Goodwood Soft Top - disgruntled GRRC member

[5lTVR]

Couldn't work out why I was passing so many soft tops on their way back from Goodwood so early as I drove the hour there. Arriving just before 9am I found out along with many others - we weren't let in and told to park in field half mile away. GRRC membership counted for nothing. So we just drove to Kennels for breakfast which was filling rapidly with other pi55ed off GRRCers - quite a few who had also registered their cars

Whats going on??

I can't believe the entire circuit was filled both sides??

Does our GRRC member shp not guarentee any kind of entry??

D

[Steve_D]

5lTVR said:

.....I can't believe the entire circuit was filled both sides??....

By that time it most likely was full. I've not before seen cars parked all the way from the start of Lavant corner all the way to the 50 board for Woodcote. Plus all the other car parks and paddock full.

Steve

[The Hypno-Toad]

Having never seen so many cars or people inside the circuit at any Goodwood Breakfast Club event before and having got there at 07.45, I would believe today was the very definiton of "You snooze, you lose,"

There never has been anything place at the Breakfast Club events for GRRC members as far as I was aware. Might have got that wrong.

[PompeyM3]

The way I've understood it, is it's first come, first served on these Breakfast clubs as they never really know how many people are going to attend, so can't really start reserving parking for people that may never show up.

The point of registering for them, may give Goodwood a rough idea of how many and what cars will turn up, but as the marshalls don't have a check list (and I'm sure they've got enough to do directing the cars etc). I see the registering more as getting people on the mailing list for goodwood events than anything, which is fair enough given that these Breakfast clubs are free of charge.

Perhaps these are becoming a victim of their own success, where the numbers attending are outgrowning the on-site venue, but I hope they don't change the format as it a cracking way to spend a Sunday morning. Soft Top Sunday is one of the more popular ones, but I can already imagine how busy Super Car Sunday is going to be !.

[Stephanie Plum]

There is no reserved parking for GRRC members at Breakfast Clubs. I've lost track of the number of times people have whinged about it both on here and on the GRRC forum. Get over it.

[CivicMan]

Bizarre, presumably you'd come in your Spider, AND registered AND been there by 9am. They were still admitting cars onto the track at 9.15ish according to EXIF data on my photos. But, as mentioned, GRRC is not recognised for Breakfast Club.

[kingBadger]

I also thought that "registration" meant nothing - it was simply used to the organisers to get an indication of how many people will be going along... I may be wrong.

It was a great morning - made better by my 7:45 arrival and being directed to the grid for the first time - I celebrated with the 10quid breakfast which was pretty dire!

[5lTVR]

Thanks all for responses and helpful replies

I guess the decision to be an hour later than I usually am just didnt work (altho I think on most other occasions last year would have been fine)

Why so busy I wonder - Mothering Sunday - quick whizz in before heading for lunch?

Anyway looks like it was a great morning from the pics threads Going to bed now no so can be up in time for SuperC Sunday

D

[racing green]

Breakfast club is administered by the GRRCompany, not the GRRClub so no shoe in I'm afraid. Soft top Sunday is probably the busiest of them all but that's probably because so many dare I say it 'ordinary' cars turn up like MX5's, Peugeot 307 etc. Not saying these are boring cars in the least but I guess some other more interesting cars could have been turned away as a result. As mentioned he who snoozes, looses and between 8.30 and 9.30 is peak time for car arriving. The fact that so many turned up at once meant the marshalls had no choice but to send some away to 'THE FIELD' (said in movie announcers voice). It wasn't however the busiest Soft top Sunday as last year they managed to get all the way down Lavant straight!

[HereBeMonsters]

You got there at 9 and you're complaining?

[Gwagon111]

It sometimes seems there is a lot of anti-GRRC member sentiment. I put most of it down to petty jealousy. As Mark has said, there's no shoe in for GRRclub members at the breakfast club, because it's a GRRcompany gig. That said, I have heard of instances where GRRC stickered cars have been waved to "the field" when there has been plenty of space in the paddocks, and other areas. It would seem you just have to put up, or shut up.

[Vantage man]

I have been a member of the GRRC for a number of years. I have to say that I find it to be great value for money, and as for the Breakfast club that is free and I have had some good times there.

[Pistachio]

Whats the problem, it wasn't raining and it was a nice walk along the all those soft tops to the pit straight..It was great. Even saw Herbie Blash going back to his Merc in the "Field".

[shoestring7]

racing green said:

the marshalls had no choice but to send some away to 'THE FIELD'

Known in the Shoestring household as 'The Field of Shame'.

SS7

[CivicMan]

shoestring7 said:

Known in the Shoestring household as 'The Field of Shame'

Followed by "The Walk of Shame"......!!

[StagnJag]

Anyone know how many cars actually got in?

[racing green]

So whilst on my walk of shame to the field of shame I came across these lovelies







All I can say is that it is a SHAME I can't do it more often!!!
Now golf, there is another matter- that is a walk of shame.......