Norton Day Friday 2009 Donington

[graham]

Really must start an album for myself in the Gallery !'til then I've posted my trackside photo's on my own site:http://www.grahamwilshaw.co.uk/thumbnai ... lbum=4More to follow as soon as I've a minute. I'm especially pleased with the shot of Trevor Nation and I've a few shots of Huw Huws and Andy Wilson to put up as well.What a week! Back from the Wankeltreffen on Tuesday, Donington Friday and Rotary Day Sunday Brilliant!Rotary day was once again a very pleasant affair with wonderful sunny weather, an ice cream van, burger van and an excellent Cafe along with lots of motorcycles of course.Many thanks to Alan Stubbs for organising it for us.Graham

[Interpol2471]

Rotary day was once again a very pleasant affair with wonderful sunny weather, an ice cream van, burger van and an excellent Cafe along with lots of motorcycles of course.Many thanks to Alan Stubbs for organising it for us.Graham

That sounds nothing like the Norton event wish I had gone to that instead but had a local event to support I thought the Norton day at Donnington was really poorly done and I am letting them know too after the evening toilet problems.

[Derek Nicol]

Great photos Graham... and i believe the TT bike failed to break down.The NOC/Norton/Donington organisation was lacking and i overheard many people expressing their disapointment.

[Dell Boy]

I was a volunteer helping to run the Donington rally.I arrived midday Thursday to find a water main had burst & was part way through being repaired but the repair team had disappeared leaving the 100m.m. pipe unrepaired. This meant there was no water on our part of Donington. The water was back on I believe about 21.00hrs. on Thursday night. The gathering was not due to start till Friday but a lot of people turned up on thursday. There were other problems but remember we were all unpaid volunteers who did not get to see much of anything due to the work we were doing. I came home completely knackered. Derek.

[Richard Negus]

In my opinion as now a 'consumer' rather than a 'provider', there are several things that I think worthy of mention.. the event was the result of a three-sided organisation - circuit operator, CRMC and NOC.. CRMC did what they've been practicing very well for a large number of years.. NOC did something completely new without any practice and, despite a few very minor glitches here and there, succeeded in giving members and guests a very enjoyable time. For me, to meet old friends, walk round the bikes, and talk to those I've only known via phone and forum was well worth it ; the NOC members and volunteers are to be congratulated ! . off-track facilities were abysmal for a circuit that hosts the WSB and MotoGP ; on Friday, there appeared to be only the paddock cafe open and no toilet fit to enter, let alone use. With apologies to Charlie Wilkinson, very reminiscent of Cadwell Park in the late '60s. As all major events are now televised, it perhaps means that spectator facilities are less important than they were ten years ago. But how to explain 128,000 at Silverstone for the F1 ?The best part for me ? Nothing rotary, I'm afraid. Haven't been close to a Featherbed Inter for years - and then there's three in a row !R.

[Richard Negus]

Rotary day was once again a very pleasant affair with wonderful sunny weather, an ice cream van, burger van and an excellent Cafe along with lots of motorcycles of course.Many thanks to Alan Stubbs for organising it for us.Graham

I second that also ! A very enjoyable day.And the unique experience of seeing another Commander on the M6 going home and, even though we'd both been at Gawthorpe, made me want to let everyone know "Look, look ! TWO Commanders on the same bit of road !"Great day !R.

[Derek Nicol]

I was a volunteer helping to run the Donington rally

Please dont take any criticism of the event personally Derek. I have been a Rally secretary in recent years and i know it takes a lot to put something like this together. May i add my thanks to the volunteers who no doubt did their best.My criticism however stands, unfortunately this event did not live up to the pre-event publicity. I would not like to try to apportion blame, i dont have enough behind the scenes knowledge of what went on (that is something for the NOC committee to consider). Believe me, it wasnt just Interpol2471 and myself who were disapointed, as i say i overheard a lot of people expressing their disapointment (no exaggeration) and some of them were really very upset by it all, especially those who had travelled a long distance to be there. My response when asked if i had a good time has been.. 'yes, it was ok, it failed to live up to the pre-event hype but it was ok for what it was'.. i fear that some peoples response will be not so generous, i think the NOC will be receiving a lot of (hopefully constructive) criticism.

