Pembrey

[topwelshman]

Went to Pembrey today to watch the Trucks, Welsh Saloons & the 2 CV's. I raced there in May and had a great weekend but going back there today has really highlighted how badly funded & lacking in facilities it is. It was P*****g down and the only place to shelter was the Bar & they weren't selling food / hot drinks and were diverting people across the paddock to the burger van for it in the rain. The toilets were leaking everywhere, everywhere was sodden in mud and there are just no facilities for families whatsoever.

We all know that spectator levels are dropping and therefore income to the circuits is as well. But, the way I see it is until these types of venues are run like professional businesses, spectators are viewed like clients and the whole sport gets dragged into the 21st century nothing will improve and we'll all end up paying more and more to race with no improvement in the venues.

WHY isn't anyone trying to sell this for what it is....A GREAT day out for all. Pembrey is a great Track and worthy of alot more

Just my 2p's worth

[AndyF]

I like Pembrey too, its a really interesting track, but I think its location will always make it difficult to put serious investment in (see Knockhill, Angelsey, Cadwell etc)

[ianpearson]

It is a great track & a great location, there are not to many other places where you can go to the beach when you've finished for day & the locals are always very freindly. I think its the same with all circuits, there is never any promotion, when i've been staying even within five minutes of circuits nobody knows what is going on that weekend, a poster in a pub, a leaflet to the B&B/hotel people would have to help to get people through the gates.

[DelaRonde]

Great circuit, best 2 lefthanders in the country.....needs to be longer, which is happening I think.

Location, location and location is the problem, I agree.

del

[simes43]

Honda , Hatchet and Spitfires are all great fun. The long left hander just goes on and on, with the car becoming more and more loaded.

The main problem is the paddock position which makes access difficult for spectators. It needs a tunnel.

[gttouring]

on top of much this happens in the US and all over Norht America
Racing is big business and should be considered a large pasttime akin to the stick and ball sports... but so many potential investors and spectators still and very likely always will consider this an expensive hobby not a real professional endeavor and circuits rarely get federal or government funds to shapen up or investors thinking tracks are a multi use venues. Nice fields and a nice road through the middle, lots of sandboxes for kids to play in a real treat for picnickers and families on non race days, and on race days if all the facilities were up to even public park level these circuits all over may be used by more htan "gear heads and hobbyists" but real business investors to aid in their upkeep (there see even my language i refer to everything else as "real" bsiness- so deep does the attitude of racing and wrenching go to ruin its mass professional reality and appeal!)

[DelaRonde]

I used to use Pembrey an enormous amount, especially in the early days, late eighties, when Llanelli Council owned it. Used to be able to ring a nice guy called Ron Cant and he would open the circuit just for me.......

del

[AndyF]

Originally posted by DelaRonde
I used to use Pembrey an enormous amount, especially in the early days, late eighties, when Llanelli Council owned it. Used to be able to ring a nice guy called Ron Cant and he would open the circuit just for me.......

del

That's a great story - its a shame everything is big business now and we have lost a lot of individuals from the industry who were in it as they enjoyed the sport

[topwelshman]

I personally think the Location is ok. Yes it's a long trip and a pain to get through Llanelli but it's in the middle of nowhere so no restrictions on noise etc and there is plenty of scope to expand the track & facilities without having to buy extra land.

There is quite a big catchment area around there, you have Swansea, Llanelli, Neath All of West Wales , Cardiff is only 1 hr away & Bristol 2. The way I see it is that the BARC do not have the funds to adequately promote motorsport & maintain the tracks

There's lots of potential at a lot of tracks that are just not being explored for whatever reason and it's affecting us all and it's downright frustrating

[ss_collins]

Promotion is cheap - people just charge a lot for it! With common sense the circuits could make themselves far more interesting and 'a place to be' for locals and those further afield. Castle Combe is the only long circuit in the UK that does it well. - though Croft tries hard too.

Owners of long circuits should sit up and smell the shale - I was at a race meeting last weekend with 5,000 spectators... the same circuits next meeting will attract 8,000 +, another circuit run by the same crowd will get 10,000 in a fortnight with no problems.

What am I on about you ask... Short ovals. Sneers all round I don't doubt, not proper racing, bunch of pikeys, no talent in just turning left - are what I have heard said about it.

However the spending power of 10,000 people is immense - thats getting on for £100,000 ingate takings - plus beer and burgers then you are looking at huge profits. How much do they spend on marketing? - well lets just say its a lot less than the palmer circuits.

As for diver ability, Rod Birley, Ian McKellar Jr, Derek Warwick etc.. might take you to task on that one.

Realises that has totally been sidetracked and is now totally off topic - Oh well will make a new thread later.

Beers calls!

[topwelshman]

I couldn't agree more, I think alot of it is down to poor management

[Al Weyman]

I was banging on about this 10 years ago and may as well been hitting my head against a wall, making the places more user friendly, family friendly etc etc, nothing has changed and I doubt nothing ever will, I actually did the first ever meeting at Pembrey and have a little plaque they presented to everyone who participated.

Did anyone ever race at any of the Sun newspaper free days at Brands Hatch. I did and it was brilliant, never played to such a packed house. They must have taken a fortune from the spectators that came for a 'free' day out, you could'nt get near a bar or a burger place, it was like it should be. I bet as well those days introduced a lot of people to the sport.

[HoTWire]

I was at Pembrey for the first time in YEARS the other weekend,.. Really enjoyed the racing, was suprised by how sparse the fields were.

Was also suprised that Pembrey hadn't changed at all during the intervening years. It feels cheap, so its not attractive to people on a day out. It could do with a covered seated stand. A bridge or underpass to the paddock. A paddock that is all tarmac and clearly laid out.

But its the whole problem that it needs this things to attract people, but to get the money to do these things it needs those people to have already spent their money.

Race entry seems to be so costly it is putting people off circuit racing and into cheaper sprints and hillclimbs. Smaller fields make for less interesting racing. Which further results in less people watching.

Most frustrating is all this can be seen, it could all be fixed. But it won't ,...

.... one day when I run the world I will fix these things