UK drag racing - how long can it survive?
Discussion
OK closed season time, what about an open and frank discussion? How long can UK promoters continue to stage top line drag race events. Clearly the weather has hammered the sport over the last two years in this Country and on the back of that is the credit crunch.
I stood on the banking last Saturday watching a track clean up and whilst the crews at both of the key UK drag strios do an excellent job, it does take time and that is no one's fault, it goes with the terratory but the punters then see nothing for ages.
Surely it must be more financially sound to promote events, whether motor sport or otherwise that are not so weather sensative?
I love the sport but to be honest I cannot see how anyone can afford to promote it in England, not when there are so many hot countries in Europe.
Just a debate that's all, over to you....
I stood on the banking last Saturday watching a track clean up and whilst the crews at both of the key UK drag strios do an excellent job, it does take time and that is no one's fault, it goes with the terratory but the punters then see nothing for ages.
Surely it must be more financially sound to promote events, whether motor sport or otherwise that are not so weather sensative?
I love the sport but to be honest I cannot see how anyone can afford to promote it in England, not when there are so many hot countries in Europe.
Just a debate that's all, over to you....
Glenn sadly its not just the uk but alot of the tour has been affected over the past few seasons,It has got a little out of hand and if this recession does take a good grip then i dont think things would improve much.When you factor in that is nearly as expensive to drive your rig around Europe as it is to run the car it starts to get costly and with no real purse to win it just doesnt look that attractive any more.When the fia came on board i remember it being said that it would give sponsors something to put there name to.Fast forward 12 or so years and there is still no title rights sponsor and even banger racers have that!It maybe will be tough times?
I dont think it will die either the issue is how much its strength will be challenged again,these are changing times and attitudes are changing with regards to pollution, lawsuits, money,waste, noise etc etc.We came through it before as you say but look how long it took to swell the ranks of ALL pro classes again
Hi Im new back into drag racing after many years away...went to Blackbushe last!!!!!, then recently discovered that my mates wifes dad originally owned and ran Le Patron, and got back into it. We went to Santa Pod yesterday, and my conclusion was that the weather is s
te and really the day was ruined especially when trying to get my 5 year old son enthusiastic....I still love it though and will go to events next year...but looking at this year it seems much of the racing was ruined for you guys by the rain...We are going to a rally this weekend, weather does not matter any will do.
Its been raining here for years...it may only stop foreign cars coming to UK.
te and really the day was ruined especially when trying to get my 5 year old son enthusiastic....I still love it though and will go to events next year...but looking at this year it seems much of the racing was ruined for you guys by the rain...We are going to a rally this weekend, weather does not matter any will do.Its been raining here for years...it may only stop foreign cars coming to UK.
Good answers and I agree, I've not put this on to upset folk, it's something that genuinely concerns me. I know and most others must realise that drag racing promotion in the UK haemorrhages money like there's no tomorrow.
The venue, quite sensibly now use the Live Action Arena to support to down times and in an attempt to pull and bigger audience but the cost of putting on the shows in there doesn't prop up the finanancial floodgate caused by the english weather. Sad but true.
But how long is it before the promoters give up and think...I'll go and promote something else?
The venue, quite sensibly now use the Live Action Arena to support to down times and in an attempt to pull and bigger audience but the cost of putting on the shows in there doesn't prop up the finanancial floodgate caused by the english weather. Sad but true.
But how long is it before the promoters give up and think...I'll go and promote something else?
The thing is despite bad weather the crowd on Saturday at Santa Pod was much bigger than you would get for an F3 meeting at Donnington or wherever on a bright summers day. I think the big threat in the credit crunch is that it will reduce the number of Top Fuel and similar cars { which has been healthy for the last 3 or 4 years} as happened a few years ago and that will affect crowds.
It's funny but drag racing in Europe is only popular in Scandanavia, Germany, and the UK none of which have great weather. There are no drag strips in Spain, Greece etc where you can expect sunshine. The weather in 2008 was dreadful, surely 2009 must be better.
You have always had oil downs { you get them even in the US} and the crew are actually pretty quick these days though it can disrupt things. All the live action/demo stuff is OK but if there were no fuel cars I would not come.
