Race Retro 2023

[rsfruitbat]

Anyone planning to make the trip to Stoneleigh this Sat Sun?t

Rsfruitbat

[KevJTD]

Had planned on going but the Mrs in London so dog sitting.
Nice season starting show

[Rally sprint]

I will be there on Saturday, sitting in with my mate in his Toyota starlet.
Michael

[rsfruitbat]

Bu66er. That's a shame
Were going on Sunday
Keep an eye out for the really nice red Sud that usually parks outside the main hall.

Rsfruitbat

[KevJTD]

Post some pix guys, great event.

[Rally sprint]

Will do, always a good event with some great cars.

[Veesix75]

Went today, pretty disappointing, just 2 halls, 3rd hall for Silverstone auctions and another tenner to wander round that section. Autojumble outside on a gravel section, about 5 stalls.

If you haven’t got a ticket then don’t bother, appreciate some nice rally cars will be there tomorrow but the inside show was crap.

I’ve been before and spent hours wandering around, but today we had seen everything twice in 2 hours tops.

[KevJTD]

That's a shame Tim, wonder why so few stalls and stuff?
Anything else on this weekend?
Last time we went the auto jumble was quite decent, all under cover and plenty of decent stalls, not just traders selling new tools but loads of genuine auto jumble type stuff.
Unless more are turning up over the weekend.
Exhibits inside though, they'd be all there today you'd expect, so that's a real shame.

[Veesix75]

I dont think today or Sunday will be any better Kev other than the rally cars outside.

The 2 halls inside were fully set up, but an hour wandering around and you’ve seen it all. No under cover autojumble

Very poor for the cost of ticket and travel.

If going take your own food and drink, expensive is an understatement.

I always liked the parc ferme and cars outside so hopefully that will lift it over weekend, but loads of complaints on the race retro f*ckedup page.

[rsfruitbat]

Having been today I can see what you mean.
Each year it seems to have lost some of its sparkle. At this rate in a couple of yrs it will be as bad as Rally Day at Castle Coombe.
Much smaller in all respects this year compAred to the last time it ran the exception being food prices. We had three cheese burgers and two teas for £26.40 and that was at the cheapest vendor we found. Friend paid £14.50 for a hot pork bap and what sounded like a cone of chips.
Cars seemed to be getting a lot of damage. Whether that's from over exuberance or conditions don't know. I know that they had to change a couple of roads as they cut up bad after yesterday.
Overall I think I broke even. Found a few bits we were after and had a good laugh seeing a few friends.
Rsfruitbat

[KevJTD]

Talking to Rob last night and it seems to be a common complaint, loads of people moaning about the lack of exhibits etc.
That's a real shame to hear about it from you guys, we've not been for a few years and did consider going but glad we didn't now.
It was a good show last time we went, big indoor autojumble and plenty to look at in the halls.
The food sounds very expensive! I know costs of everything have gone up for everyone, but there comes a point where it just gets too pricey and people take a pack up instead.
Like that at Cadwell. On a normal meeting the burger van (paddock diner....)that stays on site charges about £4-50 for a half decent 1/4 pounder, nice fresh salad in it so not over the top. However the same place charges about £7 or £8 for a 1/4 pounder at BSB weekend with no salad! Just because they've a captive audience? Or are the circuits charging more for them to be there? Guess there's something of that at Race Retro, the organisers try to recoup more and more money from all sources so they have to charge more, which has the knock on of making people wonder if it's worth going.
Same story with NEC shows.
Pricey to get in, then they charge the earth for parking, food inside is expensive, plus your travel there. Makes it an expensive day out. So less people go, so they charge more to try and recoup the costs. A vicous circle.

There was a very interesting piece in the programme for the last ever club morobike meeting held at Cadwell for the Thundersport GB club, had some fantastic club racing, often near 20 races in a day run without fuss.
Trouble is the amount of clubs left were struggling to make ends meet so were going to the wall, which left less and less clubs so the circuit owners charged more to try and get the same revenue for the year. With less riders wanting to race due to the ever increasing costs (track day popularity accounts for some of this) then the entry fees kept rising.
So less riders (entrance fees) for fewer clubs equals less revenue for the circuit owners. So they stopped giving a % of the gate money to the promoting club, so they had to charge more to the riders entrance fee to try and just break even, so less people entered.....can you see the vicous circle of decline?

I'm sure Tim, Bryan and Lou will confirm the same has hapenned in circuit racing. Smaller grids with higher costs pushes people out of the sport.
Same must be happening in rallying eh Ade? Higher entry fees and fewer stage miles, with more costs of safety items etc.


Don't know what that's all got to do with a poor show, but when the squeeze is on it only gets worse.

[Veesix75]

Well, it’s probably worse Kev.

All of the above but a basic fact is that real inflation hence costs/prices have risen way in excess of wages and personal income.

My first race entry fee in 2000 was £135 for a 15 min qual and 15 min race (btw I thought £135 was a rip off and had expected £75 or so before I got my licence etc).

I now pay £350 for 15 min qual an 2 * 20 min races.

If I pro rata the £135 up in terms of track time it’s £200 in year 2000 money.

Using the Bank of England inflation calculator, £200 in 2000 is close to £350 in 2023, so similar based on inflation.

However salaries and income have not kept pace with inflation so the £350 is a greater hit and proportion of take home pay, meaning I can’t afford to race as often.

Different case in point, O2 have just put in term contract prices up by CPI plus 3.9%, CPI is 13% so my mobile air time has just gone up by 17%.

It is a vicious circle as people will drop out, clubs fail etc.

As for O2, when my contract is due for renewal I’ll switch to a lower tariff or leave, viscous circle for O2 as they end up with lower or no revenue from me……..hence need to recover revenue elsewhere and will put prices up. Creeping death sets in.