[Interpol2471]

Dell Boy I agree all volunteers should be congratulated for their hard efforts on the day and definatley helped make the day the best it could have been. I agree with Richard also it was nice to meet people face to face after all this time on the forum and phone but as for the whole event I thought the day lacked any organisation and the facilities laid on were at best unusable and extremely poor, we paid to get in and to camp without water and toilets. Who also thought it a good idea to have no food vans on site other than the cafe, did anyone get served there during the day? I begged for food and drink at Norton Racing so thanks to them for that. I guess NOC thought only VIP's need to eat and drink during the day The show did not take off neither did the demo runs of the bikes at the camping end of the paddock, at one time we were told to go to that area after the track runs only to find nothing happening and managed to miss the Rotary racers out on track, how cross was I about that The event just did not meet expectations and thats that for me I am afraid to say, I was just glad I was with David Brown and enjoyed trying to video him during the day .. badly lol

[Derek Nicol]

Who also thought it a good idea to have no food vans on site other than the cafe, did anyone get served there during the day? I begged for food and drink at Norton Racing so thanks to them for that. I guess NOC thought only VIP's need to eat and drink during the day

No, the first food I ate was the Hog Roast, over eleven hours after I arrived on site. I discovered the Paddock Café whilst lost in the Paddock trying to find where the track sessions started from (i missed my session) but I refuse to pay £6 for a burger or £3 for a few chips. And, correct me if im wrong, I believe that the VIP section with food and drink laid on wasn’t just for the deserving (the likes of Peter Williams & Trevor Nation) but was also for the well to do & influential... whats that all about then? I wonder if I could have got something to eat and drink if I had explained that my Aunt, Baroness Nicol, was Deputy Speaker of The House of Lords from 1995-2002?... I certainly hope not!! Im a biker like everyone else.

[graham]

It was so nice to be surrounded by enthusiastic Norton owners it wasn't until about 4 o clock I realised I'd had nothing to eat. It was a little bit odd to find so few places to buy food.I don't see how the N.O.C could be involved with that side - I'm sure the owners of Donington Park have total control over who sells food within their grounds. I guess the first N.O.C. food event would've been the Hog Roast.Still a great day out. I wish the day had been longer, I missed seeing Andy Wilson and Huw Huws in the paddock and later found out I'd walked past Colin and Jenny Coleman who were on a short trip back to the UK.To all those people I missed - sorry hope to catch up with you soon.More photo's uploaded to:http://www.grahamwilshaw.co.uk/thumbnails.php?album=4

[Derek Nicol]

It was a little bit odd to find so few places to buy food. I don't see how the N.O.C could be involved with that side - I'm sure the owners of Donington Park have total control over who sells food within their grounds.

The NOC must have asked Donington what catering would be available!!At least by Saturday morning the Burger van just inside the paddock was open and the NOC fenced off a walkway to make access to it... Bacon Roll for breakfast.Sorry folks, enough moaning, im turning into Victor Meldrew in my old age. It was good to see so many old faces and a few new ones too.

[Dell Boy]

Thursday night from 18:30 burgers/sausages/real ale in the big white marquee. Ditto. Friday & Saturday. We spent hours lugging fence panels about for the two sprint courses to no avail because the hired in P.A. was not being used by the N.o.C. management to organise competitors. I suggested a month ago that team leaders be appointed, instructed in what was required for the activity that they were to be responsible for & with a small team of helpers organise & run it. I took charge of the parades on Saturday off my own back, constructed two Paraders holding pens & with the help of the P.A. & informative signage managed to get that to run pretty smoothly despite hold ups occurring on the track due to oil spills. I understand Donington would only allow there own caterers/concessionaires on site & that Donington Race Circuit went bust owing 1.5 million recently. The last two items are hearsay however. Many items hired in & activities advertised did not get used or happen because in my opinion N.o.C. national comittee did not delegate & ran themselves into a frazzle trying to do everthing. I was only one of the poor bloody infantry looking for guidance from above but unfortunately though there were plenty of hands to do the work the management wasn`t in place to direct us. Burger & chips was £4.00 from the van in the paddock which I thought was reasonable. Derek.

[Interpol2471]

I think from this we can deduce that the NOC National committee need a boot up the backside. Shame the burger van was not open on the Friday I have emailed the NOC with my concerns but i guess they won't reply.

