Access to the Paddock

That's not for here. Paddock Club please.

How can one enter Paddock?

As the instructions on the forum listing indicate: " To gain access you have to PM the Paddock bouncer Slartibartfast and beg..."

As the instructions on the forum listing indicate: " To gain access you have to PM the Paddock bouncer Slartibartfast and beg..."

Well, thank you, but I do not beg. Thats not in compliance with my ways of life.

If she wants to give me permission thats fine ill take it. But I will never beg or even ask anyone for anything

I can live without the Paddock just fine.

Me too.

Think you’ve taken that a bit literally...

Just send a polite PM and ask to have it unlocked... decent place for non F1 chat.

I have to say, it does rub the wrong way.  I've been here for 20 years, and never asked for access precisely because the tone is uninviting.

I have to say, it does rub the wrong way.  I've been here for 20 years, and never asked for access precisely because the tone is uninviting.

While I did ask for access I agree with this, it makes it sounds like a terrible place.

I have to say, it does rub the wrong way.  I've been here for 20 years, and never asked for access precisely because the tone is uninviting.

Guys, I fully agree here. The tone of that description is meant to be funny, but it is the type of funny that some find it amusing, some find it head scratching and some find it repulsive. Its like the person writing that had the tact of an inexperienced in life 21 year old. It really should be changed.

When I joined this forum, you had to beg the founding moderator Bira to get access to the PC.  Bira was not a lady to be trifled with and the thought of begging her for something was most off-putting.  So I didn't and even now the far more amiable Slartibartfast has taken up the reins, I still haven't chosen to.  I think the wording has put a lot of people off.  It is also a shame that we no longer have the pleasure of Slarti's company out here in the cold.

Perhaps slightly OTT but the very thought of Paddock Club is off-putting. That's not where the knowledge is in an F1 paddock.

Think people are making too much about the wording used (bit  of tongue and cheek in my eyes).  If they take exception or feel put off by that then the PC is not the place for them.  Though if they do decide to participate they'll find no better place to share their opinions with the world at large on just about anything non-f1 related. 

Edited by YoungGun, 07 February 2021 - 13:45.

the begging part is so obviously just a joke lol

Guys, I fully agree here. The tone of that description is meant to be funny, but it is the type of funny that some find it amusing, some find it head scratching and some find it repulsive. Its like the person writing that had the tact of an inexperienced in life 21 year old. It really should be changed.

Works great to keep out people that get offended by nothing, then.

Edited by noikeee, 07 February 2021 - 17:16.

Perhaps slightly OTT but the very thought of Paddock Club is off-putting. That's not where the knowledge is in an F1 paddock.

;)

Works great to keep out people that get offended by nothing, then.

I don't think it has anything to do with being offended, I personally wasn't offended by the tone.  I was just turned off to the point of apathy by the childishly disrespectful tone.  One good lesson for adult life is to never remind people that they're lower than you on the pecking order without it being absolutely necessary, whether in a very important setting (i.e. job) or a meaningless setting (i.e. Internet forum).  Joking in a way that can only be done from top to bottom is one such way to rudely remind people who's the boss.

Edited by Dmitriy_Guller, 07 February 2021 - 21:11.

The allusion to the real F1 Paddock was clearly tongue in cheek, making it sound like some exclusive place, but I believe the 'beg' bit has been taken way too literally. All I did all those years ago was message asking to be granted access (please) and I was straight in, no questions asked.

I can sort of see people misunderstanding it though, and it does beg the question why of the eight forums it is the only one you need permission to get into, especially given the topics of discussion can be worse than RC and I've had worse abuse from people within the Paddock (who funnily enough are ever never seen in RC) than in RC itself.

The allusion to the real F1 Paddock was clearly tongue in cheek, making it sound like some exclusive place, but I believe the 'beg' bit has been taken way too literally. All I did all those years ago was message asking to be granted access (please) and I was straight in, no questions asked.

 

I can sort of see people misunderstanding it though, and it does beg the question why of the eight forums it is the only one you need permission to get into, especially given the topics of discussion can be worse than RC and I've had worse abuse from people within the Paddock (who funnily enough are ever never seen in RC) than in RC itself.

Obviously we don't discuss individual cases - so I won't name names - but there are some members whose past history led to them being banned from posting in RC.

