I would just like to add, I have been to Elvington, Mallory Park, Transport Museum N.Ireland, Chatsworth House, Hop Farm, and Billing.
They have all had good and bad points you are never going to please every body, when you consider there is a vast arrray of different people, an example we have had members in our region ranging from early twenties to someone in there eighties. I did enjoy the track and auto test events, not everyones cup of tea, but then again I did take a tour of Chatworth House and the Museum at the other venues.
Everyone I spoke to who attended from our area said that they had a good weekend, as for the weather this is Britain get over it.
The way I look at it there were more highs then lows at the weekend .
An excellent point well made and, if I may, I would like to retract my earlier posts and rephrase them more eloquently…
Dear scfcstoke1, thank you very much for your helpful critique on the organisation of the 2011 National Rally, which was warmly received in same spirit that it was offered. I am sure that future event organisers will take them on board and indeed, if I might be so bold to suggest, you may care to join the OC and offer your support to your local Area Coordinator in the event that you can persuade him to host a national rally in the future.
and
Dear Captain Muppet, thank you very much for your contribution to this discussion which is very valid and appreciated. I apologise if my earlier response to scfcstoke appeared flippant and can only blame it on stress, tension, adrenaline rush and lack of sleep over the previous 48 hours. I understand that you are not a member of the Club and have only attended a Rally once some time ago; can I encourage you to address these issues with aclarity in order that your obvious enthusiasm for club matters may be usefully employed to the benefit of us all.
And that, dear friends, if my final comment on this thread, which should now be firmly put to bed 
Why do i need to join the owners club? It offers no special discounts for me. I may still be able to help though, or do you have to wear the badge at all times as if to say “look at me, i’m in a club” to help out.
Like i said in my original post, i thought some things could have been done better imo, but well done to those that got it going.
For your info i work in Hotels & helped organise the ultrasound festival at Tamworth this year, and the midlands music festival for the two years prior, so i think i do know a bit about running large scale event.
So when i say a PA system & score board could have improved the autotest area, i know i’m right! people need to change with the times & not get stuck with “this is how we always do it”
Or , i could just keep quiet, which i should have done & may well do
Regard’s
Scfc, & here is to a win tomorrow 
STHT.
People join car clubs for a variety of reasons; I’ve been a member since 1997, and discounts isn’t one of them (there were virtually no discounts in 1997). I enjoy the club magazine “STHT”, and the opportunity to attend events put on by the Owners Club, up and down the country and overseas. I recognise those benefits are not likely to appeal to everyone though.
The club does offer a variety of discounts for members; if there are areas not being covered for you, perhaps you would like to list them?
So you don’t want to join the club but you do think you have the right to criticise, because that’s what you were effectively doing.
The Rally was in fact far more than just the Sunday, it also included a Friday evening get-together, sessions at Silverstone on Saturday and a number of runs around the countryside followed by a dinner on the Saturday evening so it would appear you only attended a part of the overall event. There is always room for improvement and some of your suggestions bear merit but just to sit there and pass what were generally negative comments about a FREE event whilst refusing to even join the club doesn’t do you much credit.
The only drawback for me is that in being at Billing I couldn’t have the radio on to listen to my beloved Mackems stuff 4 past their 'old boy’s team last weekend. You can’t do much worse this weekend, can you?
Dear Scfc, I don’t believe anyone has a problem with your comments, the issue that I see is the way you posted them.
Rallies used to be parking at a public venue, where people could meet and chat, judge a few cars and then look around the attraction. It was only 3 years ago at Sparkford that the 600 attendance barrier was broken. Since then the rallies have grown and it is now realised that there is a need also to entertain attendees rather than to send them off to look at something remote. However not only is there an inertia to these, Northampton offered to hold this rally just a few short weeks after the 15-20 Rally at Mallory and the holder of the 2013 event will be decided next month, but the important bit is there is no commercial organisation planning these, no payday at the end of it and the budget is actually very small. The events are paid for by club funds derived from club membership. Traders are not charged to attend or billed for any trade they might do. The club pays for it all.
If I look up the term Narked, then the definition is “irritated; annoyed; angry; upset:” Then what I read from your post is that you were angry and annoyed that the rally did not meet your expectations. Given then that it is the paying Owners Club member that actually funds this and the efforts of them that make it happen, I think it is wholly reasonable that the organisers involved might also get a little narked in return to be informed that someone who has enjoyed, or been provided the opportunity to enjoy the fruit of all that at no cost to them, should essentially say that the were “irritated; annoyed; angry; upset:” that their efforts were not good enough for them. That is the reaction you have seen.
I think the bigger question remains, what did you actually expect?
That is also my point.
M-m
Why? What does it matter?
If somebody down the road from me was having a party, and I decided to turn-up, I would hardly be in a position to tell them that it wasn’t what I expected!!
But that is what the OP as done?
M-m
Yes , i did just turn up for the Sunday, i don’t need a car club to drive around scenic routes,i can do that anytime.
Ok, for that sake of a few quid (what £30-£50), i’ll join & i’ll help you out with the organising if you wish, depending on dates.
If its going to be done though, i’d like to have some input & not just sit round a table over tea & biscuits. Hard tough decisions may need to be made and maybe a few tears shed, i’d also have to make sure its worth my while, in terms of stalls/catering etc.
scfc
Twenty seven quid, for which you’ll get six award winning Club magazines a year, Club discount on Christ-knows how many products and businesses, free attendance to various Motorsport venues and two Club organised rallies each year, not to mention the hundreds of Area driven events each weekend.
Good man, scfcstoke1!
My wife and I once went to a party that wasn’t what we expected. Very embarrasing it was too 
Excellent 
Well done that man
M-m
Now you’re talking - not sure there’s much to do though.
The National Rally is just that - it’s not a Sunday Market, it’s not a Car Boot Sale.
It’s an opportunity for MX-5 Owners to assemble and to interract socially. It’s also an opportunity to celebrate, admire, compare, enjoy and have fun in the car we all own and love.
Personally I think this years National Rally Weekend achieved all of those aims extremely successfully.
Were there a few things, in hindsight, that could have been done differently? - of course there were.
Did they detract from the overall enjoyment of the weekend? - adsolutely not.
Time to move on and make next years National Rally just as good - if not even better.
Go on then Ken…tell us more! 
Well, you’ve got to remember that I’m very naive. When they all started putting their car keys on a tray, I mistakenly thought that we could drive each others’ cars.
When I announced “well I wouldn’t mind having a go in somebody else’s, but I’m not keen on any old bugger riding my baby”, I got some very disapproving looks
Ok thats the raffle sorted. 
Nice one Ken, that’s given me a great idea for a day out and I wouldn’t expect anything else from a gentleman such as yourself, but I’m MXican so I’ll keep you informed! 