AMOC 2010 Racing Calendar? and How long can it go on (merged)

[John Turner]

I had simply hoped to add the dates and details to the thread already set up for discussing the 2010 historic racing calendar, but the fact is that I cannot really tell you much about the AMOC plans, despite the fact that a programme of 6 race meetings was in existence by the end of November. I will not go into the full details about everything that has occurred within AMOC over recent months and all the views and opinions expressed below are my own.

As some of you may know, Mark Campbell invited me to join the AMOC Comps committee, during the second half of last season, primarily I believe, to help bring a broader brush approach to the forthcoming AMOC racing season. The upshot of this was that Mark, in practice, still the Competition Committee Chairman, since he was still actually undertaking most of the tasks required of that role, (despite being replaced nominally halfway through the season by the AMOC Club Chairman, Richard Jackson!) along with Jim Campbell, myself and other members of the comps team worked together to achieve a viable and evenly distributed 6 meeting race programme for 2010. In putting together this programme, we acknowledged the adverse financial impact of past seasons, the current recession and the need to develop AMOC in a manner that raised its profile in historic racing, and also the increasing number of modern racing Astons coming on stream. It combined traditional Aston races with races for other clubs, pre-war cars and with a view to widening interest, dipping a toe in the Pre 63GT waters, and the return of the Martini Trophy proper as an endurance race for Group 5/6 2–litre sports cars from the 1970’s. To me, and biased though I am, it was an exciting package which if it met with success, we had hoped would see us develop it further for following seasons, including cooperating and working more closely with other clubs.

At the end of November the comps committee met and unanimously approved the proposed 6 meeting 2010 race programme. This was duly submitted to the AMOC’s main Committee of Management and approved by them at their meeting in early December. End of story you might think; we are now free to continue putting the finishing touches to the programme and taking the actions to ensure that it was as successful as it could be. No, not a bit of it! At the end of that same meeting the above mentioned Club Chairman announced that he was disbanding the competition committee with immediate effect and creating a new one. You would think that having just approved the race programme, the Committee of Management would immediately and forcibly challenge the action of its own Chairman in dismantling the very team that had, voluntarily, spent many, many hours, putting together the individual meeting race programmes, booking the circuits, making the phone calls and contacts, costing out the meetings etc. No, again, I’m afraid not. Despite the efforts of the ‘old’ comps committee to try to save the programme, last week the same Committee of Management voted in favour of its Chairman’s unfathomable action. The reason provided for the dismissal of comps committee, given the manner in which this has transpired, is specious at best, but I’m not prepared to comment further on that. The salient point is that the old committee and its approved 2010 race programme is no more.

So here we are, at the end of January, into AMOC’s 75th anniversary with a ‘new’ comps committee which has just been formed with a ‘revised’ programme of meetings organised. However, I have no real idea of who constitutes this new committee or what the race content of the revised programme is. We now have (unlike our previously approved race programme) an uneven distribution of events (see AMOC site), four of the six events occurring before the middle of the year, and it is not clear what, if anything, of our original programme survives.

There is so much more that I would like to say about this extraordinary affair and the machinations that led to this outcome, but feel unable to do so. In any event you may draw your own conclusions. I’m both bitterly disappointed, and extremely angered, by what has occurred here. I am particularly annoyed on behalf of Mark Campbell (a Ten-Tenth member, incidentally) who has worked tirelessly on the competitions committee over the last two years and instead of being thanked for his efforts, has been very shabbily treated. I also feel extremely sorry for John Hutchison, who, at short notice, stepped into the Competition Manager’s role after Martin Atack’s departure towards the end of last season. If John's attempts to organise this revised 13th hour race programme and salvage something out of all these last minute changes, fails, it will be through no fault of his.

It’s no secret that I am an avid fan of Aston Martins, and have been so since I was a very small boy. I have supported AMOC events for over 40 years, but the way I feel at the moment about the manner in which this has all been handled and the treatment meted out to Mark means that I am unlikely to support any of their race events this year. Even if I do attend, I will not be promoting their events on Ten Tenths or providing my usual pictorial reviews. You may think that this is sour grapes on my part, but I’d be just as happy supporting AMOC events outside of the comps committee, as I have always done, as on it. No, what is at issue for me, is that there is an inexplicable wrong to be righted here, and that even if a volte face was to occur, I feel that it is too late to salvage ‘our’ approved programme for this coming season.

