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I do attend the AGM's and are quite vocal at them. The problem is that we don't get enough people attending. I'm gonna throw this back to the drivers again. The number of times in the North West Centre we have asked drivers to attend the AGM to air points of views. We even had a drivers meeting after the last NW centre AGM and there were 6 of us. I am startingto beleive APATHY is a disease! You have to vote with your feet and make some noise. So I can speak from experience on certain matters such as Cruises etc. As I said previously, I have attended one of these events (non-BRSCC)and as I said before, most of the assembled crowd are not interested in the slightest with racing. A cruise is all about image. A couple of replies to this post stated that these could be possible future racers, marshals or even members. Don't count on it. If the club want to attract a youth audience, then they need to freshen up, but this is not the way. It's a racing club.
Why don't we see anything for junior membership? A mascot, I don't know, a cartoon tortoise called "speedy" or something and a kids section in the BRN. I have a 4 year old daughter who loves "going to watch daddy", but there is nothing for her to do at the circuits. If the BRSCC are paying to hire a circuit, then they should be given free will to host what they want on that day. Bouncy castles, buggies etc with all revenue to them. If the circuit say they can't do that, then put up a fight for pity's sake.
Fact: The only reason corporate days are so popular at race circuits is because the attendees have at some point witnessed racing either on TV or at a circuit. If they hadn't seen racing, then they would not have considered a track day.
Without racing, corporate days WOULD dwindle and it would be lost revenue for the circuits. So, the circuits do need racing contrary to popular belief that they could survive on just corporate days and race school activities. If the clubs voted with their feet and said we are not going to use your circuit, then the circuits would have to change the way they operate.
Jonathan Palmer was quoted in Autosport several weeks ago as saying:
"If we can't get people through the gates, the racers will have to foot the bills". I didn't here any response from the BRSCC or any other club for that matter. It's just accepted. With that in mind, when the next Oulton Park meeting came along, there was no mention of it on the radio, in the papers or even by posters. How are they going to get people in if they don't tell people it's happening. I work at a large company in Manchester with over 4000 staff in one building. I have created a Motorsport section on the internal website for staff. This is accessed by all staff across the country, around 12000 I beleive. Over 80% of those people didn't know their was a professional race circuit 30 miles down the motorway from Manchester and certainly didn't know that it held races nearly every week. Quite a number of people have since attended meetings and from their feedback, will be attending again. I spent a couple of nights throwing together some documents for this site and it attracted people, yet the might of JP's new empire couldn't promote one meeting at Oulton!!!!!!!
Whether the BRSCC gets the gate receipt or not I feel is irrelevant. If they promoted the meeting, they would benefit in the long run. Maybe a bit simplistic, but, with a better gate receipt, circuit hire fees can come down. The reductions can be passed onto the competitors (ie. customers) and more people can afford to race week in week out. With bigger grids, comes better racing, which in turn, makes people want to come and watch. But someone has to make the first move and get away from this stalemate that is currently choking British motorsport.
Look at this, I was only coming on for a quick look and I've wrote an essay at nearly 2 in the morning, but I hope it goes to show how passionate I am about this issue. I don't want to see the sport I love die away due to APATHY. I just wish a few more of the drivers would speak out. they all stand around moaning and putting the world to rights, but never do anything. I'm not trying to rub people up the wrong way here, I promise, but I am trying to tell it as it is.
You tell me where else you can get a full days entertainment for a tenner?
In the words of the Toploader song:
"let the people know, show them the way"
See I'm rambling now. getting tired.
But one last thing. I am not being prejudice, honest, but Cruises are not the way to go. With the very nature of these events, the BRSCC could find that they have bitten off more than they can chew. These things do get out of hand by their very nature. And if I've said it once. They have nothing to do with racing. They are not about racing. The BRSCC is about racing.
Focus people ;o)
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