Bill
It's funny but drag racing in Europe is only popular in Scandanavia, Germany, and the UK none of which have great weather. There are no drag strips in Spain, Greece etc where you can expect sunshine. The weather in 2008 was dreadful, surely 2009 must be better.
You have always had oil downs { you get them even in the US} and the crew are actually pretty quick these days though it can disrupt things. All the live action/demo stuff is OK but if there were no fuel cars I would not come.
Bill
I think there is a track in Greece and there is definatly one in Malta.
I believe that drag racing will survive any downturn , there may be a decrease in entries but it has along way to go to the days of 60 odd entries for a 3 day event.
Drag Racing has a strong fan base just look at the numbers at the fireworks meet despite the poor weather also you only have to look at how many people camped and stuck out the appalling weather at the finals for 3 days just so they could hopefully see some racing [ and were rewarded for thier perseverance with some great racing on the Sunday ]. We also have people in charge particulary at Santa Pod who are drag racing fans not just business men who are determined to make Drag racing a success in England and Europe, yes they need to make money and i'm sure they will do all they can to continue to biuld European drag racing.
it cant be as bad next year so roll on Easter.
I believe that drag racing will survive any downturn , there may be a decrease in entries but it has along way to go to the days of 60 odd entries for a 3 day event.
Drag Racing has a strong fan base just look at the numbers at the fireworks meet despite the poor weather also you only have to look at how many people camped and stuck out the appalling weather at the finals for 3 days just so they could hopefully see some racing [ and were rewarded for thier perseverance with some great racing on the Sunday ]. We also have people in charge particulary at Santa Pod who are drag racing fans not just business men who are determined to make Drag racing a success in England and Europe, yes they need to make money and i'm sure they will do all they can to continue to biuld European drag racing.
it cant be as bad next year so roll on Easter.
having raced in other forms of motorsport and now 4 seasons in drag racing, the last 2 years in drag racing has tested my patience to the point of breaking. I love the sport, I aspired to race and have acheived that but with a significant amount of money invested in a car that I've raced at 3 meetings this year, I'm getting to the point where having an overpowered ornament sitting in the garage just isn't funny anymore. I go racing to race, the social side is great but every penny comes out my pocket and I know many who may not be able to do this much longer.
The UK season is structured wrong. Our weather seasons are changing, the chances of a white Xmas are slim because winters are lasting longer and Summers getting later. We need to run when statistically the weather is known to be better. Problem is, the Pod is hosting "lifestyle" events during this time.
There are some things we can do to help ourselves but some need to be imposed not optional.
1, Have specific rules relative to "proper" fluid containment in all classes, ie, mandatory diapers, proper race spec hoses, hose clamps, strapped core plugs, overflow / breather cans, the use of anti-freeze etc
2, Any car stopped for a weap or drip on the startline and shut off gets it's pass removed and has to be re-scrutineered. This should apply to any tech infringment.
3, On 2 day meetings, have Friday night qualifying, I take the whole day off work as I'm sure many others do, get to the track to pit up and scrutineer early only to sit around all afternoon and evening. We need more runs. People will bleat about having to take time off work but then moan when it rains. Put up or shut up I say.
4, Make hay while the Sun shines, if qualifyings done at MSA meetings and weather permits, have open practice into the night. Racers pay £10 to carry on running, track staff get paid proper overtime rates from the collective £10 fees.
Just some ideas, obviously weather permiting...
The UK season is structured wrong. Our weather seasons are changing, the chances of a white Xmas are slim because winters are lasting longer and Summers getting later. We need to run when statistically the weather is known to be better. Problem is, the Pod is hosting "lifestyle" events during this time.
There are some things we can do to help ourselves but some need to be imposed not optional.
1, Have specific rules relative to "proper" fluid containment in all classes, ie, mandatory diapers, proper race spec hoses, hose clamps, strapped core plugs, overflow / breather cans, the use of anti-freeze etc
2, Any car stopped for a weap or drip on the startline and shut off gets it's pass removed and has to be re-scrutineered. This should apply to any tech infringment.
3, On 2 day meetings, have Friday night qualifying, I take the whole day off work as I'm sure many others do, get to the track to pit up and scrutineer early only to sit around all afternoon and evening. We need more runs. People will bleat about having to take time off work but then moan when it rains. Put up or shut up I say.
