Knockhill - whats going on??

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GregR
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Post by GregR » Thu Jan 04, 2007 2:57 pm

mac wrote: I'm not convincied that cheaper prices = more attendees when your dealing with folk who have prestige cars. They are probably working more on the fact that if you can afford the car then you can afford to pay a bit more.

Mac
Which isn't the case. I'd do far more trackdays (I mean that seriously) If it cost less than the £75 or £80 for 4 hours, or the £55 for a 2 hour session. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think others are likely to be in the same boat.

Sessioning, I take your point. Keeping the rif-raff away - dubious.

EDIT to add - remember the clamour for places at EF when they mistakenly charged £90 for a full day?
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Post by H8OAG » Thu Jan 04, 2007 3:12 pm

I spoke to Derek Butcher last week re the increase in Trackday prices and suggested the following:-

A trackday season ticket which would equate to £50 per session.

This would encourage more regular attendance at Hot Marques days , reduce pricing and allow for those times where you only want to do an hour or so.

Derek said that he would consider this option ?
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Post by mac » Thu Jan 04, 2007 3:21 pm

I agree Greg - I would be at each and every track event held at Knockhill if I could afford it.

Iain - I'm not sure how many folk would gamble being able to make all the HM events so it could work out at £50 a pop or it could work out much more expensive.

Since you have Derek's ear when not tout an idea that I've been mulling over for a while :- There's a huge amount of talent on here - and those who don't have transferable talents could alway use their labour.

I'm a railway "engineer" so am used to working with land moving equipment, drainage etc, there's IT folk here who could help them with their website, Structural engineers, Sound Engineers, AV engineers - the list goes on. I'm sure a few of these folk would happily put there services to good use for the benifit of Knockhill in return for some cheap trackday/VIP entrance to various events. Even those who don't have skills that can be readily transfered can help those who do or rake gravel traps/paint curves before the big televised events.

Does my idea sound like it has some merit?

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Post by H8OAG » Thu Jan 04, 2007 3:31 pm

Mac

It must have some merit.

Imagine how many people are hired on a raceday to carry out a multitude of tasks (car parks/toilet cleaning/stewards/results/ etc.)


No Problem.........will be speaking to Derek soon and will relay your "labour echange/friends of Knockhill " idea
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Post by mac » Thu Jan 04, 2007 5:45 pm

That's a new on to me.


I'm with Strc (formaly know as Jarvis)




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Post by simon » Thu Jan 04, 2007 11:39 pm

I think people are getting carried away here, KH is still not as expensive as other tracks.
Look here for example: http://bookatrack.com/-pE
Anyone fancy £150 for sessions at Castle Combe?

I'm hoping to do at least one track down south this year but like Mac, I'll still be mostly at KH because it's less than an hour away, doesn't mean taking time off work to get to and I can do lots of them.

I've never thought the 2 hour sessions were great value so I tend not to bother with them.

I seem to remember a few years back KH were really struggling for cash and almost went bust, think it was the same year they were dropped from the BTCC calendar. I guess if they want to keep going, they'll have to cover costs and that probably means a yearly increase in track day prices.

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Post by rossybee » Fri Jan 05, 2007 12:47 am

I fully agree with what Simon said - BaT / Easytrack / Javelin etc charge sometimes circa £180-200 for full days (there's a subsidised bi-annual Se7ens day at Anglesey which the organiser keeps trying to get me to do, but it's so far it'd require 2 night's kitchen pass plus it's still £170 IIRC :roll: )

At the other end of the scale, about 3 weeks after doing EF (good day made all the better by Javelin's fcuk up with the price :damnfunny ) I did a full day at Teesside Autodrome in Middlesbrough, organised by 2 guys who just dealt direct with the circuit owner. Full day including a cracking buffet lunch was only £65!!! :shock: :lol: :wink:
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Post by rossybee » Fri Jan 05, 2007 12:50 am

Oh aye, and my other point ref Simon's comments - being where we are and further north such as ABZ pretty well prohibits regular visits to circuits south of the border, whereas a spirited blat to KH can be done in 40 minutes from my front door :wink:
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Post by Scotty C » Fri Jan 05, 2007 8:46 am

I thik I only did KH twice last year, I went to the ring and spa instead?

Looking to do more Trackdays down south this year, FF6 and maybe another spa/ring trip.

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Post by GregR » Fri Jan 05, 2007 9:44 am

simon wrote:I think people are getting carried away here, KH is still not as expensive as other tracks.
True - but for the sake of a £5er or a Tenner, they could have more people more often. My point is that I will not stop going to knockhill, but that I would go more often otherwise. Not really getting carried away, but a simple point of economics from a KH p.o.v. :)
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Post by simon » Fri Jan 05, 2007 9:56 am

The point is if that's what they need to charge to pay the bills then they have to do it. It's not as if KH's exactly rolling in money is it? A fiver or a tenner per track day is not going to make any serious difference to anyone who tracks their car so I can't actually see it putting many people off.

I often hear the same kinds of comments about Glenshee and the prices for lift passes there are ridiculous compared with prices for much better ski areas such as in the alps. However, I don't grudge paying it because if they don't charge the prices they do, they'll shut and that'll be the end of it. Same thing probably applies here.

BTW, what were the prices last year? SIDC days were £80 for members and £85-87 for non-members IIRC, no idea what the HM ones were.

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Post by mac » Fri Jan 05, 2007 10:14 am

There's also an egg's in one basket situation here too.


I know I'm not alone in waiting until the day before (or even the day off) and event at Kh until I know what the weather is likely to be doing.

I really should improve my wet driving but it's much more fun in the dry and would rather do that.

I suppose it's all down to personal preference. I do think a "frequent flyer" scheme would go down a storm with the more track days you do (bearing in mind these would be Knockhill trackdays and not CE or SIDC) the greater the discount.

Personally I think I only did about 2 or 3 Knockhill events and supports CE/SIDC & Dreadnought more often.


Cheers


Mac

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Post by jj » Fri Jan 05, 2007 12:01 pm

This coming season I too will be doing the CE nights (assuming they are still a go, brunty has been pretty quiet of late?) as they will be easiest for me to get to and the ones last year were a good crowd and pricing etc.
A fiver or a tenner per track day is not going to make any serious difference to anyone who tracks their car so I can't actually see it putting many people off.
But, a fiver or tenner the other way (i.e. less) may put more poeple ON to the idea. KH obviously know their operating costs and break evens so who are we to guess whether more or less people would do it at a higher / lower price.

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Post by Daveb » Fri Jan 05, 2007 12:10 pm

simon wrote:The point is if that's what they need to charge to pay the bills then they have to do it. It's not as if KH's exactly rolling in money is it?
I think you'd be suprised.

It seems to me the price has come about partly because of the track upgrade and likely because of the 'team gimp' videos driving up insurance prices. So we have to pay another £10 more and the Hot Hatch prices stay the same?
:?

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Post by GregR » Fri Jan 05, 2007 2:19 pm

its becoming a circular arguement:

bills go up, prices go up. Prices go up (danger of) less people turning up, ergo - bills don't get paid

Bills go up, prices freeze or (drop a touch), more people turn up; ergo bills get paid.
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