Autosport show

[ADEE]

Maybe I'm being a sad old git but I think the Autosport show has morphed into a glitzy glamour show for the top end of our sport... nothing wrong with that as we should celebrate an industry the Brits best the world at... but the club competitor is getting squeeezed further and further out.
I recall the days when the BRSCC and 750 MC etc. had large stands in prime positions just by the main entrance in hall 9 showcasing all their club racing series. Now you have to search hard to find them and any club racing series there are squashed into a few measely square feet in the 'corridor' on the way to yet more supercar displays courtesy of the pistonheads show.
Karting too is seems has a diminished presence - certainly what was there seemed aimed only at the top end.
The sad part is that this really only seems to mirror what is happening in club motorsport more generally... the top end is thriving at the expense of the club competitior who has more modest means and is seeing affordable choices ebbing away.

[MGDavid]

IMO being a racer of modest means automatically disqualifies one from paying vast extortionate amounts of hard-earned to attend such an event...

[VIVA GT]

I think you'll find that the main reason for this is the cost of exhibiting at the show which is exorbitant! This means that the only people who can afford to exhibit are the large & highly profitable companies from the upper end of the sport, or the large retailing companies who sell lots of highly profitable stuff.
This has, in my opinion made the show appear to be very glamerous, but without any real substance to it.
Or, as my Granny used to say: "All fur coat and no Knickers!".

[midgetman]

Those large and glitzy companies didn't seem to be interested in doing business, it must just be a jolly for their staff.

I was there on Friday in my professional capacity, cheque book (almost) primed and ready to go, yet the OMP stand was actually cordoned off, the Sabelt stand members were "in a meeting", there was no-one to be seen on the Sparco stand and others just weren't interested.

Grump.

[GORDON STREETER]

The only good thing IMHO is meeting people that you haven't seen for years and have a good old chat. Last year somebody tapped me on the shoulder that I had heard through the grapevine had died ten years ago !!!

[Stacy]

Originally Posted by ADEE

Maybe I'm being a sad old git but I think the Autosport show has morphed into a glitzy glamour show for the top end of our sport... nothing wrong with that as we should celebrate an industry the Brits best the world at... but the club competitor is getting squeeezed further and further out.

It could be worse though. A couple of years ago it had seemingly been taken over by the aftermarket guys and pole dancers. And surprisingly ropey ones at that. It certainly seemed to be losing its way.

This year there did seem to be a reasonable number of genuine motorsport stands, and you got to bump into a lot of people you'd not seen since the season ended.

It could certainly do with some more club level stands, but I presume they've been driven out by cost. I would also say we could do with less of the aftermarket stuff, but so long as it's not taking the place of a motorsport offering then fine - and besides one had a disappointingly attractive "stealth" version of my tow car which I, even more disappointingly, enquired after.

Now where is the business card for those 24" spinners...

S.

[Tim Falce]

Does the content of the show not depend on which day you go. Thursday and Friday has one hall for engineering but I believe on Saturday and Sunday that gives way to the boy racer bling.
Hopefully the Excel show will grow to the point that we wont have to suffer the trek to the NEC any more, very good for us darn sarf.

[Simon S]

agree with the orrigial poster...

it's turning more like MAX power show every year...

this will be the lastyear I bother, the trade stands are just not turning up any more, and can you blame them?

[silver bullet]

Originally Posted by Simon S

it's turning more like MAX power show every year...

I have to disagree with this comment. Four years ago there was a danger that it was going that way. There were loads of stands selling wheel spinners, flashing lights/neons, boom boxes, and speedtrap detectors. this year there were none. I also think there were less glamour girls this year.

As a competitor I go to the show for several reasons,

To find out the dates, regs, news etc. for the coming season
To speak to suppliers and get their recommendations on which products I should be using
To purchase equipment (hopefully at a discounted rate)
To meet up with friends and have the craic
To have a look around at other types of motorsport that I would not normally come across
A couple of days away from work

For me the show ticked all the boxes again this year.

[Stacy]

I'm not sure, I thought these guys adopted the stands for all weekend. Certainly the max power people were present before the weekend.

