TVR Racing - Your thoughts please
Discussion
DonkeyApple said:
Thanks. It is interesting that you mention TVRCC a few times but few TVR fans are members. In fact, a lot of owners aren't.
The TC needs to reach out beyond the core enthusiasts who already know.
That's true. But if the TVRCC is providing facilities like refreshments, social area for people to gatherThe TC needs to reach out beyond the core enthusiasts who already know.
out of rain and maybe organising tech talks, then that has to be targeted at members as they
are essentially paying for it.
I'm just thinking that if the TVRCC looks to organise "something" whatever that is to make the
TC more attractive, then it has to cater for members first.
Information sharing to everyone is good to help promote, but if we say something like...
Come down and have free refreshments under shelter, have a techie talk, get shown around maybe watch
video or two, some of that will have to be provided/costed by someone - i.e. the TVRCC. Nothing
in the world is free except good intentions
Of course, if not member - then maybe they have to pay for refreshments/entrance fee. Most people
would be happy with that.
Just some thoughts...
alex_gray255 said:
DonkeyApple said:
Thanks. It is interesting that you mention TVRCC a few times but few TVR fans are members. In fact, a lot of owners aren't.
The TC needs to reach out beyond the core enthusiasts who already know.
That's true. But if the TVRCC is providing facilities like refreshments, social area for people to gatherThe TC needs to reach out beyond the core enthusiasts who already know.
out of rain and maybe organising tech talks, then that has to be targeted at members as they
are essentially paying for it.
I'm just thinking that if the TVRCC looks to organise "something" whatever that is to make the
TC more attractive, then it has to cater for members first.
Information sharing to everyone is good to help promote, but if we say something like...
Come down and have free refreshments under shelter, have a techie talk, get shown around maybe watch
video or two, some of that will have to be provided/costed by someone - i.e. the TVRCC. Nothing
in the world is free except good intentions
Of course, if not member - then maybe they have to pay for refreshments/entrance fee. Most people
would be happy with that.
Just some thoughts...
The TC should also be a recruiting ground for the CC. Both entities should be working to get non members onboard.
A massive tea urn chucking out free tea is really all that's needed. That's about the best welcome you can give. Food or other bits and bobs can easily be two tier pricing.
But ultimately, it's about getting the message out as far as possible that there is an event going down and the people there want to see you.
Actually, as I've been writing this it has just dawned on me that I am building an app for my business that would be perfect and if be more than happy to finance a version for the TVR community.
Hospitality at the race meets is provided by dtec and paid for by us drivers!! To be honest Im not sure what (if anything) the tvrcc does for us dtec lot at tge moment other than sprint writeups (info and pics provided by dtec for this). I do think that the cc should actively promote both dtec and the sprint series and as you say use them to gain members.
I do hope that more TVR owners attend the race meeting this year though, as I said before we drivers love to see it!! And we all love nothing more than talking cars!!
I do hope that more TVR owners attend the race meeting this year though, as I said before we drivers love to see it!! And we all love nothing more than talking cars!!
I agree that the TVRCC should be pushing the events, 25 years ago I was going to 5 or 6 Tuscan races each year and enjoying them. However, may be it is just me, but I find the reports in Sprint to be way out of date, don't have advance details of the next races, and often so waffley and long winded that they end up baffling me completely and I give up. If the TVR can get concise reports in soon after the race, without referring to people via nicknames ( which makes the series appear as a closed club) or just by the car numbers which means nothing to anyone who wasn't there, and include advance notice of the next races, then maybe members will be encouraged to attend.
I would love to go along if there are any south of Donington this year, and sure my 5 year old would love it too.
Oliver.
I would love to go along if there are any south of Donington this year, and sure my 5 year old would love it too.
Oliver.
ctsdave said:
Hospitality at the race meets is provided by dtec and paid for by us drivers!! To be honest Im not sure what (if anything) the tvrcc does for us dtec lot at tge moment other than sprint writeups (info and pics provided by dtec for this). I do think that the cc should actively promote both dtec and the sprint series and as you say use them to gain members.
I do hope that more TVR owners attend the race meeting this year though, as I said before we drivers love to see it!! And we all love nothing more than talking cars!!
Ah, okay, so that is open to all then.I do hope that more TVR owners attend the race meeting this year though, as I said before we drivers love to see it!! And we all love nothing more than talking cars!!
