GRRC membership
Discussion
As I understand it, there is still a significant waiting list for GRRC membership (and my name is on there somewhere...). However, having been to the FoS last weekend and reading peoples opinions of the event on here afterwards, I've been thinking again about whether I'll bother once my name gets to the top of the list.
It seems to me that Lord March is taking the majority of his members for a ride. OK, so you get the members' tent at both the Festival and the Revival and, perhaps more importantly, access to the padock at the Revival, but what else?
The corporate hospitality get enclosures which have great views of the action at both events but most of the time there's hardly anyone in them because they're all inside quaffing free champagne. Surely the cost of membership should entitle club members to something similar (although without the champagne since we go to the events to actually see the cars rather than pose)?
My dad is a member and is becoming slightly peeved at the invites to participate in club events which sound fantastic but cost many thousands of pounds. I mean a three day tour of Italy including exclusive access to the Ferrari factory sounds like every petrolheads' dream but why private charters and 5* hotels? Surely most members can't afford the cost of such a trip?
The renaissance at Goodwood started out as something special for true enthusiasts but that now seems to have been lost. Whilst I understand that commercial pressures can't be ignored the grass-roots fans seem to have been.
So do members feel like they're getting value for money or does Lord March need to offer something more substantial in return for our hard-earned reddies?
It seems to me that Lord March is taking the majority of his members for a ride. OK, so you get the members' tent at both the Festival and the Revival and, perhaps more importantly, access to the padock at the Revival, but what else?
The corporate hospitality get enclosures which have great views of the action at both events but most of the time there's hardly anyone in them because they're all inside quaffing free champagne. Surely the cost of membership should entitle club members to something similar (although without the champagne since we go to the events to actually see the cars rather than pose)?
My dad is a member and is becoming slightly peeved at the invites to participate in club events which sound fantastic but cost many thousands of pounds. I mean a three day tour of Italy including exclusive access to the Ferrari factory sounds like every petrolheads' dream but why private charters and 5* hotels? Surely most members can't afford the cost of such a trip?
The renaissance at Goodwood started out as something special for true enthusiasts but that now seems to have been lost. Whilst I understand that commercial pressures can't be ignored the grass-roots fans seem to have been.
So do members feel like they're getting value for money or does Lord March need to offer something more substantial in return for our hard-earned reddies?
Being a member for two years now, I would say the only real advantage of GRRC membership is the paddock access you have at the Revival Meeting, the use you have of clean(er) toilets in the member's enclosure and possibly the access you have to the Kennels (if you like that sort of thing).
Everyone who has been to the FoS knows that the forward parking saves you a 500 yard walk at most. The discount on tickets you get doesn't come close to the cost of membership. Aren't there not already enough organisations, commercial and non-commercial (car clubs) organising continental tours (and what is the relation of those to Goodwood anyway?)
My brother and I have been to the FoS three times in a row now and we decided we'll skip it for a few years.
I had read a lot about it since it started back in 1993. The first two years we went it was amazing, the cars, the paddock, the surroundings, the way the Brits do style so much classier than the Dutch, the attention to detail, the diversity of the catering - champagne and seafood versus Murphy's/Guinness and organic burgers.
But people get spoiled and so did we. The third time (this year) you start to notice the annoying things, marshalls who seem to let people wait ages to cross the track for nothing, something we never noticed before, Crossroads grandstand which before offered a great view on the track being turned into another corporate hospitality unit(and hardly used it seemed), the amount of Nissan SUV commercials on the big screens, a Nissan 350Z and Mazda RX8 in the Supercar Run, since when are they supercars?, the political correctness of something like a bike run (to promote organic milk), the focus on F1, other GRRC members (most didn't seemed like petrolheads to us, entering the 'GRRC Member's Marquee' we felt like entering the 'Retired Notaries Rover 800 Club Member's Marquee', what is the point of sitting in (front of a) a tent - when it's dry - anyway? To me it seemed a sad case of (thinking you are) looking down on non-members).
But all in all it still is a great event if you have never been before. I just hope they will try to reinvent themselves.
We will try the Revival Meeting for the next few years (and I'll renew my membership for that).
Everyone who has been to the FoS knows that the forward parking saves you a 500 yard walk at most. The discount on tickets you get doesn't come close to the cost of membership. Aren't there not already enough organisations, commercial and non-commercial (car clubs) organising continental tours (and what is the relation of those to Goodwood anyway?)
My brother and I have been to the FoS three times in a row now and we decided we'll skip it for a few years.
I had read a lot about it since it started back in 1993. The first two years we went it was amazing, the cars, the paddock, the surroundings, the way the Brits do style so much classier than the Dutch, the attention to detail, the diversity of the catering - champagne and seafood versus Murphy's/Guinness and organic burgers.