As BRG - who's been around here even longer than me! - says, the wording dates back more than twenty years to the early days of AtlasF1. I think it was written by either Bira or Pit Babe. I believe it was meant to be amusing and a gentle poke at the 'celebrity culture' around the 'genuine' F1 Paddock Club; it was around about that time that grid walks became part of the TV broadcasts and we started getting 'vox pops' from B-list (and downwards) 'celebrities' who were at a GP purely because their PR people said they ought to be, but really had no idea what was going on. Some examples in this compilation:

As PC members who have read its rules know (and if you're a PC member you have read the rules, haven't you?) they are framed in a similar light-hearted fashion.

The allusion to the real F1 Paddock was clearly tongue in cheek, making it sound like some exclusive place, but I believe the 'beg' bit has been taken way too literally. All I did all those years ago was message asking to be granted access (please) and I was straight in, no questions asked.

I can sort of see people misunderstanding it though, and it does beg the question why of the eight forums it is the only one you need permission to get into, especially given the topics of discussion can be worse than RC and I've had worse abuse from people within the Paddock (who funnily enough are ever never seen in RC) than in RC itself.

It's also worth bearing in mind that the internet was a very much smaller - and very different - place 20+ years ago. AtlasF1 was one of the first motor racing fora and a very niche community within niche communities - the total membership certainly wouldn't have been more than two or three thousand, probably less, generally tech-savvy or even a bit geeky. We are rapidly approaching one hundred thousand registrations - although inevitably many of those are spammers - but we still have many, many more active members than when PC was established.

But with the issue raised the big part could be removed?

But with the issue raised the big part could be removed?

It will be under discussion amongst the moderation team.

No promises though.

It will be under discussion amongst the moderation team.

No promises though.

Read: laugh at how pathetic folk are being... in the private staff room forum though, obvz

 

Any feedback about moderation policy is welcome by private message. We will always consider and discuss reasonable ideas.

Autosport BB RC House Rules: https://forums.autos...-19-april-2019/

Your move ...

Obviously we don't discuss individual cases - so I won't name names - but there are some members whose past history led to them being banned from posting in RC.

 

As BRG - who's been around here even longer than me! - says, the wording dates back more than twenty years to the early days of AtlasF1. I think it was written by either Bira or Pit Babe. I believe it was meant to be amusing and a gentle poke at the 'celebrity culture' around the 'genuine' F1 Paddock Club; it was around about that time that grid walks became part of the TV broadcasts and we started getting 'vox pops' from B-list (and downwards) 'celebrities' who were at a GP purely because their PR people said they ought to be, but really had no idea what was going on. Some examples in this compilation:

 

 

As PC members who have read its rules know (and if you're a PC member you have read the rules, haven't you?) they are framed in a similar light-hearted fashion.

Thanks for the explanation. This sheds light on the wording, but unfortunately it is not obvious to people who are not in the know.

What is the Paddock Club?

It's the part of the Autosport Forum (still known by some as the AtlasF1 Forum) for discussion of subjects not directly related to motorsport. There are threads about political events around the world, such as the U.S. elections and Brexit, threads about getting or keeping fit, there are regular photography competition and word game threads, just to pick a few examples to demonstrate the variety.

How does one access the Paddock Club?

Requesting access is simple. Send the Paddock Club Moderator (that's me, currently) a Private Message asking for access. Begging isn't necessary, although it helps, but bribery is better. Blackmail will guarantee refusal and may earn you a visit from the Mice in Black.

Will I be allowed in?

Probably. There is a formal requirement that you have made at least thirty (30) posts before being allowed access. This is so the Moderator can keep out the riff-raff - the spammers, trolls and time-wasters. The rules for the open fora, such as Racing Comments and TNF, are straight-forward and easy to follow, so a recent history of getting into trouble over those rules may make it less likely that you will be granted immediate access. There isn't a strict protocol that says "x" number of warnings means refusal and the older the warning the less weight it carries, so don't feel put off asking. The worst that is likely to happen is you get asked to try again later. Actually, the worst that can happen is that you get let in...

Why is the Paddock Club private?

Because it's the Paddock Club, of course. If everyone could wander in and out at will, how can the members feel superior? 

