new multi track venue at silverstone circuit

[mark christopher]

Can anyone confirm the rumour i heard that there is a multi formula/track venue being developed/built at the sliverstone track

[tellor]

Most BRCA senior committee members know about this and the future plans at Silverstone circuit.

[budgio]

The website has gone live.
www.moto-arena.co.uk (http://www.moto-arena.co.uk)

Lookin good :)

[PaulUpton]

Opens in 32 days apparently, photos on the facebook page 'moto arena'

Think there membership prices are a bit optimistic though £75-£600 :o

[MattW]

Looks interesting, but i can't see the "gold" package being the most popular!

[_JP_]

600 quid ouch!

but is a nice idea...

[Smartalec]

Had a quick look last night, it's in the old A1 building alongside the main gate at Silverstone and it looks like the tarmac track (outside) will be laid soon.

With most of the touring car clubs dwindling in the area it seems strange why they've gone down that route and not gone for the more popular classes.

Shame that such a large venture doesn't seem to include a 1/10th off road track, the most popular class :confused:

It does say on the website that they have plans for a large scale track.

I love the typo on the package prices .............. they've accidentally added a zero onto each one ;)

[Dave Treacy]

There will be 3 tracks, the indoor tarmac track is almost complete (I was there earlier in the week to meet the guys behind it) and the outdoor one will be laid eary next week. Not sure on the dates for the off road track but I suspect it will be sometime in August.

As a club MKRCTC are considering the options regarding relocating there and we are discussing this amongst the committee. I am planning to meet up with Motor Arena again next week to seek clarification of costs / benefits / dates etc.

If you have been inside you will be impressed, I think when it's finished it will be something that can really be beneficial to RC...and the location is good!

Dave

[PTRU]

No 1/8th off road track either.

The 1/10th will not be clay, is that correst????

[mattybucks]

Gone of the days where there were 1/10 off road tracks all over the region, which is a shame. What we need is a good grass track, and if they can offer one then I think it would be good for the sport.

PTRU re a clay track - if you build one then people will attend.

[PaulUpton]

There off road track i think is being aimed at large scale as thats what i read somewhere.

Also there is a picture on the website off a indoor clay track, but not sure if thats just to show of the off road side of things.

[dale]

An indoor tarmac track in the UK, superb idea! Shame it looks like just a flat bit of tarmac with plastic barriers rather than a proper track with kerbs. Might be prepared to put up with that though to race on dry tarmac in the winter.

[JCJC]

PTRU re a clay track - if you build one then people will attend.

I think Phill proved that, as for grass, the Oxon track was one of the best but membership faded away.

I am sure Dave Treacy knows what is expected having run TC & sometimes buggys at MK, lets hope they do well.

[panch]

There is a 10th off road track !!

Thats where we are all going for "The Weekender" in August isnt it ?? well its in silverstone anyway...

www.silverstonemcc.co.uk (http://www.silverstonemcc.co.uk)

Is this not part of the same thing then...??

if not then this would probably be the reason to steer away from a 10th track so as not to affect there neighbours :thumbsup:

all good though and positive for both the region and the sport

[PaulUpton]

There is a 10th off road track !!

Thats where we are all going for "The Weekender" in August isnt it ?? well its in silverstone anyway...

www.silverstonemcc.co.uk (http://www.silverstonemcc.co.uk)

Is this not part of the same thing then...??

if not then this would probably be the reason to steer away from a 10th track so as not to affect there neighbours :thumbsup:

all good though and positive for both the region and the sport

No not involved in anyway...totally seperate.

[tellor]

Luckily on the web page it says;

"Hurry, though, as the offer won't last long!"

Phew that's a relief! LOL

Does that mean it's going to go up!

Hands up if you're going pay £600?

Nope

[mattybucks]

[QUOTE=panch;394481]There is a 10th off road track !!

I know but my post said an "Grass Track" not astro..........

[stoff]

Impressive. I wonder if this is an attempt to bring the 1/10th EC worlds to the UK

[PaulUpton]

Impressive. I wonder if this is an attempt to bring the 1/10th EC worlds to the UK

Looking at the indoor track photos so far they have ALOT of work to do to get it up to scratch.

[stoff]

It doesn't look as though funds are particularly tight though!

I wish we could have something like this up north :(

[dale]

Luckily on the web page it says;

Hands up if you're going pay £600?

Nope

"Our most popular plan".

(cough)bullshit(cough)

[JCJC]

There is a 10th off road track !!
Thats where we are all going for "The Weekender" in August isnt it ?? well its in silverstone anyway...
www.silverstonemcc.co.uk (http://www.silverstonemcc.co.uk)
Is this not part of the same thing then...??
if not then this would probably be the reason to steer away from a 10th track so as not to affect there neighbours :thumbsup:
all good though and positive for both the region and the sport

The Silverstone Weekender is in the village of Silverstone just down the road (could walk there) at the back of the village sport & leisure club, beyond the cricket & football areas, a new astro track laid this summer on the site of the existing astro track, (you can find it on google maps - 'clicky' & zoom out -or in to view track (http://pininthemap.com/pp4963b46bda89976d1)) there was a TC club in the sport & leisure building for years. Do not confuse these two venues.

[mattybucks]

Is it designed for racers, or more like kids parties and members of the public to visit as a day out. I don't think a corporate will be the same as you local club. It'll be all about the ££'s rather than the actual racing.

[PaulUpton]

The BRCA are involved somehow as there linked at the bottom of the website

so i imagine that both public and racers will be well catered for

[MattW]

I suspect, that the reason they have catered more for on road here is due mainly to the fact that it's easier to make the link from full size circuit to RC on road. i.e from a publicity point of view - you can have Touring cars being raced full size and scale on the same day etc. Can't really make that link at Silverstone for off rd.

[rich_cree]

I'm all for it, bit pricey to be honest, a good venue is a good venue.

It desperately needs a 1/8 off road clay track indoors though, has anyone told these people about the Neobuggy race? Look at the interest that race attracts, in terms of entries requested it blows any British national series in any class out of the water I dare say.

Additionally a huge chunk of club racers don't even try and get an entry to that race as they assume they won't be chosen and feel a touch intimidated by it all, so in theory there are even more entries out there.

[James]

True, but thats a once a year international event so entry is bound to be higher.
Worksop is the most popular series with 200 entries per round consistently for the last 3 years; thats of course indoors on a slightly slippy offroad setup so yeah indoor dirt = great success, but what would outdoor dirt = in the UK do you think.... (Im talking 10th, I understand there are already 1/8th outdoor dirt tracks..)

PS im all for developing a well known captive market of motorsport enthusiast at any of the full size circuits like silverstone :thumbsup:

[rich_cree]

For sure buddy, I'm very excited about the idea of 1/10 or 1/8 indoor clay tracks! I'll happily take either!

I suggested 1/8 because if a venue is big enough for that, then a 1/10 layout can be created too easily enough.

Fingers crossed one or other is in the plans anyway..

edit - 200 entries per round, awesome!!!

[cmgreen]

Yeah i was at Gp at week end and you never guess who also knew about the new silverstone track?? Hamilton knew all about it ...........:thumbsup:

[Agt26]

http://www.moto-arena.co.uk/experiences.html

Judging by the diagram at the top of the page this place will be amazing :thumbsup:

[DerbyDan]

I'm going to watch this with interest.... on one hand I'm excited about such a place that raises the game in terms of what is expected facilities-wise from the venues at which we race, and anything that provides this country with a permanent indoor tarmac track can only be a good thing:thumbsup:

Unfortunately i'm also rather sceptical about its success. Tracks normally get built when a group of like-minded individuals decide to build somewhere for themselves to race - never is it considered that money could be made from such a venture. This track at Silverstone appears to be set up almost with this sole intention. I think they are going to have to really draw in alot of people to make it worthwhile, with racing happening every night of the week as well as corporate activities during the day. It could really work but i'm not sure if there is the demand?

However, such a venue could seem like a more structured entry for a new-comer, I always think that clubs miss a trick - with very little in the way of introduction & instruction for new guys who turn up on a club night/meeting. With a well laid out reception area where drivers could book in & be instructed on what to do - posters & signs could further guide the new racer.... it certainly beats that intimidating process of hunting out the race director hiding in the corner of a caravan somewhere!

[Charlie Ware]

WOW!! this looks amazing and only 20 mins away!!!!:woot:
Summer looks booked :thumbsup:

[Teddy truman]

i went there on thursday. There will not be any 8th scale off road and the outdoor offroad track will not be big enough for large scale offroad.. they will be doing a dirt / grass offroad track for 1 10th.. The indoor track is tarmac and is HUGE.. oversized in my opinion as you can only run electic cars on it as they will only be racing electic inside and on the outdoor tarmac track will be nitro.

[Teddy truman]

i found out alot of info from the guys setting up so if you want to ask some questions fire away.

[Agt26]

Will they be doing regular "club" racing or is it just going to be one off races?:confused:

thanks,

Andrew,

[budgio]

Tony.
What exactly will we get for 75 notes?
Will you be on the Mic :) ?

[Teddy truman]

yes they are planning club events during the week.. but they are looking at having a big event different classes every week. Not sure if the other tracks will be open on site when they have a big event on as not sure on how many staff they will have. As it take a team to run 1 event. As for the £75.. from what i can gather. I think you have use of the tracks, not events e.g testing or just to go round and round not sure if this gets you access to all the other facilitys like the virtual simulaters etc.

[monkeynuts]

Knowing Silverstone like I do they are only in it for one thing WONGA ........Are Schumacher involved? or any big RRC concern .Yes it seems a great concept but not sure if it will make money and its on Silverstone buggy club's doorstep bit of a bummer for them after doing all the new work on their venue .

I know someone stated that their is not enough good venues but are there enough peeps nowdays?............ask Mr Springer he remembers meetings where you had to turn people away;)and as for 600 quid:lol:...........I suppose Damon Hill has to eat :p

[PaulUpton]

On the facebook page they are saying the off road track will be located near the force India building and will cater for rally x and large scale.

Tony if you think the indoor track is big (40mtrs) wait until to you see the outdoor (70mtrs) that's the straights

[Neil Skull]

Just to let you guys know.
The BRCA and all the manufactures have been involved with this since the beginning.
A lot of advice has been taken and the originla plans have changed quite a bit after all of our input.
There is a lot of classes catered for all except 1/8th rally cross, but hey there are plenty of clubs for that class.
It really is an amazing project lot of dreams and big ideas we hope it will succeeed. It is a money making venture but at the very least we hope it will get some new blood into the sport.
This has been years in the planning and it seems unreal it is almost finished.
Not sure the membership thing will work at those costs they are aiming at Petrol heads rather than rc guys who dont budget for that.
Its exciting times to say the least.
:thumbsup:

[Bob Burr]

How can it have been years in the planing ? the A1 GP building has only recently become available with the demise of that series.
Some good stuff but also some awfull stuff, great an indoor tarmac track then ruin it by laying it out like a carpet track with plastic hose (might as well just laid down some carpet) what it needs is proper curbs just like any outdoor track.
Access will be severly limited at times even with a £600 membership, try getting there on the GP weekend !!.
This is purely a comercial venture and i dont see it bringing much to the sport (apart from raised costs) would be great to see Milton Keynes have a track back maybe the old SMTCC between Bedworth and M/K could be revived, they were always great meetings.

As has already been said most succesfull clubs start with there members with no thought of profit, just providing good facilities and racing for there members, £75 membership doesnt seem to bad but then add on BRCA membership, plus race fees (they wont be cheep) and the costs start to add up.
An absolutly fabulous venue for something like the worlds or euros, no worry about the weather and great for spectators, will have to wait and see when all the info is available of what is what.

[DCM]

I am trying to understand something here, so if anyone knows, please answer.

You pays your membership fee, decided to go up, mid week in the daytime for a bit of track time/testing, little Johnny comes along with mum and dad, who pays for him to have some track time, has no experience, so does the experienced racer have to share to track with arrive and drive toy players?