4, Make hay while the Sun shines, if qualifyings done at MSA meetings and weather permits, have open practice into the night. Racers pay £10 to carry on running, track staff get paid proper overtime rates from the collective £10 fees.
Just some ideas, obviously weather permiting...
PhilSweeney said:
We need to run when statistically the weather is known to be better. Problem is, the Pod is hosting "lifestyle" events during this time.
This is really almost the entire problem. I appreciate it's a delicate balancing act between the need to make money through the lifestyle events to fund the track, and the need for us to get some track time when it's not likely to be raining. At the moment, we seem to be getting the raw end of the deal, but I don't see an obvious solution to the problem.PhilSweeney said:
2, Any car stopped for a weap or drip on the startline and shut off gets it's pass removed and has to be re-scrutineered. This should apply to any tech infringment.
Which problem are you trying to fix here? Can you point to examples of people being shut down and then going on to later oil the track? I know of one or two, but it's hardly been a big problem, and I'm not sure it's been statistically significant enough to justify the overhead and the extra work for the scrutineers.Friday night qualifying? It seems attractive, but remember that not everyone has to take the Friday off work to get to the track. Similarly, open practice into the night seems like a good idea, but there are logistical problems to overcome. The track crew already work obscene hours with minimal breaks, and a bit of overtime might not be enough to placate them. Also, the track temperature drops off very quickly once the sun's gone down, and I'm not sure late night practice runs would benefit many racers. But I don't think the problems are insurmountable, and we should certainly be considering all the options.
with ref to getting re-scrutinnered, I would hope it would force a change in behaviour to dropping fluids. Nobody means to do it, but does everybody take the the utmost precaution they can ? I personally don't think so. I'm not accusing people of going on to drop fluids but posing the question, if the rules for fluid containment and the penalty for dropping fluids was harsher (and I don't mean fines) would so many people drop fluids ?
With ref to Friday night qualifying. I appreciate there are people who don't take the Friday off work. There are however a vast amount of people who do, who use most annual leave racing and who want to race their cars and bikes. To own and run a car or bike is an enormous commitment for some individuals. Events finishing without finals or hardly any qualifying isn't fair on the racers who put everything into their vehicles. Entry fields are bursting in some instances so for those who want to run, they'll be there, those who can't (JD's) or who don't want to, can run Saturday.
In terms of track staff. This is an issue. We can't have knackered track officials trying to run a meeting non stop, but it's not rocket science, have track and race officials working shifts ? Bring on and train more staff for national meetings, nothings impossible it's just comes down to what the Pod wants to give the racer for their entry.
With ref to Friday night qualifying. I appreciate there are people who don't take the Friday off work. There are however a vast amount of people who do, who use most annual leave racing and who want to race their cars and bikes. To own and run a car or bike is an enormous commitment for some individuals. Events finishing without finals or hardly any qualifying isn't fair on the racers who put everything into their vehicles. Entry fields are bursting in some instances so for those who want to run, they'll be there, those who can't (JD's) or who don't want to, can run Saturday.
In terms of track staff. This is an issue. We can't have knackered track officials trying to run a meeting non stop, but it's not rocket science, have track and race officials working shifts ? Bring on and train more staff for national meetings, nothings impossible it's just comes down to what the Pod wants to give the racer for their entry.
Edited by PhilSweeney on Monday 3rd November 13:08
PhilSweeney said:
it's just comes down to what the Pod wants to give the racer for their entry.
Please bear in mind that Santa Pod Raceway and Santa Pod Racers Club are two entities and it's SPRC who run the racing side of events.What interests me about this thread is that Glenn asked the question about UK drag racing and promoters, plural, surviving but the discussion is all about SPR.
I also agree that maybe it's time to look at the way the calender is structured but these sorts of matters can only be considered if the correct people are approached i.e attend the sprc drivers and riders meeting and propose an alteration to the calender maybe? Personally, i would like to see to see an event at Santa Pod over the August bank holiday weekend as opposed to the other place that is somewhere in Warwickshire and name i can't recall.The probable reason that the discussion has come around to just SPR/SPRC is that this is where it's at .We have to accept that the lifestyle events will take priority over sportsman events because they are the lifeblood of the great facility that is now Santa Pod.
