Masters - Mallory Park - Cancelled

[The Fat Clerk]

I'm sorry to have to report that this meeting has been cancelled.

[JimW]

That'll be the 7th August then?

Jim

[johngee]

Yes Jim. Unfortunately the entry level wouldn't support a realistic meeting. A matter of great regret but perhaps coming so soon after the Silverstone Classic and being in the middle of the holiday season was a hostage to fortune.

[delta]

Also same weekend as HSCC Croft. As I keep on saying there is too much Historic racing,some thing is going to have to give.

[Al Weyman]

Maybe they should start looking at their price structure they are simply too expensive. Forget the catering and all that who wants it anyhow just get the prices down.

[Mike Bell]

Originally Posted by Al Weyman

Maybe they should start looking at their price structure they are simply too expensive. Forget the catering and all that who wants it anyhow just get the prices down.

I can see the problem- it isn't on the Historic calendar at top of the page!

Al, in fairness Masters have reduced the entry fees for 'Top Hat' type meetings this year, and unless Snetterton at Easter was an exception the hospitality unit is not used at them.

HSCC Croft entry fees look particularly good value compared with some meetings, which may be a factor as well!

[Al Weyman]

Maybe some commonsense on entry fees will at last start to prevail.

[simon drabble]

out of interest when was a historic meeting last cancelled?

[thebullet]

The last 2 car meetings at Mallory have been cancelled now

[Mike Bell]

Originally Posted by simon drabble

out of interest when was a historic meeting last cancelled?

Cancelled due to low entries..... No, can't think of one. Due to operational difficulties, Donington last year. IIRC one series organiser who buys into other meetings cancelled a race last season due to low entries, but that is about it.

Bullet, not too long before CSCC appear at Mallory, so hang on in there!

[Al Weyman]

I am going try to make that one, in what car or what race I dont know dont really fancy Sports vs Saloons again as I thought that a tad hammer and tongs for an old gentleman racer

[kipper]

Originally Posted by simon drabble

out of interest when was a historic meeting last cancelled?

From memory May 2010's Masters meeting at Anglesey was cancelled. This meeting clashed with HSCC's meeting on the Silverstone Grand Prix circuit.

[Mike Bell]

Originally Posted by kipper

From memory May 2010's Masters meeting at Anglesey was cancelled. This meeting clashed with HSCC's meeting on the Silverstone Grand Prix circuit.

Thanks Kipper- I had this nagging feeling that had missed one! Think most predicted that that particular meeting would struggle when HSCC had their biggy same weekend....

[Al Weyman]

It really is about time clubs started talking to each other to stop this clash of meetings. Get the commercialism out of it and lets go back to having some fun in an amatuer sport. I ran a race club for 10 years and never saw a reason to charge more than £25 to be a member and register and I never took a penny out of it so it can be done. The whole thing is just getting silly now, I have to belong to the BARC, the CTCRC and any other like CSCC that I may fancy a run out with. If clubs could start working together and the MSA requirement that you only have to be a member of just one registered club I guarantee entries would be up. I looked at this meeting when James asked for entries and my old car slots in almost exactly with their Group 1 regs but its the same old thing having to pay to register etc and in the end you think its just not worth it. With the cost of petrol etc and the recession I think guys want to cut their road travel down as much as possible I know I do and I would ideally like to do meetings with different clubs within a 120 mile radius of Watford and is why I am not at Pembrey this weekend with CTCRC as the thought of 220 miles down the M4 on a Friday brings me out in a cold sweat, if there was more flexibility this would be possible same goes for the regs as well. Compromsie and flexibility must be the key words and stop relying on heavy club membership fees.

[Derwent Motorsp]

I totally agree. We have seen the steady decline of club racing as we know it as the "commercial" groups muscle in. They are able to pay circuits more in track hire than clubs and they then charge huge entry fees to get that back plus a good profit. If you look at the Silverstone Classic, it has 2 "promoters" and most of the races were put on by commercial outfits, with only HSCC and HGPCA being "not for profit." Thus huge amo8unts going into other folks pockets.
I've been involved in all types of motorsport for over 40 years and am secretary of our local club here which has 600 members. When it comes to the type of events we run, rallies, historic rallies, speed events etc, they are run under National B permit with other clubs and championships invited, no need to join the organising club. This rarely happens in racing though - there are too many folk with their hands in the till!
As regards distance to events Al, you should try living in the Lake District, 270 miles to Silverstone!

[Al Weyman]

The bottom line is like it or not there is only a limited amount of us that either have to money to pay someone to do it for us or has the skills and facilities to prepare and run the cars for themselves that can do historic racing. Clubs are going through a crisis now and you only have to look at the cancellation of this meeting and the poor grids of others. I watched the Donington revival and some races had single figures strung out for ages and was totally boring to watch and probably to drive in. I guess at the end of the day market forces will come into play as clubs running for profit will simply not be able to buy the track time they can only take so many hits before they go under.

[terence]

Perhaps if that is true,the 360 WILL be even better next year! But then again,we KNOW it will be.

[G.Walker]

No surprise really, If your paying top dollar for your racing then expect less interest in the lower profile circuits/meetings.

The cscc meeting will make up for it.

[andy97]

And the CSCC Mallory meeting has the added attraction of the Special Saloons/ Modsports/ Thundersaloons Revival races on the Monday.

[thebullet]

Originally Posted by Mike Bell

Cancelled due to low entries..... No, can't think of one. Due to operational difficulties, Donington last year. IIRC one series organiser who buys into other meetings cancelled a race last season due to low entries, but that is about it.

Bullet, not too long before CSCC appear at Mallory, so hang on in there!

Looking forward to that one! was at the media day for it. Mouth watering

[simon drabble]

my childhood memory of going to watch racing at Silverstone was the Skoda (which for some reason I remember being Aston powered by I must be wrong and the Beetle. I really hope the Mallory race develops into a series - Tony Dron tests some of them in the latest issue of Octane

[John Turner]

The John Pope Vauxhall had an Aston V8 engine. I think Gerry M drove it once or twice.

[vjay48]

How can you describe club racing to be in decline,the number of meetings and series/championships seems to increase each year?

[Al Weyman]

Thats true but with ever smaller grids! And thats the problem. The MSA are powerless to do anything about it for fear of getting sued in the European Courts (so i have read on here) for unfair commercial practices if they try to stop a new series. Also as the say the proofs in the the pudding or we wouldn't be having this discussion if the meeting hadnt been cancelled!

[andy97]

Can someone tell me how the contracts work between the circuits & the clubs please? So, when a meeting is cancelled, as this one has been, are the club still committed to paying out certain sums depending on how late the cancellation?