Rockingham Rip Off!

[Robin Plummer]

I got the letter through the door about the ticket prices at Rockingham for this year. And as I expected the same rip off F1 style prices.

The motor racing community may in the main originate from here i.e. many F1 teams, Reynard, Lola, Cosworth, Illmor etc but we have to pay the price as usual in the good old UK!

You lucky Americans cheap tickets and it dosent matter if the race is 300 miles a way because fuel costs 1 dollar a gallon!

[SevenGrain]

$1.59 actually...

[rlinter]

Shame on you - Rockingham 500 tickets as a lot cheaper than they were last year and compare them DIRECTLY to the cost of a grandstand seat at Silverstone for the British GP...

It is also worth mentioning that you really can see AT LEAST 95% of the track from any seat in the house and the more you can see the more the tickets cost with seems reasonable to me. How much can you see from a seat at Silverstone???

And from what I hear from RMS the tickets for the 2002 Rockingham 500 are flying out of the door!

[SevenGrain]

I did a little research to see just how the Rockingham pricing tier compares with the rest of the races and this is what I came up with.

Listed from worst seats to best...

Rockingham tickets cost (converted to U.S. dollars)
$58.40
$94.90
$138.70
$219.00

Chicago
$35.00
$50.00
$80.00
$110.00

Cleveland
$20.00
$35.00
$45.00
$65.00
$75.00
$90.00
$100.00
$150.00
$350.00

Fontana
$39.00
$50.00
$75.00
$90.00
$110.00

Australia (U.S. Dollars)
$65.00
$75.00
$95.00
$118.00
$123.00

Denver
$40.00
$55.00
$60.00
$75.00
$80.00
$105.00

EuroSpeedway (U.S. dollars
$27.00
$49.50
$67.50
$113.00
$130.00
$158.00
$184.00
$230.00

[macdaddy]

Wow! You did quite alot of research, Seven. It does look like the European ovals are rather expensive compared to North American venues. The $350 Cleveland ticket must be some kind of PhotoPass or something. (There was a similar ticket for Detroit). Our tix for Michigan last year were $95US, which I thought rather pricey, especially considering that that works out to around $5674 Cdn. (On a side-note, I love sentences where you can use the same word, "that that", twice. But that's just me). As far as I'm concerned, every CART race is too expensive to bring a family of four if you're just an "average Joe". But the EuroSpeedway would cost you almost a grand if you had two kids! Obviously CART is passing some of their travelling costs onto the fan. But that wouldn't explain why the Australian date is relatively inexpensive. So maybe the new speedways are trying to pay off their contractors.

[rlinter]

now compare the costs of British GP tickets at face value (Ie before the ticket agencies have inflated them)

Can't find the prices for race day but for saturday qualifying at silverstone the Price including a seat on the pit straight is 80 Pounds from where you will see the pit straight and which ever corner you are near provided the bridge don't obscruct your view.

For Qualifying at rockingham the TOP ticket price (ie on the Pit Straight) is 30 Pounds.... All seats being first come first served.

The top price ticket for the race day at RMS is £150. (top of the rockingham building able to see everything except the apron in turn 2!!!)

On a side note - Everywhere but the UK the Super Racing Weekend tickets as just 12.50 Euros - Here they are 20 quid (32 Euros!!)

[Speedworx]

The Rockingham 500 is cheaper than last year and cheaper than US events. Why bother to travel over the pond? That costs a fortune. Better to stay in the UK and come to Rockingham.

[Dave Brand]

It's a fact of commercial life that the value of any product or service is what the market is prepared to pay. If you don't want to pay rip-off prices, don't!

[Robin Plummer]

Hakkiman are you on Rockingham's payroll?

[El_Gibleto]

For a comparison with other sports, the FA cup final seat prices start at £45.00 for just 90 minutes action. Prices for six nations rugby internationals are similar, as are the prices for a day at the lords or oval test match. Some of the Premiership soccer clubs charge even more than that for a ticket to a game.

Rockingham is giving good value for money, you have to remember that RMS is NOT a charity, but a comercial organisation that has to meet its costs, which are considerable, but also provide the investors with a return on their capital.

[Robin Plummer]

A season ticket to watch Essex County Cricket Club at home games (23 in total including 9 4 day games making a total of 50 days in total) costs just £85. Now that's what I call value. Add in a £15 walkman to listen to the Rockingham Race and F1 Grand Prix and your sorted Sounds like a pricelss picture doesnt it.

£85 Season Ticket
£30 Essex Team Shirt
£15 Radio
Photo of you getting a sun tan in England PRICELESS!!!

[El_Gibleto]

Sorry Robin, not even been paid a fifty million pounds would make me watch Essex for a season. Now if it was a Warwickshire membership we would be talking!

Have fun(!) watching a Grump coached side.

[Robin Plummer]

El_Gibleto I don't mind watching Warwickshire as Nick Knight plays for you and we trained him up and then passed him on to you... (Whoops!)

[El_Gibleto]

If I remember rightly, he was glad to be liberated from Essex and the aforementioned Mr "Grump".

The sad thing for Essex supporters is your never get to see your best XI they are prematurly elevated to the England side, in many cases when they are NOT the best players avalable(stand up Mr Foster).

Seriously, enjoy the cricket, it's a great game. I just wish I had more time to watch the game.

[Liz]

Toronto Molson Indy tickets range from $30.00 general admission (which is $20 US) to about $250.00 ($166.67 US) for ALL THREE DAYS. Add in another $50 ($33 US) for a three day paddock pass. I pay $150 for silver grandstand right on the start/finish line and with the air conditioned motorsport hall (and beer garden) right behind us and a straight walk to the streetcar home. No one could ask for anything better than that.

How many days does my $210 Canadian get me at Rockingham? I mean, not counting the air fare (currently $900 round trip) and hotel costs, and the undeniable fact that I'm gambling against the chance it might bucket down for three days and I will go home without seeing anything -- and if they run the race on Tuesday, after I leave for home on my non-refundable, non-changeable ticket, I get no refund from Rockingham?

[macdaddy]

The good thing is we don't have to fly the Pond to see a race. If the day ever comes when I do cross the Atlantic, I'll be watching the Rockingham race on a TV somewhere in Aamsterdam, anyway.

[The Beer Baron]

Most expensive raceday seat is £150, which is £50 less than a general Admission for the British GP , if you wanna sit on one of the seats that'll cost you a further £100 at Silverstone!!

Remember that 30,000 FEWER people will be granted access to the british GP this year!

[Speedworx]

Also at Silverstone you can only see part of the track. At Rockingham its every corner of every lap.

Its just the normal British attitiude. Anything that good, we complain about.

[Rob29]

Maybe you can see all of the track,if you have 20/20 vision,but for those of us who do not,I prefer to be closer to the action.The infield road circuit is BORING.Give me Cadwell Park anytime.