But people get spoiled and so did we. The third time (this year) you start to notice the annoying things, marshalls who seem to let people wait ages to cross the track for nothing, something we never noticed before, Crossroads grandstand which before offered a great view on the track being turned into another corporate hospitality unit(and hardly used it seemed), the amount of Nissan SUV commercials on the big screens, a Nissan 350Z and Mazda RX8 in the Supercar Run, since when are they supercars?, the political correctness of something like a bike run (to promote organic milk), the focus on F1, other GRRC members (most didn't seemed like petrolheads to us, entering the 'GRRC Member's Marquee' we felt like entering the 'Retired Notaries Rover 800 Club Member's Marquee', what is the point of sitting in (front of a) a tent - when it's dry - anyway? To me it seemed a sad case of (thinking you are) looking down on non-members).
But all in all it still is a great event if you have never been before. I just hope they will try to reinvent themselves.
We will try the Revival Meeting for the next few years (and I'll renew my membership for that).
Edited by Virage166 on Sunday 1st July 07:40
Steady on, I'm an accountant! I think one of the great things about the members' tent is that it usually provides an opportunity to get chatting to other like-minded individuals who really are interested in the great cars that are always assembled for these events.
But I totally agree with you that it feels like members of the GRRC are short-changed compared to the corporate sponsors. Access to the paddock for the Revival seems to be to the only tangible benefit for most people and even then it's undermined by a dress code which seems to be applied on a fairly random basis. I was refused access to the paddock several years back for not having a jacket (I was about 16 and a sports jacket wasn't top of my list of sartorial requirements at the time) yet there always seems to be plenty of the jeans and trainers brigade in there now.
For me it has become less about a genuine interest in the cars and more about paying the membership fee. Perhaps I'm overly cynical about it but I just don't see where the real benefit lies.
But I totally agree with you that it feels like members of the GRRC are short-changed compared to the corporate sponsors. Access to the paddock for the Revival seems to be to the only tangible benefit for most people and even then it's undermined by a dress code which seems to be applied on a fairly random basis. I was refused access to the paddock several years back for not having a jacket (I was about 16 and a sports jacket wasn't top of my list of sartorial requirements at the time) yet there always seems to be plenty of the jeans and trainers brigade in there now.
For me it has become less about a genuine interest in the cars and more about paying the membership fee. Perhaps I'm overly cynical about it but I just don't see where the real benefit lies.
. Being a notary myself, I'll edit my post changing 'accountants' to notaries' 
.As a long standing GRRC member, I wouldn't bother joining.
OK, you can park a bit closer, get in the paddock at Revival, get a book with pretty pics and er...... that's it.
The food in the GRRC members tent is outrageously expensive, you can rarely get a seat, no members viewing areas (unless you want to fork out another £270 a head!!), ticket discounts are minimal, in fact there's no real advantage.
What you really should do is to be a corporate guest.... easy parking, free food and drink, great spectating vantage points - all for free!!
OK, you can park a bit closer, get in the paddock at Revival, get a book with pretty pics and er...... that's it.
The food in the GRRC members tent is outrageously expensive, you can rarely get a seat, no members viewing areas (unless you want to fork out another £270 a head!!), ticket discounts are minimal, in fact there's no real advantage.
What you really should do is to be a corporate guest.... easy parking, free food and drink, great spectating vantage points - all for free!!
CivicMan said:
As a long standing GRRC member, I wouldn't bother joining.
OK, you can park a bit closer, get in the paddock at Revival, get a book with pretty pics and er...... that's it.
The food in the GRRC members tent is outrageously expensive, you can rarely get a seat, no members viewing areas (unless you want to fork out another £270 a head!!), ticket discounts are minimal, in fact there's no real advantage.
What you really should do is to be a corporate guest.... easy parking, free food and drink, great spectating vantage points - all for free!!
Thank you for that, I had considered joining after the last FoS but wasn't convinced that it was worth it, you've confirmed my view!OK, you can park a bit closer, get in the paddock at Revival, get a book with pretty pics and er...... that's it.
The food in the GRRC members tent is outrageously expensive, you can rarely get a seat, no members viewing areas (unless you want to fork out another £270 a head!!), ticket discounts are minimal, in fact there's no real advantage.
What you really should do is to be a corporate guest.... easy parking, free food and drink, great spectating vantage points - all for free!!
If you like Goodwood, and don't live too far away, then go for it - they have a meet the first Sunday of every month (this Sunday is the next one) plus other bits to get involved with during the year.
Very few of the things are free, but then again you can't go unless you're a memeber, or know a member that can get you in.
Depends on how many weekends you want to go - if it's just for Fos and Revival, it probably isn't worth it, unless you want the padock pass for the Revival, but I'm not sure how that works out in terms of cost.
Very few of the things are free, but then again you can't go unless you're a memeber, or know a member that can get you in.
Depends on how many weekends you want to go - if it's just for Fos and Revival, it probably isn't worth it, unless you want the padock pass for the Revival, but I'm not sure how that works out in terms of cost.
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