Focused Events???
 

Has anyone been with this bunch?

Are they any good??

Les :-)

Yes and yes

Did oulton yesterday and takes me to 5 with them.

Always well run.

good - just booked another day at silverstone GP, to try and get that chicane sorted!!!

Les

Yes I have, twice, never again.

mmmmm...

why's that NB??

Long stories, and of course just MY experiences, but in short...
Terrible customer service;
Too many riders on circuit;
Riders of all abilities put into all groups;
Didn't feel safe through disrespectful riders not being policed;
...amongst other stuff.

But they continue to be very strong in the tdo business so maybe I'm on my own!

Never had any problems with them. Doing Brands GP on the 10th aug with them>

We recently did Brands Gp with them, and that takes me to 4 with them I think.
Up to the last one I would have recommended them ... but Brands GP brings out all kinds of people who dont do many tds, and they put themselves in all of the groups.
The upshot is chaos - virtually every session was red flagged.
Almost no-one was moved - except sue who was in the inters trying to get away from the dicks that cant do corners in the slow group.
I was in the fast group (as I usually do) with the 620 and although I was by far the slowest bike in the group I was nowhere near the slowest in the corners.
There was full-on race-behaviour in the fast group which was not penalised, and I was almost taken out twice mid-corner - only my racing experience kept me on the track.
At the lunch break they called another briefing and he started ranting about the poor riding which prob made him feel better, but just made the 'bad-boys' laugh.

So, I would _not_ recommend Brands GP because of that.
I would recommend FE if it the riding group people are ok, but they just dont know how to cope with the dicks.

Cheers phil-h, Will see how it goes , never had any grief with them on numerous other days, I was aware of the possible problems with the GP. Will be wary to the knobs.

Is this because of the amount of people usually on a GP session - I know that silverstone GP has large groups - just did Silver GP with Hottrax which saw at least 70 each group.

Les

No - the group size was reasonable - it was simply a high percentage of ****s on track who came to a corner and panic braked to stop in the middle of the corner - typical right-hand-muscles-bigger-than-brains syndrome

Oh, thats allright then i'll just go round the obstacles.

Thats in the kitty-litter in the middle of the corner, not on the black stuff mind, that would be too reasonable of them.
The first bloke (polite term for young know-nothing-tw@t) to do it, in the very first session, was in the garage next to me, and he was banging on about how slow he was going and not understanding how he got there :rolleyes:

Its not just the GP, I did Brands Indy with them about 8 weeks back and all the above were true .... including the pretend bollocking after which nothing changes ...

I'm struggling to see how you can knock a TDO for that incompetence of the people who turn up for one of their days.... Each and every one has a bike license and leathers which are the only prerequisits.....

How's that FE or any other TDO's fault ?

the point is that he bangs on about safe riding and penalising people who dont ride safely, and lets all look after each other, and black flag this and that and then ends up actually doing nothing except banging on again in a louder voice with more expletives at lunchtime

Icompetance and disrespectful riding are two different things. The former is outside of the organisers control other than moving someone down a group to match their actual ability rather than the riders own perception of it, the latter is up to them to police.

If someone's riding is putting other riders in danger it is up to the TDO to sort it. It's no good rattling on about riding standards/disrespectful riding at the briefing unless as a TDO you are prepared to do something about it.

I agree 100% that the organisers are in the lap of the gods as to who turns up on their days but surely their job is to try and ensure that a safe and enjoyable day is the end result for the paying customers that turn up.

Ray.

SO person XYZ comes ranting on a message board instead of going to the organisers on the day and stating, "rider XYZ is riding dangerously"..

Unless they are spotted by a marshal doing an overtake, how can the TDO do anythign really ?

You can't kick someone off a TD because "i felt they were riding badly"...

their reply was " that idiot on the ***** was all over the road".

Who gets booted off ? You or them ?

I agree with steve its not the tdo fault if such types turn up, but it is down to the to Police it based on the clients views. I found that one of the ways to avoid such persons is to do the quiet days! The johnny Shyetheads seem to avoid these.

I did Donongton National on Mon and there were no reds and only a couple of yellow flags, and everyone seemed reasonable and polite!

