Image by LePage/LAT




By: RACER Staff | December 9, 2019 10:31 AM


As 2019 draws to a close and our Racer Media & Marketing sales team heads to the PRI Show in Indianapolis, it’s a good time to look back at the phenomenal growth we’ve seen in 2019 on our RACER digital and social platforms. Below are some interesting data points that show interest in motorsports is strong and growing:
RACER.‌com users were up by an astounding 79.11% (628,740 vs 351,027) in November 2019 vs November 2018 while new users jumped by 73.97% (458,612 vs 263,610)
When RACER’s 95,753 users on Apple News are added in, the total number of users who consumed content on our online editorial channels in November rises to 724,137
RACER.‌com users from the USA increased by a whopping 86.16% over Nov. 2018 and represented 91.51% of our audience. Canada had 40.59% growth in users, and when combined with the USA users, our North American traffic represents 95.37% of overall users
In November the under-55 age group represented 59.33% of RACER.‌com’s users while 34.92% were under the age of 45
November 2019 marked RACER.‌com’s seventh consecutive month above 500,000 monthly unique users
RACER.‌com’s 2019 year-to-date metrics versus the same 11-month period in 2018 show unique users up by a stout 41.55% (4,251,486 vs 3,003,594)
RACER’s social media channels saw impressive engagement metrics in November. Overall, there were 344,441 engaged users on Facebook with a reach of 5,087,550 as well as 51,636 engagements on Twitter with a reach of 4,445,450

We cover more than 40 racing series and have 25 subject categories on RACER.‌com Here is how the top series stacked up in November 2019:

Racing
Category Facebook
Engaged Facebook
Likes Twitter
Engagements Twitter
Likes
IndyCar 166,292 25,301 28,947 3,273
Formula 1 54,529 7,168 7,490 1,054
NASCAR* 36,335 4,943 4,287 967
IMSA* 27,237 7,526 3,840 694
International* 6,213 1,251 1,073 230
FIA WEC* 3,951 1,550 1,014 212
Off-Road* 1,955 707 750 143
Trans Am* 1,949 769 286 72
Vintage* 1,292 489 674 144
SCCA* 1,212 448 241 35



* Multiple championships covered

Social media shares from RACER.‌com story pages in November were robust and IndyCar shares from our site soared, driven by blockbuster news stories including Penske Entertainment’s purchase of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the NTT IndyCar Series that rocked the racing world.

Racing
Category RACER.‌com
Shares Facebook
Shares Twitter
Shares Total
Shares
IndyCar 180,504 3,173 713 184,390
Formula 1 34,056 379 139 34,574
IMSA* 33,109 310 129 33,269
NASCAR* 23,674 548 164 24,386
Vintage* 9,646 75 28 9,749
Off-Road* 4,883 41 28 4,952
International* 3,460 146 48 3,465
FIA WEC* 2,208 157 26 2,391
Trans Am* 1,605 13 12 1,630
SCCA* 1,302 5 3 1,310



* Multiple championships covered

The RACER audience is informed, passionate and engaged, as proven by these numbers comparing comments on RACER.‌com’s discussion forums and our Facebook posts confirm:

Racing
Category RACER.‌com
                        Comments Facebook        Comments Total        Comments

IndyCar                         4,069                     4,174                        8,243
Formula 1                      2,290                    1,675                         3,965
NASCAR*                    548                        808                           1,356
IMSA*                          310                        545                            855
International*                175                       273                             448
FIA WEC*                    157                       120                             277
Off-Road*                     53                         52                               105
Vintage*                       75                          28                               103
Trans Am*                   13                          19                               32
SCCA*                         5                           25                                30

* Multiple championships covered

Equally impressive was the phenomenal November 2019 vs November 2018 growth in RACER.‌com users in our top 10 cities. Beyond the big news driving interest and traffic, this was due to RACER.‌com’s vastly improved organic search and social media visibility on the USA Today Sports Media Group’s mobile-first WordPress VIP digital platform:

• 1) Chicago, IL +198% 
• 2) New York, NY +280% 
• 3) Indianapolis, IN +123% 
• 4) Los Angeles, CA +54%
• 5) Dallas, TX +114% 
• 6) Austin, TX +232% 
• 7) Atlanta, GA +31%
• 8) San Francisco, CA +113%
•  9) San Diego, CA +82%
• 10) Orlando, FL +92%

We believe you will agree that the RACER audience is deeply passionate and highly engaged with the sport they love. They also invest time and money where the passion is. Here are some revealing results from our recent RACER 2019 Audience Demographic survey:

• 88% of RACER readers surveyed have paid to attend at least one motorsports event over the past year
• 54% prefer to watch races live on TV. When they can’t, 82% are likely to watch a recording start to finish
• 67% participate in a racing or track driving event more than six times per year
• 55% have attended a racing school or driving school
• 94% of RACER readers surveyed identify themselves as automotive enthusiasts. In addition to their passion for motorsports they are also influencers on automotive subjects within their peer group
• 75% routinely use motorsports to justify their recommendations
• 84% are considered automotive experts in their peer group
• 88% are routinely solicited for auto-related purchases
• 62% are asked for advice on new car purchases

In addition to the stunning growth of RACER.com, it is important to mention that since 1992, RACER magazine has been here to tell the sport’s stories of courage, commitment and ingenuity. What continues to set RACER magazine apart is that we’ve steadfastly maintained our focus on this mission, and on maintaining the high quality of RACER’s writing, imagery, design and production values. We do this because we believe that racing, and our growing audience, deserves something that authentically reflects the beauty, passion and culture of racing along with the commitment to excellence that drives our sport forward.

Recently, more than 20 automotive and racing-related print magazines have ceased publication. We are proud to still be publishing what is now the world’s largest English language magazine covering all forms of racing. RACER’s BPA-audited circulation currently stands at 33,283, having grown by more than 100% since our founding team reacquired the magazine in 2012. We are blessed with loyal advertisers who value engaging our devoted and influential readers. In our view, these are the sport’s most committed advocates who are the true core passion-drivers for our sport.

For more insights into our RACER audience at the pinnacle of passion and enthusiasm for all things motorsports click here or to visit our advertiser resource site click here.

We look forward to seeing many of you while we are at PRI in Indianapolis during this coming week. Please reach out to our team if you would like to meet and learn more about RACER.com, RACER magazine, RACER Studio, SportsCar magazine, Vintage Motorsport magazine and VintageMotorsport.com.

Paul Pfanner