BSB goes Spinal Tap

Like a cross between a biking version of Spinal Tap and the Fast Show – that’s how a new docu-spoof about Phil Giles is being described by the man responsible.

You can watch a surreal preview below. A full 35 minute version of ‘SlipStream, The Phil Giles Story’ will follow by the end of May.
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Mark Cottington’s film has a documentary/reality TV-style not far removed from that of The Office. The tongue-in-cheek plot revolves around an Aussie ice cream magnate who reckons that he can make Phil a star.

The laughs are all about raising the profile of sponsor-hungry racer Phil.

Cottington had been asked to come up with a show-reel for the former British Superbikes star but decided that would just be too boring.
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The version you can download below is an exclusive and unique higher quality version created just for registered users of motorcyclenews.

Phil is no stranger to taking a creative approach to sponsorship. He previously resorted to listing parts of himself on eBay. Perhaps he should have tried MCN Auctions…

Watch the video below. Read the story of the making of the docu-spoof by clicking the ‘page 2’ or ‘NEXT’ you’ll find below, too. The video is only available to registered users. To register (and it’s free, quick and easy) just click on ‘register’ at the top right of the page.

The Making of ‘Slip Stream’ The Phil Giles Story

Based on a true (ish) story.

One man’s battle against anonymity. Certificate 35

Starring Phil Giles as himself,

A Bloke as… someone else,

Another bloke slightly taller than the first,

Some girls in tight outfits,

A carrot and a cast of hundreds

For anyone, like me who is not a petrol head or bike fan, the world of BSB is a confusing and slightly alienating experience.

Not that I have a problem with young ladies in short skirts and naked breasts of course, but two evenings watching Men & Motors told me I was out of my depth.

I guess however that this was my first mistake, as M&M is not BSB. The people involved are altogether much more serious about their sport, perhaps too serious for us in the four wheel world. When I was approached to help Phil develop his career and find a new principle sponsor, I really didn’t have a starting point. So much to my own personal shame I initially fell back on some very tired stereotyping, somewhat re-enforced I might add by the M&M experience.

Phil’s main backer Nikwax pulled out of the competition in 2004, leaving both Phil and his Slipstream manager Martin Sweet without any funds for the 2005 season. At the very minimum it costs anywhere from £125k to £250k to even compete effectively for a whole season. The lesser figure is just to turn up, the larger to be a real pain in the arse to the branded teams.

The main issue confronting us therefore was ‘Why should anyone give us that kind of capital just so Phil could go get his jollies?”

I mean, he’s good, very good in fact but then SO WHAT?

Having a major consumer product splashed across his chest or backside will only count if people see it!

Whilst accepting that MotoGP and the BSB league are slowly coming into mainstream media; (thanks in part to the excellent promotional machine that is Tony Partis and Dorna), anyone below the horizon is drowning in a world of indifference.

The brands that support the sport are few and far between and only major TV coverage can change that. Encouraging new names to finally take the biking forum seriously as a marketing platform is partly the reason. Phil tried selling bits of himself off on E-Bay.

Now whether by luck or judgement he certainly got himself in the TV and radio spotlight, though apart from a confused offer for a kidney no serious offers of money were forth-coming. The one thing that did come from it though was that the fact that bikers can be quite entertaining and they don’t necessarily need a bike to do it!

Add to that salient point that the biggest contradiction I as an outsider was confronted with was the total absence of humour in either the TV coverage or the biking media. Yet go to any meeting and the first thing you are struck by is the sheer scale of the party mood.

So with silly fund raising stunts, people taking themselves way too seriously and a sort of inverted snobbery from the TV companies, writing the script was pretty straight forward.

It’s a very straight forward message:

Phil is a major talent with a good five years left in front of him. Put him on a bike and he’ll get himself noticed and any brand on person or his bike along with him.

The full 35 minute documentary spoof will be finished at the end of May and is intended as a DVD release.

All distribution enquiries are welcome at this stage.

‘Slipstream The Phil Giles Story’ was written and produced by Mark Cottington and directed by Krisjan Knigge

For further information;

Via MCN David Cushman

Or Mark Cottington

The Talking Cactus Enigma

Mark.mrc-consultancy@pop3.altohiway.com

00 44 7766 064411

00 31 6 1353 4955