QR meeting cancelled

[rx3racer]

Well it's a sad state of affairs when you only get 40 entries to a race meeting isn't it. 30 Improved Production cars and 10 from the other categories. Is it that the track is too boring? Is it that everyone else doesn't want to race with the Improved production cars? Has everyone run out of money? What are your thoughts?

[RaceTime]

Have to ask a couple of questions here.

When was the meeting scheduled for?

Was this number of entries at close of entries or in the few days before? (other circuits have been having similar problems - 50 or so entries at original close of entries 2 weeks prior to meeting with another 130 coming through inthe 5 days AFTER supposed close of entries - it's called lethargy on the part of the competitors)

[rx3racer]

It was next weekend 13 and 14 Sept. Entries closed 29 aug and as of last Thursday when I got a phone call to advise me that the meeting had been cancelled, they had 40 entries.

[spook]

There were serious flaws and problems with the 2003 QLD Motor Racing Calender.

The cancelled meeting was a Multi-Club Race Meeting (which are not welcomed or supported by MRAP), and perhaps the "State Championship" meeting at Morgan Park 2 weeks later has a lot to do with the low entry numbers.

But, if the entry is also low at Morgan Park, we could be looking at the impending collapse of the Circuit Racing Sport in QLD.

Let's hope sanity prevails for 2004, and we can get the "Sport" back into Motor Sport and forget the politics.

[RaceTime]

You have to remember WHY the proliferation of multi-club race meetings - aimed sqaurely at CAMS vbecause of their excessive and over-the-top permit fees for 'Open Race Meetings'.

In particular, any meeting that happened to have a category that ran, say, in two states (an interstate challenge or similar) CAMS was starting to hike up these fees justifying them by saying they were part of a National Series.

[GTRMagic]

AAA where are you????

[GTRMagic]

This is the ASTEM meeting... go the SuperTourers...

[RaceTime]

Ahhh now you see it

Any bets on how many ST entries there were in the 40 received?

Shall I start the bidding at 0 (zero) ????

[GTRMagic]

That no fair, I will pick it in one go

[jetsetter]

I think CAMS has a lot to answer for with the way they are letting club level motorsport die. It has just got too expensive for competitors at this level with what they have to pay to enter a meeting on top of preparing a car. I think CAMS has to do something before it's too late & we have no club racing left in Australia.

[RaceTime]

This is what AAA are attempting to do - lower the cost for the bulk of Australian motor racing ie club level.

[GTRMagic]

They have a strategy about that, "Unless its V8 Supercar, dont knock on our door" I can see that set to music and up in lights

But it has nothing to do with CAMS' 10% equity in AVESCO...

[spook]

Super Tourers entries were 2, I was told, but it was more the lack of entries from "local" categories that made the event unviable.

Still if Morgan Park can get the entries, pay for the circuit and get enough gate to cover the "State Championship" permit fees then that is the future for Club Level sport in QLD.

Or should I say "Club Level CAMS Motor Sport".

[spook]

It seems weird that the CAMS structure is often touted as being so democratic - the club reps are on State advisory panels and councils and CAMS are the clubs - yet there is no notice taken of the State Councils at CAMS HQ.

I'll bet AVESCO don't have to wait over six months for a reply to a question.

[RaceTime]

That's because AVESCO don;t ask the questions - they simply go ahead and do whatever they like and stuff the rest of motor sport - after all, it doesn't affect them, does it???

[Saloon56]

The reason I'm not racing is that we have a State Championship round 2 weeks later.

[FalconEL]

Spook,

As you probably know, the QRDA, had to fight like crazy to get 120 odd entries to our State Championship meeting in August at Morgan Park and as far as I am concerned, it will be the last time we fork over $11000 to CAMS for the privilege of hosting a State Championship round.

We managed to keep entry levels to $180.00 for our members and $195.00 for non-members, and with a hell of a lot of effort rather than money going into promotion of the meeting (thanks Crash Test) , we managed to break even.

I personally love racing at QR, the facilities are top notch and the circuit provides myself and my vehicle with challenges.

Don't know if you can help me with these but here are a couple of questions?

The 13/14th September race meeting - was it listed on a calendar anywhere? (I can't remember seeing it listed, maybe I should have gone looking a bit harder).

If it wasn't listed on a CAMS calendar, has there been any promotion throughout the year for this meeting - other than through word of mouth?

