Donington - Good News and Bad News

[JimW]

Donington has applied for its temporary planning permission to run 60 days to be made permanent from the end of 2013.

The bad news is that it has applied to extend its hours. FFS.

Donington Park Racing has also asked the district council to extend the hours the track can be used on race days.

At present, cars can only use the circuit between 9am and 8pm on race days.
It has asked if they can start racing at 8.30am, which would allow the circuit to put on an average of eight races on any given race day.

Read more: http://www.thisisderbyshire.co.uk/Do...#ixzz2Q4XnmbVv


Regards

Jim

[Chigley]

They can forget the 8:30 starts.

[Slipstick]

I've never been a big fan of Donington but this year I was starting to like it a bit better. 8:30 starts would soon fix that. Another circuit off the list .

Steve

[Johansen2000]

Personally I dont think bringing the start and sign on forward by half hour would be a bad thing, I am normally there by 7.20ish and I'm never the first there! Plus hardly any clubs run till 8 on a Sunday and am earlier start with some clubs may also result in a early finish, which would be perfect for me!!!

Only time will tell tho on how this pans out.....

[aland]

err we start at 8.30 at knockhill folks, never a problem. Plus we have marshals travelling 100 miles plus from all over scotland and the bothy is always busy just after 7am. Sign on, get allocated and have a brew in hand before 7.15. Even at big meetings with a later start the bothy is busy by just after 7

[Woolley]

Originally Posted by aland

err we start at 8.30 at knockhill folks

Several circuits start at 8:30ish. They mostly stop around 6-6:30, though.

[Bakersboy]

It's called "sweating the assetts" sadly we are the assetts and unvalued.

[kipper]

I don't have a huge problem with an 8.30 start and, off the top of my head, can think of three circuits where this regularly happens (Oulton, Castle Combe and Knockhill). However, Oulton and Combe have curfews of 6.30pm and a limited number of multi day events (unfortunately my trips to Knockhill aren't regular enough to work out what - or indeed if - the curfew is). I guess one will need to be a cautious when volunteering for Sundays as an early start/late finish wouldn't be ideal.

[Peter Harding]

When we go to Donington they make us start at about 9.10 because that allows cars to start engines at 9.00 and get to assembly.
We always schedule finish at or before 6.00 irrespective of rules so I guess for clubs like ours it won't make much difference.

[JimW]

Originally Posted by Peter Harding

When we go to Donington they make us start at about 9.10 because that allows cars to start engines at 9.00 and get to assembly.
We always schedule finish at or before 6.00 irrespective of rules so I guess for clubs like ours it won't make much difference.

Absolutely and that's probably one of the reasons why there will be enough of us there on 30th June.

Regards

Jim

[Mike Kelly 1]

08:30 starts are not really a problem for me (even when it takes me 2 hours to drive to Donington). The main problem are the late finishes. An 8pm finish, followed by packing up, getting back to the car, getting out of the circuit and then driving home may well mean that i dont get home until well after 22:30 or even far later when i move down to Dorset next year. Sadly it looks as if my couple of trips to Donington this year may well be the last i make.

[The Fat Clerk]

Hmm, looks like the MGCC & 750MC will be the only clubs i'll marshal at Donny, unless of course the MSA send me there for anything else!

On another front, as an ex competitor I wouldn't be over keen on starting that early, I used to hate being first out in the morning whatever time it was.

[NewYankee01]

Originally Posted by JimW

The bad news is that it has applied to extend its hours. FFS.



Read more: http://www.thisisderbyshire.co.uk/Do...#ixzz2Q4XnmbVv


Regards

Jim

Just means we can see frequently longer racing and have our lunch breaks cut when the ever more ambitious timetables can handle more/longer sessions until a few controlled stops later when it goes to pot!

[thepits!]

Originally Posted by JimW

Donington has applied for its temporary planning permission to run 60 days to be made permanent from the end of 2013.

The bad news is that it has applied to extend its hours. FFS.

It has asked if they can start racing at 8.30am, which would allow the circuit to put on an average of eight races on any given race day.

Regards, Jim

Motors TV Live managed 13 Races, and a finish before 18:30 [with a bit of pruning ]

[Mike Kelly 1]

Originally Posted by thepits!

Motors TV Live managed 13 Races, and a finish before 18:30 [with a bit of pruning ]

Yes, but thats because of the pressures of a TV schedule. All that will happen now will be that some clubs will try and fit more races into the longer day in order to pay for ever increasing circuit hire. More races potentially means more incidents & delays. The 20:00 "curfew" just means that there is less pressue on a club to finish at a decent time. If I do marshal at Donington next year I will be checking the timetable before i commit to marshalling.

