This is a first. Thanks to Ray Gibbons I got a copy of this immediatally
and didn't have to wait for the digest, so I can respond quickly.
Ray asks:
>Can anyone explain the rationale whereby the people who *provide* the show
>(the car owners) pay more than the people who *attend* the show? In the
Well, Ray, there are a couple of reasons.
1 The entrants are the ones who are eligible for trophies, and someone
has to pay for the hardware.
2 Most participant's choice shows are not for the express purpose of
attracting spectators. (Unlike say, the New York Auto Show or the
World of Wheels Custom Car Show which is a package deal which tours
the country and is sold to the community as a spectator event.)
3 By not charging for spectators, many organizers, ourselves included,
hope to promote interest in the cars and goodwill in the community.
4 How many people would pay money to see cars that are driven on the street
locally? We really encourage owners to drive their cars. This is
a basic philosophy of Vintage Triumph Register as well.
I could also add that in thirty years of attending car shows, I've
never heard of one where the entrant paid nothing and the spectators
picked up the entire tab. This is true in other areas as well. For
several years I studied martial arts (achieving brown belt level
in kung fu) and in all the tournaments both entrants and spectators
paid. The entrants paid more than the spectators, I might add.
I guess all of that might sound defensive, as in I took offense
at your comments. I didn't, but to answer your question, "Isn't
this backward?" I don't think so. The price structure for British
Motorfest and other similar shows seems just about right to me.
>Any ideas why this is so often the case? I have often wondered why so
>many nice cars are in the parking lot rather than in the show. Maybe
I've tried to figure this one out myself. Many of the owners who don't
enter say that their cars aren't good enough to show, even when they can
plainly see that their car is better than cars that *are* entered.
One year I tried to talk two TR7 owners into entering the show as
there were only two other cars in that class both a bit shabby.
These two cars would have probably walked off with trophies just
for entering. Their response; "Nah, my car's not a show car."
Go figure.
Rik Schlierer
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