[PaulUpton]

I am trying to understand something here, so if anyone knows, please answer.

You pays your membership fee, decided to go up, mid week in the daytime for a bit of track time/testing, little Johnny comes along with mum and dad, who pays for him to have some track time, has no experience, so does the experienced racer have to share to track with arrive and drive toy players?

I would assume yes, but this could happen at any club in the uk?

[Neil Skull]

[QUOTE=Bob Burr;394656]How can it have been years in the planing ?

Hi Bob,

you see to think i am telling porkys?

It has been years in the planning but finding the right venue was part of the wait.

[Neil Skull]

I am trying to understand something here, so if anyone knows, please answer.

You pays your membership fee, decided to go up, mid week in the daytime for a bit of track time/testing, little Johnny comes along with mum and dad, who pays for him to have some track time, has no experience, so does the experienced racer have to share to track with arrive and drive toy players?

There is more than one track.

so for real beginners they can race on the small track.

There are still a lot of unanswered questions that will get addressed as things progress.

We did discuss about the crossover between novices and pros on the track and there was lots of options.

[DCM]

I would assume yes, but this could happen at any club in the uk?

not really, as must tracks don't do hire cars for a newb to have a go.... so the investment in hardware would show some commitment and some knowledge. What I was trying to get at was, do the centre visitors, who go there as an attraction, and then let little Johnny have a go, would it be on the same track as that set aside for 'racing'

[AntH]

i found out alot of info from the guys setting up so if you want to ask some questions fire away.


I was eagerly awaiting PDA Mk 2 (along with many others I guess). Is this still on the cards Tony and will it be for 1/10th as well as 1/8th? (I hope so!) Not sure there is enough demand for 3 tenth offroad tracks in such close proximity?

[c0sie]

I was eagerly awaiting PDA Mk 2 (along with many others I guess). Is this still on the cards Tony and will it be for 1/10th as well as 1/8th? (I hope so!) Not sure there is enough demand for 3 tenth offroad tracks in such close proximity?

If anyone fancies building one near the Gloucester/Bristol area we would muchly appreciate that :D

[Teddy truman]

I think PDA mk2 is still a maybe... But think it will be focused on 1 8th offroad indoor.. But obviously you can run 10th on it with a few cut throughs.. Like the guys have done here it's all about finding the right venue.. We are still looking but will see how the moto arena does.

[John Lees]

Guys, just to let you know, you do not have to be a member to use the facility. You just pay for what you want, if you are going to be a regular, it would work out cheaper to be a member. The gold package is limited to 300, this has huge benefits and works like a gym or golf club.

There will be loads of events and crossover with the circuit, and there are only 2 weekends that are disrupted, because of GP and MotoGp, but these are brilliant marketing platforms for our sport.

It all makes sense, when you think about it, loads of new people coming in to the sport, can only be good.

[davidmog99]

I am amazed about the lack of enthusiasm for this.
I have only learned about the track from this forum, but comments about sharing track time with "little johnny", really are irritating. How arrogant to assume the people who have researched, built and financed the project have no idea what they are doing!!!!!
The facilities look fantastic, better than any i have ever seen.

[John Lees]

I totally agree with you. Little johnny was us once, and is the future as this place is. There are training tracks, and enough tracks to allow different formats. We should all be proud to be able to race at the centre of Silverstone.
Where is in the world is there anything like this? It allows us to race in top quality all year round, and how many new people will engage with the sport? We can't lose. No problem with nitro noise, or weather, superb access. Let's go.

[Agt26]

I totally agree with you. Little johnny was us once, and is the future as this place is. There are training tracks, and enough tracks to allow different formats. We should all be proud to be able to race at the centre of Silverstone.
Where is in the world is there anything like this? It allows us to race in top quality all year round, and how many new people will engage with the sport? We can't lose. No problem with nitro noise, or weather, superb access. Let's go.

totally agree :thumbsup:

[c0sie]

+1, totally agree

[dale]

An indoor tarmac track in the UK, superb idea! Shame it looks like just a flat bit of tarmac with plastic barriers rather than a proper track with kerbs. Might be prepared to put up with that though to race on dry tarmac in the winter.

I queried them about this on Facebook. The plastic drainpipes are just to test the layout; they have custom-made track markings coming with kerbs, grass infills and rumble strips. So hopefully it will be as close as you can get to an outdoor track, but indoors.

[Dave Treacy]

My view on this (and it's shared by pretty much everyone at MKRCTC) is that this venture will explode onto the RC scene in about a month and will raise the bar for circuit racing in the UK (can't speak about offroad as it's not an area I have much knowledge in).

Financially, any RC income will be small change compared to the overall package, but it's "the experience" that's for sale. The dad and sons market during the weekend and the corporate market during the week.

I see 2 different operating modes (possibly 3) where there is the Mon-Fri hook up at the corporate package level with Silverstone and the centre is part of that with RC / Simulators etc running to a schedule.

At the weekend it will draw in many visitors and the "try before you buy" hook is huge! I'd like to believe that this is where we can come in as an organised club. How many RTR's are there out there which end up being mothballed because there's no organised, competative racing and little Johnny gets bored or breaks something?

I'm of the view that for these visitors who come for the whole experience and at the same time watch organised racing with drivers in similar ability heats will be more inclined to progress from the "try before you buy" to "purchase, return and learn" which will swell the club membership and simultaneously bring additional exposure to the centre.

I can't see any downsides to this and assuming we can get the commericals worked out, MKRCTC will be looking to take the plunge and work with the centre to manage around the teething problems as things fall into place.

Dave

[Smartalec]

My view on this (and it's shared by pretty much everyone at MKRCTC) is that this venture will explode onto the RC scene in about a month and will raise the bar for circuit racing in the UK (can't speak about offroad as it's not an area I have much knowledge in).

Financially, any RC income will be small change compared to the overall package, but it's "the experience" that's for sale. The dad and sons market during the weekend and the corporate market during the week.

I see 2 different operating modes (possibly 3) where there is the Mon-Fri hook up at the corporate package level with Silverstone and the centre is part of that with RC / Simulators etc running to a schedule.

At the weekend it will draw in many visitors and the "try before you buy" hook is huge! I'd like to believe that this is where we can come in as an organised club. How many RTR's are there out there which end up being mothballed because there's no organised, competative racing and little Johnny gets bored or breaks something?

I'm of the view that for these visitors who come for the whole experience and at the same time watch organised racing with drivers in similar ability heats will be more inclined to progress from the "try before you buy" to "purchase, return and learn" which will swell the club membership and simultaneously bring additional exposure to the centre.

I can't see any downsides to this and assuming we can get the commericals worked out, MKRCTC will be looking to take the plunge and work with the centre to manage around the teething problems as things fall into place.

DaveDave, I see that it says BRCA at the bottom of the home page of their website .......... where does the BRCA fit into all of this? :)

[Dave Treacy]

I understand that there have been some idea discussions around the facility with the BRCA but not aware of any "sanction / approval" but the BRCA don't do that anyway.

[mattybucks]

I understand that there have been some idea discussions around the facility with the BRCA but not aware of any "sanction / approval" but the BRCA don't do that anyway.


The website clearly has "BRCA" at the bottom, which is a bit misleading if they have no involvement.

[c0sie]

If you have any questions regarding the BRCA's involvement/sanctioning/approval of anything I would suggest contacting the BRCA Executive Committee in the first instance rather than presuming odds and sods :)

Saves lots of confusion later on down the line :)

[taz5311]

Whilst I admit this looks like a really good venue, I wonder how much time and effort will be put aside for racers (as members of the BRCA) to use this rather than the corporate ventures.

I notice there seems to be no mention of the costs for racers to use the venue or how it would work with clubs or regional events being held there. £75 for the basic package sounds good but how much will it then cost to enter the venue and use the track?.

[simond001]

Is this good for the hobby though? Whilst we ar elooking at a great venue that is not the overriding factor for rc racing.

Most of the succesful tracks around the country are run by a club. The members of that club work with the committee to ensure that it delivers what it's members want. Finances are sometimes tight but the collective will pull together and work for free, provide whatever they can within their personal area of expertise and contribute to the maintaining and running of the track.

We are entering a new era of RC racing whereby commercial enterprises are vying for the same revenue as the clubs. There are a finite number of racers in each area and the balance between enough drivers to attaned meetings, the finances of each to do so, the competition series at each they wish to attend and the geographic location of the tracks needs to be handled carefully.

As a commercial enterprise it would be very simple to inadvertantly lure drivers to your facility as incentives cost very little in the light of the full build and roll out budget. Whilst this is good for the new facility if a driver is attending a meeting there they are not supporting the local club which may need both the revenue and the drivers to remain open.

Clubs also have a more relaxed approach to marketting than commercial enterprises.

http://www.oople.com/forums/showthread.php?t=49414
http://www.oople.com/forums/showthread.php?t=49413
http://www.oople.com/forums/showthread.php?t=49438

compared to

http://www.oople.com/forums/showthread.php?t=49904
or
http://www.oople.com/forums/showthread.php?t=49562

I am not against Ardent or Moto arena, but certainly are of the feeling that local clubs who have a membership and return their monies to the good of the sport should take precedence and the lure of the glamour of "the biggest, the best, the newest" etc should be taken seriously.

They may be offering "the biggest" today, but, as an example, if Ardent took all the tc drivers from the area for the winter how would the other clubs servive. Would they then become the ONLY place to race having removed all competition.

Nothing against Ardent or the chaps that own it, but just an example of how these new companies could impact the rc scene.

Simond

[mark christopher]

The website clearly has "BRCA" at the bottom, which is a bit misleading if they have no involvement.

Not misleading at all. They could be brca affiliated. Most good venues/clubs that are use the brca logo on their sites

[Dave Treacy]

Simond, good, valid points....but if both can co-exist is that not the best of both worlds?

MKRCTC will ALWAYS remain a club, we have no desire to "go commerical", but if we can work with the commerical side of things there are benefits for all.

Anyone who has raced at MK knows that we run an enjoyable race meeting, we support all drivers from the novice to the top flight. We've been doing that for over 11 years now and this will continue....

[sosidge]

So frustrated with the negativity around this...

We are being offered a permanent, potentially world-class facility for our hobby in a high-profile, publicly accessible location.

Yet, because it's not a "club" and because "little johnny" might be allowed to use it at the same time as "racers", it's being shot down in flames.

Such a narrow minded view. There is no intrinsic superiority of "clubs" running things (in every other walk of life, we seek out the professionals to do stuff), and we were all "little johnny" once.

This hobby needs new blood. And we should be embracing every project that might encourage it.

[mattybucks]

Not misleading at all. They could be brca affiliated. Most good venues/clubs that are use the brca logo on their sites

Is there anyone from the BRCA on this site who could clear this up?


Re racers and beginners using the same track, this is not an issue as long as it's not at the same time. If you've got £1000 worth a car going round the track you don't want to be met by a car going to wrong way down the straight.........

[PaulUpton]

Dont get how you guys are saying little johnny shouldnt be on the track at the same time.

Your at your local club on a sunday morning whizzing around the track, little johnny has just been to LHS and brought a ready to run car, who is going to say he cant use the track? Both the experienced guys and the little johnny have payed there monies to use the track.

Like i said earlier in the thread, this happens at most clubs around the UK

[Dave Treacy]

Matty,

Somehow I don't think anyone involved, club or commericial, is that stupid that they would allow cars to attack the track haphazardly...

[mattybucks]

Matty,

Somehow I don't think anyone involved, club or commericial, is that stupid that they would allow cars to attack the track haphazardly...


We've all seen it at club meetings, a newbie turn up and drives his car the wrong way down the track. All i'm saying is a grading system. Accident do happen.

Don't get me wrong i'm all for new people coming into the hobby.

[simond001]

Yet, because it's not a "club" and because "little johnny" might be allowed to use it at the same time as "racers", it's being shot down in flames..

Not by me. The biggest draw to any club is it's members. I would never use "little Johnny" statements as the children are the lifeblood of a club. The bring their parents, firneds and are the future committeee members.

