Son of Frontrunner ?

[Suffolk944]

The annual Frontrunner event seems to have totally fizzled out as a fixture on the calender (unless I am missing something) with the last couple of events seeing dwindling numbers/growing apathy (although personally I would say it being punted out to October probably didn't help matters that much)

To me it's a great shame as in it's prime it was an excellent focus for all Porsches with the engine in the right place and a fine spotlight on our splendid cars. So my question would be, is there still an appetite out there for such an event and if so what sort of format do people think it should take ?

 

[Hairyarse]

I would have thought that the appetite was there Jon, Brighton was a great meet with a very good turn out. I don't know what the recipe is for that though, as conversely Cadwell park there was just four of us. Maybe it's just a questions of timing and clashing with other events?

 

[Frenchy]

For me the start April/May or the finish September/October of the "car" season would suit along with the location, somewhere central which to me is West Midlands or further north, which still means a 400 mile round trip minimum for us oop North.
As mentioned Cadwell park would be okay for me personally which i could not make this year, i would love to make a weekend of it camping over a weekend.

 

[zcacogp]

I think there is quite an element of 'the luck of the draw'. Such events always tempt me, but I rarely find I am free on the relevant weekend. Or, to put it more accurately, I know my wife wouldn't want to come and weekends are scarce and hence such events come very low down the priority list and get 'bumped' by almost anything else.

The prospect of a hot, sunny weekend camping somewhere with some like-minded 944 folks appeals. But not enough for me to travel a huge distance, spend a lot of money or take a huge chunk of time out of my diary for. I know it sounds awful when you put it like that ... sorry! []


Oli.

 

[pauljmcnulty]

Frontrunner died a natural death, largely because it was meant to be an event run by the frontrunner Registers. With little, or zero, input from the 968, 924, 928 registers, it became a 944 day out. We now have plenty more days out that are better organised....

I guess Rutland took over as the one, fixed annual event for our cars? Open to anyone, and not organised by us, so you get people coming who would be put off by it being a PCGB event. It works brilliantly, and I guess until we get people from the other registers wanting to join in we just do our own stuff?

I've been taken totally by surprise with the huge amount of work put in by people like Andy and Glenn, organising small, local meets that get people out in their cars. Or Edd, for organising the track day with a huge time input you can't even begin to imagine.

It's exactly what I've argued for over many years: smaller events, more local to people, and wihout the baggage of it being seen as a "club"-organised thing. Just post here, or on facebook, if you are out next weekend, and some other owners might well join you. Cheap, cheerful, and where the Club should be heading IMO. []

 

[zcacogp]

ORIGINAL: pauljmcnulty
It's exactly what I've argued for over many years: smaller events, more local to people, and wihout the baggage of it being seen as a "club"-organised thing. Just post here, or on facebook, if you are out next weekend, and some other owners might well join you. Cheap, cheerful, and where the Club should be heading IMO. []

I'll second that. I know I am never seen at events (guilty as charged m'lud) but have tried to organise a couple of garage days. And I am always taken aback by how much effort they take to organise, and how hard it is to get people to turn up. I have a rough rule-of-thumb that says that around 60% of people who say they will come to an event don't - they either cancel 72-24 hours beforehand or just don't show up on the day. I remember being quite depressed about this on one occasion, but was cheered up by Tref who said that as an RO he has experienced exactly the same thing and learned to live with it.

I think therefore the challenge is to design events that take people's fancy enough to attract attention and to hold that attention to the point that they actually turn up. This may be easier said than done. Bear in mind that different people own 944's for different reasons; as a third (or fourth) car, as a weekend toy, as a track monster, as a daily driver, as a non-running project. This will reflect both in the sort of event that people want to go to, and in the sort of person who turns up. I love doing things, so a garage day is right up my street. Watching people go 'round a track ain't my cuppa tea, but if I can help to pit for Gerry and Tom then my attitude will be totally different. Others will be much more into the concourse thing, the "It's a Porsche, so let's go and look at some other Porsches" thing, the "Let's spend a week driving over some exceptionally fine European alpine passes" thing (Yes Edd, I'm looking at you - with slight envy) or just the "Let's meet up with some mates for a bit of a mooch" thing. As the numbers of 944's dwindles so will the number of people in each group, so meets will have to cater for more tastes or suffer reduced numbers.


Oli.

 

[John Sims]

While I would suggest Paul's comment of "more organized" is perhaps a little off the mark considering the efforts Geoff and Porscheshop put in on the formal Frontrunner events, I do agree that Clubs work extremely well when many people contribute by sorting events. The time, effort and, in part, cost required to generate events centrally can be crippling.

 

[pauljmcnulty]

While I would suggest Paul's comment of "more organized" is perhaps a little off the mark considering the efforts Geoff and Porscheshop put in on the formal Frontrunner events,

Far from it, I meant the input from the other front-engined Registers, not Geoff or Ian. []

 

[Suffolk944]

Yes I am really pleased that Rutland has become such a success, it's exactly as I had hoped when I first suggested the idea of an early year informal gathering and its great that its developed on from there with other people's input subsequently.

In my head am certainly not thinking about a Frontrunner event as before but again something more informal but different from Rutland and when the weather is a tad warmer....

 

[graham.webb]

For the record I'm still up for this sort of thing...usually went to Frontrunners. Bedford was a brilliant event, and I just went as a spectator/passenger!