Track Days from Shark Tank

What do you get when you combine a writer, a director, and a former stunt performer? A movie about motorcycle racing. Track Days intended to feature what goes into motorcycle racing, as a former stuntman, James LaVitola, writer Cliff Dorfman, and producer Brian Pitt put their heads together.

Track Days shark tank

LaVitola has been a stuntman in Hollywood for a while, citing Fast and Furious, Transformer, and Friday Night Lights as some of his notable works. The idea for the movie came to LaVitola when he realized that motorcycle racing is the second most-watched sport in America. He went to Dorfman and Pitt, who decided to make this movie together.

It was interesting for them that no movies had been made on motorcycle racing until then, making the trio more hopeful that Track Days would do well when (if) it saw the light of day. However, the trio needs extreme funding that would allow them to produce this film since film production is no joke.

So many factors need to be considered regarding the set, technicality, actors, marketing, and other aspects required to make a successful film. If one wants their movie to do well at the box office, they’ll undoubtedly need to spend their heart out in its production.

The more one spends, the more it’ll draw people to watch. It isn’t guaranteed that an expensive film will do well, but it does manage to get some credibility.

A decently-budgeted film gathers talk from the town, earning some hype to its name. Similarly, a low-budgeted movie will be a no-brainer to watch for the audience. Unfortunately for produce, the audience always knows what it wants, and if movie makers fail to deliver, the audience will not watch it at all.

Since a film about motorcycle racing involves plenty of stunts, stunt performers, and motorcycles, you should know Track Days isn’t a cheap film, and piles of money are required to produce it.

The trio behind the film launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise funds to invest in the movie but only managed to raise $1009. The disappointing sum prevented the trio from working on the film, so they turned to sponsors.

The trio managed to get some initial sponsors, but they still weren’t enough to make this movie on a $2 million budget. This led the trio to march down to Shark Tank to see if they could get any of the sharks to invest in their ambition.

LaVitola and Pitt expected to get $5 million in return for 34% equity in the film’s production. This would mean 34% of the profit Track Days made would go to the shark that invests in it. The duo came on stage and handed popcorn to the sharks while presenting a verbal trailer.

Mark Cuban had zero interest and refused to invest in the film. Daymond told the duo he once invested in a movie and struggled plenty to get his investment back, refusing to invest as well. Kevin and Barbara advised the team against making the film, believing it was a terrible idea.

Finally, Robert couldn’t see this film doing well either, refusing to invest, and leading the duo to exit Shark Tank.

Our Review of “Track Days”

The movie’s topic is undoubtedly attractive, as it focuses on the motorcycle riders and how hard they work doing what they do. Anyone interested in racing, especially motorcycle racing, would probably enjoy watching this movie.

Also, since LaVitola has been a stunt performer, it would’ve been easy for him to oversee movie scenes to make them realistic. In other words, LaVitola could’ve undoubtedly been a creative director of this movie. If Dorfman, the writer, adds a romantic arc or two in this movie, it might also attract hopeless romantics who enjoy watching love stories on the big screen.

What could’ve set this movie apart is that no other film has been on the subject, giving it an edge over others. This factor could’ve also been used as a promotional strategy to market the movie, telling the audience that it’s an entirely original concept to draw them to watch Track Days.

Track Days had some interesting themes, but significant risks haunt the movie if not executed properly. The duo behind this movie struggled to get funding to make it, but if we ignore that aspect, Track Days doesn’t “sound” all bad.

However, the primary problem for the team not receiving funding was their inability to develop a finished script. No investor would put their money into a movie that doesn’t have a good story, leading them to back out immediately.

Track Days’ social media handle quickly went dark after the team’s appearance on Shark Tank. LaVitola and Pitt were unsuccessful in receiving funding, as the movie had nothing going on. It had no script and no actors, leading to Track Days being shelved once and forever.

Pros

  • It was an original concept.

Cons

  • It had no script.
  • It had no actors.
  • The topic limited its audience.
  • It lacked the essential vision every movie has.

Who Is “Track Days” for?

Track Days is only for people who love motorcycles and motorcycle racing. If you’re one of those who love all kinds of bikes, including heavy and sports, you would’ve loved watching this movie.

Alternatives to Track Days

Many movies about motorcycle racing have been made now. So, if you’re interested in watching any, you may find movies like Rad and Dust to Glory to your liking.

Our Final Thoughts

A movie may have an excellent concept, but it will probably never see the light of day if it’s not written well or written at all. Track Days may have had an exciting concept, but its lack of storytelling, funding, and casting resulted in the movie being shelved.

If movie makers especially need funding for the production, they must ensure they make a selling pitch so strong that investors aren’t able to say no to them. The story must be developed with the idea of casting top-notch actors to commercialize the movie.