Such a narrow minded view. There is no intrinsic superiority of "clubs" running things (in every other walk of life, we seek out the professionals to do stuff), and we were all "little johnny" once..

Not quite true. I believe that in most sporting events local clubs provide the throughput of attendees. Take swimming, athletics, ballet etc..A local council may provide a venue, but the club will provide the attendees.

This hobby needs new blood. And we should be embracing every project that might encourage it.

Agreed. The venue isnt the blood though, it's the building. The blood is the drivers who attend, bring along others, join in the meetings and become regulars. (Almost like a club!)

As I said I am not anti this superb facility. My concern is that if we adopt the venues for big meetings not the clubs it will affect funding at a local level, where newcomers are more likely to attend.

[hashiriya]

Once again the internet has passed judgement on something it knows mostly nothing about. How about we all try and keep an open mind, support it where we can and hope thats its success can filter into all other aspects of the sport and benefit us all? Even the best projects will fail if the core audience don't even give it a chance assume that it won't be any good.

In my experience, if the track quality is good, it will attract good racers and therefore make the racing good. the small details will all work themselves out.

[Dave Treacy]

My concern is that if we adopt the venues for big meetings not the clubs it will affect funding at a local level, where newcomers are more likely to attend.

I think everyone is aware that the big meeting only approach is wrong for several reasons:

The n00b (rather than little Johnny) will not compete as it's too daunting
The utilisation would be low...hpw many big meetings are held at any given venue a year? Even Snetterton only holds about 6 and that's a similar business model as this one.
Drivers want 3 things from their racing...the ability to compete in a regional / national series (STCC/BTCC/BRCA), the opportunity to compete against the best in Euros / Worlds and the ability to race regualrly with friends at a club level.

What drivers don't want is to spend a small fortune on their kit and find thay have no organised racing at a level suitable for their skills now and as they improve. There become backyard bashers and the kit ends up in the loft or on ebay.

[Agt26]

-----

[Dave Treacy]

AGT, did you not read the rest of the post and the quote I was responding to? :)

[Agt26]

AGT, did you not read the rest of the post and the quote I was responding to? :)

Sorry misread your post :( although i'm pretty sure that they will be running regular club meetings especially as the Milton Keynes club are involved as well I think.

[Dave Treacy]

i'm pretty sure that they will be running regular club meetings especially as the Milton Keynes club are involved as well I think.

As Chairman of the Milton Keynes club I can confirm we're not "involved" yet, but we are in discussiuons.... :thumbsup:

Hopefully we will be involved...:woot: watch this space...;)

[mattybucks]

As Chairman of the Milton Keynes club I can confirm we're not "involved" yet, but we are in discussiuons.... :thumbsup:

Hopefully we will be involved...:woot: watch this space...;)


A club would be very beneficial to the venue, in terms of getting people through the door on a regular basis, refreshments, and general income. Club members would also attend to pratice.

However should the venue not be viable for whatever reason then where would this leave the club? Trackless?

I suppose that should the venue want a club at the venue and be willing offer reduced track rental then it would be good for MK.

[Teddy truman]

I don’t know enough into this side of things at moto arena but I think the venue needs a club!! Dave, I’m sure you can back me up on this when I say a race meeting cannot be run by one person... from club events to big events you need helpers and numbers. Be it for track repairs, transponder and car check, race control, help when short of marshals... i just hope that people dont see it as im not helping as im not getting paid, where as the guy who is running it is... to fill all these spots of helpers at a normal club with employees will be very costly. As most clubs are non profitable everyone is 100% helping out and keeping it going because they love to do it, not because if they dont they cant put food on the table. So people need to remember if you want this place you may have to help out.

After going and seeing the venue i think it is awsome and very impressive. I will keep everything crossed for them, that they can bring in the numbers and achive enough to keep running. This is the first sort of thing of its scale so it was always a risk for these guys and fair play to them! like i said fingers crossed and good luck.:)

[PTRU]

I am upfor that good luck to moto arena hope it all works out for the guys.

It can only be good for RC racing.

[Bob Burr]

The problem is places like Ardent and Moto arena have totally diferent goals to model car clubs, they are first and formost businesses and have to make money, the moment they stop making money they no longer exist.
All businesses start the same way, someone will have a hobby or pastime that they enjoy, at some point they decide or realise that they can make a living out of it (be it hair dressing, dog grooming, model shop, etc etc) and thats the main point there no 1 priority will be to make a profit, great if at the same time they are also doing something they totally enjoy like playing with toy cars.

Clubs on the other hand start on a totally diferent track, usually a small group of people with a shared interest (Model cars, aircraft, boating, fishing etc) they decide to set up a club to find like minded people in the local area to join them, this infact usually costs the people setting up the club and they usually dont ever expect to see that money back.
On the legal side no club or association is allowed to make money (totally oposite of a business) any money a club has, has to be used purely for the purchase of club equipment or the improvment of club facilities, if a club made profit it would then be liable for income tax, may have to register for VAT, every member would also have to fill out a tax return form.

What is my point ? well people are asking why so many seem to be against Moto Arena or at best not that happy, i guess a lot of dedicated club people who see there hard work all done for free at risk, sorry Dave but as charman of M/K if you had just built your own track at cost to your members i bet 100% you wouldnt be so keen on moto arena not 15 mins down the road from you ;)..

As for the BRCA i can say that 100% they are not involved in any way (apart from maybe a little information) with Moto Arena, again for legal reasons they cant be, the BRCA is a non profit making organisation owned by its members (just the same as a club) it cannot endorse any product or facility, nor can Moto Arena be a member of the BRCA, this is only open to individuals and associated clubs who have to abide by certain rules, yes clubs have the BRCA logo this is to show they are BRCA affiliated.

Thats not a downer on Moto Arena im sure i will go down and race there at some point, just pointing out the diferences.

[c0sie]

Wow.

So many negative opinions on a venture that (to my knowledge) hardly any of us know that much about? or, for that matter, have actually visited?

Am I missing something here or is there a lot of hate for something that a lot of guys on alot of furums over alot of scales have been asking Santa for for many years; a dedicated mutli track indoor venue.....


As for the BRCA i can say that 100% they are not involved in any way (apart from maybe a little information) with Moto Arena, again for legal reasons they cant be, the BRCA is a non profit making organisation owned by its members (just the same as a club) it cannot endorse any product or facility, nor can Moto Arena be a member of the BRCA, this is only open to individuals and associated clubs who have to abide by certain rules, yes clubs have the BRCA logo this is to show they are BRCA affiliated.
Is that an official statement Bob?

[rich_cree]

I wanna go now, but I need a car to use!

Anyone want to lend me a TC?????

[Dave Treacy]

All,

After a productive discussion with Grant Collins at Motor Arena I can confirm that from the middle of August we MKRCTC will be holding their regular Sunday meetings at Moto Arena, located just inside the perimeter of Silverstone Race Track.

Additionally we will be holding race nights on Wednesday's as well, so you can race twice a week at what will soon be the UK's Premier Racetrack.

The track is indoor tarmac and 50m by 20m
Pitting bench for each driver with 220v power in each pit space - leave your tables, chairs and 12v batteries at home!
A rostrum big enough for 15 drivers
On site shop for snacks and refreshements
On site shop for spares
RC racing is about to go to a new level...

More details to follow over the next couple of days.

[stoff]

I am very jealous.

Oulton park owners take note!

[JCJC]

Thats wonderful news from Dave Treacy, hope we you can sneak a few buggys in there somewhere, couple of wooden jumps etc............ :thumbsup:

[SlowOne]

Oh dear! This thread seems to have in it every reason why RC remains a minority hobby pursued by people who, when they express a view, tend to the impression that there are two ways to make RC a success - their way and the wrong way!!

As has been pointed out, this venture is being run as a business, not as an amateur club getting like-minded people together for the enjoyment of a common hobby. As of this year, there are more people in the population who are over 50 than under 50. The bike fraternity has driven its sales by people over 40 for the last ten years, not people under 20. Look in any golf course, tennis court, cricket field, footie pitch and you will find that the majority of people who spend their time and money on these hobbies are over 35. Why is it assumed that the target market is kids? Why is it assumed that the newbies are under 20? It seems to me that this new venture recognises that those with the money are not under 20, they are over 40, with 20 good years of potential spend on a hobby left in them! Why don't we recognise that and do something to attract them?

Bob's point is interesting, but look at it another way. MKRCTC is currently a club, run by and for its members. It now proposes to move its venue to the new Moto Arena (and Sundays with a GT10 are looking very attractive to me Dave!). Clubs move venues - always have, always will. If Moto Arena fails, it doesn't take the Club with it, because the Club is its members, not its venue. Dave and crew can always find another venue, but Moto Arena can't find another business. Seems to me that these venues are absolutely tailor made for Clubs, since they will exist long after the business itself has gone away. If there were enough people in the area who wanted to race Off-Road, I'd be down there forming a Club ASAP, because using the Moto Arena facilities would allow me to create a club that could move elsewhere, and outlast the facility itself should it fail. We need more of these, not less IMHO.

As someone said on the previous page, reactions on this thread are likely to be the wrong ones. Ardent is doing very well. Moto Arena is likely to do likewise. Instead of having views on what they will or don't do to our little patch, can we find ways of making them get more members for the BRCA? As an Affiliated Club, MKRCTC will require that new drivers become BRCA members. If an Off-Road Club started up, they too would bring in new members. Isn't getting more members what we are here to do?

I'm looking forward to more details from Dave on MKRCTC's programme for 2010/11, because methinks that a visit or several is in order!! And, while we're on the subject of what we can do to get new drivers into RC (of whatever age!) I for one will be volunteering to help Moto Arena get their new drivers up to speed and enjoying their RC. Any support we can give a new driver makes it more likely they will come to see, and stay. To paraphrase John F Kennedy "ask not what Moto Arena can do for you, ask what you can do for Moto Arena." That way lies the likelihood that we will get more RC drivers. I think that is also what Dave sees in taking MKRCTC there.

Good luck Moto Arena, hope it all works out - for both of us.

[telboy]

Its going to be interesting sorting all the frequencies out for all those different classes/events/testing sessions etc.

:wtf:

It looks ok I suppose, and to be honest who cares who doesn't like it if the people that create it make it a success?...and it helps bring new blood into the hobby.

The TC track looks a bit 'point and squirt' though and looks all about power and speed. I'd have made it a bit twistier.

[mark christopher]

what worries me is parking at the venue esecially when there is a big event on at the main circuit.
its outside the security gates so getting to it is not a problem.

[Dave Treacy]

I'll try and answer as best I can :)

Firstly thanks for the support. There is always risk involved in a new venture but the potiential for RC is staggering, and we are looking to support and develop this where we can. As pointed out, the club will exist no matter what as the club is the members, not the location.

As for parking, I believe there are 250 allocated spaces for Moto Arena...fill that and we'll worry about getting more parking! :)

The track design was changed today...Nick Daman made some suggestions which have been incorporated which should add another 3 seconds to the lap. Bear in mind that this layout is transitional, once everything is bedded in then the pipes will be replaced with "racetrack" corners which will allow for different layouts.

Exciting times...

[Jon R]

Hi Dave, just wanted to say congrats on the announcement that MKRCTC will be racing at the moto arena. I have been down to race on Sunday with you a few times and have always enjoyed it! I think I will definitely be over to race at your new Silverstone location when you get up and running. I think having a rc car facility like this, based at the home of F1 and MotoGP, with a friendly club running regular meetings can only be a massive positive for our hobby. :thumbsup:

[mattybucks]

Its going to be interesting sorting all the frequencies out for all those different classes/events/testing sessions etc.

:wtf:

Unless your running 2.4 ghz :lol:

[antnee]

Slowone - I think people assume that the hobby needs young people (like me) because racing is about hand eye co-ordination, which tends to deteriorate as people age. But I do agree, with your point about over 35s having more free cash to spend on hobbies.