[apriliadriver]

John,
As a racing participant in the Fifties Sports Car Team Challenge, but not an AMOC member, I had heard a rumble a few weeks ago. The [old] Comps Committee and yourself have all our commiserations.

Just to make a small point, Mark Campbell kicked off the idea of the Fifties Sports Car Team Challenge 4 years ago, inviting AC Aces, Austin Healeys, Alfa Romeos, Aurelias, DB 2/4s (of course) etc and with the help of his compatriots has made a superbly successful new race series often showing the best-supported grids at AMOC meetings and certainly a driver and spectator magnet.

The skill-mix is great, the driving standards are excellent and Mark and friends have made us interlopers really welcome. When Mark was made Chairman of the Comps Ctee I cheered, because he brings a lot of energy and fresh thinking.

None of us can tell what the new Committee will achieve, but it beggars understanding to dismiss a team that in my view was doing so well.

Nearly all car clubs seem to carry the seeds of their own destruction within them (cf JDC vs JEC; AROC; LMC etc) and there seem to be too few people who bring a selfless interest in the good of a Club rather than the opposite. Mark Campbell and compatriots are among those very few.
Nick S.

[john ruston]

We had the intention of doing the AMOC Pre War Team Races.Jim Campbell had worked tirelessly to get the series off the ground and we now find the whole thing is kicked out.I am aware it was to be the main Pre War sports car series for most of those racers this year.Pity.

Nothing worse than Club Politics.

[Al Weyman]

Sad to read that John, I was hoping to get the IROC-Z out in one or two Intermarques, big shame.

[andy97]

Polishers Vs Racers politics?

[john ruston]

Well put!

[R59]

I do wonder, John, if this is all to do with £SD at the end of the day.

AMOC put on some cracking meetings last year, but many grids were poorly supported, and that must of cost the club dearly.

I had plans to run two cars in SuperGT, only to find that it's not going to run this year, and was going to form part of a new series, which is also not going to take place by the looks of it.

I will still support any "Allcomers" races that they run, providing I'm not already doing something previously planned.

I look forward to the results of John Hutchinson's toils, and hope that it satisfies as many people as possible - including the people at the top!

[99hjhm]

Originally Posted by R59

I look forward to the results of John Hutchinson's toils, and hope that it satisfies as many people as possible - including the people at the top!

I 'hear' his contract is not been renewed past the end of this month??

Total epic fail by AMOC.

[LAK]

Thank you John for putting detail around the rumours that many of us have heard. Your thoughts are carefully made and greatly appreciated.

As ever Nick S has put into words the thoughts going through our minds. Through Nick and James we were happy to find a friendly and enjoyable race series in 50s in which to race our Aurelia. Our team enjoyed the whole season and were looking forward to more of the same this year. It now appears that this will not be with AMOC but we hope that with the strength of the 50s Challenge, we will be able to race again this year.

We have no wish to get involved in any politicing (we just want to race) but whatever happens we will not be supporting the AMOC as to do so would be to acknowledge and support the actions they have taken which to anyone with an ounce of common sense don't add up, not just from a commercial perspective but also a human one.

As Nick days, it's a shame that so many clubs seem to go down this route and especially so in a year that AMOC should be celebrating. I hope AMOC come out of this debacle all the more stronger but in the meantime they have alienated those to which they should be thankful and without which they cannot survive - their committed competitions committee and their competitors.

Let's hope for good news soon for us and also for the Pre-war series.

[rbs]

Not sure if this helps but I have some information from Silverstone today.

12 & 13th May, and 10th October, both AMOC meetings have been cancelleed and the CTCRC meeting on 22nd May is now an AMOC event.

[Al Weyman]

Sure thats not last years as we (CTCRC) were not scheduled in on that date but the 8/9th May.

[rbs]

That was in the marshalling information I received in the post today.

[Al Weyman]

Look at CTCRC's website its always been 8/9th they have it wrong I would have been one of the first tohave been told.

