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Scottish Races
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mmcn View Drop Down
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Joined: 27 May 2013
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    Posted: 27 May 2013 at 1:52pm
Hi
I joined the BHPC last year and was not going to rejoin this year because of the lack of Scottish races but i decided to rejoin in the hope i would be able to make some of the races in England and Wales but so far i havent have the time...
So my question is are there any plans to have any races in Scotland in the future ? Are there even enough members in Scotland to run some unofficial races or get togethers ? I am sure i am not alone as the only Scottish member that cant make the 5 hour journey down south to race. I would love to take part in an event not only for the chance to see some amazing pieces of machinery but just to appreciate what a recumbent race is like......
A Scottish venue for the world championships one year ??? Midgies allowing....Smile
Thanks
 
Mike
 
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AlanGoodman View Drop Down
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Points: 8036 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote AlanGoodman Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 27 May 2013 at 6:20pm
Hi Mike,
It took me 8 hours to get up to Lancaster on Friday... Big smile
This weekend's races may well have been nearer to you than me. Sadly they were the furthest North we'll be going this year...
 
I'll add you to the member's group on here by the way, so that you can see the member's only parts of the forum...
 
I really hope you get to come down to one of the events... Unfortunately the other weekend event (Fowlmead) is about as far from you as you can get without getting wet... Cry
 

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graydog View Drop Down
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Points: 1481 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote graydog Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 27 May 2013 at 9:17pm
Hi Mike,

seems there is a growing clan in Scotland of those wanting races.
I'd like to see what we can sort, perhaps a norther set and southern set.

we use to rac in Newport for a while then that got dropped.
Comp SEc has done a job getting a higher number more up norf!!

seems more of the racers are from the south, is this a chicken and egg??

if we hold more up north would we get more racers?

How many riders do you know would enter races at your end?

cheers
g
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GeoffBird View Drop Down
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Points: 2396 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote GeoffBird Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 27 May 2013 at 10:08pm
We have had races in Scotland in the past - notably the 'British Championships' in Edinburgh, but mainly because of an enthusiastic Scots contingent willing to organise it. It is an unfortunate, but hard reality that events around London (some of which take even us in Oxfordshire quite a while to get to) are generally better attended. Comp Secretaries try to strike a balance between being nationally representative and financial suicide.
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mmcn View Drop Down
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Points: 8 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote mmcn Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 28 May 2013 at 7:18am
I thought the lack of numbers may be the reason for no races north of the border. I would have thought there would be a fair number of riders in the central belt with two well established recumbent shops one in Glasgow and one in Edinburgh. It may just be that a few races north of the border, well advertised, would encourage more Scottish riders. 
If it is a lack of organisers then i am sure there would be some volunteers, i know i would be one.

I heard lately that Graeme Obree is testing his Beastie in Scotland. A UK landspeed record set in Scotland ? This may be the time to promote a race in Scotland ??  

Mike
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AlanGoodman View Drop Down
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Points: 8036 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote AlanGoodman Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 28 May 2013 at 7:22am
Good on yer Mike!
If you can find a suitable track and are willing to organise then it would certainly be worth a try! A weekend event may well attract more of us soft southerners. :o)

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Adrian Setter View Drop Down
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Points: 1606 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Adrian Setter Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 28 May 2013 at 9:40am
Not doing well at living up to the "British" bit of our club's name was something I pondered on during my tenure as CompSec.  It is true that the distribution of active racers does pretty closely match the distribution of races, but I have no idea which is the cause and which the effect - if, indeed either is and it's not just that both correlate with the distribution of the British population.
 
Given a venue and a willing organiser we sometimes have held BHPC races further afield - we've been as far as Jersey!  When CompSec, I would have been willing to experiment with a race north of the border if I'd been able to find a venue.  Recent years have seen a number of new tracks built, though (Shrewsbury, Stourport and Preston, and we're getting one here in York this year) - are there any new ones in Scotland?  It's the availability of a venue (Rhyl) that's seen us get back into Wales in the last two seasons.
Challenge Hurricane - MicWic Delta (Front half) - Burrows Ratracer
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mmcn View Drop Down
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Points: 8 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote mmcn Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 28 May 2013 at 1:56pm
What do you look for in a track ? I take it that it has to be closed to traffic, a motor racing circuit or something along those lines ?? I used to race in my teenage years and early twenties and did a few circuit races in Industrial estates, are these suitable. I think there are a number of circuits in Scotland used for motorbike racing which may be suitable which i should be able to find out about. I take it cost will be an issue? I will have a hunt about and see what i can find.
 
Mike
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Adrian Setter View Drop Down
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Points: 1606 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Adrian Setter Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 28 May 2013 at 3:25pm
Motor racing circuits will almost certainly be suitable for racing.  We use one car circuit (Castle Combe) and one motor cycling one (Darley Moor) regularly, and others (Thruxton, Goodwood, Zandvoort, Monza) have been used for BHPC or international HPV racing.  The problem is that, unless noise restrictions create weekends when they can't be used for motor sport, they're prohibitively expensive. 
 
A very welcome recent trend is for dedicated cycle racing tracks to be included in new sports centres (Shrewsbury, Preston, York) or even to be built pretty much stand-alone (Stourport, Fowlmead, Rhyl, Gravesend cyclopark): tracking down any that may have popped up in Scotland would be my top tip. 
 
Before my time (and before legal Sunday trading!), I believe that BHPC races were held in the likes of the Lancaster Sainsbury's's (punctuate that! Confused) car park.  In these days of greater litigation and more extreme HPVs I doubt we'd do that again.


Edited by Adrian Setter - 28 May 2013 at 3:28pm
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Andrew S View Drop Down
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Points: 2433 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Andrew S Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 28 May 2013 at 4:00pm
Hi Mike -

I'm more than happy to have at least one race in Scotland next season provided someone lets me know of a suitable circuit.

Basic requirements are an off-road circuit of at least 1 km and preferably 1 mile in length, or a velodrome, available at a weekend for up to £300-350 or so. As Adrian says, this includes purpose-built cycle tracks and motor-racing circuits but go-kart circuits are often too short and twisty for many of our riders.

Andrew S
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