Quote:
Originally Posted by Xizor
Just a warning to Matt at MA. 
This forum is predominately for off-road drivers. Please don't get the impression that there is little interest in on-road touring cars, minis, etc. There are many clubs up and down the country running indoor on-road meetings every week. I would say they are the quiet majority.
By all means have a removable off-road track. If you get the right advice it will be great. You absolutely must get it spot-on though or nobody will be interested.
Don't forget the quiet majority though, will you?
Cheers  |
You are absolutely correct, there are many clubs up and down the country running indoor on road meetings weekly and most of them have seen a steady decline in numbers over the last few years which is why this facility NEEDS BOTH for it to survive.
There are a few clubs that have built some jumps and run all the classes side by side each week, they work quite well and their numbers are up. I used to attend Aylesbury club on a Friday (AORRC) but touring cars with stock motors and tyres with no grip made it uninteresting for me (and others) and they said they weren't interested in running buggies on a regular basis, only as a filler class.
People assume that minipin tyres will ruin the expensive carpets that most club have, it's not buggies that ruin carpets, it's touring cars with screws sticking out the bottom that are run too low that make the holes. Sure, on a permanent track where the corners never change you will get wear with any form of car, not just buggies, but where the carpet is put away each week and re-laid with a different track layout, the corners are never in the same part of the carpet so there's no problem.
Moto Arena I doubt will never dig up the tarmac so that's there to stay, how many they get using it regularly I can't say but up until now it's not a lot. What I can say is that with the right input there can be a very good REMOVABLE off road indoor track that will eventually get a good following. I think the biggest problem at the Moto Arena will be the people in charge doing it half-measures (no insult to anyone intended) and wanting it to be full to the brim from day one. That won't happen, it will take weeks to build a base of people that will come regularly and of course it has to be right from the off (as said in the post above).
As for touring cars/minis etc being the silent majority, yes they are on this forum but ask your BRCA section chairman and he'll give you all the statistics that will tell you that the biggest growth class is off-road.
Clubs beware, make your tracks suitable for ALL classes of racing and you will flourish, stick to the flat stuff and your numbers will continue to fall
