Single Seater Racing In S.east

[hotracer]

Has any one any views regarding the stopping of single seater racing at Lydden for 2003 and if there is genuine demand to back a new barc lydden, brands, snet or silverstone series for 2003 ?

Things are looking dire with the view taken by semsec on the matter and their past lack of interest in promoting s / seaters to aspiring racers in the s. east

rgds Alan

[JR Ewing]

What?? I know someone who was planning to start in the Lydden series next year - what is happening Alan?

[hotracer]

Hi,

It appears Semsec and the Barc fell out this year, in 2002, and there are no plans to run single seater races at Lydden next by Semsec.

I bealive there have been some resignations from the semsec commitee over the this and the way the club is managed.

It appears semsec do not like single seaters except to provide a break between saloon cars and sports cars with their double and triple races.

The barc I understand would like to do something about it and I hope that it may form the basis for a cost effecive regional single seater and was canvassing for any thoughts on the matter.

I suggest your friend should contact the barc se centre for clarification.

rgds Alan

[Leigh Parkes]

I think the fact that about 3 people ever entered didn't help very much. Shame, I was thinking of running the Clubmans with the single seaters a few times next year; just for a bit of fun and a change.

[Stephen Green]

I hope you guys get it sorted pretty soon as it would be an injustice if you were unable to race there next year. Have you thought about contacting the BRSCC too as they do run several meetings at Lydden?

[Ken Greenfield]

Comments made by Alan are misleading. True SEMSEC is not running a single seater championship in 2003 but the SEMSEC Single Seater Challenge series will be included in the events.
To get an MSA Championship permit we must receive a minimum average number of entries in a year. The Astratech Championship has not achieved anywhere near this minimum level. Several rounds were cancelled with only 2 or 3 entries.
SEMSEC has put up prize money, offered 2 races for the price of 1 & sent out mailshots but to no avail.
We would like healthy grids of single seaters to give a proper balance to our meetings. Single seater competitors had the same opportunity to enter 2 or 3 races and have the Saloon and Sports cars races slotted in between to give them a rest between races.
We would be happy to receive input from single seater competitors on the format the SEMSEC Single Seater Challenge should take to make it attractive to competitors and regularly attract a 12 competitors to each event.

[Mad Hats]

As a member of the Lydden start line crew, I must say it was refreshing to attend the last SEMSEC meeting which was completely free of single seaters. Don't get me wrong, I think single seaters are great, but I'm sick to death of watching such weak grids - even if we get more than three open wheeled cars turn up, you know that the standard will be really uneven and that any spectators are very unlikely to see any real battles. SEMSEC makes its meetings relatively cheap to enter (especially compared to BRSCC !)yet this is still not enough to get a decent grid even using Monoposto type regs to act as a catch-all for all the smaller formulae. I don't have any real solutions but I thought that you might be interested in my angle on this one.

[Stephen Green]

Ken and Mad Hats, welcome to ten-tenths and good to hear from the guys at Semsec and Lydden. I normally only marshal Lydden for the BRSCC meetings, mainly due to other committments, but might venture down over the winter months if you have any rallycross or other car meetings on? Maybe one of you could send me a Private Message with details if it's not too much of a problem?

Regards,

Stephen.

[hotracer]

I was interested to hear Ken Greenfields comments and the marshals input from Lydden. Lydden is very dear to me and others as a venue. But I do not believe my comments are misleading. I understand Lydden and the barc had a falling out and the B19 representative on the committee withdrew his and (to be clarified) the clubs support.

I suggest a format for running single seaters at Lydden should not be the same as saloon cars. It is not I suggest attractive to single seaters to run a 10 lap race with a lap time of around 41s. this is because tyres take longer to warm up than saloon cars / sports cars especially radials.

The paddock surface is not really helpfull to single seaters, you have to select your spot in the paddock, the damage can be quite bad if you get it wrong. Allocate paddock space to help single seaters !

Stop the man with the noise meter from jumping out on the exit road, ever held a hot engine, without a fan, on a single seater, on a hill, with a racing, in out, clutch with nothing of a flywheel, with a foot on the brake ?

