I have been asked to post this up here, as all at SE are welcome.
I have pasted the full story below and I am saddened by the trackday pricing strategy adopted recently by Knockhill.
It does not seem to encourage car clubs/independants to run their own events in the future?
Please give this your support for the bargain price of £65
This is the final GMSC Knockhill track night for 2010, and it might be the last one ever.
Eh? What? Why? I hear you ask. Well, it's like this, you hear me answer.
Knockhill ran an extra Hot Hatch Day the day before our August Monday night, only 12 cars showed up at our event, and we lost a grand. We still have to pay the same track hire (£1880 - you do the sums if you like) even if nobody shows up. That's the lowest attendance we have ever had, as far as I can remember, even worse than the time there was rain all week and thunderstorms and torrential rain all day, but 18 drivers came to that one.
We have been running track nights at Knockhill for quite a while now - 27 years since the first one I was at - but for the last few years we have struggled to break even. We always had lots of entries when the weather was nice for a few days beforehand, and a lot less if it was raining on the day, or if it rained for a few days beforehand. But that was OK - we made a few quid on the busy nights, lost a few quid on the quiet nights, but if we averaged 30 cars it worked out OK over the year.
However, Knockhill keep ratchetting up the track hire price, and three years ago they started charging extra per car if you have more than 30 cars. That really changes the game, because it eats up more than half the extra we take in on a busy night, but they don't take anything off the price if we have a quiet night, so it is much harder to break even over the year. Now if we average 30 cars, with sometimes 40 and sometimes 20, we will lose money, because Knockhill charge extra for the nights with 40 cars.
Obviously we can't keep pouring money down the drain, and we seriously considered just cancelling the September night, and saying end of an era, we are done with this for ever. But we have members who joined because of the track days, and we feel we owe it to them to give this one more try.
We have observed that Track Scotland only take advance bookings online, for a maximum of thirty cars, no turn up and pay on the night, and they are fully booked weeks in advance. So we are going to try something similar.
Here is the deal.
If you want these track nights to continue, you are going to have to support them, and commit to attending by booking and paying in advance, not just leave it to the last minute to decide that you'll go if the sun is shining and tonights episode of the Simpsons isn't very good.
We will run the September track night as planned, and the price will be the same as the last one, as long as you book your place and pay for it at least a week before the event. We will take a maximum of 40 cars, and one week before, the price goes up. That is to encourage you to get in early.
The early bird price will be £65 up to a week before the event, then from Friday 17th it will be £80, so get in quick and save yourself fifteen quid.
Additional drivers sharing the same car £10 if booked and paid early, then £15 from the 17th.
Knockhill Track Night details and online booking form on the club website.
If you really, really don't want to pay online with PayPal or a Credit or Debit card, you can print out an entry form, fill it in, and post it with a cheque to GMSC, 32 Cowal Crescent, Glenrothes, KY6 3PT. Make the cheque payable to Glenrothes Motor Sport Club Limited, and make sure it arrives by 17th to qualify for the lower price.
So, if you want these track nights to continue, you need to support the September one. Unfortunately it is the night before the McRae Stages, which wil rule out the forest rally guys, but the tarmackers will still be available.
Fine opportunity for a bit of tarmac testing before the Rally of Mull, maybe?
Bring your pals, and your granny. If you hang out on the Escort or Scooby or Lotus or Morris Minor Cruisers forum or Facebook whatever, tell folks there about it and attract a few more entries. It's up to you.
I will be taking the 111S for its first outing................
