Local track not taking memberships!?

[jonboy1 2943]

I was hoping to join my local track and really be able to give a couple of my cars a proper run. So I contacted them and asked how I could become a member - here's their reply:

 As Brookthorpe is now dirt we do not offer a membership (it takes a lot to keep it maintained).

I'm really quite confused. How can you open up the hobby (and sport) to new people if you won't let them become a part of it? Having more paying members surely increases the ability to maintain and improve the track - just set a limit to how many people can use it at once.

Really quite annoyed and upset by this... 

[Collin 1956]

On Google Pics it looks lige a huge track. This indeed needs a lot of maintainence all the time. Website also tell about it.

Well, I would call the head of the Club or go directly there on a Sunday. Direct contact is always best.

[Mad Ax 9313]

I can't speak for that club in particular but it probably depends on how the club wants to operate and other external factors that might be out of their control.  In the case of Brookthorpe, it's possibly because dirt needs time off to recover between race meets, whereas tarmac and astro don't

My local tarmac circuit (I say local, it's an hour away) allow full members to use the track any time they like during site opening hours (it's situated on a private airfield), provided no race events are taking place.  (Admittedly things are a bit different in the pandemic and as of tomorrow I'd imagine the track is off-limits to everyone until we come out of lockdown).  This is probably the sort of membership you were wanting, but dirt or astro instead of tarmac?  This is Cotswold Model Car Club in Kemble - not a million miles from Brookthorpe.

I race at another tarmac club, which is situated in private land and isn't accessible outside of normal club events.  I'm pretty sure this isn't the club's decision, it's all part of the terms and conditions of having the track where it is.

There's another new dirt track near me which was due to have its first proper season this year, but this is situated on private farmland so I expect events will only be able to take place when the track manager is on site and with permission from the farmer.

You might want to contact Mendip RC Raceway - they are primarily a tarmac club but they do have a small buggy track also, and I'm pretty sure they allow members to visit at certain times for test and practice days.  Just south of Weston-super-Mare and not far off the M5.

[catman79 346]

i would imagine this means they do not allow use of the track on non race days, how did you word your question??

i wouldn't for a second believe any club would turn away new members..

[jonboy1 2943]

I just asked how I could become a member.

It used to be as suggested above - you couldn't use it when races were on, but you could go and use it whenever else - but you obviously needed to be a member. Unfortunately I didn't have membership back then (could only have been about a year ago) as I didn't have anything running back then 

It seems that now they have changed the surface (it used to be astro) they aren't taking on any more members, which just seems counter intuitive to building up support for it.

They are taking members at Ledbury which isn't a million miles away either - but this course is ideal as it's on my way to and from work - so would be perfect for a post work thrashabout.  

[ploots 185]

I never realised there was a club at brookthorpe that's only a couple of miles away from me, you learn something new every day