8 replies to this topic

[Ted Walker]

Heard some strange rumours over the weekend that its now a 1 DAY MEETING !!!! any comments ????

[Ted Walker]

I mean of course DONINGTON .

[jph]

There's a news item on the Donington website - looks like it's HGPCA plus Gentleman Drivers on Saturday, FIA practice plus Gentleman Drivers on Sunday and FIA races (including TGP) on Monday. Should be a great event.

[Steve L]

The new Motor Sport magazine has a one page ad for the event.

Does anyone know what entries have been made for the 1950s & 1960s GP/sports car races?

[Keith Booker]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Steve L
[B]The new Motor Sport magazine has a one page ad for the event.

Yes it does but it is a one page ad by the HGPCA for a one day event - 1 May only. Either Ted is right about this previously advertised three day event being reduced to one day or the other two days are organised by others and promoted separately. Perhaps because of the FIA promotion of TGP? Motor Sport's 'What's on Where' says the event runs 1-3 May and gives Donington's number who aren't answering. Anyone have the answer as it does seem to be causing some confusion and is an odd way to encourage spectators?

[David Beard]

Originally posted by Ted Walker
Heard some strange rumours over the weekend that its now a 1 DAY MEETING !!!! any comments ????

When all becomes clear, Ted, will you be there with your stall?

[jph]

Originally posted by Keith Booker:
Anyone have the answer as it does seem to be causing some confusion and is an odd way to encourage spectators?

Taking the MS advert and the Donington website news item together, it looks like HGPCA on Saturday and FIA Sunday/Monday.

I agree it's confusing and you have to dig a bit on the website to find the news item (no direct link from the event calendar, for example) - but this is just another example of how promoters seem to be losing the plot when it comes to attracting spectators. There was no mention of the meeting in the programme for last Sunday's HSCC event at Donington, though the back cover was given over to a full page advert for the Silverstone event at the beginning of June - presumably because the programme was published by the HSCC. I am sure I'm not alone in trying to plan my May bank holiday weekend, including taking the family to the races for a day, but it doesn't help when you have to be a bit of a detective just two weeks before the event to find out what's happening.

[Keith Booker]

Yes, I think you're right jph, especially as the TGP race down for Donington 2-3 May is now the only UK round following the withrawal of the the race planned for Silverstone on 4 - 6 June. That is now down as a FORCE round.

Where the confusion appears to come is the inference by Donington that this a 3 day historic festival, implying one meeting, not two. Lucky we're enthusiasts eh?

[jph]

Back on to the hobby horse. Promoters are consistently bemoaning the fact that gates are down and running race meetings is uneconomic. For example, I have some sympathy with Brands Hatch now finding it more sensible to use the relatively few days they are allowed for the GP loop for track days rather than race meetings as the promoters won't pay the extra hire costs. Yet despite all the means available for publicising - or even just informing - what's going on, in preceding event race programmes, specialist press (such as it is) and most particularly through frequent updates of websites - you have to dig deep to find out. Sorry to sound like a Luddite, but I rember it used to be a lot easier (say) thirty years ago to find out a couple or three weeks in advance what was going on and in some detail - that's how I used to convince my Dad to take me to Brands arther more times than Mum was happy about.

Better pre-event publicity must be at least part of the solution.