My view is that is great for the hobby, maybe their initial approach is a little harsh on the local clubs (mainly Silverstone), they should of contacted them and incorporated them instead of fighting against them.

The idea is great, I bet the majority of RC racers are petrol heads, same as people going to the main Silvertone, even if spectators see the place, then go home and do some research and go to their local club, thats good right? Corporate days is also a good idea in my opinion, as its likely to get people who might have never really known about RC racing on a track, which they may enjoy and carry on going to.



Now lets see the plans for the indoor offroad track!

[JCJC]

My view is that is great for the hobby, maybe their initial approach is a little harsh on the local clubs (mainly Silverstone), they should of contacted them and incorporated them instead of fighting against them.

I think the 2 can exist side by side, the off road outside astro track will offer something different to the Arena and we shall see that over the weekend meeting & the F345's in September.

Just a thought, the big weekend at Silverstone (28th/29th August) will see buggy racers down in the village and MKRCTC racers up at the Arena, a little crossover may be nice, bet a few will visit each venue.

[Bob Burr]

Hi Cosie what i said about the BRCA is not an official statment but fact, all non profit making clubs and associations are governed by very strict laws (not the clubs rules) this is how they are tax exempt, as i said they are not allowed to make any profit of any sort, the money clubs and associations like the BRCA make (that should realy be TAKE) is not classed as profit.
Its all very complicated but basically you are not allowed to endorse any goods or business, this would put you in a very grey area where it could be taken that you are making a profit, which is also why a business can not join the BRCA (a club yes as they are non profit making).

I do realy wish Moto Arena all the best but yes i do have my reservations of where this fits into what is after all an amature sport.

Oh and great news that M/K will be using the facility, all the best Dave hopefully some of the Bedworth guys can come down and race you when we get the chance.

[SlowOne]

Slowone - I think people assume that the hobby needs young people (like me) because racing is about hand eye co-ordination, which tends to deteriorate as people age. But I do agree, with your point about over 35s having more free cash to spend on hobbies.Good point, and another one that we have to get over! The vast majority of RC drivers don't race competitively, just as the vast majority of participants in every other sport and hobby don't either. The money that supports these hobbies and sports - that allows them to exist and keep going - comes from people who don't compete, they just take part.

Moto Arena is aiming itself at all the people who have money to spend, and want to take part in an interesting and exciting hobby. Look at its website - "leisure attraction", "corporate groups", "families", "slot cars", "wargaming", etc. - and only one mention of "professional RC racers" (of which we have about three in the UK, but you get their drift!).

Next issue to tackle - you want to run a National at Moto Arena, and all you have to offer is a staggered start, and cars droning round against an invisible clock until the last hour of the day when a few races actually look like people are racing and having fun. Someone proposes that their round of the National be run to Reedy format. You could get hundreds of people watching if you did. What do you do? ;)

[spenner]

As one of the members of silverstone rcmcc I have had the question , are you bit gutted about the new moto arena ?? Answer no. Think it is what this country needs and I can only see it as a good thing for our hobby, I am disappointed they haven't contacted us as a local Club but I am sure they have been busy. I for one will make a visit and I thank the people who are involved and wish them luck. As long as they promote our club too, after all we offer something different.

[dale]

All,

After a productive discussion with Grant Collins at Motor Arena I can confirm that from the middle of August we MKRCTC will be holding their regular Sunday meetings at Moto Arena, located just inside the perimeter of Silverstone Race Track.


Good news as far as I'm concerned; that's my mid-week racing sorted for the winter :).

I'm sure most people on here must have heard of Yatabe Arena in Japan. It's the only venue in the world (that I'm aware of) that is similar to what Moto Arena are trying to achieve. Wouldn't it be great if in a few years time people worldwide knew about our great UK venue and the world/euro championships we'd held there? Wouldn't it be great if you could go to somewhere like Yatabe without a long flight and learning Japanese?

Instead people are worrying about "little jonny" and other minor details... I'm sure the details will sort themselves out; the venue has the potential to be superb (with help from us the racers)

[mattybucks]

I for one will make a visit and I thank the people who are involved and wish them luck. As long as they promote our club too, after all we offer something different.

Why would they do that, you may be in direct competition with each other, they have 2 acres of land for an out door track.

What happens if they run 1/10 off road can you compete with them for facilities? Are there enough people to support 2 off road tracks within a mile of each other?

[RudeTony]

I have been associated with RC for over 20 years and in that time the tracks are more or less the same. The organisations more or less the same. The BRCA more or less the same. Obviously some improvements like rostrums are better, all astro-turf tracks, 1/8th has bigger tracks and so on BUT more or less the same.
In over 20 years more or less the same!!!
I ask why?
What happened to the best British Car and the best British Ship and best Plane and best Cruise Liner and best Fighter Jet and so on etc etc etc
There is a bad habbit of knocking good things in the UK and taking any chance seem to be just taking for ever.
I think this is brilliant at Silverstone and good luck to them.
If it makes the sport better and we do have the best RC Venue then simply fantastic ........

ps - Our current Silverstone Club is run by a good bunch of people and us racers will always support them so I do not see an issue yet.
If there is an issue then us hard core racers will decide the right things for sure

[Neil Skull]

deleted

[MattW]

Dale, Yatabe has been carpeted!! Not sure if they are leaving it down now the worlds are done, but it has had carpet down for a while I understand!

Moto arena looks great, and anything that brings new people to the hobby, has to be a good thing.

[Ben Cosgrove]

I wanna go now, but I need a car to use!

Anyone want to lend me a TC?????

Can be arranged mate :)

Ben

[Ben Cosgrove]

The track design was changed today...Nick Daman made some suggestions which have been incorporated which should add another 3 seconds to the lap. Bear in mind that this layout is transitional, once everything is bedded in then the pipes will be replaced with "racetrack" corners which will allow for different layouts.

Exciting times...

Is that 3 seconds with Nick's lines? Could be 2 seconds for others :thumbsup: (Sorry Nick) :p

[rich_cree]

Can be arranged mate :)

Ben

I'll be in touch when the track opens!

:)

[Neil Skull]

Rich,

You can borrow mine and i will deliver to your house.

[PTRU]

FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT

[rich_cree]

What do we reckon is going to be the big class here then?

Electric TC, F1?

[c0sie]

10th offroad. Only class worth talking about Rich :) (Other than micro, of course *cough* or until they cater for indoor 8th rallycross!)

[Ben Cosgrove]

Rich,

You can borrow mine and i will deliver to your house.

LOL, your call Rich....do you want it to handle or not?? :thumbsup::woot:

[mattybucks]

10th offroad. Only class worth talking about Rich :) (Other than micro, of course *cough* or until they cater for indoor 8th rallycross!)


There not having a 1/10 off road track, hopefully they will.......

[Neil Skull]

LOL, your call Rich....do you want it to handle or not?? :thumbsup::woot:

The only reason i was offering was so he could set it up for me :)

[dale]

What do we reckon is going to be the big class here then?

Electric TC, F1?

It may be the ideal venue for GT10s and F1s which have struggled to find a good home. I popped over last week and the surface looks super-smooth, and being indoors the grip will quickly build up to quite a high level.

Don't see the world changing overnight though, so TCs will be the main class to start with.

[mark christopher]

It may be the ideal venue for GT10s and F1s which have struggled to find a good home. I popped over last week and the surface looks super-smooth, and being indoors the grip will quickly build up to quite a high level.

Don't see the world changing overnight though, so TCs will be the main class to start with.

You have never driven on **** tarmac over a winter/cold day? Unless the track is kept warm it may not have the grip your looking for.

i missed **indoors** but i think you got that

[dale]

You have never driven on tarmac over a winter/cold day? Unless the track is kept warm it may not have the grip your looking for.

Actually I race outdoors throughout the winter, have done ever since the Ashby days, and will be doing the Bedworth winter series this year as usual. Personally I think lower grip makes the racing more fun, not less, but obviously not everyone agrees or the F1 class would be mega popular and no one would go home when it rains!

My only experience of indoor tarmac in cold conditions is Bingley Hall (IC racing in a big warehouse, anyone else remember that?). On the first day the grip was non-existant, but by the end of the weekend the grip was very good due to the rubber buildup, even though the track temperature was unchanged (it was about minus 6 outside and seemed even colder inside, with lots of cold air being sucked in to make sure we didn't choke on nitro fumes!!!).

[sosidge]

You have never driven on tarmac over a winter/cold day? Unless the track is kept warm it may not have the grip your looking for.

As I recall, the short lived "Jubilee Arena" which was in Bury, Lancs (I think) started out with a tarmac surface. But the grip was very poor and they laid carpet over it.

[mark christopher]

Actually I race outdoors throughout the winter, have done ever since the Ashby days, and will be doing the Bedworth winter series this year as usual. Personally I think lower grip makes the racing more fun, not less, but obviously not everyone agrees or the F1 class would be mega popular and no one would go home when it rains!

My only experience of indoor tarmac in cold conditions is Bingley Hall (IC racing in a big warehouse, anyone else remember that?). On the first day the grip was non-existant, but by the end of the weekend the grip was very good due to the rubber buildup, even though the track temperature was unchanged (it was about minus 6 outside and seemed even colder inside, with lots of cold air being sucked in to make sure we didn't choke on nitro fumes!!!).

i know you do many moons ago i raced against you when your dad was faster than you :p

i did mean indoors the grip is not allways there as the tarmac does sweat

[taz5311]

Shouldn't a new venture like this also be looking at new classes to try to promote?
People keep mentioning new blood,I am a 40 year old newbie, but how many of them can afford TC's or any of the other 'serious' models that would be competative or even handle straight out of the box? and the size of the track itself precludes certain types of cars unless you start spending lots of money on ESC's, Motors and set up.
I race a TAMIYA mini (yes I take it seriously, it's my version of people's TC's and hate it when more expeienced drivers view the word 'fun' to mean bash and crash!) but unless I spend lots more money upgrading it my race at this venue would probably last 2 laps.
Yes I will be visiting this venue as I will be interested to see what it has to offer, I'm just not sure yet as to the true benefit to the R/C world.

[JCJC]

True benefit to the R/C world, I am sure the R/C world will survive without the moto-arena, but I am guessing it will attract new owners & racers, not just from around the Silverstone area but all over the place, visitors to the centre may return home looking for a local club to provide support and a place to practice & race. Just look at the numbers of 'new' posters it has provided to this thread !!

[dale]

Shouldn't a new venture like this also be looking at new classes to try to promote?
People keep mentioning new blood,I am a 40 year old newbie, but how many of them can afford TC's or any of the other 'serious' models that would be competative or even handle straight out of the box? and the size of the track itself precludes certain types of cars unless you start spending lots of money on ESC's, Motors and set up.
I race a TAMIYA mini (yes I take it seriously, it's my version of people's TC's and hate it when more expeienced drivers view the word 'fun' to mean bash and crash!) but unless I spend lots more money upgrading it my race at this venue would probably last 2 laps.
Yes I will be visiting this venue as I will be interested to see what it has to offer, I'm just not sure yet as to the true benefit to the R/C world.

So you want a fast car, that handles well out of the box, and doesn't cost much to buy or run? Kind of sounds like a fantasy, but such a car does exist; the 1/14th Carisma.

[Douglas]

I would like to clear up some of the speculation on behalf of Moto Arena.

Firstly regarding which classes will be there, the venue is designed to be completely flexible. Both indoor and outdoor tarmac tracks surface features are not permanent but on fixing points. This means box sections can be placed on top to create any track type or scale there is enough demand for and also subdivide the track and run 2 classes at once for smaller scales.

Secondly is this a place for a club racer/enthusiast or corporates etc. Let me assure you that I have known Grant Collins for over 20 years and we have worked on this for over 5 years, he was a serious racer as a child and loves RC. He suggested I build my first one 5 years ago when stuck at home after an accident, I then built 3 more, which I suspect you will find him driving alongside you at some point. I accompanied him to a few races but did not like the facilities after spending hundreds of ££'s on kit and upgrades so Moto Arena has to attract people that like RC like me(as well as the fanatics) but do not love it enough to be somewhere with either a chemical toilet or none at all and a burger van if lucky(fanatic like Grant was).