Hard to police to Andy.... you have 40 bikes, 10 corners... and half a dozen straights.... how can you watch all the riders all the time ?

if you have a muppet out there, he may make 3 bad moves per session.... the odds of any of them 3 being picked up have to be fairly remote...

People are very quick to jump on the bandwagon here, try marshalling/instructing an event and see how easy it is first guys....

Any good TDO would listen to their customers and if someone was to say he's riding like an idiot I would expect the TDO to make sure the next session an instructor follows the "idiot" for a few laps to see if the claims were correct, if they were tell them the score if they do it again in the following session they go home. If their riding is OK then it's purely the perception of that individual so some diplomacy and understanding of the issues are needed, this is where a good, sorry excellent TDO instructor/marshalling comes into action which some have and some don't

OK, so lets assume that happens... they follow mr XYZ and he rides perfectly well.... 5 laps later they pull in....

then what ?

Like I said it could be the upset parties perception - a one off, we've all done a close pass here and there so it could just of been that that caused the issue, if someone else complains about the same guy then it has to be looked at.

Usually if they are riding like an idiot then they always ride like that (don't quote me on that though) I was at Donny on Tuesday and I spotted the same guy over and over taking the wrong lines, he wasn't an idiot by any means so no one would of complained to the TDO but I spotted him doing the same in most sessions that's just his riding style I suppose but I spotted that on several occasions and I was just a punter, a instructor/marshall would of spotted him way before me I'm sure and if they thought he was erractic to a point they would of had a chat and offered some instruction/advice I'm sure.

I know its about the quality of the eyes and ears. One mans nobber is another persons quality move...

but theres generally no smoke without fire, and as jpm says if someone thinks its worthy of a mention to a tdo, then they are duty bound to at least bear that person in mind...if its corroborated by another complaint, surely that then requires action of some sort?

(This is the sensible side of my..if i was in a t/day on a dd bike id run in the top group, working on the theory i may well get buzzed on the straight bits, but thats surely safer than me buzzing other slower riders mid corner with my higher corner speed..........)

Surely the fact that the TDO had a word with all riders at lunchtime is a good start ?

if they don't have enough specifics or witnesses... at least they're making a point ?

Nick,

You're not alone - I have experienced all the above with them. Especially the lack of firmness with disrespectful riders.

RX

Talking in the briefing and taking action to deal with problems on the track are not the same thing, IMHO that separates the talkers and doers.

As JPM and others say a good TDO listens to what the "victim" says and checks it out and takes action if necessary. It's a judgement the TDO should make, what we seem to be saying here is that some might talk the talk but not walk the walk.

Sure the "problem" rider might ride OK for 5 laps but equally they can get the Marshalls to look out for the problem, they don't just rely on their own instructors out on track. Marshalls once allerted are gonna keep a close eye on a particular rider, and call in any incident they feel has caused a problem.

In effect there is a group responsibilty for safety, the Riders, marshalls instructors, all have a part to play in policing the etiquette. Everyone involved are the eyes and ears of the TDO.
The TDO is getting the feeds from these sources, thats why it is so important to speak to the organiser, a number of reports from different riders is a pretty good indication that someone needs watching very carefully and or needs to be spoken to.

Ray

My experience (i've been about 6 times - the 6th will be the last);

- Professional enough when you book etc
- Arrogance and bad attitudes of all the staff of the highest nature and the briefing is enought to scare the **** out of any poor novice
- I complained about 2 clowns a few weeks back at silverstone (after one came past me on his arse at the final chicane after trying to outbrake about 4 bikes at once - his bike clouted mine an nearly had me off) - no action taken dealt with it myself instead.
- Over subscribed groups which result in many riders been put in groups they dont feel comfortable with (despite saying to my novice mate that he could change down form inters if he didnt feel comfortable - when he tried they just tried to blow smoke up his **** and told him he was doing great ?!

Hottrax and no limits are the way to go IMO..

Nat

Must admit Nat, that is who I normally go with, but needed a quick fix...

Hope they are a good bunch on the day - 24th at silverstone - anyone else there???

how dealt with??
 

