On saturday evening at silverstone we will be having an informal meeting to try and decide how we can move the club forward from the position we are in at the moment .
If you care about this club and what happens to it in the future please come along and join in the discussions.
We will not be raking over the past and apportioning blame but trying to find a future for 2cv racing.
Paul
Is there a venue for this yet?
Waynes world at silverstone.
I will be an apology for this meeting although I would like to come I will be away sorry
Hi Paul
I will try very very hard to make it.
Terry Collier
QuoteWaynes world at silverstone.
Where is that?
Look for the van with "Wayne" written on the side and a 2CV parked beside it....
QuoteIf you care about this club and what happens to it in the future please come along and join in the discussions.
Ahead of this meeting-excellent idea by the way, Paul-the way I see it, as someone who no longer owns a race-car and wasn't around for last season's deliberations, is that entry fees are pricing out the ordinary members who, maybe, don't have well-heeled or super-enthusiastic friends to share the drives & costs.
Just look at the comparative fees for 2CVs versus the others at Brands & Silverstone. At BH, the BMW championship people raced for £200, against £555 for 2CVs. Okay, we got more track time but there's a lot of satisfaction in a fast & furious sprint...
I'm retired, so funds aren't what they were. As a pay-driver the Silverstone weekend (two days, of course) will cost me about £650 (including B&B because I'm too old to sleep in a tent or the back of my car). That's a significant sum, to me at any rate, but hardly compares to the additional budget required if I was still running my own car. The suggestion that people should stump up a season's entry fees in one go, even with financial assistance, is surely untenable for all but the well-heeled or totally dedicated with not too many other commitments.
So, my feeling is that the Club should consider seriously returning to the sprint format for all but the season climax, the 24-hours, held preferably in September, after the holiday period. Worth talking to Snett management at least?
Them's my feelings, for what they're worth. This would put the fixtures within the reach of a much wider membership who would be better able to afford the fees and, with the exception of the 24-hours, not be faced with an entire weekend away, another stumbling block for anyone who a) has a family and b) has a family that perhaps doesn't share his or her enthusiasm for the sport. A day away is sustainable, a number of weekends away, and expensive ones at that, is probably not.
Food for thought, along with a Silverstone burger?
PS: Know what I did in '96, when I sold my Formula Ford to buy a 2CV to do the 24-Hours? I ran my car in three or four sprints, to shake it down, and after Mondello in July, totally knackered mentally, physically and financially, immediately sold it to the Colliers. The bug still bites of course, but if that's still a typical reaction post-Snetterton, it would explain in part why support is lacking, coupled with the points made above
Hi Frank
As one of the purchasers of the car -- I think that the roll cage and a couple of other pieces still remain -- I think that your points are valid and a good contribution to the debate. Finance is and will always be an issue with an expensive hobby, be it Golf, Boating or Motor Racing. In a different thread I have suggested in outline how the Club could help it's members by amortising the cost over ten months. It does not diminish the costs but helps when it comes to budgetting and by enabling us to pay BARC up front might help towards reducing race fees.
The question of ancilliary costs and social pressure involved in weekend events is another issue which I have sympathy with. I also gave up tents when I returned my woggle to Baden Powell -- I feel that old. However, there are issues concerning a day event. Firstly we could reduce the total number of races, assuming we could not get two races in one day and that this does not generate a cost which takes us back to square one, or we could maintain the number of races but with a reduced time interval between events. This would then impact upon the time pressure for repairing or preparing cars.
Another thing concerning ancilliary costs. If, finally we manage to get race track coverage throughout the country -- Knockhill, Croft, Anglesey, Brands Hatch, Mallory Park, Lydden, Cadwell Park, Silverstone, Donnington and Pembury -- for most competitors it would involve several nights away.
It is clear that there is no "magic bullet" which will cure all our ills. To maintain Championship staus BARC requires to run a certain number of races. To do this costs both money and time. All the Club can do is to make this as affordable as possible as it can do nothing about the other problems, in real life.
Oh just one thing Frank -- using Visa or something to fund races is not as good as proposition as my suggestion unless you clear the bill at the end of the month. If you do then there is no problem except choice of what you spend your money on.
Can I make just one plea for this meeting. Can we come with a few positive solutions to whatever problems we percieve there to be. To sit through another whinging meeting is of no benefit to any of us.
Cheers
Terry Collier 8)
From Sunny Portugal
All,
How about a bit of focus here. The two simple facts are:
1) Since 2001 we have lost more members who want to do the whole championship than we have gained
2) It cost on average £3000 to do the entire season inluding the 24 hour race. Nothing has changed there
We have tried to give the racing membership events that they have historically asked for, be they an all sprint, all enduro, or a mixture of both. Result, we still have falling grids and a lack of interest after the 24 hour race. We have also tried to space the races out at the request of members with family commitment
This meeting will be as much use as all the others that I have attended over the years because you cannot please all of the people all of the time. And we do not have a large enough core of committed members to make any format decided upon actually work
Trevor
In which case, Trevor, it's hopeless. 2CV Racing Club R.I.P
Hi frank ,i hope trevor is wrong and we can come up with a rescue plan ,that is the idea of the meeting.I agree with terry we must not have a meeting of whinging .There are alot of fresh members as well as us old hands we should between us be able to come up with something.
If we did a four weekend championship next year we need commitment from 40 drivers to do 2 weekends or 20 to do 4 weekends .This should be within our scope and something we need to aim for regardless of format ,how we get the commitment we will have to see.
No, Frank
We just need people to come and race their cars!!!!
Trevor,
Your observation is right, we cannot please all the people all the time. Logically therefore we must look to try to please some of the people all of the time.
I am not experienced enough to be able to identify who this group of drivers should be. But they can be indentified and they can be targetted. This may mean that some drivers get alienated, perhaps Gentleman Jim's like me. But as the club as a whole gave you sod all support, maybe we need to be looking at a less inclusive focus.
See you on Saturday.
Ben
Quick question: is there any chance Silverstone might make a room available for the meeting, so it can be formalised, rather than standing round a van with all the attendant noise and distractions? Assuming, of course, that is the case...
Unfortunately I won't be able to make it to the meeting on Saturday and I apologise in advance.
My thoughts as a newcomer to the series are that my family/domestic commitments mean that the far flung circuits are out of the question for me. Pembrey and Anglesey are non-starters. I know that we have to take the opportunities which present themselves in terms of venues as they are largely dictated by the agendas of other more wealthy clubs. Also I can see that there are quite a number of 2CV racers who like these circuits.
As I support another series as well my loyalties are divided and I am not able to devote my funds and time entirely to the 2CV series. Therefore the wishes of those who do should be paramount and those of us who are part-timers should accept the wishes of the small and loyal core of regular 2CV racers.
I think it would be very sad if the 2CV club failed through lack of support.
All the circuits this year are far-flung! I think Anglesey was the closest...
QuoteAll the circuits this year are far-flung! I think Anglesey was the closest...
I suppose it depends where you are starting from.....
Mallory, Silverstone and Brands are best for me but having said that, because the car wasn't ready we couldn't do Brands; a comprehensive rebuild after the 24 hour put Anglesey and Silverstone out of the question and I will be away in September for the Mallory meeting although I am trying to get a couple of other drivers to enter Mallory if the car is ready by then.