewise, 71% continue to accept that racing without fans is better than no racing at all, but that is tempered by a 2-point increase in those who feel that events without fans is the ideal scenario. There were also increases with concerns over travel (50.5%; +5.8) and over bringing the virus home to family (50.4%; +2.3). And yet, the number of those concerned about being in close proximity to other people dipped by a point to 43%.
Only 18% of those surveyed report having “no concerns,” so a clear majority of motorsports participants believe that some level of caution is warranted. Exactly how much, is less clear.