I'm usually a Friday person, as I did go on a Saturday once many moons ago and found it pretty repellant, full of people wearing Damon Hill baseball caps dribbling special brew down their chins..

This year though I detected a sea change in the level of max power stuff. Yes there was frippery, but it was more of the Racing Car Show it used to be.

S.

[leonidas]

Got to say I agree with Adee - although I think its been in decline for a few years. There was far too much max power stuff and not enough from the smaller clubs and organisers. Even major organisers like the British Rally Championship were stuck away in a corner - and a long way from McRae tribute and WRC RallyGB stands.

I'm afraid its the old story - find something profitable then milk it dry. £28 each + £8 parking + £more if the kids want autographs is a rip off. The HRCR Historic Rally open day at Gaydon was more enjoyable - and it was free!

[ADEE]

Good to know I'm not alone... & I fully concur with leonidas that it is getting to be a rip off. But a successful one if the queues for the ticket offices were anything to go by - so expect ticket prices to rise even more nextt year!!
In fact it was the level of oranisation (or lack of it) that coloured my judgement from the outset. Fortunately I arrived early and missed the worst of the queues but amazingly had to go to two booths to get tickets - 1 for my 'MSA' trade pass & another for the little girl's paddock pass - not to mention I'd had to order these sepaarately from the website. Then no one knew about trade pass holders' entitlements to live action (i'd paid the extra £5 or £6). It took 30 mins in the organisers office to get that sorted!!
As it turned out getting the trade pass really didn't save me anything, but it did cause huge exasperation and frustration and wasted over an hour, just so I could get a ticket for the live action & sit with my 5-year old daughter!
Overall I'm with Simon S and think this is the last year I'll bother... maybe try the excel show this year instead.
This saddens me as it was always a great way to add some colour to a grey January day and get a much needed motorsport fix mid-winter. It doubly saddens 'cos I think it really highlights a potential demise in club racing... a subject for another thread I guess!

[Jim Spencer]

Originally Posted by falcemob

Does the content of the show not depend on which day you go. Thursday and Friday has one hall for engineering but I believe on Saturday and Sunday that gives way to the boy racer bling.

Nope, the engineering bit was replaced by what is probably the most 'grass roots' bit of motorsport there is, plus a catering area.

We built 2 stands - 1 huge one at 800+ sq meters, 1 smaller one at 60 sq meters - staffed them both with 104 volunteers.

To do that we had to work with the show organisers and build the stands overnight, but it means we can then afford it and we get to show 100k punters about our activity.

A great show for us - helps boost our racers every year.

[Chris Y]

Hello Jim.. Are you the same Jim Spencer that used to be with the BRCA - is that what you're referring to in your post?

Greetings from an old MaccTrack regular

[Jim Spencer]

Originally Posted by Chris Y

Hello Jim.. Are you the same Jim Spencer that used to be with the BRCA - is that what you're referring to in your post?

Greetings from an old MaccTrack regular

Hi Chris

Yup, that's me - we had an excellent show, track wasn't quite on the old MaccTrack scale but not far off..

What I can't believe is that if our small bit of the world can get itself together to put a show on that club motorsport can't..

I had several people tell me at the weekend:-
"Our club can't afford to attend - the space for a couple of cars is too expensive"
But they were all talking about the same sort/class of cars..
If the clubs worked together they could take along half a dozen cars and advertise probably 3 - 4 times that number of championships with them.

[CNHSS1]

Chris/Jim
Bloody hell, us old 'Dink' racers get everywhere
see ya trackside Jim
CNH

[midgetman]

>>>>>>>>>>I had several people tell me at the weekend:-
"Our club can't afford to attend - the space for a couple of cars is too expensive"
But they were all talking about the same sort/class of cars..
If the clubs worked together they could take along half a dozen cars and advertise probably 3 - 4 times that number of championships with them.


Jim, I think you'll find the Saturday/Sunday show was a damned sight cheaper than space in the "premium" 4-day event. Haymarket are very creative with their pricing...

