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MG MG Y Type - Silverstone 97

Nice video posted by David Pelham on IMGYTR for Silverstone '97, well worth look. One thing struck me though was the number of cars at the event, compared to when I went several years ago, I think from memory there was about 4 cars, back in 97 looked good turnout, Whats changed?
R E Knight

Time and tide I think.....the age profile of most Y owners must be in the 50s-60s now - was in my 20s back in 1980 when I bought my YB..mind you what with early retirement etc you might think it would have improved things...still its a long way for some of us!
And the roads are now totally full and driving standards have declined making long trips in a Y a bit uncomfortable and I mean other drivers mistakes!
D MULLEN

Dave,

Yes you are probably about right.

My thought is more general, surely ownership of a classic car should be one of the simplest hobbies to enjoy. All you need to find is a few open roads, with a couple of pubs and a large enough space for a social gathering.

The use of social media i.e dedicated web sites to help promote along with a bit of planning and should be quiet easy to keep a "Spring Run" style format to suit all.

Provided costs are kept low, owners would be prepared to pay the petrol to attend.

Personally Silverstone entry costs, much like Brooklands are nice, but a luxury. More fun in my view is an open road and an opportunity to drive the classic (Y Type)

I accept that the organised events are a "meeting focal point" for pulling owners to one location.
My view (Biased) is that the Y Type owners are as you state not getting any younger, events such as the Spring Run could be done at little to no cost, for example a route map can be produced as an electronic pdf and sent out via email, hard copies for those who can't print or with email access as safety net.

With a zero entry fee will encourage attendance, considering in mind that oweners if travelling further afield have to pay costs accomodation/petrol etc and another entry fee just adds to the cost.

What gets me is the price of entry say for example "Brooklands MG Era Day" for example, yes there is exhibits and the cost to maintain the site so it can't be free, but the attractions are the cars, without the cars there is no MG event. Venues and clubs need to remember a basic fact, that I've heard the successful IMGYTR use often enough "Clubs need members but members don't need clubs"

Slightly encroaching on a thread on MGCC Forum is the "Winds of Change..." thread which Jerry refers to in another thread here, is the valid arguments for votes and costs at running MGCC, being a member I've followed it with interest, and I have to say the simplest events like the local MGOC meets prove the most successful, what isn't so good is they are not Y Type Specific which is the fun of MG Y Spring Run/Brittany tour.
Perhaps it is time the Silverstone event is reviewed as location and smaller more cost effective venue is found, perhaps other registers are still attracting good numbers and it is Y Specific, but somehow I doubt it! I don't have the figures.

Either way look forward to next year and new adventures, already booked into the German Y Type event, time to try new events new cultures and enjoy Y Types on the road and not at an over priced car park shows, where food is costly and entry is pricey.
Driving Y Type thanks to free road VEL, cheaper insurance (Hegarty Thanks) can be done cheaper.
If your still reading, please share your views, i'd be interested to hear!
R E Knight

The event also marked the Golden Anniversary of the Y. There was a great poster made up of the program cover mounted on a blue background and all the owners signed it and added their car's details. Even if your car isn't featured on it, it is a great collectible and the MGCC may still have some available on their Regalia.

Jack Murray's car was just behind mine on the "Parade" laps and either he or his passenger took some great shots on circuit which he kindly gave me when I moved to the US mounted on a montage board. At the time I did not own LNA 607 but was a passenger in it and it was that as much as any other single factor that convinced me to buy the car. What a way to do a Test Drive!
Paul Barrow

Your comments on 'zero' cost events Richard was put into place on a couple of 'Spring Run' events when I believe Paul was Treasurer of the MGCC Y Type Register. From recollection there was not an increase in numbers attending with around 30 max attending.

In principle your idea is fine and yes it should be simple. Brian Rainbow organises a monthly 'Old Farts' meeting where folk meet up at a venue in their MG's. Addmittedly it's in the week but it brings together a group of like minded folk (though of a certain age!). Brian Osborn also organises OF2 another group through geographically set in Worcestershire/Birmingham (Brian R's covers Warwickshire/Oxfordshire. They meet on different days of the week.

A similar idea could be considered for weekends - though I think you might find some difficlty inviting just Y Types - perhaps extend it to XPAG owners.If a keen local organiser wished to promote this then with John James's help (Totally T Type 2) for some publicity it might be an idea worth following up. Perhaps on a county by county basis to avoid travel problems etc. For example you might wish to choose a pub/event (say a local village fete) and ask if you could bring along say 10-12 XPAG's that could be a starting point. Here's your chance Richard!

