spa?
 

any updates on the potential spa round? I was speaking to Tom Roberts on Saturday and he is so excited about the Spa round (as I am too). Tom's bike is looking soooo good this year. Think Moto2 replica.................:roll:

Bump............... Any news:o

Not sure on the numbers as Kev (Skidlids) is organising it all.

Just say his name 3 times and he'll appear... ;)

Kev (Skidlids), Kev (Skidlids), Kev (Skidlids).

..... is he 3 times as scary as Beetlejuice or the sandman?!

Well I get the feeling its just not going to happen and unless I hear something positive in the next couple of days I think I'll have to commit us to doing Mallory and inform Hottrax that we will be at their meeting

If it helps Kev I need to withdraw my name from the list. The cost to me to go to Spa is almost £1000 so Mallory as much as I don't like it sounds a lot more affordable.

Can we not have a round at Donnington instead?

Ditto me now Kev.
I had to commit to our Scotland trip and although it doesn't clash with Easter w/end, the costs are mounting up and we'd be away Easter to Spa and then off to Scotland the following w/end.

So Mallory is pencilled in.

I've just forked out on passports and Mallory will be the same cost as Spa for me as I won't have a travel companion to share the fuel bill.

Who do we need to push for a decision? There's a couple of guys at work who's second job is pursueding and they do a nice job of knee cap alterations!

Kev, I think if it isn't decided by Sunday, book us into Mallory. It wouldn't be my choice, and Spa would have been a once in a lifetime opportunity... However, it would be nice to make plans with it being the 2nd? round.

Once in a lifetime opportunities tend to be more frequent than expected. Theres always next year and maybe with the extra push of not doing it this year more people will commit to it!

Meanwhile enjoy the friendly circuit.

Happy either way
Mark

Would that be like the mad rush of people comitting this year because they missed Assen last?

Spa was my once in a lifetime chance due to nabbing a decent 1yr sponsor!

With grids shrinking it's more likely DD will dissolve before enough are prepared/able to do a Euro trip. :(

Spa would be great, but gotta be time to commit and if that means mallory ce la vie

Maybe we should start gathering numbers and looking for other grids to join a bit earlier. Would be interesting to know why people did not opt for Spa? I winced at the cost and the distance.

Mark

Same as, its a budget series ?

Craig

Maybe we could look at a few laps of the ringroad at Leamington Spa?

Or Woodhall Spa on the way to Cadwell?

It did occur to me and this maybe a crazt idea but if we all got together for 15 mins at one of the tracks we could sort a few things out that seem to take up a lot of posts.

Would people prefer to do a smaller continental track or one closed to the channel or does it have to be one of the big name circuits??

Mark

I would have liked to go to spa... But for this series, I do think it is probably for the best we stay at uk circuits. Everyone is happier that way.

I look at from the perspective of the track day companys forgein days where they transport your bike, 2 days on track + accom you get a cheap flight and its cheaper or simular to Spa.

Craig

its more a question of where we can get authority to race on a UK licence than which track we'd like I think

Sure, it was always going to be more expensive especially if you couldn't share the cost with others for travelling etc, but then this year is more expensive anyway. If it was anything like Assen it would have been a great 'I did that' box to tick but tbh I've actually had more fun last year at UK tracks than I did at Assen in 08

I'll be planning for Mallory now, so best get a few afternoons in!!

Missing out on Spa is beginning to bug me. The way I see it is we have a handfull of people who would commit to any foreign round (points scoring or not). If we could get this number up to a full grid or even half and they commit early surely this would help? Would emailing past and present DD'ers well in advance get anymore interest? If they still hold a licence and a bike in the garage would they want to race at a foreign round? Just my thought on it as I do want to race abroad next year (even if my wallet cringes at the cost)!

Maybe some of the guys with more racing experience could come up with an alternative suggestion??

Just my thoughts
Mark.
(Only 2 work days till Brands test day)

We haven't actually be told it isn't on yet. Although I am personally now planning for Mallory.

I was given the impression that we need other european clubs to comit to making it happen, and that isn't happening.

That is the "impression" we all have, just nothing solid. Skids was going to speak to the clubs again, then make a call Earlier this week to see if we could get on the Mallory timetable... I'm not sure how that all went.

I agree that we have not been told it is or is not going to happen but thinking ahead to next year.... Would we not be in a better position if we had more people commiting to to doing a European round. If we can get extra peeps to sign up to it then I would have thought we would be in a better fposition for next year.

Just thinking of next year

I just don't think you will get the commitment from this sort of series. We don't pay up front and we are racing as cheaply as we can. It sits awkwardly with the aim of the series, and it might be better to stick with the fantastic UK tracks we have. That keeps everyone happy and saves anyone the hassle of trying to organise it.

Spa is a fabulous circuit on a bike. Rode there on a trackday last year and going back for more this summer.
It really is a must do circuit at any cost :)

I agree with all the above.... But

there are a handfull that would like to race abroad. If it was not points scoring or compulsory then it would not have a bad affect on the budget side of this race series. So what I was thinking is if theres a handfull that want to go and we could get another handfull out of retirement. There must be ex DD'ers with a bike that would do a one off. Could this provide enough people to help us get a race abroad?

Mark
:)

tbh Mark, I reckon you'd get far more value from a Euro trackday than racing for the sake of racing. £200+ for a couple of races and a practice session, plus getting there, when a 3 day No Limits can be £500 and they take bike and kit etc, all you need is cheap flight

I catch the drift of what you're saying Ells but there's no way I could afford 8 rounds plus an away round, this year it would've only been possible because I bagged a sponsor and had a travel companion to share fuel costs.
Don't know how others organise their time to race but I need as much notice as possible in order to book days off before the holiday rota gets hammered at work. Spa was ok for me this year and I don't think DD could've done much more, we were let down by other clubs not committing.
Gotta take it on the chin, accept I'm not going to do a major Euro track and concentrate on the great tracks on offer within the UK we've got this year.
P1ssed off? Hell yeh, I wasted money on an unrequired passport but as a small budget club we should pat ourselves on the back for having the members we did that DID commit to doing Spa.

It isn't the decision I was after... but at least we all know we are off to sunny Mallory rather than Spa now.