We are not America!
Too much unpredictable weather, officialdom, costs, big thinking, outside influences, control, prejudice, and lack of interest in drag racing in this small overcrowded country.
Eventually drag racing in the EU will shrink back to a similar level that it was years ago, especially now that things are getting tighter for everyone with no end in sight! This is bound to happen so that 'skint' racers and fans can enjoy the sport at times and places befitting peoples lives and pockets! Not good really but what can we do apart from being more flexible!
Too much unpredictable weather, officialdom, costs, big thinking, outside influences, control, prejudice, and lack of interest in drag racing in this small overcrowded country.
Eventually drag racing in the EU will shrink back to a similar level that it was years ago, especially now that things are getting tighter for everyone with no end in sight! This is bound to happen so that 'skint' racers and fans can enjoy the sport at times and places befitting peoples lives and pockets! Not good really but what can we do apart from being more flexible!
a good point Tog, I personally view the 2 tracks very differently as I suppose many do. Shakey has had it's issues, but I'm very glad those who stepped in and who continued to run the track did when thing's looked bleak. SPR has the facilities and calender to generate profit and run as a commercial entity. In the nicest possible way, Shakey is very much at the other end of the scale.
With ref to SPR and SPRC, the defining line where responsibilites lie, has never been very clear IMO, which does lead to confusion over whose in charge. It's a very difficult situation because the weather has pissed on everything this year and everybodys given their best efforts to get events run, so it's hard to comment without detracting from that and thats not the intention. I just feel we're making it hard for ourselves running big events early in the year and not making use of the very limted dry/sunshine we do get.
With ref to SPR and SPRC, the defining line where responsibilites lie, has never been very clear IMO, which does lead to confusion over whose in charge. It's a very difficult situation because the weather has pissed on everything this year and everybodys given their best efforts to get events run, so it's hard to comment without detracting from that and thats not the intention. I just feel we're making it hard for ourselves running big events early in the year and not making use of the very limted dry/sunshine we do get.
Thanks for joining in everyone, good debate so far.
As other have said, what of those at the other end of the scale, with no disrespect intended what about SCR who have no financial strength and very little to fulfill those long wet financially disastrous days? I feel for those people striving to keep the sport alive.
As other have said, what of those at the other end of the scale, with no disrespect intended what about SCR who have no financial strength and very little to fulfill those long wet financially disastrous days? I feel for those people striving to keep the sport alive.
Just a thought.... they have 'covers' to protect the surface from the wet stuff, at tennis and cricket matches, why not at the strips ?
Rolled up at the side of the walls or Armco, surely they could quickly be pulled over the strip. Cannot see that they would necessarily be a safety hazard and would significantly speed up the drying process......
I realise that this is not a new idea and has been mooted in the past, but in view of the weather experiences over the last two years, would it not be appropriate to re-examine such an idea ?
Rolled up at the side of the walls or Armco, surely they could quickly be pulled over the strip. Cannot see that they would necessarily be a safety hazard and would significantly speed up the drying process......
I realise that this is not a new idea and has been mooted in the past, but in view of the weather experiences over the last two years, would it not be appropriate to re-examine such an idea ?
Last year Bug Jam was nearly washed out , ive been to Cannonball meets that have had rain. This year most events during the Summer [ supposed dry time and good for racing ] have had some rain so what is the best time ? The Finals have had very good weather most years as has many an Easter event.
I have often thought about the covers for the track, alright the track would still get some wet on it, but it would keep mostly dry, and therefore save drying time.
one thing that I can never understand is the gap in the summer, You get the May Main event and the Sportsman Nationals then hardly anything till August! Maybe put another meeting into that gap?
I like the idea of overtime pay too Phil!!, thanks for that, although we are not paid!, Its expenses!.
one thing that I can never understand is the gap in the summer, You get the May Main event and the Sportsman Nationals then hardly anything till August! Maybe put another meeting into that gap?
I like the idea of overtime pay too Phil!!, thanks for that, although we are not paid!, Its expenses!.
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