The V8 Supercars returned to Tasmania in 2004 after no round for five years. The attendance figures for 2004 were around
60 000 people over three days. Some of these patrons would choose general admission ticketing and byo seating. Others would choose reserved grandstand seating. Others would be hosted in the corporate hospitality section over pit lane. Record attendances and one of the biggest crowds to a sporting event in Tasmania.
 |
| Late Friday Afternoon in 2009. |
Jump forward ten years and there are fans who have returned year after year. Crowd numbers have fluctuated slightly over time but on average the Symmons Plains circuit can claim attendance figures around the 50 000 mark over each set of three days. A big sporting event for Tasmania. In all of these years patrons have been offered a tier of viewing options from general admission through to corporate hospitality. Plenty of choice for the variety of V8 Supercar fans attending a local event.
 |
| May 2009 - Early morning view from Grandstand Turn 2. |
Jump forward to 2014 and things have changed. Loyal Tasmanian V8 fans are being offered
less options for viewing this event.
Why? Up until this current year there has been a
reserved grandstand seating option for those who wished to pay more than general admission and less than the corporate hospitality. A seat for watching all the races, some protection from Tasmanian weather (4 seasons in one day!) and the inclusion in the price of a paddock pass to be able to wander past the pits and check out the action before returning to a seat to watch the next race.
 |
Looking from the Turn 2 Grandstand in 210.
There is another Grandstand that vanishes in later years. |
For my family this is a break in a tradition that spans all the years of the
V8 Supercars coming to Tasmania since 2004. I have gladly purchased reserved grandstand seats every year. There has not been a year that we have missed travelling to Launceston and spending three days at Symmons Plains watching all the racing. Our seats have been in almost the same spot. We have seen the same faces return year after year. The grandstand has been full year after year.
Why has this been changed for 2014?
 |
View from Grandstand at Turn 2 in 2011.
Still a second Grandstand in the centre. |
I have emailed the
V8 Supercar organisation and I have phoned the
V8 Supercar organisation and I am waiting for an explanation for this reduction in seating choice.
This is the
only round in the 2014 calendar where patrons are
not able to purchase
reserved grandstand seating.
Why?
 |
Early Morning shot of the Grandstand at Turn 2
ready to be filled with race watchers. |
That seems really unfair to me - are the only options then general admission or corporate hospitality? Sounds like the mighty dollar is talking loudly doesn't it? What a bummer for all your family and all the other families who do the same as yours does.
ReplyDeleteThanks for adding your thoughts, Michelle. The Tasmania 400 round is the only one that is not offering reserved grandstand seating. I agree that it is unfair. In previous years the turn 1 grandstand has been full so why would organisers take it away?
ReplyDeleteMy son and I have taken the grandstand option for the past five years and continue to be more than willing to pay the premium. We don't want to view from the hospitality area with the people who are there for the booze and are disinterested in the racing. Attempts to contact both V8Supercars and the Tasmanian track owners have been met with silence. Let's keep up the pressure and hope they eventually see sense!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Les. I have added more blog posts and one of these contains a reply from the V8 Supercar organisers. I have emailed pollies and papers and am continuing to share my blog posts. Please spread the word. I just want a seat in the grandstand that gives the best view plus shelter.
ReplyDeleteYesterday I received a similar letter from V8 Supercars as you did, indicating a decision in about a fortnight. Also had a letter published today in The Examiner. A FB post also has attracted some interest. The response from V8SC was interesting in that they claimed it was necessary to bring the stand from the mainland - surely there is a Tasmanian supplier who could provide a similar structure (and hopefully with more comfortable seating) for a competitive price. My son has also written to V8SC with a quite detailed argument so will be interesting to see if he gets the "standard" response.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Les.
ReplyDelete