[blacmagic]

well said DKG! I was talking to Zubin who was pretty emphatic that this time is going to be different. he is not one of the organizers but pretty well known in the motorsport circuit. what got his goat last time around was the shoddy implementation of the so called rules. registrations were supposed to have been closed on the day of the drag but yet, there were a bunch of celebrities with imports who showed up on the second day and were accomodated under an instantly manufactured "invitation class".

it was quite clear that there were no rules for P3Ps and celebrity sons while on the other end of the spectrum people were being kicked for no reason at all.
according to what Zubin told me, that isnt gonna happen this time.

if rules are clearly and sensibly defined and - most importantly - consistently implemented, I dont mind the drag bowl. am looking forward to participate this time around.

[watashi75]

Please don't forget the spectators - they are just as important as the participants here!! Some feedback from a spectator's perspective.

The seating arrangement was poor. There were very few chairs and only a part of the section was under shade. June can be pretty hot or rainy. Either way some protection is needed. Most of the people had to sit on the dusty ground.

Distance from the strip was too far from the spectators area. And half of that area was occupied by cars and blasting their music.

Parking fee of 50 rupees is pretty high. Is this money going to the promoters or some third party?

I forgot if there were any toilet facilities. There were many lady spectators though.

[blacmagic]

toilets and spectator seating are going to be the biggest challenges.
there were two little cubicles that passed off for toilets. just a single look and whiff scared the piss out of me. I shudder to think whats the ladies present would have gone through.
it is nigh impossible to arrange for an unlimited number of chairs in the middle of nowhere and / or arrange for overhead cover for the entire field. I can only hope that its not too sunny on said days.
50 bucks was indeed too high. if I were to take a guess, there must have been a revenue sharing arrangement.

[v1p3r]

DKG, please take a look at the Speed Run 09 thread, where ACI wants suggestions. If you can point the good Dr Rao to that thread, I'm sure it will be of help to us all.

[DKG]

What's the scene on some of you getting individual sponsors? Have you tried? I do feel that guys from Bangalore should get sponsorship so you can focus more on what you do best.

[kkr2k2]

Sponsorship:
I am ready to donate 500/-.

Its not a joke, if we(people here who want this sport to get better in India) all can pool in 500/- per head we can have a decent amount. May be it will take care of the expenses for the seating arrangement.

PS: please dont throw shoes or bricks or anything(eggs or any vegetables), its just my personal opinion.

[fieroid]

The least that they can do is, have some good prize money for the winners.
last time, it was a joke. Come-on man, you spend crazy amount of money, prepare cars/engines, come down to Hyderabad and they give you peanuts and that too like its a big favour. That was just the cost of my refreshments at the trackside.
They ought to find a good sponsor and they need to better it this time. Else I'm sure a lot of us wont show up.
Over 70% of the participants last time were bangaloreans and 80% of the winners were bangaloreans again. That shows how seriously the sport is plagued here.
Prize money has to be good enough.

[f450]

Originally Posted by fieroid

The least that they can do is, have some good prize money for the winners.
last time, it was a joke. Come-on man, you spend crazy amount of money, prepare cars/engines, come down to Hyderabad and they give you peanuts and that too like its a big favour. That was just the cost of my refreshments at the trackside.
They ought to find a good sponsor and they need to better it this time. Else I'm sure a lot of us wont show up.
Over 70% of the participants last time were bangaloreans and 80% of the winners were bangaloreans again. That shows how seriously the sport is plagued here.
Prize money has to be good enough.

You have to understand that the sport is only just picking up. The sponsors are not going to pump in immense amounts of money unless they know that they're attracting good crowds and attention. The other option I can think of is to collect a race fee from everyone and pool in that money as prize money...

[fieroid]

Originally Posted by f450

The other option I can think of is to collect a race fee from everyone and pool in that money as prize money...

Well, its the talent of the organisers to get the right sponsorship. Last time they only had some 1L cash sponsorship from GMR.
They are indeed collecting some decent entry fees, that itself is quite good money to pay the prize money.

[f450]

Originally Posted by fieroid

Well, its the talent of the organisers to get the right sponsorship. Last time they only had some 1L cash sponsorship from GMR.
They are indeed collecting some decent entry fees, that itself is quite good money to pay the prize money.

