No more turning up and riding at Nudgee

[Doc]

Part of a letter I recieved today in the mail from Brisbane Motorcycle Club..

Quote: For some time now the committee has been struggling with options in relation to pre-entries for our race days. EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY all future race day will be by completion and submission of the entry form by the due date. Any late entries will definately not be accepted (no exceptions) and the close off date and time will be enforced. The only exception to this rule is new mmbers joining on the day. We know this policy will upset a few members, however the secretary and those arranging the meeting take precidence on this matter and it is no longer acceptable for members to expect those valued helper to have their time being impacted due to those few members who are unable to organize their affairs. The secretary will accept telephone entries which will assist those disorganized persons, so if now you are unable to pre-enter you WILL miss out. :Unquote

This all comes after the Double the Dirt meeting was canned due to under 25 entries for each of the 2 disciplines. I'm afraid I won't be riding at Nudgee as I am one of these disorganized people who doesn't pre-enter due to forever changing circumstances and yes, I did take a little offence to this notice. I knew of at least half a dozen others who did not pre enter for Double the Dirt and were to turn up and it's not as if I know a lot of people. Most people take 2 bikes or more (sometimes a whole fleet eh Brad!) so 50 entries is possibly 100+ vintage bikes. No doubt there would have been more on the days. I agree pre-entry does make things easier when it comes to organizing but not everyone can comply. It may come as a surprise but there are other more important things in life than committing to racing old bikes. I feel the way they put the message out there with the no late entry rule for any race day bundled together with a hint of sarcasm will possibly hurt the club even more. Are there any other options other clubs use? Do all clubs not accept late entries? I accept for titles events and such there should be an enforced cut off but for normal race days

[DJRacing]

Yes there are other options Doc, but it can be hard to organise meetings/events without knowing the numbers attending.
If the club wants to know numbers then pre-entering but paying on the day can be one way around it. It is easy enough to pay the money when you sign on. The club will have a close appoximate number for the meeting and if you cant make it on the day then you arent out of pocket.

If you think you are unsure about being able to make the meeting, you can still pre-enter and with no money changing hands then there is nothing lost, but if you can make the meeting you just rock up on the day, sign on, pay the entry fee and go racing.

[oldfart]

Chris - Most people plan ahead , The club got the WEEKEND wrong big time as it clashed with Bathurst .
Time will tell if there no entries on the day will work it all boils down to the dollar factor ( running costs )      
 

[evo550]

The other contributing factor to a decision like this is to get racing and ultimatly the day over sooner.
When you have about four people running a meeting on any given day their is a shit load of work to do and very few people to do it.
Sign on / scrutineering soak up a lot of precious time and resources (able bodied people) having a pre sign on rule would free up at least an hour of the program for either more racing or an early cold stubby.
Too many people mozy in after riders breifing wanting to sign on, while someone else sits in their lawn chair under there quick shade whining " It's nine o'clock why haven't we started racing ? These pricks are hopeless" and those four people, who generaly are riders too don't get to ride that day because there is too much to do and not enough people to do it.

Mind you I could be wrong.

[Doc]

Yeah I know most plan ahead Oldfart. I'm just not one of those people I actually have much better luck when someone phones me out of the blue on friday night and asks if I want to go riding Sunday. Whether it's by my own doing or not my best laid plans always seem to go to waste when it comes to organized events I'm afraid they're just not for me and I've made a decission of late to give the racing a miss and simply get back to my grass roots of weekend trail riding

[VMX247]

I'm gonna put me foot in it and say that you need your volunteers to do the paper work and when ya don't band together as a club/vmxer's  and run too many classes ya gonna come bum up.
You have a very high population in the east, but it doesn't seem too help in too many ways.
Events clashing ! I'm afraid too say is another excuse.
Pre entries are probably the best idea.Your either going to ride or not.The same amount of Officials are still needed weather its pre enrty or not.
How sad/disappointing that the running cost and lack of entries/volunteers have brought a VMX event to a stand still.

[holeshot buddy]

i have been shafted  every year at the first meeting i go to
to join with a late entry fee :'(
why have pre entries, qvmx doesnt  except the classic
why cant they just pre enter double the dirt
and club race days just turn up and ride
a lot of people dont know if they can ride till the last minute anyway
this is very dumb i have been in brisbane and qvmx clubs for over 10 years
we never used to pre enter at brisbanes old track at boonah
only the state vintage champs which is fair enough
they need to pull there heads in and get back to riding for fun
and sort out there classes double the dirt was there own stuff up
no use blaming entries the date should have been set at the start of the year
on a day that did not clash with anything eg(bathurst)
and they could have advertised it all year up to the date
as for officials and volunteers we all know they do a great job
and sometimes miss out on a ride themselves
but i think in double the dirts case it was all left too late.
and nearly all meetings start by 9.00 that i have been to even without pre entries
we are talking pre entries for up to about 60 riders waste of time
if there was consistantly 100 maybe then
but brisbane attendance has been dismal the state title was the worst i have ridden
not the track not the officials or organisation but numbers the classes
were pretty average due to poor turnup  :'(

