Long story short.
Checked Castle Combe with regards to testing and found that they'd basically **** blocked racebikes full stop.
The day before the race meeting is for cars. Eh?
If it was for bikes,you'd need a road bike anyway. Hmmm.
Sent fairly pointed but relatively polite email to Castle Combe asking why this was the case. Ok, I mildly implied that their customer service ended at taking the clubs money but I insisted that I wasn't being sarcastic and that I genuinely wanted to know why they couldn't provide a testday prior to the meeting or at least let racebikes on the trackdays if they met the noise limits!
Got this reply (Carbon copied to New Era by the guy that sent it, which cracked me up. I'm expecting a furious Jim Parker on the phone)
Dear Tim,
Thankyou for your note but you may have preferred to have checked the facts prior to sending.
We are very aware of our customers needs but we do not have planning permission to run mid week test days for bikes. Its as simple as that and has always been the case here. The New Era club have run our bike meeting here since the 80’s and they too are aware of the situation. We would all prefer it if it was not the case as test days can be very lucrative but do ADD to the cost of competing; so, far from “taking the clubs money and that’s where customer service ends” we value our one motorcycle meeting of the year and will continue to work with the New Era club who appreciate the association and with who we enjoy a very good working relationship which we both hope will continue for many years.
We do run track days for road going bikes and full details are available on our website
I very much hope that you enjoy your visit to Castle Combe Circuit and have a successful and safe meeting but, of all the meetings we run here the bike meeting is far away the most expensive to put on but with a history of bike racing stretching back 58 years we will continue to provide the customers on both sides of the Armco with as cost effective a days sport as we can while accepting that a one day meeting may not suit them all.
Regards
Rodney
ERMMM, OK!
My reply was thus. Please, tell me if I'm being a tit!!?
Hi Rodney,
Many thanks for your speedy reply.
I do apologise if my somewhat abrupt email got your back up a bit, but I do have a habit of saying things as I see them. I can appreciate your defensive position, I'd feel exactly the same way. I'm actually a very nice bloke, and would be happy to chat on the phone to prove it!
I fail to see where I've missed the facts though?... I had a good look before I sent my email, trust me!
We have a one day meeting...the only bike race meeting of the year by your own admission. There's a "track day" on the Friday beforehand, but it's for cars????. I'm guessing that the planning permission issue relates to noise regs. Fair enough, but as I stated before, if a race bike meets these limits, what's the problem? The racecars are tested at 108 db, Bikes 105 (ok, so road cars are at 100db). My racebike has to meet the same limit for all MSV track and test days (105db)...it hits 98db. It seems strange that you can arrange midweek testdays for superloud racecars, but not for racebikes?
As you said yourself, it would be very lucrative for you to provide a test day prior to the race (even letting racebikes in) and I feel this would make it seem like a fully rounded meeting, rather than just turning up and hoping for the best. I think that if you feel the day wouldn't be worthwhile financially as people are limiting what they spend these days, then you have been ill advised. Racers don't skimp when it comes to testing, especially at a circuit they haven't been to before.
Surely some leeway could be incorporated into the test day prior to the race ( the one on the Weds) to show that you are as serious about this meeting as the competitors entering it?
Once again, please accept my apolgies for any offence taken from my correspondance, but I'm fighting for a championship against someone that has been to CC several times before. This is a very frustrating position as you might appreciate and I don't want to lose it because I couldn't test at CC.
I'm guessing I'll have to find a road bike to use, but as you may also appreciate, that doesn't mean my racebike will be set up properly on race day. It's an expensive meeting to put on you say, but Ambucopters cost alot as well (as melodramatic as that may sound!).
One last point. I'm not sure what the carbon copy to New Era was meant to achieve?...do you think Jim Parker will ring me and revoke my membership for rocking the boat? That'd be more of a blow to my championship hopes than the lack of race testing. Hmmm.
For what it's worth, I'm very much looking forward to racing at Castle combe, testing or no testing. Do keep an open mind though.
All the best,
Tim Pritchard.
Personally, if I'm honest (and cynical) it seems that the car boys that rule this circuit (and will spend nearly 300 quid on a test day) are given preference. Because we are the only bike day of the year, sod it if we don't know which way the circuit goes.
Am I being unreasonable?
Oh yeah, you'll notice that he said "customers on either side of the armco"...not either side of the recticel airfencing!