With a high pressure pushing off over the North Sea, it gets hard for weather predictions for the UK, I try not to look too hard at some of the forecasts too far out, it is something we can’t do too much about!
I do try to put a booking in for good event weather well in advance for our events but we had to run this one to the wire, so not sure it’s been processed yet.
It’d be absolutely heartbreaking if the no-shows make the difference in getting the record or not. We can break the record as we stand (rain or shine) with the number of passes that are out there across the country.
I know that a few have emailed to say they can’t now make it and I know some will decide on the day, but won’t take too many % of people to decide to stay away to take the numbers down below the 683 needed.
I take it from that, we didn’t ‘sell out’ the 1,000 ticket allocation then? That is a shame if that’s the case. As a participant in the 2019 attempt, I guess the added attraction then, was of a club rally making it a lot easier to get high numbers onto the airfield. Oh well, fingers crossed that the weather isn’t bad enough to put folk off so we get sufficient numbers to reach our goal of setting a new World Record. With all the lockdown restrictions we’ve endured, this is a great opportunity to get out and about with other like minded folk, all of us being part of this attempt
As others have said. Is it in the right place? (Yes I did read the replies). Some where more central to the Midlands would make it more viable for a lot of people. You could also allocate a lot more passes too. To travel some 500 miles there and back potentially in the rain or whatever is rather difficult and expensive for those in the South/South West.
But, I guess if you allocate the 1000 passes (and they all turn up of course) then perhaps it is.
Either way good luck with all those going and for the record.
I’m one of those who didn’t want to order a pass and then due to work commitments not turn up, so leaving ‘my’ pass available for someone else.
Had I known that all 1000 wouldn’t be sold I would have ordered on the off chance I could go.
As things stand, I could go and support the event, but cannot get a pass.
Maybe the organisers could make passes available on the day for those that pre register ? and then collect it from a pre determined point near Elvington?
I’m sure others are in my situation and it may help keep the numbers above 683 or whatever.
Well that’s typical…I ordered 2 no. passes for our nc’s but just yesterday mine was hit by dozy driver who ran into my door just missing me but damaged the door beyond repair and the drivers front wing so that’s one down on numbers for the event unless someone would like my pass? Can I do that Iain?
Venues to run an attempt like this are not easy to come by - or that we could afford to hire. The required record course as set by Guinness needs to be 2 miles, and run on non public surface, the procession needs to be continuous - at an optimistic run the venue needs to be nearly 3.5 - 4 miles long.
Bruntingthorpe can no longer be hired, Millbrook is so expensive it’s not funny, the longest track at Silverstone is 3.1 Miles however is a nightmare of (great) corners for a parade record attempt and also is incredibly expensive and on the whole race tracks do not represent good venues for this. Beyond that we are back to other runways and once you get past the live commercial runways the longest private airfield is Bedford (Thurleigh), which is now a car storage facility, next up is Elvington and after that Chelveston which is now a renewable energy farm. RAF bases are not an option and sadly neither is the Jaguar track at Gaydon.
So it’s not that it’s the ‘wrong’ venue, it is the right venue to be able to do this activity, it’s located where it is.
Also remember the Club holds a lot of it’s activity south of Nottingham and it is right that events happen ‘up north’ and further afield from time to time.
Further, the current restrictions severely limit the options that the Club can put on, this is something that can be done under the restrictions, due to the nature of the attempt and we’ve put in place many ways to uphold the restrictions. Given that venue complies with the regs for so many events it is under huge pressure this date was put in place in the middle of last year, we’ve been hoping to make it happen from November, tracking the restrictions all the way.
Things are not ideal, not going to lie, but it’s taken a huge effort to get it together and we are going for it! and nearly 800 of you are up for it which has been overwhelming in the time we’ve had to announce it.
and if 684 of you can get there (and we can drive it properly) you can all go home World Record holders!!
I think York is perfect, Iain. It’s do-able for us Scots who regularly get forgot about in ‘national’ events. I think you and the team have done a remarkable job putting this together. I was particularly impressed how quickly my pack arrived. I’ll be there whatever the weather.
I’m travelling down on the Saturday, staying overnight in Newcastle, then setting off about 9am. Not sure when I’m leaving on the Saturday as I’m visiting my daughter in Edinburgh on the way. Sorry.
Well said, iainf, and can I just add a big thankyou to yourself, the club and all the stewards who have made this day possible, so lets just get out there, rain or shine and get this record cracked once and for all, and “close the gap”!!!
I think Davy the weather is not really the issue, but having to be pretend racing drivers, travelling at high(er) speeds inches apart.
I commented on another thread some months ago, unhappy at GWR not accepting the record was broken two years ago! It was, and comfortably, although I was not as comfortable every time I performed an emergency stop! I figured I could stop, but was not so sure about that chap behind me. He got mighty close on two occasions, so much so that after three laps, and the pack were sent around for another lap, I decided it was pit stop time.
I would have loved to be there on Sunday, but self preservation called, sorry!
I’ve probably missed it but was there a confirmation whether you have to simply be driving a convertible, or whether you have to be driving with the top down. 2019 seems like a long time ago so I can’t really remember but I do recall several people having to drop off their hardtops at the side of the track!
I wish I’d kept my dashcam footage of the last attempt (it may actually be on an old SD card!) but it did start getting silly with the pressure to “close the gap”. My NA is as it left the factory so not exactly a rocket ship but there were times where I was WOT with the car in front pulling away. Not that he was a showboater, he was simply trying to keep up with the car in front!
Its a pure numbers game and some feat when you think about it to keep that pack in formation. Just to throw in some numbers if you have 1000 cars in 4 rows and every driver increases the gap by the blink of an eye (200ms) by the time you get to the back the pack has grown by 50 seconds. Or, at 20 mph, a distance of 1450 feet or 442 meters in new money!
Edit - and for the visual people like myself a study with just 22 cars asked to travel at a steady 30 kph. Simple right… https://youtu.be/Suugn-p5C1M
I really hope you smash it out of the park this time round and you’ll also be doing it for all of us who were there in 2019 (and let down by the miserable sods at Guiness World Records) who can’t make it this time.
For the purposes of this record, a ‘convertible’ car is described as a car which has theoption to lower its roof. Note that cars with ‘sunroofs’ are not considered to be convertibles.
That is a shame if that’s the case. As a participant in the 2019 attempt, I guess the added attraction then, was of a club rally making it a lot easier to get high numbers onto the airfield. Oh well, fingers crossed that the weather isn’t bad enough to put folk off so we get sufficient numbers to reach our goal of setting a new World Record. With all the lockdown restrictions we’ve endured, this is a great opportunity to get out and about with other like minded folk, all of us being part of this attempt 
