CANADA HEIGHTS BRITISH CHAMPIONSHIP

[papsck]

The official closing date was friday for this round and the organiser only has 15 entries so far.The Sidcup club will drop the sidecars and run another class of solos if things dont change very shortly.

Mr P

[rabie]

regs for Rd 6, Sidcup @ Canada Heights are Here (29kb PDF) if you've lot them (the ACU posted them to all registered riders)

Just to let you know entries have not been received from :-
Andy Eastman
Rob Oldfield
Richard Jenkins
Tony Murch
Peter Batt
Craig Palmenter
Grant Peacock
Stickle Jarvis
Rob Topp
Nick Bowers
Michael Hodges
Kel Hickman
Daniel Millard ( promised to post it today ! )
Scott Eaton
Paul Rutherford

Just like to remind you all that there is a surcharge of £15 on top of your entry fee for late entries.
We need the entries in pretty sharpish as we have to make a decision whether to cancel the class or not.

Jamie Clarke - Sidcup & DMCC

[noddysmate]

Blackman/baughan was sent to you on 2-6-08 first class post with s a e. Tel 01373301754 let me know if you have just missed us off of your list

[rabie]

we've got yours ;)

will post a list of entered riders later tonight

[onslow]

sent mine on monday sorry about the delay thanks paul rutherford

[rabie]

list of people entered as of yesterday (Tuesday) - here (11kb PDF)

[Craig Parmenter]

Sorry mines in the post didnt realise the closing date had passed! Craig Parmenter #32

[rabie]

updated list of people entered as of today (Friday) - here (11kb PDF)

[Doogle]

Speaking to a few people it appears that three championship rounds in a month caught a few guys out. After this post appeared it reminded a few to enter, including ourselves.
But I have to say that charging £15 extra to someone who enters three weeks before the meeting that is short of numbers is basically taking the piss, so if that is the case we won't be riding.

[rabie]

ACU rules say we have to charge £15 for the late entries (but wildcards/non registered riders would by that reason not be late so only £60). we haven't been taking late entries in solo mx for the last two years (and haven't for decades in trials and enduro) and when we did it was a £10 surcharge and supply a marshal.

if the meeting had been a sidecar clubmans it would have only bee £45 ish, but we were asked very nicely and persistently to help you guys out ......

[rabie]

1) i'll try and get another updated entry list online tonight

2) we've only sent you all 3 passes instead of 4 (in solo mode, and the event secretary is a sidecar passenger so what can i say .....)

3) we're going to collect all the £15 surcharges on late entries and donate it to Sidecar 100 club ;)

[Rondog]

charging riders 15 pound surcharge because there entry arrived a couple of days late, is a proper piss take..i cud understand if you recieved the entrys a week before the meeting, but it was 3 to 4 weeks away....there has been 3 championship races in 4 weeks and that takes alot of time to get ready for....it mite not be too expensive to mince around on a trial bike but to ride sidecar week in week out costs a fortune ...

[eddie74]

so if your going to charge the late entrys 15 pound...then give it back to the sidecar association ?..I dont understand ?? if your going to be a jobsworth rip off merchant....then at least have the front to do it on your own...and not drag the sidecar association in with you to take the heat off you......thank god for south hants scramble club......

[RB]

Been reading through this post for a bit and felt a little compelled to reply.

With regards to Sidcup club donating all £15.00 late entry charges back to the '100' club, the sidecar association has not been involved with this at all. If the Sidcup club want to do this then we will welcome the donation with open arms

With regards to them charging the £15.00, then personally I think fair play. It is a rule that a surcharge applies and as such it should stand. Sidecars have had too many years of clubs bending over backwards to try and accomodate sidecars, i.e accepting late entries, telephone entries, photocopied entries etc. it is honestly about time that everybody woke up and realised that sooner or later clubs are not going to do it any more. Personally i think Sidcup should be congratulated in trying to stand by this rule and if it means that certain teams do not ride, oh well.

It is sad to say but as a sidecar supporter I would have actually have liked to see the club cancel the sidecar class due to a lack of entries, rather than try to put a meeting on for a load of whingers. It is about time that clubs stood up to the s*@t that sidecars bring and maybe, just maybe, the sidecars would realise that these clubs are really trying to help our sport not hinder it.

Regarding the fact that there has been 3 meetings in 4 weeks, this should actually make entering them easier. Just a little thought, how about when you sent the first entry you could have completed the other 2 forms and sent them at the same time???? Maybe this is a little too far forward thinking as bleating and moaning on here is far more easier despite the fact that the amount of time that it takes to turn the PC on, log on, post a message, check for a reply etc probably takes half the time that filling an entry form does???

And as for the time taken to keep the bikes up and running and you haven't got time to fill a form in then , I despair. Maybe it is time for role reversal and riders should try and run a meeting and then maybe a realisation will occur as to how much actually goes in behind the scenes.

Rob Batten

All views expressed above are personal to the author and are in no way expressed on behalf of the SMCA.

[rabie]

as you may (or may not have noticed) we as a club don't take late entries for anything else, but have in a rare gesture of good faith by us to make this class happen. So i ask *you* the question why should we do you guys a favour and run a sidecar class if you can't enter on time. we turn back solos all the time and get inquiries from quads why we don't run a quad class. come on guys help yourselves here!

solos in all other branches of the sport manage to enter meetings week in week out, way in advance all the time.

as for the £15, we aren't after your money to line our pockets (although i can think of a long list of worthy projects to spend it on at our club), we're reinvesting the money back into the sport of sidecarcross, *and* trying to remind you guys to get your arses into gear. my suggestion at our committee meeting to get you guys a bottle of engraved champagne saying best late entry and a giant cheque to the 100 club with a huge photo in TMX was deemed to being going to far unnecessarily but with comments like "mince around", maybe i'm mistaken ???

PS - thanks for the nice words Rob ;)