To be truthful, Warwick Penfold from the QIPRA mentioned to me a few times in passing that there was a meeting in September that they were running at and I was also told by Rob Colgan from QR in May that Sports Sedans might get an invite to this meeting (as I believe it was to originally be a meeting for the reminants of the Power Tour to compete at). I didn't hear any more about this meeting until an entry turned up in the mail a week or so ago and in the meantime had stripped the car to pieces for a mid season rebuild anticipating that my next meeting would be the MG round in November.

In my opinion the lack of communication from both CAMS and QR to both each other and the competitor base has been nothing short of embarrassing and has managed to cause much confusion. Long gone are the days when competitors can afford to enter every race meeting when an entry form turns up in the mail. Personally, I set out my calender at the beginning of the year after budgeting to compete at a certain number of race meetings in that year. If I receive an entry for a meeting not on my own calendar, it gets duly ignored.

If the promoting bodies band together and decide as a group to run Multi-Club events, we can lower the entry fees for competitors whilst gaining enough entries for ourselves as promoters to break even or make a small profit that can then go back into promotion for further events. This is wishful thinking for the individual promoters to band together as most have different agendas, but in an ideal world this would work.

Here is what has to happen - as I believe it does currently in Victoria. For State Championship racing to survive, we need to have all the categories running at the same race meetings. If we have a solid calendar of events locked in at the beginning of the year with guarantees that all the categories will be there, promoters can afford to allocate part of their budget to promote these meetings. Competitors know when they are racing and can budget for it also. The dilution of the State Racing competitor base is hampered further by having MX-5's and Clubmans racing at the Historic Race meeting and other events such as Leyburn etc. This is an absolute joke as neither are historic in most cases and it dilutes the fields at State Race Meetings.

In a nutshell, in Queensland it is a case of too many race meetings for too few competitors. We can only hope promoters heed the lessons learnt in 2003 in their formulation of the 2004 calendar.

CD.

[FalconEL]

Originally posted by spook
There were serious flaws and problems with the 2003 QLD Motor Racing Calender.

The cancelled meeting was a Multi-Club Race Meeting (which are not welcomed or supported by MRAP)

I believe this should read "certain members of MRAP" as I know that there are a minority of people on the Motor Race Panel in Queensland who do support the lowering of costs for competitors through the running of Multi Club events. Problem arise when certain members of MRAP in Qld believe it is their god given right to formulate the seasons calendar without consulting the effected parties ie. competitors and race meeting promoters.

CD.

[Gav56]

I didn't even know about this race meeting till I read this. Which clubs were entries sent too ?

[spook]

More Motor Sport in 2004, and less Motor Politics.

Take the broom to MRAP if they are not responding to the CAMS members wishes (Motor Racing Competitors). CAMS are a democratic body I believe. If your delegate is not working for your club - sack him and tell CAMS you will (when you decide) appoint a replacement.

If you don't, nothing will ever get any better.

[Crash Test]

My 0.02cents worth-

It ****s me to tears that when someone rings me up in September asking what the calendar for the rest of the year is, and all I can say is no idea. Where the whole thing went wrong-

1. Too many meetings were scheduled, and subsequently not all classes have gone to all meetings, making some very hard tasks economically.

2. The July 5/6 screw up. Be it CAMS fault or QRs, it was a massive screw up that should never have happened, and buggered up what was the calendar up until that point.

3. I'm certain people would have gone to the QR multi club meeting if they were aware of it. Most competitors are hankering for extra race meetings at QR, but apart from the Improved Production cars, it wasn't on anyone's calendar simply because they weren't aware of it.

4. This mystery U2L series at MP has seemingly robbed a few competitors from open race meetings.

MP is a great little circuit, but I don't think too many competitors can be bothered going there more than 3 times a year. Maybe if there was a different approach, ie single day meetings it might work out a bit better.

[Saloon56]

I'd race at MP every week if I could

[FatBoy]

Originally posted by FalconEL
We managed to keep entry levels to $180.00 for our members and $195.00 for non-members, and with a hell of a lot of effort rather than money going into promotion of the meeting (thanks Crash Test) , we managed to break even.

Only $180 for a weekends racing ??

Wow, great job guys. We pay well over $300 down here... guess Sydneys real estate prices must affect motorsport costs too !!

As much as i hate to admit it, i love the racing though and am trying to pick up a paying sponsor just to cover next seasons' entry fees...
It's getting hard developing the car, paying a mortgage, and forking out for meetings - anyone know a rich woman they can hook me up with that loves motorsport ??

Cheers,
Paul...

[Crash Test]

Originally posted by Saloon56
I'd race at MP every week if I could

I wonder why...

[RaceTime]

Geminis just keep going and going and going and going