What's happening to motorsport?

[Wendy Wool]

I decided to fire up the Wendymobile and head down to Brands today, its a while since I have been but I was surprised that the BRSCC had less than 60 cars for their Sunday race meeting.

Although the racing was good, how can a club with such a history be running with just a couple of race series in a single meeting?

Hopefully this was just a bad day

[vjay48]

How they justified a six car grid being given 90 minutes of track time,the other members of more viable championship are picking up the shortfall. I notice the organisation running this are people who bought Focus cup etc!

[andy97]

Just lost the Ma5das for 2013 as well, thats something like 120+ members.

[Al Weyman]

Lets hope track owners start sitting up and taking note there just ain't much money out there these days, the price increases are simply unsustainable and the whole thing needs a complete reform.

[flagwaver]

With two clubs having control of just under 60% of the circuits, it must start to get tough for other clubs to run meetings at these venues and make money.

[Paul D]

Can't comment on the BRSCC specifically, as I have no experience of them. But on a more general note, I have to agree with Al - I'm not sure that things are sustainable the way they are. Those of us that race in a series that's well supported end up subsidising the other series' that aren't well supported.

You may well ask how I figure that? Well, take the club I race with: without going into specifics, at a race meeting in which I was entered recently, 'my' race had, I think, 24 starters. There was another series racing that day that had either seven or eight cars out racing. And these are 40 minute races remember, so with down-time between races, you can say that each race has to cover the cost of the circuit for about an hour. My race, with that number of entries, probably did so easily, but the series with seven or eight cars? No way! So therefore, bearing in mind that we all paid the same entry fees, it's safe to assume that the better supported series' are subsidising the poorly supported ones.

I know it sounds a bit harsh to anyone in one of these poorly supported series', but I think that if any given series can't regularly get enough entries to break even, then it needs to be scrapped so that the rest of us aren't paying for it.

I know someone will probably shoot me down in flames for this, and I appreciate that it may not be that practical to implement, but wouldn't it be great if the cost of racing could come down if we all only entered series' that were well supported? What I mean is this: let's just say, for the sake of argument, that it costs a club five grand for each hour of track time, and that figure was simply passed on to the competitors in each race. So, only ten entries? Fine, that's £500 each fellas! But get 30 entries - hey, just £170 each! Wouldn't that really encourage everyone to support the popular series' and ditch the ones that never get much past single figures?

With track time as expensive as it is these days, I, for one, do object to the fact that some of my entry fee from a well supported series goes towards propping up another series that few people bother with. If people really want to run in races with just a handful of cars, then let them pay for it!

I'll get me coat!

[GORDON STREETER]

The BRSCC was at one time the one to be in, but has been going slowly downhill for years unfortunately .

[ss_collins]

BARC and 750MC are much better clubs IMHO these days.

[redshoes]

A variation of this thread comes up at least once a year for more years than I care to remember.

Originally Posted by Al Weyman

Lets hope track owners start sitting up and taking note there just ain't much money out there these days, the price increases are simply unsustainable and the whole thing needs a complete reform.

The track owners don't care how many many cars are entered. They simply rent the circuit to the organising club at a daily rate so they get the same revenue regardless. The only benefit of a well supported meeting to the track owners is the extra revenue from ticket sales, but for any club level event that's pretty minimal.

Originally Posted by Paul D

I know it sounds a bit harsh to anyone in one of these poorly supported series', but I think that if any given series can't regularly get enough entries to break even, then it needs to be scrapped so that the rest of us aren't paying for it.

I know someone will probably shoot me down in flames for this, and I appreciate that it may not be that practical to implement, but wouldn't it be great if the cost of racing could come down if we all only entered series' that were well supported? What I mean is this: let's just say, for the sake of argument, that it costs a club five grand for each hour of track time, and that figure was simply passed on to the competitors in each race. So, only ten entries? Fine, that's £500 each fellas! But get 30 entries - hey, just £170 each! Wouldn't that really encourage everyone to support the popular series' and ditch the ones that never get much past single figures?

That's pretty much the conclusion every time one of these threads is started but somehow either the message never gets across or those in charge are wither unwilling or unable to implement.

[flagwaver]

A lot of championships are now done as "pay races" so they pay the organising club a set amount it is then up to the championship to fill that grid. so Although on the face of it some people feel they are subbing poorly supported grids that is not always the case.

Agreed there are too many championships, but until people put there own interests to one side and work together. Then this will continue.

[Dom]

I got priced out of racing with the BRSCC a few years ago - entry fees, club membership and championship registration/tv fees were getting out of control. Luckily i found far better value for money in the BARC SE to race with. I get the impression the BRSCC have way too many championships that could simply be amalgamated to fill grids better?

[Ian Sowman]

Originally Posted by ss_collins

BARC and 750MC are much better clubs IMHO these days.

BARC struggle more than anyone to put on a good quality race meeting with a decent entry. I've been to several packed BRSCC meetings with busy paddocks this year - this one was obviously an exception.

[Thundersports]

It's been a club in decline since the sadly departed John Nicol.

[Al Weyman]

The track owners don't care how many many cars are entered. They simply rent the circuit to the organising club at a daily rate so they get the same revenue regardless. The only benefit of a well supported meeting to the track owners is the extra revenue from ticket sales, but for any club level event that's pretty minimal.

I dont see that, if entries drop to such a level that no one is buying track time the owners will suffer.

[insight]

Originally Posted by Thundersports

It's been a club in decline since the sadly departed John Nicol.

You are quite right on that one it has not been the same since John. Maybe it is about time for a change at the very top before BRSCC become absorbed by another club. There are some at the top in BRSCC who are only their to further their careers in motorsport and that has been the case for a good number of years.