Moto Arena we expect will cater to different groups at different times.
Weekends will by necessity involve some of the 1.2m visitors to Silverstone each year though of course we would want to have several serious races over the weekend to provide spectacle to the first time visitor and an audience for the drivers. We are very happy to welcome the MK club, the first of many clubs for different classes that could operate during the weekday evenings.
Weekdays during school time we have the education side which has been set up with partners and the corporate market.
We have a clubhouse area for members and I note the comments about membership costs but a regular racer on the Gold package pays no entry fees for the venue or most race series so will quickly make it back.
Re comments on tarmac grip. We cannot due to health and safety run intro indoors so it will not be very cold in winter there, we have heating. The tarmac itself was made with a specially fine gravel referred to as dust by the best specialists we could find and it has been polished more than once to get it as flat as possible, if anyone else can do better I would like to see it. As the rubber builds up so will the grip but a lot more of the tyre should be in contact with the surface than on normal tarmac with 7mm+ stones in it.
We are not just about cars, we also have plans to hang nets around the indoor track and possibly lay down scenery such as a model airport for in door flying events.

Come and check it out next month when we open.

[Smartalec]

I would like to clear up some of the speculation on behalf of Moto Arena.

Firstly regarding which classes will be there, the venue is designed to be completely flexible. Both indoor and outdoor tarmac tracks surface features are not permanent but on fixing points. This means box sections can be placed on top to create any track type or scale there is enough demand for and also subdivide the track and run 2 classes at once for smaller scales.

Will there be a specific track for 1/10th off road, if so, what surface will it be?

[Douglas]

Soft dirt except for hardcore on the tabletops but also 1/8th. Sorry to SMCC/Smartalec???(applaud your efforts) if we impact you negatively(you are a bit close but Silverstone Race Track is a special venue), Grant will call SMCC when he has a minute(not long to open so difficult) to see if we can work something out, sorry you fell under the radar. Our aim is to help RC clubs not hurt them... cut nose to spite face....we need to expand the sport together but most/all RC facilities are such that only an enthusiast would go to them on a cold/wet day. Why do RC toys end up in the top 10 every christmas but racing penetrates so poorly?? To create more enthusiasts needs a better facility, modern society expects more. We are not stupid, to make this place the best it can be we have to engage the model using/building community every which way, from the obvious like race series to competitions where we give prizes for model dioramas to be used at MA, some like building models more than driving/flying etc and would like to see them on display. MA is a business that will develop and improve over time, to think you get it right from day one is wishful thinking. We look forward to you coming to MA since if you are on this thread you like RC, and know how to use a RC facility, others however will be more challenging we suspect. MA is a new business, not a copy of another and will be trying out many new ideas for RC over time. If people like it it stays, if not it goes. Customer feedback will not be ignored.
So if there is any class or a dominant class will depend on the customers not on MA, you will decide by how you spend your money or sign up for race series. We also have to keep our model manufacturers and their distributer's happy so variety is key. We hope you support our efforts as we will do our best to support all RC classes, to do otherwise would be a bit ......

[mattybucks]

Soft dirt except for hardcore on the tabletops but also 1/8th. Sorry to SMCC/Smartalec???


Smartalec is a racer, he has no connection to SMCC apart from racing there.

There are alot of 1/10 off road racers in the area and if you have a track suited to 1/10 off road then people will attend.

PDA has sadly recently closed, but they can vouch for numbers of attendees.

If MA can offer both mid week racing as well as a meeting a sunday then I will attend, as i'm sure will many other people. However I will also attend SMCC as they have an astro track.

1/10 off road is one of the most popular classes, and should you not cater for this class it maybe one of your biggest downfalls.

[Agt26]

1/10 off road is one of the most popular classes, and should you not cater for this class it maybe one of your biggest downfalls.

very true...plus from a spectator/visitor's point of view I think buggies are more interesting to watch. Although a touring car at 70 mph might be as well. :thumbsup:

[Smartalec]

As Mattybucks says, I have no connection whatsoever with SMCC, I attend as many tracks as possible that suit our National 1/10th offroad series so am interested to see what the Moto Arena has to offer our class.
A dirt surface should be interesting, is it inside or outside?

[lotussmart]

I would like to clear up some of the speculation on behalf of Moto Arena.

Hi John here, the owner of Ardent Raceway at Castle Donington. After running Ardent for 5 months I would have been more than willing to offer Grant and the team some advice and help set some expectations. The offer is always there.

I like Moto Arena as it will expose the RC world to Motorsport fans but it hurts me to say I now no longer think a central location like Ardent and Moto Arena is what club racers want :-(. Occasionally yes, but not for regular club racing.

From experience I think the way forward is to support local clubs or entrepreneurs in finding, funding and staffing localised permanent clubs open 4 days a week across the country, working with local schools, scouts, army cadets, local press and tourist boards, and forming a unified race series' that supports all of them, similar to a franchise. Believe me Ardent Raceway probably cost the same to setup as it cost Moto-Arena to put the barrier around their track but I wish them luck and hope their business model works. Getting to where they have so far is amazing work, and if I won the lottery i would be happy to invest that much into the RC market too.

Franchise anyone? :-)

[PaulUpton]

Watch out for the mega leisure arena apparently opening in Milton Keynes December 2010

[Garry]

As I recall, the short lived "Jubilee Arena" which was in Bury, Lancs (I think) started out with a tarmac surface. But the grip was very poor and they laid carpet over it.

I raced at Jubliee in the final weeks that it existed, it was all tarmac with astroturf track edging. It was mega mega grippy because the tarmac never got a chance to be exposed to the elements, so retained a lot of oil. We were using Sorex 28s and 32s in winter (even racing one Boxing Day!), occasionally additive, and lots of tyre squeal.

I ran 12th no problems with just additive on the rear tyres.

[stoff]

I used to use ING 28s!

[mk2kompressor]

was there yesterday, the place is coming along nicely:thumbsup:
indoor track looks awesome and laser checked so its smooth as silk,
outdoor track is almost done and drivers rostrum gives a really good view:drool:

[Dave Treacy]

was there yesterday, the place is coming along nicely:thumbsup:
indoor track looks awesome and laser checked so its smooth as silk,
outdoor track is almost done and drivers rostrum gives a really good view:drool:

can't argue with any of that... :)
also, loop was laid yesterday and tomorrow the perimeter floor gets painted
jetwashing is underway today I believe, so am expecting to see a huge change when i visit next week

[mk2kompressor]

did you get to run the tourer you had there?
good to meet you Dave:)

[Xizor]

I only found out about this yesterday and I must say it looks amazing!

However, sorry to be negative, but how on earth are they going to recoup the millions this must be costing?

How do you run corporate (ugh!) events for RC cars? We all know it takes hours and hours of practice just to drive a car successfully round a track without hitting the barriers. Some people never seem to master it.;)
It not like driving a underpowered kart round an easy track. Most people who can drive can manage that quite easily. RC car driving is a unique skill that only becomes 'automatic' after a lot of practice.
I just don't see how you can expect a group of complete novices to get any sort of race going if most of them can't even get round the circuit.

Having said all that, I can't wait to visit and have a blast round the indoor circuit. :drool:

Good luck!

[SlowOne]

Corporate events are not a problem providing the car is slow enough. You're comparing people who will try to drive the car with enthusiasts like us who are good at it. It's like offering you a corporate day with an F1 car - you'd be lucky to get it out of the garage without stalling it!! Give you a good sports car and you'd get it round, albeit 20% slower than any good race driver - just look at the Top Gear reasonably-priced car, where there is up to 15 seconds between the average Joe and the F1 drivers!

I think they have a lot of possibilities...

[Xizor]

My point was SlowOne, is that driving an RC car is very different to driving a real car.
It takes many hours for the steering to become completely natural when the car is coming towards you. Well it did for me, maybe you took to it immediately. I just think a group of average Joe's are going to get very frustrated very quickly. And, as I said, some people never seem to get it, although they are perfectly good real car drivers.

I hope I'm proved wrong and it's a roaring success!

Cheers :)

[mk2kompressor]

You will need to qualify on the Mini-Z tracks to get a pass for the bigger stuff,
that and drivers will be properly tutored :)

[SlowOne]

My point was SlowOne, is that driving an RC car is very different to driving a real car.
It takes many hours for the steering to become completely natural when the car is coming towards you. Well it did for me, maybe you took to it immediately. I just think a group of average Joe's are going to get very frustrated very quickly. And, as I said, some people never seem to get it, although they are perfectly good real car drivers.

I hope I'm proved wrong and it's a roaring success!

Cheers :)Agree with your point, mine being that providing the cars provided are slow enough, there is time to think and it's not difficult to do. Since it seems they'll have to show they can drive on Mini Zs, and demonstrate the right attitude on those cars, they'll be fine.

Yes, the bit about learning left from right is something people always mention. The reality is that when you drive a track, one corner follows another. If you went one way on the stick for one corner, you simply go the other way (or the same way) for the next. Having to follow a track means that the question of which way to steer never comes into it. Everyone I've ever shown an RC car to on a track has taken to the steering easily. It's when people start by bashing in the open that this problem arises!

The question people never ask is "how do you know how the car is handling when you're not sitting in it?!!" And that's the real puzzle of RC to me - how do we learn that? I can tell you what my car is doing on the track, despite it being a 12th car and each corner being over in less than a second! If anyone knows the answer to that one...

Sounds to me that the Moto Arena guys have a good plan if they intend to get people going on MiniZs, and then let them loose on something more powerful. Learning to drive an RC car is only hard if you go to a Club with your Tamiya, and then swap it out straight away for something powered by a low-turn BL and a LiPo. How often do we see that happen? Too often...

I think MKTCRC are having their first meeting on 8th August - the GT10 is being prepared in readiness!! :thumbsup:

[Adam F]

I am certain that a 1/10th indoor off road track would be very popular, especially with the PDA closing for the time being.

Options for winter racing seem to be pretty limited, so if they did offer an in door option it would do very well I'm sure..

[mk2kompressor]

Z's will help hand eye coordination no end, even for seasoned racers;)

[Xizor]

8th of August eh?
That should be interesting, the 2010 Ford Fair is on at Silverstone that day :woot:

Does anybody know if the Arena will be open to the public? I would like to come and have a look.

Cheers :)

[Dave Treacy]

Moto-Arena will not be open to the public on 8th... still some work to do:thumbsup:

[Agt26]

Moto-Arena will not be open to the public on 8th... still some work to do:thumbsup:

When do you expect it to be finished and open for racers? :thumbsup:

[Xizor]

Moto-Arena will not be open to the public on 8th... still some work to do:thumbsup:

Supposing you want to race as a non-member, will that be possible?

[Dave Treacy]

AFAIK the launch day is Saturday 21st.

I'll find out and update this if it's wrong.

[BagofSkill]

Dave will confirm but I think non-members can't race until the 21st because of insurance issues.

[Dave Treacy]

Chris is correct, non members can only race from 22nd due to the insurance only coming into effect from 20th.

[Agt26]

Chris is correct, non members can only race from 22nd due to the insurance only coming into effect from 20th.

That's non members of the moto arena, not just the brca right?

[mark christopher]

Chris is correct, non members can only race from 22nd due to the insurance only coming into effect from 20th.

whats thier insurance cover the racer for?

[Dave Treacy]

I think it to do with H&S assessment for the site / disabled lift etc.

Technically it's still as building site and only gets handed over by the contractor around the 16th.

[mark christopher]

Chris is correct, non members can only race from 22nd due to the insurance only coming into effect from 20th.

So as all the meetings there advertising on their website on all the tracks are on the 21st who are they expecting to race. Just members?

[Dave Treacy]

I don't know what racing is scheduled for 21st....they may be announcing a big event under their own auspices.

