old trials fanatic Posted November 9, 2012 Report Share Posted November 9, 2012 Strewth glad i'm in England and changed our club from ACU to AMCA. Main reason i did it was because AMCA to us was better vfm and a LOT less hassle plus riders didnt need a comp license so removing a lot of grief from the organisers. It does sound a lot when viewed from over the wall. I'm sure the SACU have their reasons but i dont get why it should be so expensive up there to ride compared to a rider riding ACU events never mind AMCA events down here. At least it's still cheaper than riding in Spain 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
telecat Posted November 9, 2012 Report Share Posted November 9, 2012 I suppose telling a scotsman to pay more money for something is always a controversial subject but perhaps they'd like a view from south of the border. The ACU "Licence" currently costs £10. However an entry in a Trial in the Yorkshire centre for adults is usually £15 for a club trial and £17 or £20 for a Centre. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
big john Posted November 9, 2012 Report Share Posted November 9, 2012 Thanks for highlighting my assumptions John, I have already discussed this topic in detail with our club, And my post is of no detriment to the club or landowners, I agree it is an assumption, based on limited and vague information published by the sacu Cheers Chris I wasn't having a go at you Chris, please don't take it that way. It's just the 'taxman' has ways and means - that was all! Cheers, Big John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chr155_d Posted November 9, 2012 Report Share Posted November 9, 2012 No offence taken John, I'm merely just trying to understand this new radical concept. The same way most folk are. I'm sure all will come out in the wash, and we will be cracking open a fresh bottle of two stroke next year Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
big john Posted November 9, 2012 Report Share Posted November 9, 2012 There will be a 'fact sheet' available as a download released on the official SACU website later today. www.sacu.co.uk Big John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
big jock Posted November 9, 2012 Report Share Posted November 9, 2012 Factsheet on Johns link now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
big john Posted November 9, 2012 Report Share Posted November 9, 2012 http://www.sacu.co.uk/sacu_pages_editing_regularly/SACUFactsheetNov2012%20-%20v1.0.pdf Link to SACU website, gives more information. Big John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rabie Posted November 9, 2012 Report Share Posted November 9, 2012 again i don't mean to but into Scottish affairs, it's your SACU, you decide but some questions if i may; a) why only £10million public liability, trials under the ACU is £30million although most mx, enduros, & grass tracks can have a £10 million option what level of personnel accident insurance are you offering ? i) weekly benefit or ii) fixed payments if serious injury, 4+ weeks in hospital, etc - ACU offers ii, as i was to expensive but private providers offer it, most mx, enduros, & grass tracks have none at all. re an example budget (we don't have to talk about BAMCC), every club has land costs, insurance costs, levy, permit, etc - the infrence here is that entry fees are going to have to rise, or are we missing a cost to clubs that has gone down? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2stroke4stroke Posted November 9, 2012 Report Share Posted November 9, 2012 That's a clearer explanation on the website and, whilst we haven't seen the terms and conditions yet, there's no doubt that £8 is a bargain premium if one wants the cover, as we will probably find next year when the insurers come back with a year's worth of road racing payouts behind them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
overthehill Posted November 9, 2012 Report Share Posted November 9, 2012 Trials is the cheapest form of motorsport in the country, where else can you compete on your bike/car/quad all day for a few quid? An entry fee may go up 4 or 5 quid but its still the best value motorsport you can buy. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
big jock Posted November 10, 2012 Report Share Posted November 10, 2012 Aye your right Overthehill, It costs me £8 to feed my son in McDonalds before we get there (and half the Trials entry are there with me) and if he is hungry on the way home its a chippy or a Chinese (Fish supper £6 or Chinese £25) Then the petrol (£20-£80+) We can't have it all for free or should we ask President Alex to pay for it. 10 Years ago I was paying £10 for an entry in the south of England. That was for a lap of 800mtrs, 4 times (Duration 1hr). Some clubs up are are taking as little as £4 to ride in some of the best trials ground in the World. What more can I say, nothing. Aye Sandy SACU General Manager Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gjbiker Posted November 10, 2012 Report Share Posted November 10, 2012 All other Motorcycle Motorsports (trials and enduro being the exception), rely on a fixed venue where all costs can be accounted for and spectators (and related revenue) can be easily averaged? As already mentioned, the prices for riding trials on private land are constantly negotiable, so how is this factored into the equation of costs and losses relating to the SACU? Gaining land owners consent these days is by far the average trials clubs greatest desire, should they (the land owner) impose a relative cost per venue then surely this is acceptable (within reason) to prevent the extinction of the sport? To most clubs, gaining consent to ride on land is hard enough these days, if we had the same (constant) comforts of road racing, speedway and mx tracks then our concerns as a whole would not be justified? Unfortunately, every trials club incurs different annual costs for land land use and therefore may not perhaps sustain the new £5 increase per event? We already suffer from small