GMR AFAIK is an excellent sponsor. The company is big enough to spend on these events, and I think they conducted some tennis tournament or something in a pretty good manner too...not sure though.

I think GMR will be more than willing to invest once the sport starts picking up. We have to ignore the initial hiccups and try to be patient with the next two-three times (IMO). If there's a bad turnout in June (because of what happened last time), I fear it might signal the end of GMR's sponsorship and consequently, motor sport events in Hyderabad. Regardless of who is to blame, this does not bode well for us lot. So, to everyone reading this thread, I must request you to keep up the numbers and the interest for just a couple more times. If things still show no signs of improving, then we will be left with no choice, but at least we'll know we gave it a shot.

[Digital Vampire]

Originally Posted by f450

We have to ignore the initial hiccups and try to be patient with the next two-three times (IMO).

I disagree with your POV. The points mentioned on this thread can be addressed by any organiser worth his/her salt. They are just the basics. None of us are discussing impossible and extremely difficult scenarios which requires a few runs to perfect.

[Sideways]

Originally Posted by fieroid

Sir, do you think this really works?
I've seen enough crap inside MMSC and FMSCI. Thats another story.

I can personally assure you that things have changed - For the better. Please address any and all issues you have and rest assured justice will be done.

[fieroid]

Originally Posted by Sideways

I can personally assure you that things have changed - For the better. Please address any and all issues you have and rest assured justice will be done.

Hopefully, things have changed for good.

@f450 - You want us to wait for 2-3 times for things to change for good? Any event can be organised well, the first time itself...if in the right hands.
GMR is a really big organisation and if they can spend lakhs on a Tennis match, granting just 1L like some charity for a sport in which people risk their life and rides, spend crazy amount of time and money etc is a pity. This happens only in india.
Its the organisers interest to showcase the sport in the right manner to the sponsorer and reap the best support. APMSC guys can atleast seek better support from GMR this time, coz of the good turn-out from the last event.

A few pointers from my end,
1. Better pit arrangement for the rides and the team members. A shade atleast.
2. An organised registration system and stick to schedule
3. Proper practise and qualifying run
4. Testing must be allowed for participants, in case of change of tune. With permission ofcourse.
5. The marshalls have to be a lot more courteous with participants and service vehicles must be allowed inside the pit area.
6. Timing must be displayed for all to see and timing slips if possible.
7. That drag bowl at shamshabad is just not the right place. please spot some abandoned air strip or a better place.
8. There has to be some good prize money. In the end, none of us are jokers and no-body is in the sport for charity, atleast after having spent a bomb on the builds.

[f450]

Originally Posted by fieroid

Hopefully, things have changed for good.

@f450 - You want us to wait for 2-3 times for things to change for good? Any event can be organised well, the first time itself...if in the right hands.
GMR is a really big organisation and if they can spend lakhs on a Tennis match, granting just 1L like some charity for a sport in which people risk their life and rides, spend crazy amount of time and money etc is a pity. This happens only in india.
Its the organisers interest to showcase the sport in the right manner to the sponsorer and reap the best support. APMSC guys can atleast seek better support from GMR this time, coz of the good turn-out from the last event.

Just as an example, when Ferrari first launched the F430, it was plagued by suspension and transmission problems. Ferrari listened to customer feedback, went and fixed all those problems. The F430's you get now are near-perfect. If people had just stopped buying Ferrari's right after the first few came out, we wouldn't have the F430 today, much less the Scuderia.

Similarly, we are giving these guys feedback and they will rectify most, if not all, problems with the next time. A few niggling issues may still be left over, which will be ironed out the time after that. Which is why I said 2-3 times..

And again, like I mentioned, GMR is spending so much on tennis because they know tennis will get interest and attention. Plus, tennis is more or less an established sport in the city/country. Motor sports, especially drag races are still in their infancy.
Good points though.

[fieroid]

^No event can run at its best and satisfy every character. As long as it gets close to being good from worse, its good enough for me and atleast for our acceptable Indian standards .
Lets hope for the best this time.

Yours in sport,
Joel