i think if brisbane do not accept late entries that will be the end of them :'(

[shorelinemc]

its always they they they .they dont make rules to suit me.i dont like that rule i will take my bat and ball and go home yeah double the dirt was a stuff up it was postphoned due to a MA  ruling on the dirt track out  of brisbane`s hands.maybe bathurst weekend wasn`t good  but it was only tintops personaly would rather do than watch. maybe the weather was too hot .those who know me will know i have been involed in club management before and it is a thankless job try to bring something to make things fairer on the workers in the club and you get whinging you cant do that ,thats not fair whinge whinge .yes i walked away more to the fact i can be very bad tempered and nothing pleases me more than punching shit out of a wanker who deserves it but you cant do that sort of thing anymore so descretion was the better part of valour.road racing you just dont turn up.its not hard pull up entry on computer ,fill in, and post.not hard. you have access to the cheapest form of motor sport ,laid back as a rule,fairly convenient track too most people,track is laid out ,food van on site,toilets and all that is asked is a pre entry NOT UNREASONABLE!!!!!!!!!!

[vandy010]

i really enjoy the whole Brisbane set~up and if pre~ entry is what i have to do then i'll do it.
as a shiftworker i'm unable to attend a lot of the meetings and this is where the club has felt let down.
it's so easy to surf ebay and find a part on the other side of the world, so it shouldn't be too hard to print off an entry form and mail it in with a cheque hey.

[VMX247]

The other contributing factor to a decision like this is to get racing and ultimatly the day over sooner.
When you have about four people running a meeting on any given day their is a shit load of work to do and very few people to do it.
Sign on / scrutineering soak up a lot of precious time and resources (able bodied people) having a pre sign on rule would free up at least an hour of the program for either more racing or an early cold stubby.
Too many people mozy in after riders breifing wanting to sign on, while someone else sits in their lawn chair under there quick shade whining " It's nine o'clock why haven't we started racing ? These pricks are hopeless" and those four people, who generaly are riders too don't get to ride that day because there is too much to do and not enough people to do it.

Mind you I could be wrong.

your are on the money with this one  evo550

[Doc]

okay, I'll wear it on this one I did go off half cocked but ya get that when fishing
Shoreline punching people out gets you nowhere except straight to the doctors for an aids test and a few weeks off riding with a fractured hand. Worst of all is the liability factor these days
I'll change my attitude and accept pre entry is not unreasonable but I feel the payment should not nesseccarilly be inclusive in the pre entry for club members. If they enter and don't show then they cop a penalty at the next meet or whenever next payment is due. They know who you are! I do not own a cheque book and a money order these days is well and truly overpriced, make direct internet deposit a payment option and/or payment upon arrival and I'll have not one complaint still getting back into the trail and trials riding regardless for no other reason this is what I want to do and a good way to ride the bikes that otherwise sit and gather dust I didn't wish to bring up the comparison to QVMX but there is a comparison to be had. QVMX seem to get the numbers Brisbane doesn't

[mainline]

do you have to pay in advance, or is it just the entry form that's required?

[VMX247]

In WA modern bikes ya have to pay,but.... big but.... this is usually for a series or a round/state title.
prepay is not used in VMXWA,only for the big WANDERING VMX as its easier on the officials.
cheers WA

[Wombat]

Fair points on both sides of the discussion I think.

Turning up to race can be a last minute decision given our work and family commitments.
However, pre-entering makes perfect sense - just like an RSVP for a party or function.
The people running the show need to know numbers for catering purposes, seating etc.

I'm guessing a lack of VMX entries can mean the event runs at a loss. Would that be correct?
You can guarantee extra entries will turn up unannounced on the day, but there's no way of knowing if that will be enough.

I don't recall being allowed to lob up and race back in the day either.
Being a slack prick I hadn't mailed my entry in time so I lobbed up and tried to bluff my way into the MX at Lakeside Q (the only one ever held there I'm told - pls correct me if I'm wrong).
I said I definitely sent it but here's the money anyway; pls refund me when the entry arrives in the post...
Not a hope! I've still got the completed entry form in my photo album...

My Sidi boots got to race though.
One of the A Grade Kiwis arrived without his boots - so I lent them and they travelled faster than ever before!!    

[allan hughes]

DOC THE DAYS OF AVERALL GRAYSON ARE GONE .THE MUIRHEAD BROTHERS DO AN EXCELLANT JOB. I RACED CARS FOR A WHILE  NO WAY COULD YOU TURN UP AN ENTER ON THE DAY.