So, really, it is a case of publicising the event more, maybe having a guided talk around the cars so someone
and people who can talk techie on hand to walk through the car specs for the interested.
I will probably be at a few race meetings this coming year, as the guy who so thoughtfully organised the upgrading of my 4 litre standard Chimaera into a 5 litre track day beast has decided to enter a car himself in the unmolested Chimaera class.
My fault entirely - I nagged him out of work one afternoon to come and drive my car on a track evening abut 18 months ago, and spent all but 10 minutes of the session watching him handling the car with real skill, stunning himself with how good a car he had built me, and throughly getting the bug for track driving. I seem to remember it took a week for his grin to unpin itself from his ears.
So you will be seeing me at a few tracks, giving Mat Smith some essential technical advice (I don't think) and doubtless helping to bleed the brakes again, which is all i am good for really. Don't buy him a self-bleed kit - I will be redundant!
Here's a taster of what you will be missing seeing if you don't come along. He's turning this into a rather nice little racer, and anyone who knows Mat will know that taciturn is not his middle name, so come along and have a chat and a cuppa. And yes, he is installing full safety gear.....he's not that mad
My fault entirely - I nagged him out of work one afternoon to come and drive my car on a track evening abut 18 months ago, and spent all but 10 minutes of the session watching him handling the car with real skill, stunning himself with how good a car he had built me, and throughly getting the bug for track driving. I seem to remember it took a week for his grin to unpin itself from his ears.
So you will be seeing me at a few tracks, giving Mat Smith some essential technical advice (I don't think) and doubtless helping to bleed the brakes again, which is all i am good for really. Don't buy him a self-bleed kit - I will be redundant!
Here's a taster of what you will be missing seeing if you don't come along. He's turning this into a rather nice little racer, and anyone who knows Mat will know that taciturn is not his middle name, so come along and have a chat and a cuppa. And yes, he is installing full safety gear.....he's not that mad
ctsdave said:
Hospitality at the race meets is provided by dtec and paid for by us drivers!! To be honest Im not sure what (if anything) the tvrcc does for us dtec lot at tge moment other than sprint writeups (info and pics provided by dtec for this). I do think that the cc should actively promote both dtec and the sprint series and as you say use them to gain members.
I do hope that more TVR owners attend the race meeting this year though, as I said before we drivers love to see it!! And we all love nothing more than talking cars!!
I think you'll find that the whole idea of the Hospitality was the TVRCC and they provided most of the equipment on loan including 1 of the ezi-ups. They have also part funded the hospitality each year which is why TVRCC members get the free food and drink ...I do hope that more TVR owners attend the race meeting this year though, as I said before we drivers love to see it!! And we all love nothing more than talking cars!!
on a most basic note they also provide the roundels which is why they have the logo on.
There has been very little in sprint last year as there was virtually nothing sent to them by DTEC ( Other than something by dave and ivor) despite there being a standing allocation of space in sprint... The DTEC boys cant even provide their profiles for their own site never mind anything else despite lots of asking..
The TVRCC have tried lots of initiatives to get members there including club vouchers for anyone attending and providing free tickets. Free tickets have proved a major PITA as the organising bodies dont seem to be able to get them to or let them know of an allocation till about a week before which makes it very difficult to get tickets to people..
An aim of the TVRCC has always been to promote TVRS in competition as much as possible and we are always interested to hear from racers as to what they are doing, although cant sponsor on an individual basis.
The DTEC series isnt run by the TVRCC but a totally separate private entity, so the club is restricted in its influence. IT really doesnt help when the organising club ( BRSCC) cant even get confirmed dated out before the end of January so speaking for the TVRCC specifically all the major events are already programmed, and the DTEC dates will not be in the TVRCC calendars as they have all gone to print ages ago.
The TVRCC's forcus for 2015 is now to promote ALL TVR's in competition the Sprinters provide a huge amount of copy for sprint so that will continue, but for circuit racing we have a dedicated 2 pages each month and will focus on what and where you can see TVRS on the circuit, from Historics to GT-Cup.
Interestingly the first article is based around, the format of a race meeting, what you can expect to see, what access you can get, and how you can get involved from spectator through to marshalling to helping with a team to driving..
The DTEC still has the offer to print detailed reports from teams, drivers, and spectators after each round but they will only do that if someone produces the copy, and provides the photos..
From the clubs perspective they will offer as much help to the race series as possible but, its a case of they need to help themselves first., You can lead a horse to water and all that.
