Legends and current stars of motorsports to brainstorm about future

Munich, 18 June 2014: FIA Sport Conference 2014 takes place in Munich from June 24-26. Hosted by Germany’s Allgemeiner Deutscher Automobil-Club eV and the Deutscher Motor Sport Bund at ADAC’s state-of-the-art headquarters

Racing legends, motor sport industry power brokers, senior team personnel and stars from Formula One, the World Endurance Championship and the exciting new electric Formula E Championship will gather in Munich starting June 24 for FIA Sport Conference 2014, where they’ll take part in a unique series of discussions aimed at plotting the future growth of motor sport.

The opening day of FIA Sport Conference 2014, which will be officially opened by FIA President Jean Todt, will see a host of internationally famous racing names take to the stage to tackle the topic ‘Growing Motor Sport in a Changing World’.

Discussing motor sport’s approach to reaching new markets, new fans and how racing can embrace new media in order to reach greater levels of popularity will be racing legend and double F1 champion Emerson Fittipaldi, current Williams F1 development driver Susie Wolff, Audi Head of Sport Dr Wolfgang Ullrich and former team principal of the Ferrari Formula One team, Stefano Domenicali.

Also on the panel will be Alejandro Agag, promoter of the FIA’s exciting new electric racing championship, Formula E, World Endurance Championship promoter Gérard Neveu and Anthony Thomson, Vice President, Business Development and Marketing of Formula E partner Qualcomm.

They’ll be joined by a separate panel of racing stars past and present. Five-time Le Mans winner and current F1 driver steward Emanuele Pirro, female World Endurance Championship racer Keiko Ihara and Formula E competitor Karun Chandhok will all be on hand to offer insights into the development of motor sport from the viewpoint of those at the sharp end of competition.

The afternoon session for delegates will centre on how motor sport organisers around the world can forge closer, more profitable links to industry. Helping to map the future of profitable partnerships will be an expert panel of industry figures, including Wolfgang Dürheimer, the former VW motor sport boss who has just been appointed Chairman and CEO of both Bentley and Bugatti, and Dr Burkhard Goeschel, former Research and Development chief at BMW and current chairman of the FIA’s Electric Commission.

Day two of FIA Sport Conference 2014 will feature another key discussion regarding the future of motor sport – how to attract young people into motor sport.

Motor sport has universal appeal but at a time when young people are presented with a vast range of sporting, entertainment and lifestyle choices across a huge array of media platforms, encouraging youth participation and interest in motor sport is an increasingly tough challenge.

Helping to point the way to successful engagement with young people will be a panel of top racers and motor sport industry leaders including Alex Trickett, Head of Sport at Twitter UK, Darren Cox, Global Head of Brand, Marketing & Sales at NISMO, the motor sport arm of Nissan, 10-time Formula One Grand Prix winner and President of the FIA’s Single-Seater Commission Gerhard Berger, and Lorenz Beringer, Head of Social Media at footballing giants Bayern Munich FC.

The session will also see input from a panel of young racers at the forefront of some of the FIA’s biggest championships, including 24-year-old Formula One star Jules Bianchi of the Marussia F1 team, 22-year-old Arden team member Jann Mardenborough, who graduated from gamer to GP3 racer via the Nissan Academy and 22-year-old Stoffel Vandoorne of the ART Grand Prix GP2 team and the McLaren Young Driver Programme.

Embracing the world of social media, the FIA’s followers on Twitter will also be asked to submit their questions on the topic of youth engagement, the best of which will be put to the panel of experts and drivers.

Day two will also see delegates take part in a series of fascinating workshops. With each workshop moderated by industry experts, these intensive learning experiences will give representatives of national motor sports organisations from around the world a unique insight into successful methods of developing motor sport in their regions.

Each discussion session will be hosted and moderated by a team of expert presenters, including respected BBC Radio 5 Live Formula One commentator and Financial Times F1 correspondent James Allen, Sky Germany F1 presenter Sandra Baumgartner and FIA Safety Car driver Bernd Maylander.

With the final day reserved for analysis of the lessons learned across the week, FIA Sport Conference 2014 presents a unique opportunity for motor sports clubs from around the world to explore the pressing issues facing motor racing in the coming years, with first-hand input from those at the cutting edge of sport development.

FIA Sport Conference 2014 takes place in Munich from June 24-26. Hosted by Germany’s Allgemeiner Deutscher Automobil-Club eV and the Deutscher Motor Sport Bund at ADAC’s state-of-the-art headquarters, the conference will be partnered by FIA MotorEx 2014, where more than 25 of the motor sport industry’s leading players will gather to exhibit their products and network with motor sports organisers.

eom/FIA Press Release