[mark christopher]

I don't know what racing is scheduled for 21st....they may be announcing a big event under their own auspices.

So your on here promoting the place. Their website under events says 20.21.22 for loads classes and lists the opening day on 21st but you don't know?
Guess ill go direct and cut you out the info loop then:confused:

[PaulUpton]

So your on here promoting the place. Their website under events says 20.21.22 for loads classes and lists the opening day on 21st but you don't know?
Guess ill go direct and cut you out the info loop then:confused:

Dave is a part of MKRCTC not Moto Arena,

[BagofSkill]

So your on here promoting the place. Their website under events says 20.21.22 for loads classes and lists the opening day on 21st but you don't know?
Guess ill go direct and cut you out the info loop then:confused:

MEOW! :lol:

As Paul Said, Dave is representing MKRCTC which is a Racing Club that is renting the Moto Arena Circuit and using it to host their normal club races on a Sunday Morning and Wednesday night. That's all been made pretty clear in the thread so far.

Dave said he couldn't confirm what was happening on the 21st as it's the Moto Arena launch meeting, nothing to do with MKRCTC.

[mark christopher]

The title of the tread is ? Or does it say Milton club?

Why does Dave not pit his clubs info on a topic for the club instead of misleading those who want to use the venue without his club? Saves allot of confusion

[PaulUpton]

Misleading?

Dave has said that the 8th of August is a test day for MKRCTC members and he dosent know the details of the opening weekend, seems plain and simple to me.

At least Dave hasnt turned around and said what he thinks may be happening, im sure people would moan if he had an got information wrong.

[c0sie]

Wrong side of the bed this morning Mark?

LOL

[BagofSkill]

Geez Mark, Dave was just sharing info about what is currently the ONLY club based at MA, and so THE ONLY WAY to race at MA until after it's official opening to the public in late August.

Even after it's official opening, it MIGHT be the only way to race in an organized meet at MA outside of big events. It'll defo be the only way to race there on a Wednesday night or a Sunday morning.... So Chill out!:thumbsup:

[mark christopher]

Paul
Post 141 says not open to public. That's means u and me........
Dave than states non members can only race from 22 as insurance does not start till 20. Seems odd way round and they have big meeting before then. So as you know it. Members of what?

Cosie
Nope I started this thread for the silverstone venue to find oit what they were doing

Chris

Ok cool ill bring my ic cars shall i?

[PaulUpton]

Yes not open to the public because i would imagine MKRCTC members are there to check the track and advise any changes that may need to happen? imagine 50+ people there and something went wrong ie timing didnt work

8th of August is for MK members.....I would imagine then after the 21st (opening day) the venue will be open to anyone who wants to go. Its not that hard to figure out. You've got 18 days then you can go as much as you like.

If you need to know the ins and outs of it all Mark, id contact them directly [email protected]

As for insurance, there are no big meetings before the 21st so again no issue there. As its still a building site the MK guys will just have to have the correct PPE while they are there.

[tellor]

Guess ill go direct and cut you out the info loop then:confused:

Good....save us reading your agumentative tosh!

[PaulUpton]

Good....save us reading your agumentative tosh!

:thumbsup:

[BagofSkill]

Good....save us reading your agumentative tosh!

:lol::woot::lol: :p

[mark christopher]

Good....save us reading your agumentative tosh!

Lol that's ur best shot? Now my spelling is bad but If your going to have a clever comment least put the r in it............

Well I guess thats told me.:............. not

[Jamie.T]

Mark, talk of pot called kettle.....

I just been reading through this entire thread, and your spelling isn't any better, in fact, its worse. :p

[mark christopher]

Mark, talk of pot called kettle.....

I just been reading through this entire thread, and your spelling isn't any better, in fact, its worse. :p

What u can read?:.......maybe u carnt or you would have seen I admitted that in the post above yours. Did u get bored and skip that bit ?
Such a shame a thread about such a good venue has been overrun with silent boring car club drivers :p
Anyone else? As I'm bored at work and this is making me chuckle

[tellor]

Lol that's ur best shot? Now my spelling is bad but If your going to have a clever comment least put the r in it............

Well I guess thats told me.:............. not

As a practicing solicitor of marital law I should know how to spell even if I did just miss out an "r"

"your" should be you're

and the ellipsis is wrong...if you know what an ellipsis is!

Still YOU should also know what a pregnant fish is called as well.

That makes it 2-0 to me I think. Or did you thunk of that


Terrance at work

Tel on Oople

[Jamie.T]

Edited - Everything i needed to say has been posted by tellor.

[PaulUpton]

What u can read?:.......maybe u carnt or you would have seen I admitted that in the post above yours. Did u get bored and skip that bit ?
Such a shame a thread about such a good venue has been overrun with silent boring car club drivers :p
Anyone else? As I'm bored at work and this is making me chuckle

I dont even race anymore :) seems as Mark thinks were boring, maybe we should leave the thread to him and let him ask all his silly/pointless questions and his agumentative tosh (whoops missed the r out, sorry Mark)

[mark christopher]

I dont even race anymore :) seems as Mark thinks were boring, maybe we should leave the thread to him and let him ask all his silly/pointless questions and his agumentative tosh (whoops missed the r out, sorry Mark)
lol and u dont even race............ gets better.
Teller. Who's counting?


It's so easy to go fishing don't u think lol

[PaulUpton]

lol and u dont even race............ gets better.
Teller. Who's counting?


It's so easy to go fishing don't u think lol

FISHING.........thats just boring.

USED to race Mark, still involved with running a club though.

like i said before Mark, if you want the anwsers go directly to the horses mouth.

[mark christopher]

FISHING.........thats just boring.

USED to race Mark, still involved with running a club though.

like I
said before Mark, if you want the anwsers go directly to the horses mouth.

I know u used to race paul. We could habe even raced each other.

Been there. Already got the answers. As I said Just a shame this thread on silverstone was hijacked when a new thread could have been started.
Re fishing. Hooked a few on here today and reeled em in lol :p

[PaulUpton]

I know u used to race paul. We could habe even raced each other.

Been there. Already got the answers. As I said Just a shame this thread on silverstone was hijacked when a new thread could have been started.
Re fishing. Hooked a few on here today and reeled em in lol :p

As long as you think that Mark thats all that matters, glad i have cheered up your day in some way though.

Not sure how its been hijacked, little bit of topic...yes.

If you've already got the anwsers then why the need for the questions on here?

[mark christopher]

As long as you think that Mark thats all that matters, glad i have cheered up your day in some way though.

Not sure how its been hijacked, little bit of topic...yes.

If you've already got the anwsers then why the need for the questions on here?

Well I asked only 1 day ago and 5 hours ago i said id go direct.
Which i have done. But that's after I asked on here:.............

[Garry]

Anyway, back on topic....

I WANT PICTURES! :lol: :thumbsup:

[BagofSkill]

Check the facebook page. It's looking pretty awesome!

[Agt26]

Check the facebook page. It's looking pretty awesome!

:thumbsup: Agreed, the place is looking amazing. The offroad is taking shape as well.

[mk2kompressor]

first page of neo buggy has some good pics, they were there yesterday:thumbsup:

[Dave Treacy]

Mark,

Apologies if you believe I misled you in any way. All my postings have been pertinent to MKRCTC.

As a club MKRCTC will be the "host" club on Sunday's on the indoor track. There are 2 other tracks (buggy and nitro) which I have no exposure to which clubs could / will / may become resident clubs there. The same is true for the indoor track apart from Sunday's and Wednesday evenings as noted by Chris.

The club meetings prior to the official opening are to allow us to identify and resolve any problems that may occur in advance.

However, having said all that, MKRCTC will be holding an all day open meeting on 22nd August. I haven't ironed out the final details yet, but there will be a substantial prize fund. I hope to have this sorted over the next couple of days and details will be the on moto-arena.co.uk and mkrctc.org.uk websites.

Dave

[mark christopher]

Cheers Dave.
Will your club now be catering for ic cars?

[Dave Treacy]

Mark, IC can only run on the outdoor track and our usage is related to the indoor one, and we can't run IC indoors...

So that means no... :)

[mark christopher]

Ah ok thought u may take the outdoor track on over summer months. To host nationals etc.

[mark christopher]

Double post

[chalky]

the venue does look awsome and if you race the classes it caters for i would get there and race on it as soon as you can


it looks to me that to sustain the running of this place is going to cost a small fortune and in these difficult times and the prices of some of the membership packages ?

alas we are only model car racers with limited budgets so as soon as some racing team come along with millions to spend well who knows

and the other thing is meetings on full size race days.

would you want this, all the traffic hassle and the yellow jacket brigade.
have you got a pass for that area another one for that and you`ll have to park 3 miles away if theres anything remoteley more intresting than model cars happening

just my thoughts

always the optomist;)

may of been said before but have`nt read all 180 posts

[antnee]

the venue does look awsome and if you race the classes it caters for i would get there and race on it as soon as you can


it looks to me that to sustain the running of this place is going to cost a small fortune and in these difficult times and the prices of some of the membership packages ?

alas we are only model car racers with limited budgets so as soon as some racing team come along with millions to spend well who knows

and the other thing is meetings on full size race days.

would you want this, all the traffic hassle and the yellow jacket brigade.
have you got a pass for that area another one for that and you`ll have to park 3 miles away if theres anything remoteley more intresting than model cars happening

just my thoughts

always the optomist;)

may of been said before but have`nt read all 180 posts

It has been said a few times throughout this topic, there will be no racing when f1, btcc, motogp, wsb are on, and they have their own parking spaces for the venue anyway

[PaulUpton]

It has been said a few times throughout this topic, there will be no racing when f1, btcc, motogp, wsb are on, and they have their own parking spaces for the venue anyway

The open day 22nd August is the same day as the BTCC at the circuit

[stoff]

Some more pics up on Neo Buggy.

:thumbsup:

[lotussmart]

The problem is places like Ardent and Moto arena have totally diferent goals to model car clubs, they are first and formost businesses and have to make money, the moment they stop making money they no longer exist.

Ardent was the vision of one person who wanted to grow the sport and have somewhere to test and play and race fellow racers. It was then a group of enthusiasts and a local club that created it. 1 person paid for it (me). It was never intended to turn a profit as we all have day jobs (which is why we all have 'volunteer' on our polo shirts) and it probably never will turn a profit. It was done as a hobby not a money making machine.

I wish Moto Arena all the best but I'd wished they had done it on a bit more of a budget to ensure it's a sustainable business. I bet the custom built rostrum steps and track barriers cost more than it cost us to build the entire Ardent Raceway.

Yes we have 4 goats that wonder the car park and a cat that has set up home in the Raceway, not as professional as Moto Arena but that's what you get for your money and most of our racers can only just afford the petrol to get to Ardent let alone pay for expensive racing and the moans we get about charging 70p for a tea or coffee :-)

When we created Ardent we wanted to ensure that it was sustainable so we didn't destroy Derby Club, suck money out of the RC industry through sponsorships and then go tits up, and put other people of doing this type of venture. If you sit down and do the numbers they have to get hundreds through the door per week to keep the lights on. Unless they got the facility for free as part of a develop Silverstone venture?

Happy racing all, wherever you end up :)

[lotussmart]

You will need to qualify on the Mini-Z tracks to get a pass for the bigger stuff,
that and drivers will be properly tutored :)

Couple of points on that, 1) I can't see Moto Arena turning away revenue from people using the bigger tracks 2) it wouldn't make for a fun day out if your child gets told no! 3) and if you have to pay to use the track then everyone has a legal right to use it unless it could harm or kill them. Such as motorsport or flying.

Just a thought. Agree it's the best thing to do but don't think it can be done.

[Neil Skull]

The idea is that a new guy who turns up must prove himself on the begginer track first.

It was to be a small 1/10th track but due to space it seems that will now be a small mini-z track made on a raised platform with prima felt carpet surface.

I think this is a great Idea, No marshalling needed and a chance to learn how to use an RC car for the first time.

You really dont want Little Johhny for the first time on a big track smashing into other drivers.