Im especially interested to hear from RO's their thoughts on what we can do to encourage spectators, and im aiming to have some time at the RO's mtg after the AGM.
Cheers
Graham
( TVRCC Comp Sec)
edited to add TVRCC membership is about 6000 so thats a fair chunk of TVR owners out there :-)
Edited by Graham on Saturday 31st January 19:24
Edited by Graham on Saturday 31st January 19:34
Also on the subject of Reports the TVRCC/DTEC are looking for someone to come to the races and do some short writeups with results and collect a few photos from George, Versions of this would then be published in sprint and tvrcc and dtec websites.
As every one is a volunteer or paying for their own racing all you'll get is free tickets and some nosh in the hospitality but its a good way to get involved and all the racers will look after you/ feed you beer etc.
If anyone does fancy that PM me..
G
As every one is a volunteer or paying for their own racing all you'll get is free tickets and some nosh in the hospitality but its a good way to get involved and all the racers will look after you/ feed you beer etc.
If anyone does fancy that PM me..
G
To be honest this question could be applied to club racing in general. Your race(s) are part of a "package" and the whole package has to appeal. Used to love the Tuscan's in their heyday. But now it is just another championship along with many others that to be honest only really appeal to a small number of people. Don't get me wrong I love club racing, can't remember the last time I went to a BTCC, F3, GT meeting. But for appeal you need something a bit more.
The other side is why should you be concerned how many people turn up to watch TVR's race. The gate money goes to the circuits, so even if an event gets 15,000 spectators the cost of your entry won't go down.
The other side is why should you be concerned how many people turn up to watch TVR's race. The gate money goes to the circuits, so even if an event gets 15,000 spectators the cost of your entry won't go down.
Drumroll said:
The other side is why should you be concerned how many people turn up to watch TVR's race. The gate money goes to the circuits, so even if an event gets 15,000 spectators the cost of your entry won't go down.
Correct, that's why it has nothing to do with trying to reduce the costs of race entry. Most of us would just appreciate seeing banks of TVR's and their owners cheering us on. It's a spectator sport after all and as I said previously, it has to be better entertainment than meeting at a country house for a boring Kodak moment. Admittedly, the more spectators come to watch, the bigger our exposure, and this could ultimately lead to getting some TV coverage. TV coverage could lead to securing new sponsors, which would inevitably help us fund our racing. It would also keep brand TVR in the public eye. You only need to look as far as Fun Cup to see how well it can be done and how strong a following it has now. Granted, they do have the advantage of stupendous race support and really attractive hospitality, on a par with Maserati Trofeo!M
It's struggling to attract entries, and almost every race weekend is a nightmare in terms of timing on the day. If drivers get fed up with that, why would "punters" be attracted?
As an aside, the last time the series was in bed with TV coverage, it was part funded by the drivers...
YRRunner said:
Correct, that's why it has nothing to do with trying to reduce the costs of race entry. Most of us would just appreciate seeing banks of TVR's and their owners cheering us on. It's a spectator sport after all and as I said previously, it has to be better entertainment than meeting at a country house for a boring Kodak moment. Admittedly, the more spectators come to watch, the bigger our exposure, and this could ultimately lead to getting some TV coverage. TV coverage could lead to securing new sponsors, which would inevitably help us fund our racing. It would also keep brand TVR in the public eye. You only need to look as far as Fun Cup to see how well it can be done and how strong a following it has now. Granted, they do have the advantage of stupendous race support and really attractive hospitality, on a par with Maserati Trofeo!
The series promises to do so much more than it did the previous year, normally failing.It's struggling to attract entries, and almost every race weekend is a nightmare in terms of timing on the day. If drivers get fed up with that, why would "punters" be attracted?
As an aside, the last time the series was in bed with TV coverage, it was part funded by the drivers...
Edited by anonymous-user on Saturday 31st January 21:37
Im not sure thats all fair, i run cars in 4 other series and the dtec scheduling is no different to any of them. Some time you get the good slots sone times you dont some early some late. The only pita is usually the rnd of season when its shared with a liong fun cup race. The detec hovers around 20 cars which is better than a lot of others but not as good as some of the cscc stuff. But cscc seem to be bucking the trend of all the organising clubs
Graham said:
Im not sure thats all fair, i run cars in 4 other series and the dtec scheduling is no different to any of them. Some time you get the good slots sone times you dont some early some late. The only pita is usually the rnd of season when its shared with a liong fun cup race. The detec hovers around 20 cars which is better than a lot of others but not as good as some of the cscc stuff. But cscc seem to be bucking the trend of all the organising clubs
Graham, You will know his true it is and how fair. You will also know what the average starting grid was for the last few years, and its well documented, and it's along time since it was near 15 never mind 20.....
