When you think of the phrase "the greatest spectacle in racing," what comes to mind? Ever since the 1950s, the phrase has been synonymous with the Indianapolis 500; so much so that the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) trademarked the phrase in 1986. But recently, there have been trademark disputes between IMS and Formula 1 as F1 tries to cash in on the phrase's popularity.
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Early last year, Liberty Media used the phrase "the greatest racing spectacle on the planet" on its social media to advertise the inaugural Las Vegas GP. IMS President Doug Boles quickly expressed displeasure with that to F1 executives by writing a letter kindly asking them to stop.
"They couldn't have been more gracious, saying, 'Yeah, yeah, we've got it, no problem,'" Boles would later tell the IndyStar.
That wasn't the end of it, though. Later, during the Miami GP, LL Cool J introduced the drivers saying, "What's up, Miami? Let me introduce you to the 20 best drivers in the world. This is the greatest spectacle in motorsports. This is Formula 1."
Mark Miles, president and CEO of Penske Entertainment Corp. — owners and operators of IndyCar and IMS — told IndyStar, "I heard that, and my reaction was, 'I'll bet you race fans know that's a crock of (expletive).' 'The Greatest Spectacle in Racing' is right here (at IMS) in May, by every measure."
Further conversations took place between IMS and F1 after this incident, with F1 agreeing to no longer use any similar wording in its promotional activities.
However, this week, IMS was riled up yet again when ESPN called F1 "the greatest spectacle in motorsports" during a season preview voice-over. Days before this incident, NASCAR used "the greatest spectacle in racing" in a social media post; however, that was quickly removed.
"We are aware of the use of our mark in what appears to be a broadcast promotional spot," Boles told Motorsport.com. "We will once again address it with the appropriate people and are prepared to take every measure possible to protect our brand's intellectual property."
The term "The Greatest Spectacle in Racing" first appeared in 1953 as an "out cue" when the IMS Radio Network decided to cover the Indy 500 flag-to-flag for the first time. Richard Fairbanks, owner of WIBC in Indianapolis, needed a key phrase that would alert other stations that a station break was coming up. It was 21-year-old copy writer Alice Greene who came up with a suggestion that perked everyone up; and when chief announcer Sid Collins uttered the immortal words, "Stay tuned for 'The Greatest Spectacle in Racing,'" everyone knew it was here to stay.
"It continues to be disappointing that others can't create their own brand identity without infringing upon ours," Boles said. "You have to enforce it every single time."