It is also something for him to aim for and get his driving standard up before he mixes it with racers of a better standard.

There's lots to prove yet.

[Neil Skull]

Ardent was the vision of one person who wanted to grow the sport and have somewhere to test and play and race fellow racers. It was then a group of enthusiasts and a local club that created it. 1 person paid for it (me). It was never intended to turn a profit as we all have day jobs (which is why we all have 'volunteer' on our polo shirts) and it probably never will turn a profit. It was done as a hobby not a money making machine.



Happy racing all, wherever you end up :)

I wish we had more people like you :thumbsup:

[lotussmart]

I wish we had more people like you :thumbsup:

Thanks Neil, actually it's having a wife that let's you spend the savings :-)

[SlowOne]

This isn't an RC business, it is an entertainment business based on modeling. As well as the full-size car and bike simulators (Which probably cost a few bob to use) they offer...

A world-class outdoor competition track for RC circuit racing
The world’s largest permanent indoor RC model track
A ‘rock and rubble canyon’ and dedicated ‘green lane’ track for the ultimate RC off-road experience
World War Two diorama (mini landscape) for tank battles
Dedicated RC helicopter and aviation zones
Replica Formula 1, WRC, Superbike and dune buggy simulators
The world‘s largest 8-lane slot car racing track

...all of which will be charged. I have no idea if it will survive, but let's not kid ourselves that it can be judged on whether a few RC enthusiasts turn up and race a few classes. There is a lot of different things for people to do, and if they've chosen the themes correctly, then it will attract people from all walks of the modeling life.

[lotussmart]

This isn't an RC business, it is an entertainment business based on modeling. As well as the full-size car and bike simulators (Which probably cost a few bob to use) they offer...

Their forecast is 200,000 paying visitors per year, which divided by 352 is 568 per day, 7 days per week, 52 weeks a year.

That's going to be one busy place but I think that's achievable. Ardent get on average 18 per day. So simulators, scalextric, tanks, buggy tracks and corporate events etc.. will easily bring in the other 550.

See:
http://moto-arena.org/commercial/partnerships

[Xizor]

Would anybody who attended the MKRCTC meeting today care to give us some info, please?
i.e. Track size, grip levels, tyre choice... etc.

Cheers!

[mark christopher]

taken off thier site

MA TOURING CAR CHAMPIONSHIP PRACTICE/QUALIFY (Saturday14th August 2010)MA TOURING CAR CHAMPIONSHIP RACE (Sunday 15th August 2010)

MA TOURING CAR CHAMPIONSHIP, 1/10 BRCA NITRO Rules, Track 1, see booking details for entrants and rules, massive prizes.

so i asked
ok less than 5 days to this event, i have seen no adverts, no where to book in, no contact with the BRCA section to get drivers there or informed, so....

what is happening, do you expect drivers to just turn up? where are the booking details and entrants listed?




so much for not being open to the public till the 20th!!
as vice chairman of the 10th ic section i have heard nothing about this, where i could have musted 50 plus drivers, not a hope in hell now with 5 days to go!

[Dave Treacy]

Quick recap on today's shakedown...

From a "track PoV", grip came up nicely by the end of the day, but was low to start.

Mini's seems fine on pretty much any tyre :)
TC's seemed best on 28's, but a couple of different types gave varying results so a bit more needed to work on an ideal tyre.
WGT I managed to capitalise on a rare mistake by Jason Butterfield and took a win running (borrowed from JB) cream fronts and white rears.

The fedback from drivers has been good - some tweaking around the edges still needed, but we know what needs to be done over the next couple of weeks.

The 22nd is gonna be awesome!

[Xizor]

Thanks for that, Dave. Sounds good.

Do you know if the MA will be open on the 21st for viewing?

Cheers! :)

[Dave Treacy]

I belive MA will be open on the 21st for a viewing and "arrive and drive" should be available, but I have no idea of costs or how it works...

[Teddy truman]

Went over track the other day as I work on silverstone. Can anyone from motor arena confirm that the outdoor track pit lane is being changed? As at the moment by the looks of things it is faster to go through the pits than round the track.. You can fuel and not loose any time :/ and it looks very narrow for large scale?

Plus just a little not to silverstone buggy club. After seeing the offroad track at moto arena I don't think you will loose any people as the track looks more of a show/ display track. Would be no good for racing.

[Nick Goodall]

Is it just me or are there not any pics around of the actual site / track / venue? I've only seen "Artist impression" type pics, and can't seem to find any real ones (even on Facebook)?

[Darren Boyle]

Nick, look through the last few days news on NEO Buggy mate, they took a load of photos last week and put them up on there, looks very good tbh, just hope it lasts and producse the revenue they will require to survive.....

[PaulUpton]

Went over track the other day as I work on silverstone. Can anyone from motor arena confirm that the outdoor track pit lane is being changed? As at the moment by the looks of things it is faster to go through the pits than round the track.. You can fuel and not loose any time :/ and it looks very narrow for large scale?

Plus just a little not to silverstone buggy club. After seeing the offroad track at moto arena I don't think you will loose any people as the track looks more of a show/ display track. Would be no good for racing.

Have already been over and looked, and your right.

Where is the large scale track Tony i tried looking when i went but couldnt seen anything, is it other side of the roundabout?

Paul

[Teddy truman]

I'm talking about the outdoor touring car track Paul.. Next to the offroad track.. Might have been just a tarmaced area when you went.. They will have 1 8th onroad and large scales on it.. Looks very narrow to me.. But the were just marking and painting.. Might change. That's why I asked the question .

[mark christopher]

Needs to be 3m wide for nationals.

[PaulUpton]

I'm talking about the outdoor touring car track Paul.. Next to the offroad track.. Might have been just a tarmaced area when you went.. They will have 1 8th onroad and large scales on it.. Looks very narrow to me.. But the were just marking and painting.. Might change. That's why I asked the question .

Ah yeh, it was just tarmac when i went over.

Mark are 8th/5th nitro still 3 meters?

[mark christopher]

I'm not sure but that would be 10th ic min width . I'm sure the track designers have thought bout it though. Shame If they have made an unsuitable track. Our pro has informed them and is there sat. I'm there next week

Hope pit lane is not staying as tony says.
No point in a pit lane of its quicker to have a fuel stop than do a lap.

[PaulUpton]

Just had a quick look at BRCA, minimum width for 5th scale is 4m and length of track is 250m and cars must be spaced out 5m on the grid.

Obviously that depends what rules they are running too

[Teddy truman]

i cant tell from just looking at it. but its very close to 3M at some points.. defo not 4M :/ pit lane defo looks a problem aswell. Dont know who the track designer is but they really made a mistake there.. pitlane on left
http://lmsrog.bay.livefilestore.com/y1pIODC_KMFlZDdJD4CToZZ6s0NWplBiaCDot6IfGpqSl1nNpM foSMQY5CdMsGEeUYihM9S2bjQRZE7iGj41K4xDkOyfOyRvbi-/IMG_0552.JPG?psid=1

[Teddy truman]

outdoor track taking shape.
http://public.bay.livefilestore.com/y1pH3DSh-T_c040WSHWVNK6BlohW0l8IlBeWg6LqvC87_gpyx68v_pi1H02 sVhgSQH1U0R0e9VyQhVHeUhmeIvcow/IMG_0554.JPG?psid=1

[mk2kompressor]

didt see you out there taking pics, you should of come in to say hello:D

i think Dez Chand had something to do with the outdoor tarmac track

[Teddy truman]

Didn't realise I was allowed to come in.. I can tomorrow if people about.. I did ring grant but he didn't answer. I'm on the circuit Monday to Friday so will have to maybe get a TC ;)

[mk2kompressor]

im not sure if it will be just builders tomorrow, we will be back there on monday.
the simulators started going in today, full size f1 car looked sweet also a focus rally car:drool:

we got some on-board/normal video of a 1/10 going round today for RRCI and the silverstone website:thumbsup:

[baD]

"Moto-Arena is also the home of the BRCA and local model car clubs"

Is this true? Officially?

[Neil Skull]

I think a lot of things are changing very quickly but the information is not keeping up quick enough.

Its very much gonna be a lets open the doors and figure it out as we go.
It seems a lot of people have been given advice and the problem is a lot of it is not good.

Im sure there will be a lot of snagging during the first few days weeks as any new club venture can expect.

Im just looking forward to my first race on tarmac indoors :)

[BagofSkill]

Didn't realise I was allowed to come in.. I can tomorrow if people about.. I did ring grant but he didn't answer. I'm on the circuit Monday to Friday so will have to maybe get a TC ;)

That's it Tony, get a real car! I'm running the Wednesday night races so it can be like old times!

[mk2kompressor]

Chris, what timing software are you guys using?
I really missed having some timing today:(

[Teddy truman]

your running the meetings chris? nice. you can have the hard work and i can be a wofta :thumbsup: we swop roles aha

[BagofSkill]

your running the meetings chris? nice. you can have the hard work and i can be a wofta :thumbsup: we swop roles aha

Get on it Dude! AE make TC's too you know!

[BagofSkill]

Chris, what timing software are you guys using?
I really missed having some timing today:(

I think it's called RCtiming?

Are getting in there to practice?

[mk2kompressor]

i think ill be on the big track quite a bit but not as much as my mini-z tracks:woot:
Grant told me the lap record was around 18 seconds, just wondered how far off the pace i was whilst doing the vids, ill load it up on my laptop for next time

[BagofSkill]

We had a couple of cars in the mid 17's on Wednesday night. Don't know what the fastest guy got on Sunday.

[mambofever]

Grant told me the lap record was around 18 seconds, just wondered how far off the pace i was whilst doing the vids, ill load it up on my laptop for next time

The fastest lap by a 13.5 tourer is 16.26 i think. Don't know how fast the World GT's were going round, maybe dave can remember.

[Dave Treacy]

I'd check on the website if I could... :)

However, from memory I was doing mostly 18.1's and Jason about 17.8's

Dave

[exint2]

Not read this tread for a while, very interesting!!

I am amazed by some of the criticism of a venue that most of you have never seen in the flesh let alone raced at.

IF there is a slight problem with a part of a track be it width or pit lane or whatever, so what? Both the tracks are perfectly smooth oblongs of tarmac. Fixing it is just a matter of a bit of paint!

It's not like the first meetings these tracks are going to see are BRCA nationals, the point of a shakedown meeting (s) is to sort these problems out.

Does anyone think that a multi million pound facility won't be able to make a couple of amendments to a track design that might cost ..... £50 worth of paint?

I don't understand why certain organisers of other clubs seem to want to pour scorn on the facility, it is a genuine opportunity for RC racing to finally be recognised as a legitimate Motorsport with it's "HQ" at Silverstone and backing from people like Porsche.

Trust me, as someone who is more involved than any of you in promoting this sport worldwide this is what we need and it is in all our interests to support it and make it work

Nick Daman

[Dave Treacy]

Hear! Hear!

Points well made Nick!

[DCM]

I think, if people are actually seeing issue's on the circuit just from the pics, people may wonder who has advised them, and why these mistakes are there.... I don't think they are condemning the facilities due to it.

[mark christopher]

"Moto-Arena is also the home of the BRCA and local model car clubs"

Is this true? Officially?

Brca part is incorrect

[mark christopher]

Nick I'm not knocking it. Im off next wed and habe been talking to grant.
What does confuse me is (and I have spoke to grant and discussed it). There is a meeting for 10th ic touring cars but the section knew nothing about it till this week.
It's claimed the track was designed by dez. Where he asures me its not. He did some simple sketches. That's it.
Yes they have built a brilliant venue but if they are stating it will be suitable for world class meetings then in my opinion they should consult the sections to ensure its to the correct standard. From day one while building from scratch.
There is concerns for nationals as surly this is where the pay and play kids can see the best in the UK race. If its not suitable. In my opinion they have missed an opportunity .
We will see wed as I'm getting off my arse and looking at it myself.

