Silverstone Festival 09 (reopened) + Its Organisers

[Simon Hadfield]

Someone shouting in here? We can hear you over in the Chassis Archive!

[Peter Mallett]

Well bloody well tell em then! I'm currently looking at all sorts of schemes so I can get to Combe where they are actually celebrating this fact. Trouble is it it'll cost me about five days extra pay and you really don't want to know how much that equates to.

[Peter Mallett]

Originally Posted by Simon Hadfield

Someone shouting in here? We can hear you over in the Chassis Archive!

It probably rattled the oak paneling too.

[MGDavid]

Originally Posted by Peter Mallett

Well bloody well tell em then! I'm currently looking at all sorts of schemes so I can get to Combe where they are actually celebrating this fact. Trouble is it it'll cost me about five days extra pay and you really don't want to know how much that equates to.

you can't take it with you Peter... JFDI

[terence]

By the way,did anyone know it's the Capri's 40th anniversary this year? Apparently Rodney and DelBoy will be at Coombe to help with the cellebrations.

[delta]

I will off finnished reading the "history of the capri " by then Peter so will be fully anoraked and able to drive your Capri for you at Combe.

[terence]

Originally Posted by delta

I will off finnished reading the "history of the capri " by then Peter so will be fully anoraked and able to drive your Capri for you at Combe.

Ahem! There is a que,it starts behind ME!

[john ruston]

Que-French? up market stuff!The new rule forgotten-what about Silverstone or is PM making this a seperate thread so you can all discuss Capri days this year,same time start one's for B's and Escourts

[Peter Mallett]

No, John, I happened to find an article in Classic and Sportscar referencing Castle Combe (I will start a new thread for that) and it mentioned the little known fact that I pointed out above.

[p261brm]

Originally Posted by Derwent Motorsp

When the BRDC ran it in its early days it was brillinat but they seem to have taken a decision to drop out of organising any racing now. Does anyone know why?
Not sure that it is good that HSCC (a democratic club) should be getting into bed with the Masters lot whose only goal is making loads of money!

I will hazard a guess why the BRDC have shied off from promoting. having learnt from dealings with FOM [Bernie] sell some one the 'deal' take a good proportion of the takings with little or no risk if it goes t**ts up;

[simon drabble]

Has this Festival ever made money? It goes back to the previous discussions as to whether pure historic racing works as a business module. I have a feeling the reason why "non profit" clubs like VSCC and HSCC have lasted is that they only need to break even over the year. In which case if I am right it is at the mercy of the headline sponsors and entry fees and in these reccessionary times maybe that might be hard to sustain.
An idea would be to also have classic Dragsters running down the airstrip during the weekend or a round of the Historic Rally Club on the old gravel stage (if that still exists outside the track). The point is if its going to attract paying punters and therefore reduce its dependency on competitor entry fees and sponsors it needs to offer a unique selling point. In its current format it is not different enough or nostalgic enough to get non race fans (which are not enough to make it pay).
Goodwood (which I presume is profitable especially when combined with the FoS) is a unique festival as the track is owned by the promotor and they have branded it so well that its become a social event. It would be a mistake to simply make Silverstons a pastiche of Goodwood as it has to have its own identity. Ironic really given Goodwood Revival came after the success of the old Coys Festival!

[delta]

Silverstone classic should be the english version of the Old Timmers. Get all the motor clubs invited from three wheel Reliants to Bentley's . At the end of the day club racing is for participants not for the bloke on the street to spectate is it ?. Your idea of drag strip is excelent and dont foget they had autocross at the Gold Cup last year.Seemed to work.

[terence]

Originally Posted by simon drabble

Goodwood (which I presume is profitable especially when combined with the FoS) is a unique festival as the track is owned by the promotor and they have branded it so well that its become a social event. It would be a mistake to simply make Silverstons a pastiche of Goodwood as it has to have its own identity. Ironic really given Goodwood Revival came after the success of the old Coys Festival!

I think thats were the problem stems from Simon,the BRDC own the circuit but have no-one who is willing or able to put the thing together,hence them having to buy in the "expertise".In the Coys days there would be sponsors such as Chrysler etc.As for the Rally site,although that is in a very sorry state,there is always the Rally School circuit over the back of the circuit,interesting course.The circuit could lay on minibus'es for ferrying punters to and fro for a small fee included in the Rally circuit entry.I think all thats needed is for the BRDC to get thier own team together on the lines that Lord March has done.

[simon drabble]

then they need to have a full time dedicated team to putting this and maybe a modern festival on each year and keep it in house or let it die.
I guess its part of a larger issue asto what the BRDC want from their sole asset going forward because if the GP lost them money and hosting their own Festivals do as well it begs the question as to how sustainable it is for them to keep ownership of the circuit. However that is fortunately their problem not ours and given that they have probably missed the boat to sell it for the next 5 years or so I dont envy their situation.
As a club presumably the members have ultimate individual fiscal liaibity. Its interesting to note that the largest law firms are this year requiring their partners to chip in to make up the shortfall - given how notoriously tight racing drivers are I cant see them agreeing to pay the club to cover running losses!

