(Vic Club) - NO FRILLS challenging run to Kinglake Nov 25

[Grumpy]

Call me whatever names you like, but I cannot believe the reputation of the MX5 club, or any other car club for that matter, is helped by the sight of a number of MX5's, \"hooning\" throught the back roads of Melbourne's outer suburbs, well over the posted speed limits early on a Sunday morning.

Is this how we encourage good driving and safety ??????

If by writing these comments I offend anyone in the club, I'm not sorry. I think there is much to be gained by car clubs showing the general public they are responsible, and that they do not condone speeding or dangerous driving on public roads. We need to set a good example for the young drivers in the community also.

Regards,
Bob.

Okibi is dead right. The legal implications for the club if anything goes wrong at one of these runs does not bare thinking about. I for one would not like to see any of the commitee in court.

And Al, just for the record, yes I know the MX5 goes around corners really great, even overtakes slow porsche drivers at philip island, but I am pretty sure my speedo is not broken.
See you next time I need some spares.

[fredbareoz]

Grumps
Do you understand what the other people are saying here?
They enjoy a challenging run, one that is fits between the usual first sunday of the month run and full on racing at a circuit.
First up i do acknowledge comments from Okibi and agree with what he says. BUT, there comes a time when someone has to take responsibility for their actions. And if they over cook thinks whilst driving, then its their own fault.
The comments about not being able to catch the leader (myself) are a joke. I kept to the speed limits all the way from the start point and the build up areas. Perhaps you got caught at the traffic lights?
Also the corners on the first stretch of road running behind Eltham are very tight, there is no way that i am going to go too crazy through that stretch of road. A road that was used on the previous Sunday club run and at the same pace.
The same for the rest of the run, I am very wary of Myers Creek road and kept a lot back in reserve. In fact i held up other drivers on the run keeping speeds down, that might not go with your accusations but that is the truth.
The offender for the high speed drove another type of car and was waved through just out of St Andrews, I never saw him till he waited for us in Kinglake and then left us again further down the road.
he can take responsibilty for his own driving, he wasn't driving an MX5 and he was too far in front of us to even be considered to be in our convoy.
As far as i am concerned he wasn't with us and there was no way he could be associated with the club.
I cant believe that you can attend a run that when advertised has a punk theme and is also promoted as a CHALLENGING run and then have the nerve to complain about it.
Have you seen the other peoples comments on here? These are the people that have asked for these runs. They get up at 6.00 am to do them because no one else caters for them.
In fact our club is loosing people to another group because we dont cater to their wants.
Now maybe I should have spelt out more CLEARLY at the start of the run what the nature of it was and i apologise for not doing that. I should never take things for granted.
That said i do recall saying VERY clearly that the run will not be held up, there will be no radio contact between cars and that people will be required to find their own way using the basic notes provided. I did in fact stop 3 times to regroup and had several people complaining about some one, that would not pull over and let people through who were confident to travel at a quicker pace.
I had no expectation of anyone to wait at corners for slower cars. No need to have a car to follow as tail end charlie, there were no radios, so no contact could be given, again, use the notes and make your own way there.
NOW, the courteous thing to do and one that is expected when on a run follows. \"Dont hold up people behind you, pull over and let the quicker people through\" is what i remember.
There is a night time Reefton run on in January. I expect a large turn out for it, It will have run notes and radio contact, and it will run it in a similar vein.
Thanks for your feedback to the president, pity you could not talk to me about your concerns at the coffee stop to my face and before you sped off in the distance while taking your car to the redline in first gear.
Its times like these that make me wonder why i bother spending my time and money to go out and organise events and make me question why i am on the committee.
Like Fatty said, if its a problem, why even show up for the run?

[Grumpy]

Al,
My main concern is what happens to the club if some one \"overcooks it\" and hits something or some one ??
As for the comment about letting faster drivers through, why pass out convoy rules that state the exact opposite ??
We will agree to disagree.
I have said my bit and if I am seen to be a dill, so be it !!! I have had a number of PM's thanking me for my comments though.

My only concern is the clubs reputation.

[RRdstr]

Its times like these that make me wonder why i bother spending my time and money to go out and organise events and make me question why i am on the committee.

Having so questioned Al, I hope you come to the conclusion that many of us really do appreciated the time , effort and expense you and Roady put in to organising and leading this type of run. Personally, your runs have been the highlights of my MX5 year, and I'm looking forward to the next.

[Fatty]

al's runs are always good. i agree with RRdstr they are a highlight of the club calendar for me.

the club is trying to cater to different wants and needs so it is a difficult task to keep everyone happy.... if you turned up to this run then you either heard about it via the club, or via this forum. in either case, it was made clear what sort of run it would be. in fact, in the last club magazine (the one that advertised this run) the prez made it very very clear about this issue in his column. so i'm a little surprised at grumpy's comment that he and his wife turned up for \" what we thought would be a pleasant drive through the hills. \" i don't see how it could have been spelt out any clearer that this would NOT be a \"picnic\" style run. i'm not dismissing grumpy's concerns (they are valid and i respect that he is trying to look out for the best interests of the club), i'm just confused as to why he even showed up for this run.

now, i was not present, so i don't know what actually transpired. it seems there are conflicting reports on whether there were actually any mx5's doing the wrong thing. i guess i'm just a bit disappointed that runs of this nature may be struck from the calendar in future. i enjoy a good spirited drive every now and then, so hopefully we can work out a way to keep everybody happy. it's a difficult task and i do not envy the committee, it must be a tough gig.

it would be a shame if my future involvement with the club was limited to motorsport events only, i do enjoy the occasional social type outing but it would get a bit boring if that was the only thing on offer.....

[John Hewitt]

Having dríven with the club many times in the past, as well as with fellow members privately; safety is always paramount. The leaders of the runs are dedicated to providing the best possible activities for the participants. Never have I met a more dedicated group of VOLUNTEERS! The reputation of the MX5 club is one of the best around. Check out it's list of annual offerings and you'll be hard pressed to find a more involved group of enthusiasts.

Complaining about leadership should only be done when one is ready to become a leader.