Your Grid Sizes this year ?

[RetroWheels]

Here's one for discussion.....

I mainly race in the BARC NW Sports/Saloons At the last meeting, there were six cars on the reserve list after the 30 odd on the grid.
Apparently, a couple of years back (before my time) grids were difficult to fill.
Added to that , the paddocks at Oulton were full to the brim, so much so that we were sandwiched between the bins and the lavs .

Is club racing seeing a resurgance , have track days led more people to get their ARDS and race , or is there a feeling of " do it now before some bugger bans it" ??

I'd be interested to hear how grids are in other series ?

Edited by RetroWheels on Wednesday 11th June 22:34

[mat205125]

Grids in the Castle Combe saloons are also packed, and have reserves. Oddly, however, the 750mc hot hatch grids aren't as strong as a couple of years ago.

Maybe local championships are strong as the fuel cost of dragging a car the length of the country has got so high?

I dod think that you are right in one way, and that there would be quite a few track day veterans looking to take the next step and go racing ... doesn't take long to appreciate that a high powered road car is no match for a sorted race hatch when one creams you on a track day

[RacingPete]

I think some championships are seeing strong numbers still, but overall I think there is a decline in the numbers. I saw the Porsche Carrera cup on telly and they had around 10 cars on the grid, while I remember it used to be near 20.

Also quite of lot the MG Club championships seem to have smaller grids than usual.

Back in the 90s there use to be a seperate grids for different classes in some of the championships, BCV8s and Midgets, but sadly no longer any more as the numbers are less. Also a lot of combined grids with different championships which is always a struggle when you are trying to chase down first place, but have two cars from another championship in the way!

[Munter]

So is it that series with older cars are in decline?

[RacingPete]

Maybe, but they should be cheaper to buy and run.

[jellison]

RacingPete said:

I think some championships are seeing strong numbers still, but overall I think there is a decline in the numbers. I saw the Porsche Carrera cup on telly and they had around 10 cars on the grid, while I remember it used to be near 20.

Also quite of lot the MG Club championships seem to have smaller grids than usual.

Back in the 90s there use to be a seperate grids for different classes in some of the championships, BCV8s and Midgets, but sadly no longer any more as the numbers are less. Also a lot of combined grids with different championships which is always a struggle when you are trying to chase down first place, but have two cars from another championship in the way!

If you do not average 16+ at the end of the year you get investiagted my the MSA as to why and if you cannot come up with a goo dreason for it increaing the following year you get you series pulled;)

We have had around 26, mid twenties, high twenties and a full 44 car one for this coming Sat so far, + a one off Triumph Race at Mallory (too modest to say who won it;)) with mid twenty starters.

[924racer]

We (the porsche 924 championship) were getting very close to that miniumum average of 16 cars a couple of years ago but recently the championship's been growing and we're now getting 20+ at meetings, hooray! so maybe club racing is on the up

[RobM77]

Caterhams are doing well. I think we had about 71 entrants for the first round at Croft in Roadsport A alone. That's a lot for a circuit stuck out at the edge of England!

[RacingPete]

jellison said:

If you do not average 16+ at the end of the year you get investiagted my the MSA as to why and if you cannot come up with a goo dreason for it increaing the following year you get you series pulled;)

I thought you lost the right to call yourselves a championship and would instead have to be a series or a challenge.

[jellison]

RacingPete said:

jellison said:

If you do not average 16+ at the end of the year you get investiagted my the MSA as to why and if you cannot come up with a goo dreason for it increaing the following year you get you series pulled;)

I thought you lost the right to call yourselves a championship and would instead have to be a series or a challenge.

Well that is close to being told you cannot even run - that is waht happened to the TVR series last year - it is now a championship as they convinced them they would have enough this year.

Eithr way you need to have and average a god few points over 16 to be safe.

[jasonxr2racer]

I think we may have only 14 starters at Cadwell this weekend in XR's unless a couple of late entries turn up.

Is a bit of a trek for us in the North West.

[megamaniac]

We should have been at mallory last weekend but the meeting was pulled as two championships could only muster 6 or ten cars each.
As a club we are getting about 26 regular entries but then we take prepayment for the season's entries, so we can offer two 25 minute races for £260.

[jellison]

To be honest if I was racing in a champiionship with grids averaging 16 or below - I'd live the dying beast - and go jump on another successfull bandwagon.

[thunderbelmont]

Money is one major reason for falling grids.

The regional championships seem to be doing well because there is less traveling = lower costs.

Some of the catch-all championships are also doing well, because of the amount of championships that have failed in recent years being amalgamated into them.

[jellison]

Alot of championships get lower average number (ours used to when we had alot more event i.e. 12 per year) and went all over the country (when most of us live in the south of england.

You have to focus on where you competitors are. We have a Cadwell this year (double header) but not way I am going that far from the Surrey (via Swindon to get the car) and I do not think we will have big grid for this race even though a double header (double header fro me is just twice as likely that the car will fail at some far flung trac witha huge ride of disappointment home).

I will be pushing for our championship to have 20 min or longer races (rather than 15) over 10 races at no tracks further north than Oulton.

The 1 Circuit chamionships, just wind me up - (personally I Think they are STUPID) you spend al that cash oon entry fee's and car prep and go to one track - JUST COS it is just down the road -Stupid (no appologies from me for being outspoken).

I love Croft and Cadwell is good (I have won there), but too far for a Sprint race........... in these times of Stupid fuel prices.

[mat205125]

thunderbelmont said:

Money is one major reason for falling grids.

The regional championships seem to be doing well because there is less traveling = lower costs.

Some of the catch-all championships are also doing well, because of the amount of championships that have failed in recent years being amalgamated into them.

LMA is particularly strong

[jellison]

LMA?

[h_____]

Another for strong Caterham turn outs, caterham graduates racing club lays on qualifying races for both supers and megas class at most rounds due to oversubscription.

We had over 100 cars turn up for Brands last week, across 3 classes.

[megamaniac]

jellison said:

To be honest if I was racing in a champiionship with grids averaging 16 or below - I'd live the dying beast - and go jump on another successfull bandwagon.

This was our club last year entry fees for the season were £2500 they are now £1160 we now have 26 cars not 12 to 17

[micron750]

The caterham Superlight is another championship which is struggling we only had 16 at combe which to be honest is very poor compared to the likes of the Road sport classes A+B both up in the high twentys.I feel caterhan should be focusing in getting this championship back on track rather than introducing a new one next year!