[Xizor]

Does anyone know if there any events on at the MA over the weekend 21/22nd August other than the MKRCTC racing on 22nd?

When I first looked on the MA website they had Large Scale and all sorts going on. Can't find any reference to it now. Has it all been cancelled?

Thanks for any info. :)

[Dave Treacy]

I believe there is arrive and drive on the outdoor track....not sure if it's only nitros or electric or both. Although I'd like to think all the electric guys will be racing with us... :)

[Aaran]

Gone of the days where there were 1/10 off road tracks all over the region, which is a shame. What we need is a good grass track, and if they can offer one then I think it would be good for the sport.

PTRU re a clay track - if you build one then people will attend.

we race on clay here at woodys in lincolnshire. feel free to come down and have a look

[university_dave]

We had a couple of cars in the mid 17's on Wednesday night. Don't know what the fastest guy got on Sunday.


16.68 is the fastest lap anyone managed at the first meeting on the 8th.

[mark christopher]

we race on clay here at woodys in lincolnshire. feel free to come down and have a look
link?

[Aaran]

http://www.oople.com/forums/showthread.php?t=51820

[mk2kompressor]

outdoor track is now painted and looking good, had a go round with our tf-5 box stocker :thumbsup:
took a mini-z and a dnano! round the indoor track, its soooooo smooth in there, also drove my 1/12 today with good results but still working on a good setup for the tarmac:D

[simond001]

Ok first meeting there today for the public. http://www.mkrctc.org.uk/cms2/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=183:moto-arena-launch-event&catid=55:2010

Reality was very different. I am sure that the issues are teething problems and Grant (the MD of Moto Arena) did apologise but...

Doors didnt open till 8.30 although practice was due at 8. (most drivers therefore arrived at 7.30), 60 drivers waiting outside and spoken to by the MA track manager / BRCA Official like we were irrelevant to him and the meeting wasnt a great start.:thumbdown:

Obviously this got the day off to a bad start and I felt sorry for the Milton Keynes committee who were stood outside with us! To me it showed an absolute lack of respect from MA and I'm not sure who the BRCA Official was who barked health and safety at us but maybe in future it is better left to a club official.

His comment that there weren't many smiling faces was correct. there weren't!

On to the racing and MK ran a smooth meeting, keeping to time and respecting when genuine delays meant it was better to delay a heat / final a few moments. I dont think anyone minds when that happens and it shows that the club want every driver to have a good day. :D

Prizes / Trophies. Ma had committed to prizes which were understoood to be Ferrari and Porsche based. They actually gave an entry ticket to the "grand opening" of MA. As an event promoted as " special race meeting with loads of prizes open to all racers." that is a piss take. At £10 entry for a meet you expect to have trophies for the podium, and prizes if advertised (and a podium!). :thumbdown:

As a venue it was superb, the track is good (apparently it is a minimum of 3m at every point) and smooth (watch out for the bump at the end of the straight, caught a few out!). The facilities are clean, the coffee is fresh (£1.50 a cup) and the burgers cooked to order (£5 with chips).

Upstairs the simulators are well worth a go. As the slowest driver in our group I'm not sure they were accurate ;), but well worth the £8 for the full cars and even better value at £4 for the "half an F1" modules.

So great venue, good facilities, but work on your PR and keep to your word. It may be a communication issue but it needs resolving. :thumbdown:

[SlowOne]

It was explained that there were some last-minute hitches inside the building that kept us waiting outside, and an apology was given to us all. The guy on the rostrum giving us the mandatory H&S brief was not a BRCA Official. As he pointed out many times, he was an MA employee, and he said that he had also briefed the Club Committee who were now responsible for the running of the meeting. From where I was listening he explained that this briefing was compulsory, and he was raising his voice to ensure he was heard.

I thought the £10 entry fee for a single-venue race was par for the course. I don't remember seeing the prizes advertised, but thought a full year's membership to MKTCRC for final winners, and a raffle, was OK. The whole meeting we well organised, clear timetable and very good results service.

The venue is very well presented, the track is well laid out and sufficiently fast to be challenging. Grip was good and the track markers were stout without being damaging. I had a great day, and will be joining the Club to do it again on Sundays.

Overall, a hit for me, and I am sure for many others. I hope they make it work because as a track venue, it is probably the best indoor venue in the UK.

I wouldn't want anyone to think that there was only one view of this venue and the excellent event that MKTCRC put on, especially when some of the points raised above were clearly explained to me. Many thanks to Ian, Dave and Nick, MKTCRC and Moto Arena - I'll be back!! :thumbsup:

[mark christopher]

Ok first meeting there today for the public. http://www.mkrctc.org.uk/cms2/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=183:moto-arena-launch-event&catid=55:2010

Reality was very different. I am sure that the issues are teething problems and Grant (the MD of Moto Arena) did apologise but...

Doors didnt open till 8.30 although practice was due at 8. (most drivers therefore arrived at 7.30), 60 drivers waiting outside and spoken to by the MA track manager / BRCA Official like we were irrelevant to him and the meeting wasnt a great start.:thumbdown:

Obviously this got the day off to a bad start and I felt sorry for the Milton Keynes committee who were stood outside with us! To me it showed an absolute lack of respect from MA and I'm not sure who the BRCA Official was who barked health and safety at us but maybe in future it is better left to a club official.

His comment that there weren't many smiling faces was correct. there weren't!

On to the racing and MK ran a smooth meeting, keeping to time and respecting when genuine delays meant it was better to delay a heat / final a few moments. I dont think anyone minds when that happens and it shows that the club want every driver to have a good day. :D

Prizes / Trophies. Ma had committed to prizes which were understoood to be Ferrari and Porsche based. They actually gave an entry ticket to the "grand opening" of MA. As an event promoted as " special race meeting with loads of prizes open to all racers." that is a piss take. At £10 entry for a meet you expect to have trophies for the podium, and prizes if advertised (and a podium!). :thumbdown:

As a venue it was superb, the track is good (apparently it is a minimum of 3m at every point) and smooth (watch out for the bump at the end of the straight, caught a few out!). The facilities are clean, the coffee is fresh (£1.50 a cup) and the burgers cooked to order (£5 with chips).

Upstairs the simulators are well worth a go. As the slowest driver in our group I'm not sure they were accurate ;), but well worth the £8 for the full cars and even better value at £4 for the "half an F1" modules.

So great venue, good facilities, but work on your PR and keep to your word. It may be a communication issue but it needs resolving. :thumbdown:

You need to be very carefully in your statement. MA do not have an official working their under the. BRCA.
He is soley working as a MA official.

[Mark Stiles]

Billed as the 'press launch' of the venue and it's facilities. I was the only one there today with a camera and notepad on behalf of any kind of publication.

The facilities are impressive and I now have a good understanding of what the business model is. However, I am still struggling to see how it will be sustainable in the long term given the scale of the venture and how many people I think are going to be visiting.

From what I saw/experienced, today was a well attended Milton Keynes club meeting with a few waifes and strays like me thrown in. The most disappointing thing was that the 1:1 BTCC was taking place 50 yards away, and yet none of the spectators found their way into moto-arena. Why? Because it's on the wrong side of the main gate and the entrance faces away from the main circuit.

They needed some nitro cars on the outdoor track to attract some attention really. There was one, which ran for a short time, but to be honest I could have done a quicker lap with a Tamiya Mini!

From what I saw little had been done in the way of marketing, pomotion and organisation for the launch - perhaps I was foolish to imagine the place full of press reporters and there being demonstrations-a-plenty?

Like I say - great facility, sound business strategy in theory, but disappointing on the marketing side of things. For this reason I fear they might struggle.

What should we do as racers?

Make use of the facilities! Whatever their plan/strategy is in business terms, there is no escaping that it's a top notch indoor racing venue for electric on road. The outdoor 10th buggy track will be OK for club/regional events - same for the outdoor tarmac circuit. For them, racing/competition is about 10% of the story - the rest is corporate events and commercial business, and for this it's a perfect setup.

[dbizzle5]

The outdoor 10th buggy track will be OK for club/regional events

I went down to have a look yesterday and if you mean that thing they have built just outside the entrance then the off road track is not useable to race on. Not for 1/10th anyway and is no where big enough to race nitro. I was very dissapointed to be honest unless there is another offroad track somewhere?

Indoor tarmac track looked the biz though and all in all a great facility. Just not for offroad unfortunatly.

[Smartalec]

I went down to have a look yesterday and if you mean that thing they have built just outside the entrance then the off road track is not useable to race on. Not for 1/10th anyway and is no where big enough to race nitro. I was very dissapointed to be honest unless there is another offroad track somewhere?
Correct, the offroad track is nowhere near large/good enough to race on even at club level. It's a shame they haven't invested a larger portion of the money on the most popular class, would have been an awful lot cheaper to have filled the place with clay and have a world class off-road facility than have a (they say) world class tarmac track that will probably be a "car free" zone for most of it's life :confused:

[lotussmart]

What was the ‘rock and rubble canyon’, World War Two diorama (mini landscape) for tank battles, dedicated RC helicopter and aviation zones and RC dragsters like?

[mk2kompressor]

From the reports I got there was plenty of people coming in from the btcc event:D
there will be plenty of advertising going on once everything is in place

[richard clarke]

I went along and raced yesterday and all in all had a great day.

For sure, on the marketing side it was a bit light and if they hope to get passing trade from people viewing the full scale events then a hole needs to be put in the fencing behind the arena, I think at least.

Had a great day and will be back soon, just hope the track design becomes a little more Touring car friendly!
:thumbsup:

[tellor]

What was the ‘rock and rubble canyon’, World War Two diorama (mini landscape) for tank battles, dedicated RC helicopter and aviation zones and RC dragsters like?

I think you know exactly what they were like, and to be honest I think that question is a bit sly. Asking about everything that haven't yet got finalised.


Once you know what Moto Arena is about and realise that only 5-10% of their revenue needs to come from RC then you might, just might not get too jealous in your questioning.


Tel

[lotussmart]

I think you know exactly what they were like, and to be honest I think that question is a bit sly. Asking about everything that haven't yet got finalised.


Once you know what Moto Arena is about and realise that only 5-10% of their revenue needs to come from RC then you might, just might not get too jealous in your questioning.


Tel

Hi Tel, interesting you should say that :-) I have no plans for Tank battles, RC dragsters (all sound great fun though) and all on their current website. I didn't know they hadn't been completed as there isn't a lot of info flowing or pictures and I thought with it being the press and open day it would have been completed. I was trying to add to this conversation that it isn't all about RC racing, look at the other fun stuff they have/are going to have.

That's all. :-)

[Xizor]

From what I understand, yesterday was not the launch day we were expecting. Although it was open to the public, it was just a MK club meeting as far as I could make out. Somewhere there was a cock-up.:eh?:

As for the facilities, fantastic indoor circuit, disappointing outdoors!
Sorry, but the off-road track is very un-impressive and the on-road circuit is too narrow/twisty.

My advice would be, get some advice from the BRCA and get the outdoor stuff right before it's too late!

Just my 2 cents worth.:)

[Dave Treacy]

I think some people do not appreciate that we (MKRCTC) are for all intents and purposes, a "tenant" of Moto-Arena.

It was our first open meeting as for the previous 2 weekends we have been running meetings for club members only. We wern't allowed to have non-members participate beforehand as there was still construction work going on until Thursday, and the Moto-Arena centre only opened on Friday to the public.

I understand that Moto-Arena is starting up it's own club (MADC) and are holding an open meeting this Sunday but I have scant details of this at the moment (times / classes / fees etc) as it doesn't fall under the banner of MKRCTC.

Having said that, I am planning to meet up with Moto-Arena this week to sort out respective calendars for the rest of the year as there is little value in MKRCTC and MADC holding (electric) meetings that clash, although MADC holding a nitro meeting at the same time would work.

[simond001]

You need to be very carefully in your statement. MA do not have an official working their under the. BRCA.
He is soley working as a MA official.

He was wearing a "BRCA official" fleece. The assumption was therefore fairly made.