Another good ideas thread!

[ss_collins]

Rich as you know I'm well hooked into the brands area, and have wanted to see race cars in the glades for ages. keep me posted

[Stephen Green]

Sam, if you are going to do any displays in the Glades and need help from the 'men in orange' please let me know as I would love to assist if possible.

[ss_collins]

men in orange should be a fixture...

[Snapper Baz]

The Brands Hatch "leisure type" activities displayed at Bluewater a few times last year I think it was with 4x4, Rally school and race school stuff-cant beleive it cost them 25 grand - thats stupid, surely they wouldn't have payed out that sort of money!

[Slowcoach]

I bet Lakeside is cheaper.......

[johnw]

Hi_Rich
Thought that I’d been discreet enough, sorry if you think that I ‘outed’ you!
Everyone else
Looking at Richard’s ideas I thought that I would finish of my piece by pulling together all of your ideas from this thread. When I started this, it was to see what we (competitors and marshals) might do to improve the gate receipts and hopefully take a share to offset our costs. Therefore I have grouped the ideas into those which seem to be in the control of the various parties involved.
I’ve been a bit short of time, so the usual caveats if I’ve missed yours out. I did though delete the one aimed at increasing contact. This game is dear enough as it is.
I’ve asterisked the ideas which seem, to me, cost nothing but a bit of time and are easy to do. You will see nothing marked in the circuit owners section as I’m working on JP’s statement "every penny I spend on improvements has to be matched by additional people through the gates".
I’ll attempt to get our series to implement all the items with an asterisk and in time for our first meeting on Easter Monday.
Your thoughts?

Circuit Owners
Better viewing areas - Lydden has the best in the country (although you have to take your own seat) but Silverstone the worst - the view of my crew and supporters - explain that!
Evening races
Family tickets at reasonable prices.
Various stalls/displays within the circuit
Mother and baby changing rooms
Pop bands
Fun Fairs
Better toilet and food facilities (but not necessarily giant restaurants) The loos are dire at most circuits and it can't just be the scared drivers.....
The kart track at Brands was very popular with a load of friends who came to support me there.
Nominal entry to the circuit for the Sunday market (Snett and Donington)
Reasonably priced and good quality food
Shelter from the weather on those rainy and windy days
TV screens to see the action when TV is there.
Improve pathways and signage around the circuit (some paths/walk-ways are quite rough).
'Label' the circuit straights and corners with signs, give areas of the circuit names - so people know where they are watching from and what they are watching. Clear visible signs.


Organising Clubs
Pits walkabouts
Fun race days like the old Radio 1 Day Out or the Sun Free Race Day...
Allow trips around the circuit on a bus or something.
* Better raceday programmes
Car club displays with lunch time circuit drives (with passengers if possible)
Creche so that Mum can come and watch without the hassles of looking after baby all day.
Lunchtime entertainment directed mainly at kids.
* How about a multiclub - promoted meeting of the year - featuring the best clubbies
In this day and age people expect a fast paced slick show with no great gaps in the entertainment.
Circuit rides.
Entertainment during lunch breaks (pits walkabouts, stunt riders, displays)


Competitors and Organising Clubs working together
* Arrange for the racing to be as close as possible, so much less boring to watch.
Local radio (Thruxton often advertise)
Lunchtime driving displays - donuts, autotest type stuff.
Passenger laps of the circuit for spectators

Competitors
* Make the paddock areas public-friendly, make them bigger if necessary for this, so that people can see the cars close-up - sort of like Goodwood FoS. Put signs above each car/driver.
* As drivers it would cost next to nothing to put together a little stand/poster bout your car, it's history, your history etc. Perhaps give away a few badges or whatever. Stuff like that seems to get people hooked
* Courting local car clubs
* Handicap Races are very exciting for the crowd - and fun for the competitors
* How's about partnering with certain car clubs?
* Information on the cars in the paddock
* One thing no one has mentioned yet.....characters
* Pitlane displays - cars, drivers, marshals, rescue vehicles etc at lunchtime (Meet the drivers, see the cars, recruit for marshals)
* Better commentators - better information.
* Cars as close to the noise limit as can be arranged. Quiet cars just don't sound fast. I remember the noise of the unrestricted cars in the 70's - okay we can't go back there but they were awesome.
* Cute cars on display to touch and sit in and better still, on the track. We can't all race minis but kids love them and where the kids want to go the parents will follow. How many parents have endured hours of torture at a very expensive theme park just to please the nippers?
* Series to make a car and driver available at each meeting. We had one in the paddock that Joe public could sit in, and talk to the cars builder about his car, the next season saw a massive increase in cars on the grid.


Professional Promoter
Business case, Media savvy, contacts, expertise, time, energy and investment.
Promotion, local newspapers and radio.
Target new spectators at shopping centres. Do this by displaying racing cars in shopping centres and distribute leaflets giving family ticket discounts.
insurance etc? Raffle to win?)

[Stephen Green]

John,

One important point I believe you have missed for Circuit Owners:

Working Score Boards so that the spectators are able to see who is winning etc throughout the race or, who is getting the fastest time in practice sessions.

You seem to have covered just about everything esle!

[goforit500]

I think improved PA systems and/or radio broadcast commentary got missed along the way as well.

Hope the points that you are taking on in the Kuhmo series work & that you publicise the fact if they do - Might encourage other coordinators to adopt some of them as well...Good Luck.

[johnw]

Thanks Stephen
Absolutely agree. Zandvoort had a light pole displaying times from the transponders 10 years ago. Makes you wonder does it not?
And thanks to you Goforit - just looked and saw that I suggested that in the original post. Doh!
Thanks for the support. It's a shame that this year the "package" we used to run in has been disbanded, so we need to talk to more (unknown as yet) coordinators. For if this is going to work, everyone on the same bill needs to get behind it.
I shall be seeing Dale Wells over the weekend, so I'll buy him a drink (easy) and bend his ear (less so)!
More to follow
John

[Stephen Green]

Please pass Dale my best wishes too.

[ss_collins]

my idea - go and see how they do it in short oval land - huge crowds (sell outs) - good entertainment. I'd rather watch Vee than Rods as I imagine many others would if they knew what vee was (or circuit racing in general)

[R59]

Looking at the cost of advertising in Bluewater, etc... why not do what many companies are doing now... park artic trailers in fields adjacent to the road, big mobile billboard!!

There seem to be hundreds of them popping up all over the country.

I'm sure that there will be pain if there is to be gain. Let's face it, the number of thinly supported similar championships has got silly. After all that hype about reducing the number of championships, I hear that there are more this year than there were last year!

With the legendary John Webb on board at MSV now, expect changes.

Rob.