[The Fat Clerk]

Originally Posted by Mike Kelly 1

Yes, but thats because of the pressures of a TV schedule. All that will happen now will be that some clubs will try and fit more races into the longer day in order to pay for ever increasing circuit hire. More races potentially means more incidents & delays. The 20:00 "curfew" just means that there is less pressue on a club to finish at a decent time. If I do marshal at Donington next year I will be checking the timetable before i commit to marshalling.

I think we all will Mike.

Clubs might get the message when Marshals keep dropping out because of the timetable

[thepits!]

The point I was making was if we could get 13 races done by 18:30 - and without the pressures of Live TV no pruning would have been necessary and I estimate finish then by 19:00 - why do they need to extend the hours to allow "an average of eight races" ?

[Greem]

I've read the application.

The proposal for a variation to the "start time" is to permit scrutineering and noise testing to begin at 0830 - that is, for engines to be run from 0830 instead of 0900.

Actual racing is still restricted to 0900 to 2000.

And remember that this is a planning application. It may be granted, it may not be, it may be granted in part or it may be amended. Still, never let the facts get in the way of a good story, eh?

[The Fat Clerk]

Still, never let the facts get in the way of a good story, eh?[/QUOTE]


Bloody right mate.

The Motors meeting had very short races which has a limited appeal to competitors, being on 'live' TV is one thing, a normal day doesn't have the same appeal.

[VIVA GT]

Could the earlier start time be an olive branch for the council?
What I mean is, "we'll ask for more 'noisy days' and an earlier start time, but be prepared to 'concede' the early start time as long as we get the extra days".
(A bit like taking your car for srutineering with a blown brake lamp bulb - an easy thing for the scrute's to pick you up on and then hopefully they'll miss the 4 litre engine!)

[M Greenslade]

Donington Park lost me as a marshal many years ago with their 'stupid O' clock' finishes, have not intention of going back..............

Bladders....

[JamieStewart9]

The 8.30am request is genuinely only to help with noise testing. As a bike club, we need at least 20 minutes before the first session with engine running time to allow us to noise test the first practice sesion (around 60 bikes).

I agree that early start + late finish does put marshals under pressure and should be avoided wherever possible. We were though guilty of doing exactly that at our recent Thundersport GB meeting at Donington Park - BUT - this was done in consultation with our Chief Marshal beforehand and measures were put in place to mitigate the long days and predicted cold weather.

On Saturday we had a 9.00am start - 6.15pm finish. Marshals (and all other volunteers) were provided with cooked breakfast, sit down hot lunch and a sit down hot evening meal.

On Sunday we had a 9.00am start - 6.40pm finish. Marshals had the same as above, but with a packed lunch instead of sit down meal.

On Monday (Bank Holiday meeting) we had a 9.00am start - 6.00pm finish. Marshals only got the standard cooked breakfast and packed lunch as everyone wanted to get off home after the last race.

Obviously a 9.00am start means signing on at between 7.00am - 8.00am so it IS a very long day for all of the volunteers. The way I personally look at it, is that by running beyond 6pm on 2 of the 3 days, I was able to fit in another championship class - therefore obtaining an extra £7,900 in income. So I felt that adding in a hot evening meal on 2 days over and above our usual provision was only fair.

To be honest, having everyone coming in off post freezing cold and tired and not having to cook a meal before cleaning up, made it a very social occasion and actually added something to the event.

Outside of Moto-GP, Formula 1 and real special events, I can't see why I would ever consider running anything over a 9.5 hour day for the volunteers.

Dave


(by the way, my regular Race Day starts at 6.00am and often finishes at 10.00pm. That is however - my choice and not something I would impose on others)

[JimW]

Hi Jamie

Greem is right and the 0830 allowance for engine running for scrutineering makes good sense. (To us that is; I'm not so sure what the locals will feel about it.)

As for meeting timetables I understand all of what you say and some car meeting organisers do make similar, very much appreciated, arrangements for long days. Your collection of finishes between 1840 and 1800 seem entirely reasonable in the circumstances.

My reservations are largely dealt with by a more critical appraisal of the timetable for the meeting before volunteering. But it is a pity when potentially attractive events are made less attractive because of the late finish.

As you say, my racing (and worse, rally) days start and finish at unsocial hours and that is my choice.

Regards

Jim

[Rob Williams]

ok a few years since "on the bank", and now up in the ivory tower, I can see both sides, each year the treasure wants to put another race in the timetable, and I have to point out that if we ever ran up to lights out time we would have less marshals than we do have anyway. I have always put on the availability form that the finish time would be 19.00 so every one has a rough idea. The no race engines before 09.00 start time has been a pain, we don't start on track on until 09.15, so a new no engines run from 08.30 would help even if we don't start on track till 09.00.

[Greem]

There's been a small development in the planning application:

I am writing to confirm that the we no longer wish to seek permission for sructineering (sic) to commence at 08.30 on Race Days and are happy to retain the current 09.00 start time

Interesting. It follows precisely what was suggested up thread. You're a clever lot, you are