Time Zone : EU have done US races too (found US to be even more welcoming than EU)
Racing Club Experience : Little over a long period of time
Reasons for not Racing : Operation in January/recovery + Operation in May/recovery(ongoing) + Confusion over whats happening + Less (perceived) community Spirit + Less attendance of other members + feeling that RD stopped listening to members + Not seeing a Ranking (Like it or not a ranking system keeps people interested - if standards drop the soloution is penalties for offenders NOT to drop the system) + Changed time + + + NO MODDED Events (I can find hundreds of forums and servers for standard content (RD used to have (or be perceived) to have a TRUSTED MODS ONLY policy), when I came I stayed and Raced because I could get quality mods and Use them with Quality Opponents - IT did NOT matter that I was at the back.
Suggestions :
- Limited Mod events say 3 tracks/Mods per month - voted on by Members (see my post 28/03/11 for more)
- More Formal Sign Up thats enforced - signing up for a race used to be a big deal, you couldn't race, you didn't sign up - I think we need to go back to that - I accept we all have things happen meaning we can't race - but part of the attraction of club events used to be that you knew who would be there and could almost guarantee that 95% of the time all would show up.
- I suggest that servers be set up with more than one class of car BUT that Events are for only one Class - this could make adminning easier - for example a Server with Track : Monaco only Could have WTCC2008 : GT PRo : Clio Mod Class - three events at different times can be run - if some fool joins the Clio event in an Aston Martin then he either leaves or is kicked.
- I think cutting down events to certain days only would be negative - someone earlier made a comment about Saturdays been a day when fewer can race - some may only be able to race on a Saturday so to stop events on that day would effectively rule them out. I remember the Mini Fridays - great fantastic very good events - unfortunately I can very rarely do Fridays and since Minis were always on Fridays I lost out on racing that I would have enjoyed - I didn't moan and am not doing now - I just mention it to point out how easy it is to keep a group of members happy while perhaps unintentionally neglecting others - set days for set cars are in my opinion not good...
I could go on for ages you could have three tracks and three cars on a server and that could provide a whole week of events with hardly any input needed from admin - hell we could even have FREE FOR ALL Friday where all three classes are run at the same time. There are so many variations available from having multiple cars/tracks on a server and trusting members to arrive, select the right car and right track on the day (we are not stupid and sheeplike, even though to admin we may sometimes give a very good impression of being so).
I am sure I have many many more ideas but on a final note would point out - As members we DO appreciate the efforts of admin and the work they put in, but we also equally value and appreciate the input and presence of our fellow members - admin keep up the good work, members get behind them a bit more and support them, they do what they do for the benefit of RD and its members, and sometimes, despite them doing things with the best intentions they are going to get it wrong (these last few months and the low club sign ups show how wrong they can get it IMHO) - its up to us as members to POLITELY and with RESPECT show them the errors of their ways.. Admin - its your duty to listen to constructive criticism and not close threads or threaten bans when threads follow a discussion you don't like, If its admin abuse, personal attacks or pointless criticism then I fully support bans and thread closing, but I have seen such tactics used when perhaps they were unwarranted - and this undermines not only Club Events attendance but All Admin and RD as a whole. No I won't give examples, no I don't want dialogue, no I don't want to point fingers - its the past and thats where it should all stay - Its time for a clean slate, for us all and for the Racing Club to move forwards..