[Jim Spencer]

Originally Posted by midgetman

Jim, I think you'll find the Saturday/Sunday show was a damned sight cheaper than space in the "premium" 4-day event. Haymarket are very creative with their pricing...

Hi, actually it's surprising small, depending which bit of the show the difference is in the region of £25 a sq meter.

Of course it's cheaper to do as the other costs - hotels, subsistence etc etc are then only for 2 1/2 days (inc build).

That's the bit that illustrates the point even more if you think about it, a 'find out how to do club motorsport' stand would be very easy to assemble on the Friday night build as the exhibits have generally got wheels on them

My club is, in the great big scheme of things, large in numbers but small in £'s - but we find it our best PR exercise of the year.
I just think that if half a dozen or so clubs got together they could come up with a combined display to represent them all, split the costs, advertise and talk about every class and all benefit. True some might not benefit as much as others - but somebody needs to get club motorsport in front of the 'to be converted masses' it's all well and good other shows being better for the existing racers to attend but the existing racers are converted already - that's just moving slices of the same cake into different mouths - we need to think about making the cake bigger..

I dabble at speed events in the summer months and I reckon i'm in the youger 25% of the racers present and I'm 40..
I bet the average age of the punters at the show over the weekend was in the high 20's at the most - so something isn't working somewhere.

[CNHSS1]

Originally Posted by Jim Spencer

I dabble at speed events in the summer months and I reckon i'm in the youger 25% of the racers present and I'm 40..
I bet the average age of the punters at the show over the weekend was in the high 20's at the most - so something isn't working somewhere.

i agree with Jim. seems odd that some of the young motorsport competitors have lots of money behind them (have you seen a 15 yr old karters kit? numerous engines, chassis', merc van awning etc) and follow the 'career path' karts, FF, FVL, F3 etc but dont seem to see many 'clubbie' (read poverty-spec racers lol) at club level, certainly in sprints/hills. i started, like many, at 30 yrs old.
my main gripe is that if you look in any town/city, there are loads of young guys (and girls) that we all like to call chavs. Now i know some of em are scrotes, but many spend thousands on their cars, and treat them to many loving hours care and attention. Does that sound familiar? whats the difference between the 18yr old kid and us lot spending hours in the garage prepping our cars for the season ahead? many dont drink becasue they'd rather spend their money on the car or petrol. These kids are often potential competitors but just need the right guidance. The 'Bling' stands at any car show prove that theres plenty of disposable money to be spent (they often havent got huge mortgages or 3 kids yet), why not channel it into club level motorsport rather than Halfords pockets? the way i see it we all benefit. More club members, more events and as the MSA are only too pleased to champion, the greater likelihood through numbers (and starting earlier than 30+ in your motorsport career) we may have more than one 'Next Lewis Hamilton'. ANY event that can show Joe Public how easy it is to compete at Club level, and often within their monetary means, has got to be a good thing. be nice to see clubs run an "introduction to motorsport day" where experienced guys have their cars on show and answer the Qs we all had when we started. let them get a feel for the sport we enjoy, and dispel some of the myths and urban legends. Just my two penneth....
Cheers Craig

[rescue dude]

Originally Posted by leonidas

Even major organisers like the British Rally Championship were stuck away in a corner - and a long way from McRae tribute and WRC RallyGB stands.

The BRC stand was where it has been for a number of years.
You'll find that when you book a stand the organizers will ask where you want it and if available thats where it will be. Although i cannot state categorically i reckon the BRC ask to be put where it is.

Although i agree it should be with the other rally stands.

[Suze]

Originally Posted by leonidas

I'm afraid its the old story - find something profitable then milk it dry. £28 each + £8 parking + £more if the kids want autographs is a rip off. The HRCR Historic Rally open day at Gaydon was more enjoyable - and it was free!

I went to ASI on Fri and HRCR on Saturday.....good way to spend the weekend!

Nope, the engineering bit was replaced by what is probably the most 'grass roots' bit of motorsport there is, plus a catering area.

What was the grassroots stuff then?

[rescue dude]

Originally Posted by Suze

What was the grassroots stuff then?

Autograss ,Stock cars and Drag racing.