Drivers vs Spectators

[zefarelly]

I don't know, but my guess is at Goodwood the sponsors fund catering for competitors, who are very well catered for, and this means they'll go the extra mile in prep and putting on the show (we did!) for the paying punters.

to see Lord MArch obviously incurs costs putting the show on, covered by entry costs, but is lucky enough to have a garden big enough to have a do on such a scale.

yee the racing is partially secondary in some peoples view, but its a good do which ever way you look at it.

[john ruston]

Goodwood is free entry by invitation.This allows the organisers to lay down the rules and is probably the reason for the free entry.

Silverstone can only keep the cars in the paddock for the two days if they learn to run races in two heats as in Coys days.Surly no one is going to hang around for an extra day with all the associated costs .We didn't nor were asked to!

[LYNX]

MAPearson - as a reltively new member, well posts, I think has hit the nail on the head! For example, if you leave your car at the meeting for the whole weekend then a reward system could be worked out. Eventually the gate may put the meeting well in the black in which case it could be by invitation only. The future will tell. In the short term if you have a driver from Switzerland, for example, who has to keep his car and team there all weekend and run a business then who is paying the cost. If his race is then a FIA European round and he is trying to win - does he fail to come and miss out on points? A conundrum I think that has yet to be aired.

[john ruston]

There is no such thing as having to keep your car in position if an entry fee has been paid.The organisers are silly if they think they can push that one.The way around it is to go back to the two Heat shorter races as it used to be.I assume this is way with FJ at Oldtimers and as it was at both Coys and Oldtimers Pre War and Sports Cars.It makes for closer racing and puts less stress on the cars.

[DAVID PATERSON]

At Historic, state & club level meetings in Australia, promoters tend to use the same budgetting formula. Total costs of staging the meeting divided by the expected number of entries equals the entry fee. Therefore, if the entry is as expected and there are no meeting sponsors and no gate, then the organisers break even. If they do get sponsors or a decent gate, then that's pure profit.

[delta]

When we ran cars at TOCA meetings you had a reserved space in paddock with team name, our first meeting at Donnington way back in 1996 we arrived on a back of a massive tow truck as the head gasket had blown on the way up.They wernt to impressed. But the point i am making is that we had to be there the day before qualifying to get set up and you were not allowed to start packing up untill the last race had finnished.

[zefarelly]

Goodwood ask for early arrival and everyone leaves after the end, IF your putting on a big show its the only way, the paying public are there tio be entertained, thats all well and good if the entry feews reflect it.

If we're paying lock stock for everything as entrants why should we do anything more than turn up, race, the Pack up and pi** off ?

[LYNX]

Originally Posted by zefarelly

Goodwood ask for early arrival and everyone leaves after the end, IF your putting on a big show its the only way, the paying public are there tio be entertained, thats all well and good if the entry feews reflect it.

If we're paying lock stock for everything as entrants why should we do anything more than turn up, race, the Pack up and pi** off ?

If it is likely that a meeting will make a profit surely it is up to the series organisers to discuss terms before agreeing to buy the race? That way, if the drivers feel exploited they will race at the circuits that provide better value for money. Of course, you will always have people who only want to race at the prestige events and tracks. The choice is yours. So yes Zef I agree with much you said if not the terminology.

[Marcus Mussa]

It wasn't that long ago that one did get starting money - I remember getting quite a lot (in cash!) at Monza and Zandvoort back in the 80's for FIA historic races (i.e. Coppa Intereuropa at Monza). I don't know what stopped all that. They usually paid after qualifying. Also I note that local drivers in South Africa still get paid something calculated on the basis of the number of miles they have to travel. I think it about covers their entry fees.

[Derwent Motorsp]

A couple of years back Aston Martin were a featured marque at the Silverstone Classic. There was a very good display on the Saturday. The trouble was that their race was on the Saturday and on the Sunday there were only a handful of cars in the display area for the spectators to see.
The same this year at MG Silverstone, celebrating the K3 series cars. After their race they went home and few cars were left for the display.

[terence]

Yes quite,the owner and myself had agreed with Mark that we would leave the car I used until as late as posssible after the race on Sunday,4pm ours and just a few others were all that were left.

[zefarelly]

the fact that virtually all race series are businesses now ?

(CTCRC/HSCC are obvious exceptions, note the word 'club' and their entry fees reflect it!)

Originally Posted by Marcus Mussa

It wasn't that long ago that one did get starting money - I don't know what stopped all that. .

[Peter Mallett]

Very true and perhaps necessary if one accepts that higher profile meetings are needed to attract entries.

It also turns the whole thing into a leisure pursuit for the drivers rather than a spectator opportunity.