Spa: The choice to be made

The news that we may not be visiting Spa in 2009 has generated some discussion on the forum. This article sets out the information that the directors had to consider in coming to this decision. Given that low numbers made Spa 2008 unprofitable, it was inevitable that the topic of racing at Spa would be reconsidered.

Prestige. Spa is the only GP track that we currently race on. It is our good fortune that this track is generally recognised to be the best circuit on Earth. The circuit is sufficiently different to be its own draw to potential competitors. We are fortunate to be able to offer the membership a race at Spa. Loss of the date could end racing abroad, it being more difficult to initiate such a meeting than maintain it (this final point is debatable).

Championship. The effect of the Spa meeting on the club's championship is to remove the prime summer month of July from the club's championship calendar. As the percentage of club members attending Spa has fallen (from a peak of 20.5% to 12.6% in 2008) the appropriateness of this sacrifice becomes questionable.
It is indisputable that some championship competitors chose between attending Spa and attending championship rounds adjacent to the Spa date. Both Spa and championship rounds suffer as competitors have different preferences.

Cost. When writing in Startline, both Tony Cotton and I have made the case that the cost of track time at Spa compares favourably with track time in the UK. However, when making this case we are being disingenuous because we have willingly ignored the additional costs incurred when attending Spa. I know that to race at Spa will cost me double the time and three to four times the financial cost of a race in the UK.

In a year when the club was lowering the entry fees for championship rounds the cost of an entry for Spa increased. It is worth noting that Spa 2008 would not have shown a loss if it had attracted as many competitors as Spa 2007. But the real cost per entry in 2008 was over £600. The Spa organisers have nearly doubled the cost of this race since its inception, additionally, changes in the exchange rate continue to make the Spa meeting ever more expensive.

PR/Publicity. Leaflets for the Spa meeting were available for most of 2008, and a PR piece written by Tony Cotton and myself appeared in Startline. But there seemed to be little cohesive effort among the club members to combine and facilitate entry, I learnt of some places available in lorries either at the last minute or after the event. The Forum nearly ignored Spa, I think that there was just one entry, from Douglas McLay.

The club tried to promote the meeting as a 'Festival of Single Seater Speed', this had some success, judging by the eclectic mix of single seaters, from several countries that raced at Spa in 2008. But can a club be confident in the financial success of a meeting, when it has become dependant on attracting competitors from outside the club?

Finance. This is not the first time the Spa meeting has made a substantial financial loss and overall (since 2001) the meeting is just in profit. The loss made in 2005 was effectively turned into a profit in 2006 & 2007 by opening up the event to the Jedi club. However, Jedi numbers dropped by approximately two thirds this year and entries from other sources did not fully compensate for this loss.

Options for the future. I do not anticipate this list being complete.

• Continue as in the past and attempt to increase numbers from outside the club by pushing the ‘Festival of Single Seater Speed’ message. This policy has the drawback that effectively the MRC will be underwriting a meeting for the benefit of others, if entries in 2008 are typical, this will include competitors not based on the UK mainland i.e. competitors that we are most unlikely to be recruited to the MRC.
• Continue as in the past and attempt to increase numbers from inside the club by encouraging more of our members to participate by offering more club support for MRC members who wish to race at Spa but have not raced abroad before.
• Liaise with CSCC or other clubs for a continental race at a different circuit. Croix-En-Ternois is NOT a substitute for Spa but Dijon-Prenois or Zandvoort could be.
• Increase the number of races in the championship and substitute a UK round for Spa during the month of July. Figures indicate that we could expect to have at least 44% (average turnout for the UK rounds this year) of our membership racing rather than the 12.6% that raced at Spa. The figures indicate that we were not offering about a third of the membership what they wanted or required when we offer them a race at Spa.

Conclusion. The Spa race has been a prestigious event for the MRC for nearly a decade. The meeting became a 'must do' event and some, including some directors, have become Spa enthusiasts. To these enthusiasts July equates to racing at Spa. However, as MRC numbers attending Spa have declined, July equates to not racing for the majority of the membership. Over the years the number of club members attending Spa regularly has declined from 20.5% to 12.6% making the event dependant on attracting competitors from outside the club. The Spa meeting affects the club's championship season and is financially backed by the general club membership, many of who cannot attend because they lack the requisite finance, time or licence.

Personal.
I maintain a National A Licence so that I retain the option of racing at Spa but have not raced there for several years.

Since the above was written the enthusiasm shown on the forum has led to investigation of other ways that the Spa event can continue while minimising risk to the club. This is still being persued and there is optimism that the evnt can still be saved.

Patrick Huston. September 2008

The iconic Eau Rouge is apparently easily flat in an F1 car.

The house at La Source is another landmark

Dallara grids alongside Jedi

The Mono race has been opened up to other categories of car.