Are track day prices going up fast?

[bigothunter]

Track day prices have been creeping up gradually but I've just looked at the Oulton Park Calendar 2021 and I'm stunned. During the main season, even mid-week sessions are £259 to £309. My favourite circuit may have become just too expensive

Are track days becoming elitist and for rich enthusiasts only? Or is it just me?

https://car.msvtrackdays.com/Calendar

https://www.javelintrackdays.co.uk/trackdays/Oulto...

[bigothunter]

nickfrog said:

10/11 £149 - job done.

Plus £30 for a garage to keep away from the cold Cheshire November rain

[bigothunter]

LF5335 said:

In a nutshell, yes. Letter attached below that’s been made public by one of the TDOs for bikes from Jonathan Palmer at MSV. I’m sure you could argue both sides of the coin with this, but it seems they’ve got no choice and the increase will be needed to make sure the tracks aren’t housing estates this time next year.

Thanks for sharing that letter

[bigothunter]

I'm tempted to ask how Jonathan's helicopter is going but maybe that's rather unkind?

[bigothunter]

Law of supply and demand - if you can't afford it, don't let the door hit you on the way out

[bigothunter]

pablo said:

Cheap track days attract poorly prepared cars and drivers of a dubious standard. I’d rather pay more and do fewer track days with organisers who have a low tolerance of fkwittery than do more track days with cheaply organisers who look the other way.

C70R said:

Personally I've always felt that £100-150 was too cheap, and the level of service/facilities you get seem to be commensurate with that.

I'd gladly see prices rise overall to have slightly better quality days (more marshals, better facilities etc.), with the added bonus that it might keep the 'drifters' and MOT-fail, banger racers away.

I know there are more 'exclusive' days, but they tend to be thin on the ground and private/club-focused (e.g. Lotus on Track).

bigothunter said:

Are track days becoming elitist and for rich enthusiasts only?

The right crowd and no crowding?

[bigothunter]

C70R said:

I don't think a rise of a few quid makes them "elitist", for what it's worth.

Far Cough said:

Must be across the board as we planned to book a noisy Donnington day but at £465 we bailed out.

£465 is not affordable to me either

[bigothunter]

C70R said:

Back on topic - trackday prices haven't really risen significantly for a number of years. I'm sure there was a time in the 90s where you could rock up to Knockhill in an MOT failure and rag it all day for £30, but prices have hovered around the same mark for a good few years.

MOT failures and bangers keep getting mentioned. Until Covid struck, I drove at track days at least once a month during the season (about 9 per annum) and have never encountered anything close to an MOT failure or banger.

Do you mean cars over a certain age perhaps? We run two race cars of 1983 and 1958 vintage. Perhaps they're bangers too?

[bigothunter]

E-bmw said:

Me neither, with one notable exception.

First day I ever did at Cadwell a guy rocked up with a very ratty Golf gti he bought the day before for £200 without an MOT/tax.

Needless to say he fried the brakes in the first hour or 2 and sat out most of the day.

Early Golf GTs could fry their brakes in 3 laps especially at Cadwell

[bigothunter]

C70R said:

If increasing the cost of a day by £40-50 to safeguard the future of the hobby is too much to stomach, it's probably the wrong hobby.

Are the circuit owners like Jonathan Palmer really that close to insolvency? Or could temptation to sell circuits for house building be the factor which sways their business plans?

TDO business looks flexible with low overheads (eg working from home) so well able to accommodate lean times. How many Track Day Operators have gone bankrupt?

Maybe financial viability is much closer to the line than I perceived

[bigothunter]

C70R said:

Given the decline in low-cost airfield days and the complete demise of some circuits (Rockingham and others) due to unsustainable financials, there would seem to be more than a grain of truth in that.

Rockingham was a white elephant from inception and always destined for closure. Its vast but empty grandstands are testimony to that outcome.

I am struggling to identify other circuits which have closed recently. Even Pembrey is still open. Agree Ingliston closed in 1995 and Crystal Palace in 1972. What else are you thinking of?

[bigothunter]

rossyl said:

Absolutely agree. Why would I spend more money for no greater experience? I would not for many other items I spend money on.

Paying more for a Track Day? I might prefer to spend the money on something else.

It's just supply and demand. Charge as much as the market will tolerate until profit is jeopardised.

[bigothunter]

iguana said:

Yes can't quite get my head round msv going from £199 to £289 for brands hatch indy!

What? That's only a 45% increase

[bigothunter]

worldwidewebs said:

Just looking through some of my MSV bookings for Oulton last year
15 Feb - £139
07 March - £229
02 June - £259
15 July - £259
26 August - £259
23 September - £259
14 November - £169
05 December - £139

Contrast that with the following that they have available now
07 April - £299
20 April - £299
12 May - £309
25 May - £309

I can only guess that the summer dates will be even more expensive!

I normally do 10-15 days a year (did 12 last year I think) but I'll certainly be doing fewer this year as I'm starting to question the value. Given that all their Oulton dates still have availability, it's looking like many are having the same feelings as me

Seems £400 could be the 'going rate' for a regular track day soon The market will not tolerate that for long. Prices must reduce otherwise numbers will decline, jeopardising profit.

[bigothunter]

C70R said:

bigothunter said:

Seems £400 could be the 'going rate' for a regular track day soon

I can't see where on earth you're drawing that conclusion from. Unless you're just pulling numbers out of thin air to make a pretend point?

Almost all of the trackdays on Javelin's site are between £150-250. The post you quoted showed that the May/June comparable date had gone up £50 vs last year, likely to accommodate all of the sessions they haven't been able to run.

I'm intrigued at how much people think a trackday should cost, and how much profit they feel like their ideal model would allow a track and operator to make.

My words 'seems' and 'could' are the clue. They indicate an observed trend not a conclusion. Apologies if that is too subtle for you

Not unrealistic for £309 on Tuesday May 25th to translate to over £400 for a weekend track day in peak season. Genuinely hope I'm wrong but writing is on the wall for all to see

Would be surprised if TDOs are the root cause of these price increases. Much more likely to sit with the circuit owners. TDO business overheads can be small unlike circuit owners.

[bigothunter]

worldwidewebs said:

Contrast that with the following that they have available (for Oulton Park)
07 April - £299
20 April - £299
12 May - £309
25 May - £309

C70R said:

I'm not seeing many August days on trackdays.co.uk that are over £200.

Being loose and alarmist with your language doesn't really add much to a grown-up discussion.

I'm alarmed that my favourite circuit is unavailable below £299 even in early April. Might have to give Oulton a miss this year

[bigothunter]

C70R said:

Then why didn't you just say that, rather than doing a poor impersonation of a Daily Mail headline writer?

Groan wearily

[bigothunter]

gruffalo said:

bigothunter said:

I'm alarmed that my favourite circuit is unavailable below £299 even in early April. Might have to give Oulton a miss this year

Go to Spa instead.

Fabulous Spa is starting to look reasonable value. Racer still has a gearbox oil leak which is proving difficult to fix, so not ready at present. Great practice for Spa summer historic meeting if we take the plunge. Looks much safer than Nordschleife which I have never driven and don't fancy at the silly speeds which would be inevitable

Long time ago but I have driven around part of the Spa circuit in an artic truck

[bigothunter]

braddo said:

I doubt anyone based in the UK can do a Spa track day for less money than the most expensive day at a UK track...

Absolutely Scale of cost would be higher. But what a fabulous event especially if it morphed into a short break in the Ardennes. Keep the girlfriend happy as well

[bigothunter]

Nickjd said:

Thanks - will put that on my calendar