Edited by anonymous-user on Saturday 31st January 22:00
Yep and i dont understand you sceduling comment
I checked the entry and we're both wrong :-) ( i only went to a couple of round last year)
The average was 17 dragged down by a low attendance at snett.
Your right though the series could be much bigger but thats down to the organisers, all the tvrcc and the drivers can try and help.
Are you ruuning with cscc next year wiuld be good to see you and your m back out and ive got cars st most of their meetings. Not sure what im going to be driving depends on funds and my shoulder
G
I checked the entry and we're both wrong :-) ( i only went to a couple of round last year)
The average was 17 dragged down by a low attendance at snett.
Your right though the series could be much bigger but thats down to the organisers, all the tvrcc and the drivers can try and help.
Are you ruuning with cscc next year wiuld be good to see you and your m back out and ive got cars st most of their meetings. Not sure what im going to be driving depends on funds and my shoulder
G
Instead of complaining maybe you should get your ass back on the grid and support us this year!!?? See if you can get any of your class records back in your 3.1;-) (seen as Chanty and I pissed over most of them before class B lol)
Seriously though, Average will be over 15 this year - there have been nay on 10 class A's every round 2014!! And what are your ideas to help boost things?? Pointless coming on being negative without giving positive ideas surely?? Contribute to the post or do as my parents taught me - if nowt good to say keep ya gob shut... ;-) ;-)
Seriously though, Average will be over 15 this year - there have been nay on 10 class A's every round 2014!! And what are your ideas to help boost things?? Pointless coming on being negative without giving positive ideas surely?? Contribute to the post or do as my parents taught me - if nowt good to say keep ya gob shut... ;-) ;-)
TVRMs said:
You will also know what the average starting grid was for the last few years, and its well documented, and it's along time since it was near 15 never mind 20.....
Not sure that's entirely factual or fair John. We had some marvellous grids last year, some of the strongest in a long time. Drivers, longer in tooth than I, were telling me what an improvement it is now compared to the 10 or 12 car grids they recollect a few years ago. Were it not for losing Graham and Dave early in the season with big off's, Andy Race and Mike Saunders on enforced sabbaticals between race cars, we would have had close on 20 starters on the grid at most meetings in 2014. Edited by TVRMs on Saturday 31st January 22:00
I'm compelled to agree with Dave here. Perhaps there are too many garage queen "racecars" that belong on the track with us, instead of spewing negative rhetoric
Apologies if I was a bit harsh in the grid numbers G, TSL shows 15.6 average for the 10 starting grids 
My car will be on track this year. The garage queen needed a rebuild after nearly 40 year of competition but it's taken longer due to an engine rebuild screw-up.
I will be out with CSCC as I enjoy the bigger grids and the opportunity to race for a full 40 minutes not just making up numbers in class C. Hope to catch up with a few of you, but it will be second part of the year.
I hope 2015 is a great season for Tuscans, a series that's been going for over 25 years and is still the showcase series for racing TVRs.
My car will be on track this year. The garage queen needed a rebuild after nearly 40 year of competition but it's taken longer due to an engine rebuild screw-up.
I will be out with CSCC as I enjoy the bigger grids and the opportunity to race for a full 40 minutes not just making up numbers in class C. Hope to catch up with a few of you, but it will be second part of the year.
I hope 2015 is a great season for Tuscans, a series that's been going for over 25 years and is still the showcase series for racing TVRs.
Edited by anonymous-user on Sunday 1st February 08:43
I'd be up for a day out but the race dates announced are such a long way from deepest devon it's a non starter for me I'm afraid. I'd love to see a field of tvrs fighting for position coming in to the complex at thruxton....
What about trying to move the championship on to another championships schedule? Take the series to the people rather than trying to pull people in. I understand this would be hard but say for example it were on the BTCC events, that's a huge captive audience.
What about trying to move the championship on to another championships schedule? Take the series to the people rather than trying to pull people in. I understand this would be hard but say for example it were on the BTCC events, that's a huge captive audience.
Edited by shake n bake on Sunday 1st February 07:54
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