Racer Media & Marketing, Inc. Acquires Vintage Motorsport
June 27, 2019 (IRVINE, Calif.) – Racer Media & Marketing, Inc, North America’s largest, independent general-interest motorsports publisher, has acquired Vintage Motorsport, the leading publication covering the historic (vintage) motor racing scene. The acquisition includes the print magazine title, known as, “The Journal of Motor Racing History,” along with the digital and online assets. D. Randy Riggs will remain on board as the magazine’s editor-in-chief.
Vintage Motorsport now joins RACER magazine, RACER.com and SportsCar, the official magazine of the Sports Car Club of America as titles published by Racer Media & Marketing, Inc (RM&M). In all, RM&M (across various business iterations) has been publishing motorsports content since 1979.
“We are very excited to bring Vintage Motorsport under the RM&M banner,” said Paul Pfanner, co-founder, President and CEO. “It is the most respected title covering historic motor racing – and racing history more broadly – in North America. As the new stewards of the brand, we will proudly carry the standard into the future while using the cross-platform promotional power of the RACER brand to expand the base of Vintage Motorsport’s audience.”
It’s not RM&M’s first relationship with Vintage Motorsport, having provided publishing services in 2001-02.
“I’ve been a reader of Vintage Motorsport since 1986, and would personally like to congratulate outgoing publisher Michael Silverman and editor-in-chief D. Randy Riggs on their success in making the magazine the respected leader in coverage of historic motor racing,” added Pfanner.
Beyond its coverage of historic motor racing, Vintage Motorsport also broadly covers classic car auctions, concours, automobilia and other cultural happenings as they relate to historic race cars and personalities. In fact, in a reader survey, 75% say they refer to Vintage Motorsport before making an automotive hobby-related purchase.
“Vintage Motorsport has come a long way from when it began as a simple newsletter in 1982. We’ve seen firsthand how this segment of the market has grown every year since,” said Riggs. “The time is now to take the next step in our evolution. As part of the RACER portfolio, we will have access to a new audience and a richer social media presence that will take Vintage Motorsport to new heights.”
Outgoing Vintage Motorsport Publisher/CEO Michael Silverman noted, “This is the closest thing to a perfect fit you’ll find in publishing, as Vintage Motorsport will expand the footprint of RM&M to include its authoritative and award-winning content, and RACER’s expertise, resources and proficiency in both print and digital content delivery will ensure Vintage Motorsport’s continued success and expansion. Most notably, D. Randy Riggs will continue at the editorial helm of Vintage Motorsport, and as he has proven for more than two decades, he is decidedly up to the task.”
Both RACER magazine and RACER.com have registered impressive growth since 2012 when the original founding group retook control of the brand. Audited magazine circulation has grown 165%, and RACER.com is now averaging over 420,000 unique visitors per month according to Google Analytics. Total digital audience for May of 2019 topped 1 million users when combining the web presence with RACER social media platforms.
“RACER has always been about the people and the power of motorsport. We go beyond the results to get to the real stories that shape motorsport across a number of levels and genres,” said Laurence Foster, RACER’s editor-in-chief. “With Vintage Motorsport, kindred spirits have been united, and while RACER has some historical features, with Vintage Motorsport, we have the chance to shine a brighter light on the cars of the past that are still competing today.”
RM&M will begin publishing Vintage Motorsport with the September/October 2019 issue on sale August 15, and assume control of the online and digital assets with immediate effect.
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