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Amid rain, fog, strong winds and gloomy skies, China's top sports-car makers and racing teams gathered in Shanghai over the weekend for the China Circuit Championship (CCC).

Billed as the country's top car race, the six-stop CCC had its first stop last Friday through Sunday in the largest city of the country boasting the world-class Shanghai International Circuit.

CCC's aim is to become a leading world-class car race brand. However, unlike other international brands such as F1 which attracted tens of thousands to Shanghai and raked in profits for sponsors, organizers and players, CCC 2006 turned out to be a disappointment.

In spite of more than 40 eye-catching Hollywood car stunts arranged between the races, only about a few thousand people showed up in the main stands of the circuit which can seat 200,000 people.

"I regret buying a ticket to come; many people are here with free tickets from the organizers," said one car sports fan surnamed Wang.

Organizers attributed the low attendance to the bad weather. The city had just been hit by a cold wave from the north which reduced the temperature from 20 to 7 degrees celcius.

But many car racing teams and their sponsors pointed the finger at lack of experience and poor marketing.

"The organizers should learn to understand their sponsors. They are short-handed in providing professional marketing and good returns to the sponsors," said Li Shanxiong, general manager of the Beijing Hanstone Advertising Co Ltd, marketing partner of the Beijing Yalun Linglong team.

Zhang Qi, a senior manager from team sponsor Shandong Linglong Rubber Co Ltd admitted his disappointment.

"We invested millions of yuan in the car racing event. We thought it was a good platform to promote our brand," he said.

Ricky Zhang, spokesman for the Hong Kong-based Ghia team, said more time was needed to foster a car racing culture in the country.

"We are at least 20 years behind Europe in this event. In Europe, cars have become a daily necessity while in China it is still a luxury for many people. Without driving experience, you may not have the enthusiasm to come to the circuit," he said.

CCC's next stop will be Zhuhai in April. Shanghai, Zhuhai and Beijing will each host two stops of the national sports car event.

(China Daily March 14, 2006)