- "I complained about 2 clowns a few weeks back at silverstone (after one came past me on his arse at the final chicane after trying to outbrake about 4 bikes at once - his bike clouted mine an nearly had me off) - no action taken dealt with it myself instead."

have been on a couple of FE days with no worries, last one was Silverstone GP dawn-dusk and was good value, but am worried if same @clown@ has me off !!!!!!!! what do you / can you do as bikes aren't cheap to fix these days and i use mine all the time not just as a track tool. Doing brands GP on the 25th so hope the rest of the riders are not looking to emulate their motogp/superbike heroes (gulp!)

Guys,

It's NOT possible to over subscribe groups.... not possible in the slightest. THere are set limits of numbers of bikes on the track, these will never be passed by the TDO.

I think that FE are at the Aldi end of the market - its a volume play.

I have recently been on a couple of FE days and they were better than before, but still seem arrogant and lack the customer service and attention to detail that I want.

On FE days, I expect mis-matched groups and some questionable track moves. you pays your money.....

For me, I'd go with No limits wherever I can - their customer service (and DSC discount) puts them head and shoulders above other TDO - IMHO.

Can i ask what it is we get in "customer service"?

As far as i go, you turn up for a t/day, have a briefing, go out in groups, and hope you or someone else doesnt spoil the day for yourself or hopefully others!

Personally i want to do this at the circuit of my choice for as cheaper price as i can get.

What else can you get? Most of the "instructors" are frustrated racers with their own free time agenda, and that goes for all the different companies ive used.......

I have also found that fe do take your complaint seriously if you put a reasoned case to them.

damn... i find myself agreeing with AndyB.

I've always found Focuseds' customer service exactly what i want it to be...

OK, if you ring up late and ask to change the date/cancel, they may say No.... but that's all in their terms and conditions.... As it the rate of £15 or whatever it is to swap person etc....

As for the complaining about a rider... sorry guys, i just don't get it... i really don't...If someone is riding like a muppet and nearly takes me out, i won't be snitching to teacher, i'll be going to have a chat with said rider myself and asking him what he's playing at. You'll often find he's either unaware of his overtake and willl apologise, or simply made a mistake(you know them, we all make mistakes don't we ?) and got it all wrong..

Simple ?

Customer service may be an alien concept to some, but in the lines of business where customers vote with their feet and therefore can decide whether the wages of the service provider are paid or not (unlike Public Sector), it is important to take into consideration the views of the punters and develop a business model that best meets these whilst trying to operate at a profit.

With FE and their "budget" approach, you won't get the best service and few, if any extras - it eats into profits, whereas if you pay a bit (without the DSC discount) more and go with No Limits, you'll get better attention to detail, a more professional approach and most importantly, more tracktime.

If I have the choice, I will always choose No Limits, but if dates don't tally, then I may book with FE, but if I do, I know it'll be a poorer customer experience.

Tim

So......er, what is it you get more of?:frog:

im my experience... common courtesy

Is that better qualified instruction.....perhaps less shtheds on the track, more track time, better tracks, cheaper prices, a better briefing???

I dont get it, courtesy?, do they call you Sir? (or my Lord?):confused:

to me andy, the curtesy and the way I'm treated as a customer is the deciding factor when i spend my cash. so yes, it's better than quality instruction etc..

in my opinion and this does worry me.
track days are getting more dangerous!!!

lack of policing ( for want of a better term) of bad riding, aggressive overtaking etc. sure we all make mistakes, but im seeing more riders show no respect for the safety of others.

i think it is the responsibility of track day organisers to address this, and ive not seen many organisers get to grip with the issue, dispite complaining about a rider at a FE day he continued to ride like an ass, with as far as i could see nothing changing for the rest of us in the group.

when im booking a track day price is an important factor, so is the whole experinace and what id consider value for money, wher i think FE do excell is that they have good support in terms of tyres, suspension and other services.

what is really worth having is smaller groups, im always interested in booking trackdays that have loads of places left, pal of mine was at cadwell last tuesday with only 8 bikes in the fast group, thats VFM, i realsie the organiser probably struggled to make a proffit, but id be willing to pay more if it was better policed and smaller groups. what ever happed to the stuff they say in the breifing about not diving up the inside and keeping 6ft away. i was hit by a bike at druids 2 weeks ago who decided to dive up the inside as i cut accross, we both stayed on luckly. but i havent got a clue who he was to be able to find him in the pits for a chat later when there are 40 bikes aout there!!