Can someone please explain this to me?

A bunch of cars that are parked up on display for everyone to look at, venture out onto the circuit, taking up far too much track time for those who have paid, and no-one is particularly interested!

I can understand if it's an anniversary of a particular car, or if it's something rare or valuable, but a bunch of regular RSs pottering round the track - what on earth is the point?

 

tp proove that actually drive from time to time

 

agree with ya there Pon
Cant they do a parade lap doing no less than 70mph, wouldnt take up as much time then

 

LOL! I'm the same, Parade laps are pointless IMHO

 

I can see you're pissed off with the queues yeaterday and rightly so.
I have to agree with you that if it was an anniversary of a car then there is a point.

 

I was saying the exact same thing as I slowly roasted myself trackside yesterday, I had seen the cars stationary why would I want to see them moving
POINTLESS

Mat

 

I remeber folk havin a right mardi at me for sayin summat similar about last years national day.

Total waste of time, and like you say if people are interested, then they can be seen on the static displays.

There aint many fords that are really rare and cant be seen on a weekly basis !

 

It was crap, but...

They did do it in the lunch break when no marshals were on the circuit so I doubt it ate up too much proper track time...

 

come off it Rich....there is a point to the parade laps.
It's a chance for everyone who's not on parade to go to the loo and get something to eat
Like an intermission....

 

 

bit pointless but it was in the lunch hour so not really taking anyones track time up.

Was dissapointed with the que's though.

Not that it mattered to me after the first session though.







Dave.

 

As phil said its done in the lunch break as the marshalls have to have a break, likewise for Nat Day, its just filling a gap which would otherwise be empty track.

Dickymint

 

It never works like that though.

We sat there waiting to get out on track, it wasn't a lunch break, and there was like 100 cars queueing to get off the ciruit, as some goon was handing out some sort of "I drove slowly round Combe" certificate.

At National Day, it's fine, as they have it down to a fine art, and no fucker watches it anyway.

 

now now rich .... calm down ...

deffo think 15 cars possibly 18 would have been ok ... but 12 ... sorry that was

parade lap .. yeah well .. as said above gave me time to go and see some people about bits ..

also have a bite to eat with out having to sit near the car roasting slowly....

 

Totally, totally pointless and its about time someone told the organisers of these shows just that

Suppose the drivers get a buzz out of it thinking they have driven round a track - but at 40 mph with traffic all around you I personally wouldn't bother bragging about it.

 

A few cars even broke down

 

pmsl @ Katie

If they insist on doing them, I think it shoud be one model of RS per year, not half a dozen identical cars all trying to get 'track happy' in a tiny amount of space.

 

lmfao...but that way clare you don't know how long there is left in the parade
I mean those bloody Rs focus's...how the hell are we meant to tell how far along it is ??...

 

WELL SAID RICH

Bit strongly worded maybe, but fully agree with you. Having paid my Ł85 I was very frustrated at queing for approx 90 mins between each session, queing for signing in and scrutineering for 90 mins, and waiting for all those cars to dawdle off the track.

Then some nutter went and broke part of the wall / gate near Camp with his EsCos - took ages for them to repair the damage!! Know anything about that Dave? I think I was more pissed off cos I wanted a go in that car!!! Good to meet you yesterday, can I book a ride in whatever's next?

 

Read somewhere on here that the circuit had to restrict the cars to 12 on track due to noise. Local residents or something complaining to the local council or something.

Nothing to do with the organisers of the day.

 

I will say this for the organisers of the Combe day tho'

Ł85 is bloody cheap for a track day

Ok so you dont get many laps for your money and most of the Ł85 is wasted queing in the car park - Hows about taking it out of the circuits hands and get the Derby & Durham lot to come down and sort it out for you. They showed the way at Croft again last week.

Noise is not a valid excuse if all cars have passed the static MSA regulation test IMHO, and the council should recognise that.