numbers at what I would consider, low costs, will this annual increase deplete our already dwindling numbers? Trials riding has always been renowned as the cheapest Motorsport. If costs in this endangered sport can't be kept relative then it will be remembered as the last cheapest motorsport? What next - non stop rules at a world level? GJ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chr155_d Posted November 10, 2012 Report Share Posted November 10, 2012 Well I've read all publication released from the sacu, My conclusion is, The new licence/ comp levy system has been designed to target the sacu's cash flow shortfall due to motocross now being split between sacu/mcf, In fairness I can appreciate that £5 is not a great sum of money, And the sacu have stated that the comp levy fund is to help future growth of all five motorcycle sport discipline's But my questions to the sacu? WHAT WILL BE DIFFERENT? WHAT IS THE BIG PICTURE? IS THERE ANY STRATEGY FOR THE FUTURE? Mx riders have not switched affiliation based on Sacu's cashflow they switched alliance's based on the Sacu's input to events mainly prize money. As a union there has been a higher premium commanded in each discipline, In a period when riders are picking and choosing which events to ride based on overall costs Does the Sacu have a future growth strategy that all this cash is being earmarked for? Or is this purely to generate funds and then decide what to do? I've heard riders in Scotland complain for a lot of years that they have had no support in Scotland mainly from the sports main governing body, Do they plan to help the success's of the future? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
big john Posted November 10, 2012 Report Share Posted November 10, 2012 GJ - I do understand that in some cases trials clubs do indeed pay for land, my concern was that Chris and his club are identifiable and therefore so too is the landowner (it's very easy to work out with the information on the internet nowadays) Point I was trying to make is he/she may not wish it known on a public forum that he is charging for trials on his/her land. Especially if the landowner forgets to 'declare it' heaven forbid! Anyway.. The decisions taken by the SACU do not, in any way, centre around the split in motocross at the start of this year. However one thing is for certain the split proved one thing, if you take something that is whole and split it in half, you end up with 50%. The 'new level' that was promised, didn't really materialise due to the low numbers. Riders have been rather disappointed by it all, but I'm not here to degrade fellow sports people. The SACU lost out and so did the SMXF! More to the point, riders lost out too, which is the real shame of it all. Fact: Scotland is a small country, splitting things doesn't work well with small numbers. Fact: There are plenty of people that dislike off-road motorcyclists, we don't need to dislike ourselves. Anyway... With regard to trials entry fees next year, the burning question is this, will Scottish trials riders stop riding events because a closed to club trial will cost £13 -15 and a national £20? When I personally think back to when I was much younger and fitter than I am now and what I earned back then, it's still cheaper to ride now than back then! Most riders are actually like me, they want well organised events, good fun, no hassle, a good days sport and home to wash the bike and Gaernes. They are not really that bothered about why the SACU want to charge a levy or indeed what they really want the funds for. When I am actually on a bike in a trial, the last thing that is on my mind is how much the days sport is costing me. I have also had to listen to folk talking about "the SACU don't do this, the SACU dont do that". Well if they don't clear their feet financially they wont do anything, will they? Who exactly are the SACU anyway? Well the SACU is a union of affiliated clubs of which I am a member myself and so are all my colleagues on the SACU. Most have actually ridden in one form of motorcycle sport or another. Mine happens to be trials predominantly and the occasional enduro. We are all voted into office to make decisions on behalf of our respective sports, if these decisions are wrong, then vote someone else in, they can have the problem. Maybe they can do better? We are not a bunch of 'suits' dreaming all this stuff up for the hell of it either, we actually want to better our sport, make it more useable, encourage more people to take it up, something we are all extremely passionate about. But we can't do that simply on enthusiasm, it takes money to do certain things, that is a fact of life! And we are all volunteers, read the factsheet on the SACU website, its all there in black and white. The SACU are always happy to hear the views of clubs and their riders. But remember, it's one thing talking it's another thing to do something! The easy bit is telling the SACU what to do, someone has actually to do it! It's the very same situation as a club! How many times have you heard it say, great idea - now who is going to carry it out? So if you want to learn more, SACU affiliated clubs have the right to send delegates to the SACU AGM in February, where they can learn more, perhaps the attendance levels will be greater in February 2013 than they have been for years? Anyway... The details are now out there, clubs and riders have now got all the information about next years fees. We shall now just have to wait and see! Big John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chr155_d Posted November 10, 2012 Report Share Posted November 10, 2012 Thanks for your authoritive response John, I personally don't want to demise the great work put in by the sacu and it's member/volunteers Just keen to grasp the future direction of Motorsport, And yes we do have a lot to learn so maybe have to make that long lonely trip down to a meeting, Regards Chris 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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