When enquiring about single seater racing during the year at Lydden the information was inconsistant and rather indifferent. Was on, not on, maybe!

Is the / was the astratech championship a BARC event not semsec's ? Did you not try and run two single seater events on the same day !

There are lots of question to be asked, particularly the responsibility semsec have looking after the supporting clubs members interests as 'stakeholders' in Lydden, after all, the sprints assist in the costs of running an event and sonetims form the basis of driver moving up to racing.

Basing 2003 racing around grids of saloon cars with such differing performance, can that really have a future without grids of other race classes ? While Rod Birley is a good driver he is hardly stretched againts the rest of the field.

If semsec sent a research team down to Castle Combe, there you would see how such a racing venue can be moved on.

Come on Ken and your committee give it some thought !

These comments are made with the best of intentions with my name at the bottom and not meant to be personal in any way. Good luck for 2003 but you won't attract me to Lydden or the club racers I know unless they are desperate. Why noy ask them what they want ?

Rgds Alan Everitt

[THR]

never been there.. but if the paddock is ****, thats the reason no single seaters go there!!
Mallory park is JUST abuot usable cos of the awful paddock.

wont catch me going to lydden if theres no single seaters!!

[ss_collins]

Personally I consider Lydden my home venue as CP is still closed and I can't stand the way brands treat you. I did my first ever race at Lydden, first ever sprint etc. I don't run a single seater cos I can't afford a tow car + trailer. But the paddock isn't that bad unless you arrive late, but us sprinters do tend to nick all the best spots early in the morning. I agree that perhaps SEMSEC should go to castle combe as they do run a great way.

[Ken Greenfield]

Alan, since you don’t race with SEMSEC it is interesting to see you commenting in this way although some of your information is incomplete and inaccurate.
SEMSEC don’t run 10 lap races. Standard race distances vary between 12 laps and 18 laps although there have been some FREE 6 lap qualifying races to set the grid for the main race.
Noise tests are an MSA requirement. Where and how would you propose it was done in the context of the facilities available at Lydden?
The paddock surface issue may be resolved but that is a something you need to take up with the venue owners or leaseholders not the clubs who hire the venue. We have made representations but we can’t resurface a venue we don’t own and don’t receive income from.
Try getting you information direct from the race organisers i.e. the Secretary of the Meeting or the Clerk of the Course, not through rumour and word of mouth.
The Astratech Championship was supposed to be jointly promoted by BARC SEC and SEMSEC.
Suggest you check your information regarding Borough 19 MC’s involvement in SEMSEC both what they put in and what they get out.
Yes, SEMSEC did try to promote two or even three single seater races in a day to give competitors more laps and even greater value for money. What’s your point?
SEMSEC held a competitor's forum recently and a member’s questionnaire is going out at the moment. I call that ‘canvassing members opinions.’
Perhaps it would be more productive to hear positive views about what competitors would like from a Lydden Single Seater Challenge from those who would like to compete rather than negative opinions from those who don’t!

[hotracer]

I started this thread because I believe there was a genuine need for a single seater series in the SE that could support club racers, it was not started to cause an arguement but a debate !

I personally do not race at Lydden anymore because I race in ARPf3 and Monoposto. I do not bring my single seater cars to Lydden to support the racing because of the reasons stated above plus the 6 min 'qualifying races' in between saloon car races, just not worth getting your overalls on for. I have never seen a 18 lap race at Lydden for astratech but I am sure you are correct. 18 laps at 41 secs is .....12 mins !

Why not noise test 'before' the cars go out, prior to the line up in the grid, or after scrutineering, perhaps move some of the officals car parking space to free up some much needed paddock space.

I believe that not in any sense have semsec been pro-active in promoting single seates racing in 2002 and to state that now you are now going to run a sereies in 2003 is a contradiction to that which you personally announced.

Your collective comments in this thread have made make me wonder how 'safe' the racing at Lydden is in the hands of the current semsec committee. Why not accept things arn't quite right, start again and announce what it is you and semsec 'exactly' want to do for 2003 for single seaters ! and what you want from you potential market.