 

Heard a rumour that those people doing that pointless parade lap had to pay 18 quid each for the privalage Agree with Pon that it was a waste of time and track space but i guess its an RS annorak wearers thing

 

Tony at national day in 2002 an escort cosworth spun at the old hairpin during the parade lap!!!!
was funny to watch!
only doing 40 or so

steve

 

One of the reasons they shouldn't be there Steve.

Im just waiting for the day when something falls off one of them and causes a massive pile up. Not sure if these guys sign an indemnity form but if not then the hosting club could then be liable for the lot.

 

Rich - the bit we are missing is that while it bores the tits off those of us waiting in the queue (that would be there for an hour's "lunch" break anyway), the participants actually quite enjoy it.. those of us who have done numerous track days kinda don't see the point, but didn't you once have your "first ride round a race circuit" and remember it being kinda quite exciting?? (yeah ok, so we were 10 years old at the time in some cases , but see what i mean?)
There is always an hour break at combe, so no track time gets "lost", and the people doing the parade get to pay for the privilege like we do for track time...

 

Dingy said they asked him to do one at croft.


I dont really need to go into what he may of said.. as there wasn't one.

 

Parade Lap was done in Lunch hour so not really any track time wasted. It was Ł10 and the money went to CHARITY so theres your reason for it (IT RAISES A BIT OF CASH FOR A NEEDY CAUSE).

 

i have to say pon after what sean told me about the lack of cars on track
i would me pissed off
you payed ya money to go on track and if ya got 30 mins total you was lucky
then they let those lot go out there on your payed time

 

 

Kind of like that van thing they had at ND last year ..... whats the point.

It may have looked good on paper, but during the lunch hour (for the marshals) I would have been more interested if someone went and planted grass seeds so we could all watch it grow

 

Ive never seen much point in it either, but ive heard that some people having done a parade lap and realised there isnt anything mystical or scarey about being on a track then go on to try some proper track time, i guess if that happens its a good first step.

Shame they dont have days just for that though, rather than bore the pants off the rest of us with it, but on the other hand i except that these days are for lots of different people with lots of different interests, i find concours equally boring for example, but some people love it, so fair play to them for that

 

If its of interest then its up to the organiser's.

Personally - If you pay for the track then it should be used for that time, my argument would be that why is that time spent sorting this out not spent on better organisation.

I know national day is a little different - but usually its somert different.

Having said that - I thought the escort cos parade lap was cool at combe a few years ago.

I am burnt to fook now though and it was a cracking day

 

I might be interested in watching a ferrari parade lap or something that is RARE.

As for rs's?

its THE biggest waste of time and im not particularily interested if its a cars anniversary or not? what difference does that make it. Do cars at 40mph suddenly become interesting cos its their birthday?

RW

 

Parade laps are for pussy's like me who are scared of a bit of track action even tho' that's what the car was built for

 

Before I got involved in organising the Swindon/Bristol show I felt the same as everybody on here but you would be amased at the amount of intrest there is in people wanting to do it and watch it and it also raises around a Ł1000 towards our nominated charity, people like to get their car on track with out the risk of ending up likes Dave's Ecos because there never going to do full on trackday, I'm the same with my Sapph which I've had for 15 years I've been threatning to do trackday all year but just can't bring myself to do it in case I reck it did Donington parade lap at National day 2 years ago and really enjoyed it my Chairman wasn't to happy put me at the front expecting me to drive slow, half the lap was flat out when out of sight of the stewards Dave Rose got abit upset.

Dave
Swindon/Bristol show committee.

 

Dave,

The charity aspect I can understand - you're never going to find me knocking anything thatgoes towards good causes, BUT.........

it just isn't that cut and dried.

I would simply say that for next time, there needs to be an itinerary. Say 1-2 for lunch so that everyone knows.

My only other gripe is that what kind of display was it this time? The Capris, fair enough. The GT40 - sure! A random collection of RS Turbos and saffs?

 

TO SUM UP:

Going to a racetrack for a parade lap is like going to a whorehouse for a cuddle.

 

AFPMSL @ Chip - quality analogy

 

Thats as far as some peolpe get I bet