Coventry Motofest 2016

[WallerZ]

Has anyone organised a club stand/pitch for this like previous years?

 

https://coventrymotofest.com/

[WallerZ]

Guessing not then.........

Anybody at the club planning to go? Not sure what to do about parking the kit up lol

[keith kelly]

would be a shame if we don't have a stand!! I intend on going

[Guest alexpink]

Looks like you'll be doing it mate I'll be there

[Guest alexpink]

Is there anything arranged for this?

[tractor]

I thought the first year we did it was brilliant second year not so good so don't think I will go this year

[WallerZ]

I have not organised anything myself, believe the time/availability for club bookings has passed, however I have found that there will still be spaces to arrive and park on the day (Patch of grass opposite RBS and the pub "The Castle Grounds" as its now known)

I think as its only the 3rd year of doing it, they are still trying to find what works and what doesn't. I missed the first year however went last year and had mixed reviews. As its on my doorstep it's not such as issue to get to so I'll probably be wandering down at somepoint. I keep trying to plant the seed of allowing clubs a run on the ring road throughout the day yet there is still no chance. Think it comes down to an insurance/legal issue of letting "amateurs" "race" on the ring road.....

[tractor]

don't call it a race call it a display thats wot we did the first year a spirited display

[keith kelly]

they let us on the first year!

[Jez Morton]

Just got back from motofest, got to say this year they got it right something happening all the time and weather not bad. To sum it 'sun stroke and tyre smoke'.

[brumster]

I have not organised anything myself, believe the time/availability for club bookings has passed, however I have found that there will still be spaces to arrive and park on the day (Patch of grass opposite RBS and the pub "The Castle Grounds" as its now known)

 

I think as its only the 3rd year of doing it, they are still trying to find what works and what doesn't. I missed the first year however went last year and had mixed reviews. As its on my doorstep it's not such as issue to get to so I'll probably be wandering down at somepoint. I keep trying to plant the seed of allowing clubs a run on the ring road throughout the day yet there is still no chance. Think it comes down to an insurance/legal issue of letting "amateurs" "race" on the ring road.....

The problem Zac is the road traffic act. You (well, the council) can close the roads no problem but at the moment, the road traffic act stays in place and there is no way in law to lift it. So dangerous driving, speeding, all that stuff, can still apply - even if the road is closed specifically for the above.

 

There were plans afoot in the House of Lords to run a bill through to change the law so that the RTA could be lifted temporarily, it was mainly for cycle racing and motorsport. It was going quite well and then we had a number of spectator injuries and deaths in one year, and it really hurt the cause. I wonder now whether it will ever happen; a damn shame because closed road motorsport in this country could really bring some benefits but unfortunately the country is populated with too many stupid, inconsiderate f**kers who ruin it for the vast majority. Health & Safety will be the death of us!

[Guest 2b cruising]

thought about going to formula e this week but if they are resrticted to 30mph its not worth it how have they got around it

If you do go don't forget to take your ear defenders.

Health and safety and all that LoL

[WallerZ]

Absolutely Dan, I think the Motofest team were heavily involved in trying to get it opened up for road racing with a time trial style event when it first started. When I spoke to one of the organisers he was saying this is still part of the plan.

With the law still applying on the closed roads, some of the stuff seen is definitely not following those laws haha. It would be nice to see the traffic act lifted for specialist events such as motofest or road racing in general, unfortunately as you said it just takes a tragic event to set it back a long way.

Thankfully though the event as a whole appears to be heading in the right direction and growing in support. Hopefully we can get a Rhocar stand again next year and try make a bit more of a club event out of it

[brumster]

There is a massive flaunting of it by various organisations. Someone gets killed in some closed road motorsport (in Scotland, where the laws are different) and rallying is looking close to dying itself over the coming years. It will only be the same if someone gets seriously injured or killed at one of these "demo" events. If nothing else, the insurers will either refuse to cover the public liability or put the costs up so high that the event can't afford to run. I'm not saying I agree with it, I'm just saying that's the way this increasingly litigious society of ours is becoming.

 

In the case of Formula E, assuming it's not all on private land/roads/race tracks, if it's street racing there is probably a genuine application made through the HoL specific to the event. This *can* be done, but it costs an inordinate amount... it was done for things like the Birmingham Superprix if anyone every remembers those days; they applied for something like a 5 or 10 year period to be able to do it annually. When it ran out, that was it. I've had chats with some guys in the rally world about it, I think (from my hazey memory) someone once told me that to put an application through parliament for a closed public road with lifted RTA was something like £40k or 80k per application. So the likes of Forumla E can probably afford it. Coventry Motorfest certainly can't.