Rgds Alan

[Shawn]

OOOOOh.. Saucer of milk for table G please.

[JR Ewing]

Having spoken to BARC, BRSCC and SEMSEC on the phone - it would seem that one individual is doing a little stirring here, doubtless for reasons that are apparent only to him..

[hotracer]

If JR Ewing you are referring to me hotracer ! then I am not stirring but making people aware of that which has been going on regarding single seater racing at Lydden. Speaking to the brscc ? what have they got to do with it, barc have the means and ability to back single seater racing at Lydden and other se circuits and I and others have had conversations with them to support such a move. Semsec have stated and published that s/s racing will not happen on 2003, yet on this thread have stated that they will hold races.

I have no other motive than to see s/seater racing continue at lydden and elsewhere in the s.east. I am willing to stand up and ask what is going on ?

Bland contra statements like yours JR when people do not know who u are can't really be counted.

best intentions, Alan

[JR Ewing]

Ken Greenfield has stated on here that the single-seaters WILL run in 2003, just not as a championship. I don't think he can be much clearer can he??

[Stephen Green]

Guys, just a thought from a non racer. Why don't Semsec et al adopt the idea the BRSCC have this year and introduced 'timed' races. By doing that the driver/entrant would know what 'value for money' he/she was getting and so it may entice a few more drivers to enter races, be they championship ones or otherwise.

I would be interested to hear your view on this.

[JR Ewing]

As a driver, Stephen, number of laps is best as you KNOW what is happening. Timed races arfe not as good but are a good 'reserve' if the meeting suffers delays etc.

[Stephen Green]

So in that case, the organisiing clubs should work out how many laps say a 15 minute race would be for each circuit? I'm just trying to think of a way of giving the drivers the best value for their entry fees which we all know are escalating.

[hotracer]

Actually, I believe track time is important, at many circuts 10 lap races last nore than 8 mins, which really is no longer than a glorified sprint event.

Track time is important, when a car is called up from a paddock, asembles, goes out on to the track, grids up, gets a countdown of up to 5 mins, does a green flag lap, grids up and then starts and then has a 8min race, then quite often has to go to a holding area before getting back to the paddock, the actual time racing in rather a small percentage of the officials consideration at an event.

Many popular series both saloons, sports cars and single seaters are extending the race lengths to give better value for money.

ARPf3 is a min of 25 mins, sports car races tend now to be longer.

It is just one of the sensible ideas that need to be taken on board to effect changes to attract driver to come out and race.

don't knock practical ideas !

rgds Alan Everitt

[Stephen Green]

I have noticed more and more meetings this year (BRSCC) have been for timed races. I agree with Hotrodracer that track time is very important to any driver and they obviously want to maximise the amount of time spent racing and minimise the time spent in the collecting area and being gridded up.

[JR Ewing]

I'm not against timed races. I just think it should be converted to a lap distance where possible. Eg Cadwell might be 10 laps, Mallory might be 15 and Lydden might be 20.

[Stephen Green]

That makes sense as well, either way you get the same race distance which is what you are both suggesting. Can that be written into the championship regulations?

[les beer]

Further to all the comments made following the single seater situation in the south east I have some good news.
Following discussions with the BARC se it is planned to run a race series between Lydden, Silverstone Stowe and possibly Silverstone national, Snetterton and Brands.The latter three circuits will only be used if we have big enough grids.Details are being finalised and as soon as they are confirmed we will make the announcement.But to give you all an idea we are planning a number of classes to include bike engines F/Ford Formula first,upto 2ltr cars and some front engine clubmans cars.Sponsers have been found to support the series.Races are planned to run with a 10 min practice leading to a 10 lap race to select the grid for the 20 lap race as the big one.We are considering running the main race with a reverse grid putting the faster cars to the back and giving the spectators somthing to see.The series will be open to any member of any club holding a national B race licence or above and we intend to appoint a drivers committee to police driving standards and to control the types of car that may enter.Entry fees are expected to be very competitive,practice and both races for the cost of one race.As I stated earlier all the above is subject to confirmation but I would welcome feedback direct to my email or on the forum.