Being private, in both reading and posting there, means that the rules and the moderation can be more laissez-faire (which may come as a surprise to some Paddock members) and posters can be more open in their opinions (with less chance of Google recording them and bringing them to the attention of others). What's said in Paddock Club stays in Paddock Club. Given that debates can become heated, that's for the best.

Will the wording of the description be changed, particularly the bit about having to beg?

Maybe. It will be discussed is all I can say as the decision isn't mine alone. The phrasing has been the same for at least twenty years and I don't think it has changed since the inception of the Paddock Club. Perhaps a change is due?

It used to be said that the only thing that every Paddock Club member definitely has in common is a love of motorsport. Apparently they have the ability to beg in common as well. 

Should I let the wording put me off?

What are you, an ape-descendant or a mouse? Of course not. If you don't like what you find in the Paddock Club you don't have to visit again. There are no membership fees* so you have nothing to lose.

*That gives me an idea. I must talk to the admins...

I mock-begged in 1999 the then moderator in a manner so syrupy and over the top that it was obvious I was joking.  I guess the "beg" line was written before snowflakery was as widespread as it is today.  CLEARLY it is a joke, to take it as anything other than that kind of blows my mind, man.

Got in with my Shatner-esque over-acting begging routine and although I quit for about 8 years I checked back in around 2010 and it's where I spend 95% of my time here.  There are good, respectful discussions in there, it is not like the swamp that so other many forums have as their off-topic bear pit.

I suspect if someone is put off by the wording of the access requirements she or he wouldn't like the Paddock Club manners anyway.

In all my years here, I somehow just assumed Slartibartfast was male. 

In all my years here, I somehow just assumed Slartibartfast was male. 

This is the interweb. You can be whatever you want to be.

In all my years here, I somehow just assumed Slartibartfast was male. 

A fair assumption. He's described that way in The Guide.

A fair assumption. He's described that way in The Guide.

Although of course we can't be sure what the gender norms actually are on Magrathea.

In all my years here, I somehow just assumed Slartibartfast was male. 

Testify... So did I.

Now I am confused.  On her profile, Slarti says that she is male, and the picture is definitely male, even if it is the late Richard Vernon.  But if he is female, how did she grow that beard? 

This is the interweb. You can be whatever you want to be.

Men are men, women are men, kids are cops.

I'm a cat! Me-Ow!

I am the egg man

My only ask, at minimum don't be shy in your profile to tell us whether you are M or F! F1 is not a male dominated sport. 

But what if you don't identify as either?

.. become a singer    

I suspect if someone is put off by the wording of the access requirements she or he wouldn't like the Paddock Club manners anyway.

Agreed. I'm in favor of keeping the incredibly onerous requirement of....asking to come in. 

This is so 2021, people triggered by wording to join a sub forum. 

Harden the **** up. I weep for the future. 

Has this scandal led to a surge in beggars for admission to the PC?

When I joined this forum, you had to beg the founding moderator Bira to get access to the PC.  Bira was not a lady to be trifled with and the thought of begging her for something was most off-putting.  So I didn't and even now the far more amiable Slartibartfast has taken up the reins, I still haven't chosen to.  I think the wording has put a lot of people off.  It is also a shame that we no longer have the pleasure of Slarti's company out here in the cold.

Actually, Bira never controlled access to the Paddock Club. Pit Babe did. And she's the one you originally had to "beg" to when the Paddock Club was created.

When she decided to step down, I took over as PC Host on top of my duties as Board Administrator, and left the wording unchanged. To be honest, it never crossed my mind that anyone could take this text literally enough to get offended. I guess this place still manages to bring me surprises after all these years...

Actually, Bira never controlled access to the Paddock Club. Pit Babe did. And she's the one you originally had to "beg" to when the Paddock Club was created.

 

When she decided to step down, I took over as PC Host on top of my duties as Board Administrator, and left the wording unchanged. To be honest, it never crossed my mind that anyone could take this text literally enough to get offended. I guess this place still manages to bring me surprises after all these years...

Maybe no-one were offend back then? I am pretty sure I verbalized my request as a beg.

We live in newer time, more puritan, more offendable.

It's not offensive, it's off-putting.  You can be put off without being offended.

Judging by the other threads raised this week, Autosport want people to have to beg to enter the entire website now