[rogerdodger]

What a great display of Nortons over the weekend at Donnington. However, where were the facilities, non existant. Even Richard Negus supplied a Burger van on the Norton days at Rugely. I had a cup of coffee from the VIP lounge, its reserved for VIP'S I was informed, where are they I asked they saw the funny side and they gave us a cuppa. Thank the lord the weather held as it could have been a bit of a disaster, and nowhere to rest me ole legs, half a dozen seats at most.The dinner on Saturday was very good, but saddened when there was no mention of how Richard Negus & Joe have kept the Rotaries running through the bad times, and of course Graham Wilshaw.But it's another pipe dream £16,000 for a new Commando, they cannot be serious, and when I asked about the Rotary I was told, £30 to £40,000 do they realise there is a recession on, and they want to sell to Joe public. Have they researched the market for one of these machines, I don't think so.I've seen it all before, I paid £12,700 in 1990, for an F1, over priced then, and then they could not sell the required 200 bikes for racing, they must be competative with similarily priced bikes, £15,000 -£16,000 at the most. I hope I am proven wrong.

[rotarian]

I am glad that other people feel the same way as I did after attending Donington on Friday and Saturday, the whole thing was a shambles, nothing seemed to be happening as expected, even the parades of works bikes on track were so far away at Redgate that it was a job to see them and no PA so as to let you know who was out and what was happening, I couldn't find the bikes in the paddock after the parades,thought they would have at least brought them up into the general bike viewing area. Riders were flying about in all directions mostly helmetless on both days, regardless of anyone walking around trying to look at the bikes, how was that covered by the public liability insurance? A lot of riders came straight off the track into the bike park and then proceded to blast up and down encouraged by people with cameras taking photos, it made the the NOC look like irresponsible organisers. Trying to get through the gate to watch the action on the track we had to negotiate with the bikes both going on the track and coming back off it.What happened to the largest number of Norton's on the track? What happened to one model from every year? Where was the sprint parade? Where were the ex race stars? Apart from Trevor Nation,we never saw anyone else unless they were on the track,and when I asked a lady in the Norton Racing marqee if Steve Spray was here, she replied most indignantly, "No Why"? Again no PA to let anyone know what was going on. The Factory Tour as far as I am aware never happened, the chaps on the Norton racing stand could certainly talk a good bike story but where was hardware? I heard them talk that many hundreds of thousand pounds worth of stock was on order from various places around the world,but still only one Commando in one piece, and did that work? Because I never saw it move all weekend! On the plus side the camping was ok, although the field was exposed,the portable toilets near the campsite were clean for the two days.We went into the town Friday evening and found an excellent chip shop, so they could keep their cremated hog roast! We went to the Banbury Run on the Sunday, now there's an event that's well organised,and reasonably priced.

[rogerdodger]

Well Saturday was good, blast around the track, although it took 1 hour from calling us to getting onto the track around 13:00 HRS TIME WAS OF THE ESSENCE, around 13:20hrs straight out of Donnington to the nearest pub with SKY, Whitewick I believe, to watch the Lions, great game, unfortuneatly we lost, back to Donnington, still nobody knows whats happening, back to digs ( Lady Gage Guest House) off roads parking, and gate shut at 10pm. Excellent place to stay, well worth a look. Back for evening entertainment which was excellent, sat on table with 2 god damn yanks, actually very very nice people, one from the Californian chapter and BOB from Pennsylvania (rode the F1 around the track on Saturday) see the DVD. Its a pity it wasn't organised a little better. As Stuart said maybe an annual event?

[Derek Nicol]

I heard them talk that many hundreds of thousand pounds worth of stock was on order from various places around the world,but still only one Commando in one piece, and did that work? Because I never saw it move all weekend!

I saw Stuart Garner ride the Commando 961 but its not one of theirs, its one of the Kenny Dreer prototype test bikes. Apparently they have had it completely apart and re-designed a lot of it. The SP version will be £16k but the standard version to follow should be more like £12k ish. Who knows if they will ever sell a rotary? what spec it will be? or how much it will cost?.. ive no idea!! only time will tell.You would have winced at the big fork lift truck going back and forth through the paddock gate at the side of the NOC marquee on the Friday, its amazing that nobody rode into the forks, it was like watching one of those u-tube videos of a busy intersection in Beijing.