Quote "Any comments? WJB?"
Yes, lots of them. I speak with marshals, paramedics, circuit management and riders on a near weekly basis and I form my own personal view and try to be as objective as possible in comparing what is offered by the track day companies.
Suffice to say I personally would prefer to run BELOW the circuit limit for a number of reasons, namely, it's safer, there are less offs and less red flags, there is greater scope to move people around the groups if they are too fast or too slow, there is less bunching at corners so riders enjoy more track space and can get a decent lap in and enjoy more track time. I don't think anyone could argue with that logic - if there were 5 riders out there, there would be less offs than if you had 100 out there.
Tracks are expensive to hire. There is healthy choice in the marketplace with different business models/customer offers from the track day companies. Those that sell cheap and/or have higher costs are under more pressure to fill the day to make any money, no secret there, it's basic maths and common business sense.
Compare and contrast Oulton to Mallory. Please correct me if my memory is incorrect, but Oulton is nearly 3 miles long and has a sensible limit of 40 bikes. Mallory is a fabulous little circuit, but it's not unknown for track day companies to put 40 bikes out on track. Work it out for yourself.
Thankfully we have lots of choice in which track day company or school to use and they all have their plus and minus points - just like you can shop at Kwiksave or Marks & Spencer, we all have our favourites and loyal customers and thankfully each persons needs and perceptions of what constitutes a quality trackday vary from individual to individual - one persons hate is anothers love.
Long live freedom of choice, long live competition.
WeeJohnyB
Now WeeMrsB, pass the M&S Chardonnay and 'specially selected' strawberries please