[John Turner]

The calendar, currently provisional, is here:-

http://www.amoc.org/content/view/1055/380/

You will note the uneven distribution of events and I honestly really don't know what the race content will be. My suspicion is that the new comps committee won't be able to tell you yet, either, having been thrown in at the deep end to sort it all.

[AnneReed]

Can I suggest an alternative way forward. I am on the Committee of Management with the AMOC and a driver in the 50's series.

It has been a very frustrating time over the last few months but despite several of us fighting back, we have to accept the current position. We have 2 options:

a) say we are not going to accept the new comps c'tee and go and race elsewhere

b) say we don't do politics, we enjoy the racing we have ie the 50's, intermarque etc and we will continue to do it because we have a great bunch of people racing with us and its fun.

The Silverstone date was moved so it didn't clash with Le Mans, another one to avoid a clash with the Goodwood Revival meeting. Snetterton on 5th April will be tough. This meeting was particularly aimed at giving the more modern cars longer races, it should be a great spectacle but we do need you to bring the cars out.

As far as I am aware, the actual programme of events at each of the race meetings is unchanged so there is something for everyone, including the GT Enduro at the Snetterton meeting.

I've raced with this Club since 1985, we have had these upheavals before but survived. If everyone walks away now, that will be the end for sure, please give us this year, lets rescue it between ourselves.

Anne

[John Turner]

Anne, whilst I appreciate your conciliatory approach, from my point of view it's not as simple as that. The conduct of just a few has left a very nasty taste in the mouth as far as I'm concerned, and I'm not prepared to pretend it hasn't happened by lending support to the Club's racing programme as matters stand. Of course, what I do or say will have little impact on what others will do, particularly since I'm not a competitor.

[99hjhm]

Just to state that The AMOC chairman has responded to some of our questions/issues on the AMOC Forum.

RT*M is all I can say!

[rbs]

Originally Posted by Al Weyman

Look at CTCRC's website its always been 8/9th they have it wrong I would have been one of the first tohave been told.

The information from Silverstone says this a BARC meeting!!!!!

[Al Weyman]

Absolutely correct as BARC run all of our meetings apart from our own Autoglym Lydden Hill Historic Festival that the club runs independantly.

[John Turner]

Originally Posted by 99hjhm

Just to state that The AMOC chairman has responded to some of our questions/issues on the AMOC Forum.

Yes, he could have been a politician! There is a touch of 'I'm the knight in shining armour come to rescue AMOC from that old profligate Comps Committee'. A couple of us have asked more questions, because there are many unanswered, not least of which is about how this matter has been handled.

[99hjhm]

Originally Posted by John Turner

Yes, he could have been a politician! There is a touch of 'I'm the knight in shining armour come to rescue AMOC from that old profligate Comps Committee'. A couple of us have asked more questions, because there are many unanswered, not least of which is about how this matter has been handled.

My family has supported AMOC and Comps espicially for as long as they can remember... Things like this have happened in the time I have been around, but not like this.

We were POSL last night hearing that Angues Dent was new Chairman of Comps.. Nothing personal, but it's like having door gaurd from 10 Downing Street as the next PM.

As for the chances of this season been beter and more importantly more profitable for AMOC, NO CHANCE!! Everybody we have spoken to has had enough of it.

Not that it really matters, he was be seen as a AMOC CoM legand if he manages to finish Comps.

[v8dave]

Originally Posted by 99hjhm

Just to state that The AMOC chairman has responded to some of our questions/issues on the AMOC Forum.

RT*M is all I can say!

I'm not a member of AMOC or their forum but if I click on either of the links on their home page all I get is a blank page.....

edit:- did not look far enough, you have to use the third link to the forum. The Third Way ???? but you still can't read anything unless you register.....

[99hjhm]

Originally Posted by v8dave

I'm not a member of AMOC or their forum but if I click on either of the links on their home page all I get is a blank page.....

edit:- did not look far enough, you have to use the third link to the forum. The Third Way ???? but you still can't read anything unless you register.....

Well register? you dont need to be a member.

[R59]

I registered, and I can't see the mail. Seems that Webby has moved it to somewhere I can't see it.

[99hjhm]

Originally Posted by R59

I registered, and I can't see the mail. Seems that Webby has moved it to somewhere I can't see it.

It's in Idling, you might not be able to see that?

Not missing much really.