[Derwent Motorsp]

It is difficult to see where the BRDC are going these days. They seem to have given up on any form of organisation and are now a gentlemen's club who happen to own a rather fine circuit. They really should be running the Historic Festival and other ones as well.
The old Coys Festival was a must for everyone with loads of car clubs there, the historic rally sprint and a wide variety of cars racing. Let's hope it gets back tot hat but I can't see it happening under this new profit based management.

[John Turner]

Originally Posted by simon drabble

Has this Festival ever made money?

Yes, I believe it has!

Originally Posted by delta

Silverstone classic should be the english version of the Old Timmers. Get all the motor clubs invited from three wheel Reliants to Bentley's . At the end of the day club racing is for participants not for the bloke on the street to spectate is it ?.

I don't agree. The Silverstone Classic is one of the few historic events, like that of the Goodwood Revival that is intended to pull spectators in. Therefore the scatter gun approach is not appropriate in my view and it needs to be properly structured. On the whole, the 2008 event was excellent, but needed just a few changes, as discussed elsewhere, to make perfect. Frankly, there are more than enough good club events to cater solely for the racers.

Originally Posted by terry bower

The circuit could lay on minibuses for ferrying punters to and fro for a small fee included in the Rally circuit entry.I think all thats needed is for the BRDC to get thier own team together on the lines that Lord March has done.

As Goodwood has done for may years, the Classic did lay on a bus for punters to circumnavigate the circuit, in 2008. I agree that it is sensible not to 'reinvent the wheel' but the Classic needs to have it's own atmosphere/characteristics which make it stand out from that of Goodwood, so I don't think it should go too far down the route of emulating that event.

[john ruston]

JT ,Agree totally.BRDC had its own team in the days of John Fitzpatrick when the Festival was at its best but that disintegrated as soon as he left and the downward spiral took us to Rockingham and if the Festival is to work the type of event that was run last year needs some polishing and it will be a success.Of course to make it a success the meeting needs spectators and the income they generate,No spectators ,no interesting market place nor any car club areas,The man in the street becomes the next car club member,marshal,mechanic,driver etc,the Historic Racing Business needs them.The Oldtimer organisation are worried because of the drop in spectators and thats why they want to do spectator friendly things like clear out the Top Paddock and make more use of the Historic Paddock at the Ring.
Goodwood is a separate thing as they can spread costs over the Horse Racing and other events which are equally important to them and have a few people as permanent staff and many specialists used as and when necessary.They turn out a very good product but Silverstone will not work if they use the Goodwood template and they must do their own thing providing a weekend that treats Old Car Racing as a hobby not a product could be an idea.The question I suppose is that with all the problems within Old Time Racing and all these organisations trying to make a living from it is that is it worth bothering about as no one organisation seems to want to do anything with any long term view to improve the overall well-being and benefit of Historic Motor Racing?

[delta]

OK John but the Silverstone Classic should be the Mother of all club meetings.I thought last year was a great sucess and i dont have a problem with them running modern cars.The idea of cars griding up behind the pit garages was great for spectators to get up close to drivers and their racing cars.I think i would go further and get a veiwing area at scrutineering for the public as well.Lets fill up the fields with car clubs and a space for Capri's put on a show for the car enthusiast from the street and JR,s lot as well.This event should and could be the biggest race car and entusiast car club event of the year.

[terence]

John T,I obviously did not word that properly,I well remember the original Silverstone "Classic" events as be-ing the be all of all of the major events.I think it was also the model that all European Historic event used as a target,something for everyone,spectators included as indeed the Alzheimer's is.What I meant was that Lord March took the base ingredients of the old Coys Festivals[with a little help from his "friends"] and turned it into what it is now,sizewise that is.As I said earlier,the BRDC does not have the people with the desire or knowledge to set the Classic upto the standards we would all very much like,my hopes are with Masters,whom I'm sure have the team to do just that.

[john ruston]

Masters have enough difficulties making sure they service their clients ,quite correctly ,and not lose money.There is no way they can take a neutral stance and run a Festival that requires managing from a standpoint away from the race organisers and all the other organisations involved.This goes for all the other race organisers.If I were a Masters client and they were the event managers and saw ,what I persived ,was a decision that effected me adversely due to them agreeing with the wants of other organisations I would want to know why.That's human nature when you spend the type of money some of their clients spend with them.They are used to get what they want

[simon drabble]

I am sure that due to committments 2009 Classic is safe but along with so many other aspects of Silverstone 2010 must surely be less clear - I gather that many BRDC members are as concerned as everyone else as to its long term sustainability.

[john ruston]

The question is what is being saved this year as there are all sorts of rumours and counter rumours.If it's this sort of turmoil probably better to scrap it now.

[terence]

Seem's like there are 42 possibles for the BTCC grid at pressent.Races for just about everything[including pre-war].Cant remember the whole program ,sorry.

[rogerwills]

Originally Posted by john ruston

The question is what is being saved this year as there are all sorts of rumours and counter rumours.If it's this sort of turmoil probably better to scrap it now.

On the contrary, it is looking very good. Patience......

[rbs]

I wonder why there is no mention of the Classic meeting (or World Renault Day) on the Silverstone website?