Have fun - remember if you have an organised run with more than 12 vehicles the organiser will need an MSA Licence from the RAC and for that it has to be under the auspices of a recognised club.

Best of luck

Jerry
J P BIRKBECK

Richard, I to have heard the quote "Clubs need members but members don't need clubs" but I am not so sure it is true, as individuals we may well be able to exist without joining a club but what if there were no clubs. I have just attended the highly successful NEC Classic car show, take away all the club stands and it would be a shadow of itself. The clubs organise 99% of events and it is these that owners need. If you only had websites, owners would start to use them to organise events and eventually local clubs would be formed through the websites. Individually you can selfishly enjoy this hobby without spending a few pounds a month on joining a club but collectively we need to join clubs and indeed I think the vast majority of owner need and enjoy their club activities.
My local club, The Gloucestershire MGOC has a very varied and active programme. We hold well attended monthly meetings to organise events that often include visiting speakers, quizzes and once we even had a whisky tasting evening. Every month also has a Sunday lunch at different venues and the summer months have a regular evening fun run in the form of tulip routes or treasure hunts. We organise the annual Cotswold Caper that always attracts well over 100 cars and makes £4000 for the charity of our choice. There is always at least 2 holiday runs each year and several day visits, SS Great Britain, Haynes Motor Museum and Longbridge being the most recent. Not to forget our annual Teddy Bears Picnic. I have heard many a couple say joining the club was the best thing they ever did and I know some members organise their whole social life around the club. Please don’t tell me these owners don’t need clubs,
Peter
P W Vielvoye

Peter's comments are very true and the suggestions that I made re the 'Old Farts' is that all those who attend the events are members of one or more of the established MG Clubs.

The IMGY Register is a website that draws together folk who have an interest in Y Types and as a source of information is very useful. The Bulletin Board is of course tailored to specific models and has nothing to do with any of the existing Clubs or the IMGY for that matter and enables members to discuss issues on line.

Clubs are very useful and do provide an opportunity to organise events which may need an RAC Permit - ie most road runs eg the Spring Run - in the UK.

As Peter said the Classic Car Show at the NEC is 99% clubs and without them it would be a non-event. You ought to take the opportunity to attend next year it really is excellent.

So I concur with Peter that there are occasions when members do need Clubs.

Jerry
J P BIRKBECK

Peter & Jerry.

I agree there are times members need clubs, such like one could argue "HMV needs music lover but music lover doesn't need HMV"

In respect to a business model,the music industry is suffering because it has ripped off all who buy music (in past Tapes then CD's) and internet has driven down this cost.

Like many I have gone in the music shop to see a CD cover but then used an online site to buy the song at a fraction of the shop price. Perhaps one could argue this is wrong, but it is a free market system, with the individual having a right to a free choice.

As per MGCC Forum page titled "Winds of Change..." a good debate was had about the future direction of the MG Car Club, (which exposed how some members don't grasp the MGCC are in not too disimilar situation as described above) but was soon kicked into the long grass, without any genuine debate, other than a bit of lip service.

You are very correct the MGOC, MGCC and MGOCC do organise many events local and national which are in the whole "good events", but nearly all charge an annual fee, and then additional entry fees.
Considering there are lots of volunteers in these clubs, for example you both being on the MGCC Y Register committee as volunteers, must save the MGCC a small fee each year in running costs, however there is still many examples of inefficiency within these clubs.

Jerry, you do say that when Paul Barrow was treasurer the MGCC Y Register tried a "Zero Fee entry" but it attracted no more cars, I'd be interested to know the figures, of entry for the years and the numbers that attended, because in the last couple I attended, it seemed there were fewer cars, I concur there are lots of other factors that make owners decide to attend or not, i.e location, weather which club have no control over, but I do also compare how web based "couple of pages" such IMGYTR have grown and grown and the MGCC, MGOC have largely stood still in respect to their business models. To add meat on the bone, take the Brittany report held in September, article on both sites by end of September, published article in November's issue of MGOC and am told Safety fast often referred to as "safety Slow" on MGCC own forum will feature article in Decembers magazine. Surely this is small example of old business model not quiet up to speed with changing times?

R E Knight

We carried the cost of our first Autumn Run as well to ensure a good turn out.
Free road tax, fully comp for £100, pluss the value of your car shooting up, this is the best value for money hobby you could find, probably a net profit at the end of the year. My mate plays golf and it costs him thousands just to get wet and cold every week.
Peter
P W Vielvoye

This thread was discussed between 24/11/2012 and 27/11/2012

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