Welcome back, freeracers!

THE original freeracer.co.za was launched roughly four years ago today. Needless to say, times have changed!

In reality, due to the vibrant, fast-paced and ever-evolving nature of the worldwide web, today’s relaunch of freeracer.co.za  marks its fourth complete makeover to keep in step with a niche market that differs significantly now from conditions that prevailed at the time of its conception!

freeracer erupted into cyberspace on 1 November, 2007 aimed exclusively at South African thoroughbred racing and breeding. Within six months its popularity – some would argue its notoriety  –  produced near 10,000 unique visitors who clicked collectively 750,000 times per month.

freeracer, the brand, distinguished itself as a lively attraction to web surfers, not least for the promise of an unusually exciting online experience so suggestive in its title.

‘freeracer’ had a natural ring to it, a timeless quality not necessarily unique to the Sport Of Kings – and the reputation of  being bold, brave and daring, if not distinctly silly and quarrelsome at times.

As luck would have it, and for a variety of reasons other than its high volume of visitors, freeracer enjoyed healthy rankings at Google and other search-engines. With this in mind, and approaching a million hits per month, I decided to develop the site for the interest of a broad-based readership and phased in a new look including a Daily News section, Leisure and Entertainment and Sport as back-ups to racing.

freeracer took a big leap in prominence when we scooped the services of acclaimed columnist David Bullard just a few weeks after his controversial dismissal from the Sunday Times early in 2008. We ventured as enthusiastically into politics as we did into racing and in September 2008 peaked at 1.2-million hits and 18.000 uniques.

Bullard wrote 25 of his typical gems for freeracer in Out To Lunch, exclusive and hard-hitting. Soon freeracer, with its bawdy blend of off-the-wall commentary, daring editorials and photos and unmatched racing info including the innovative Freeracer Radio and superb columns by the likes of Robert Bloomberg and Paul Lafferty, established itself as the leader on the block.

I loved the cutting-edge, newsy format and the twists and turns it brought to every working day, but at this juncture the site caught the eye of the Moneyweb Group, SA’s leading online financial and economic platform, grown over many years to giant status by financial media heavyweight Alec Hogg, my erstwhile boss at the popular 1990s journal Racing Digest.

There is always a strong case to be made for joining forces with a powerful partner and Alec, keen to expand the parameters of his own firmly entrenched trademark, suggested we return the central focus of  freeracer to horseracing and change its name from to racingweb.co.za to fit in with Moneyweb’s bouquet of mini-sites. Racingweb eventually came to life in April 2009.

In October 2010, the tide turned. Moneyweb unexpectedly informed me that they would be terminating the partnership. Racingweb was discontinued in January 2011 after only 18 months online.  One positive outcome was that I was given outright ownership of the racingweb domain, a product with enough credibility to be revived at a future point in time, perhaps in a different format.

For the most part, the last 12 months of my life have been dark and discouraging, extending from one setback to another with glimmers of light only now beginning to appear.  I’ve had to complete a full circle in returning to my original ‘baby’,  freeracer.co.za, a comeback I couldn’t foresee as recently as eight months ago, but it’s great to be starting up the engines again!

This time, however, I won’t commit to ‘starting a revolution’, or to ‘turn the racing industry on its head’, or to ‘bang open every door in search of scandals or skeletons’. I won’t even actively aspire to build freeracer back to Number One on the rankings. Perhaps I’ll just shut the fuck up.

I’ve decided to lend more focus to the betting community, whose members will always be a vital part of racing’s fabric.  The new freeracer.co.za is designed to offer more guidance to serious punters and racing fanatics forever on the lookout for lucrative betting opportunities. I’d like to make more quality information available to punters so that they can turn more profits, more often.

I also wish to become more involved in thoroughbred bloodstock selection via Freeracer Bloodstock, which has already made its mark with a host of successful acquisitions on behalf of clients. (By the way, the horse with me in the photo below is Igugu!)

There is no need for the hard-core supporters of the original freeracer to be concerned about my generally more reserved outlook.  Actually, I’m far from playing dead. The stray marbles rolling around in this old jar will prevent the onset of apathetic paralysis!

I will continue to publish the best articles possible and I hope to bring you the latest and most useful information from the local and international racing and breeding industries.

I’ve often mentioned to friends and readers how a website with vibrancy and purpose, like freeracer, can assume a life and character of its own over time, almost like a human entity. It tags you along, points you in the right direction, shows you what to do, delights you at times but also disappoints on occasion. I’m happily on board for whatever our new ride delivers.

So welcome, friends and foes, to the newest version of freeracer.co.za, built on the top class WordPress platform integrated with the 2011 “Telegraph” theme template. Navigate your way around the home page, have a look around and send your comments or letters to info@freeracer.co.za.

I’m not going to revive the Live Talk Forum for the time being, but there are various opportunities for you to contribute.  Please post your comments on articles that grab your interest in the space provided below them. Views expressed will not be censored or removed without good reason – this will only happen when libellous remarks are submitted. If you wish, you can go head-to-head with the tipping gurus in “Form Expert”, or share some your own form secrets with other readers.

Sarah Whitelaw and Louis Goosen are back on board as columnists in this launch phase; others may follow in due course. The new article archive is in the process of being updated with some of the most popular items from the old freeracer and racingweb databases. The site will be a work in progress for several weeks to come.

My SMS Tipping Services show a consistently good winning strike rate on best bets, value bets and exotic permutations and I look forward to welcoming back former clients to the extended freeracer tipping services which will soon resume.

There is advertising space on freeracer and in closing I want to address a concern shared by the proprietors of other racing websites.

Somewhere along the line our industry’s influential advertisers have been critically misinformed. They seem to share the perception that advertising online is a waste of money and ineffective for promoting their businesses.

In these times there can be no doubt that a strong presence online is essential for the long-term success and prosperity of any business where products or commodities change hands.  The world is a virtual economic fireball that lurches through time and space at frightening speed and demands your constant attention and active participation. Online marketing is the power of today and tomorrow!

While South Africa’s racing websites have come of age in the last year or two, the advertising support to keep them afloat has dwindled from shaky beginnings in the mid 2000s to relative non-existence in 2011.  The upper echelon of this industry’s dire lack of support for the electronic media is not only poor, but downright selfish.

I appeal to everyone who makes a decent living from horseracing to add advertising on the internet to their marketing budgets. Help us to help you by strengthening the online culture.  You will be amazed at the reach of the latest available website innovations, locally and internationally.

Whether support will be forthcoming or not, we who tickle computer keyboards to earn a pound will still be at to our desks every day to source and assemble newsworthy information. This is what we like to do. What keeps racing’s  journos and webmasters ticking over is the single characteristic of this industry that remains as unblemished today as it ever was: Labour in Racing Is Labour Of Love!

Enjoy the new freeracer.co.za, remember to post your comments and send your mails and allow us some time to settle in!

Cheers,

Charl Pretorius
10 November 2011.

follow @freeracer01

Mail: info@freeracer.co.za

Headline image by Weyni Deysel, the late, egendary cartoonist, taken from The Ten Habits Of Highly Effective Horseplayers (2006).