Quote Originally Posted by Linden View Post
I believe that its the track (ARDC) requires this
That's not my understanding. It's the club that does, and I've heard them consider scrapping it (I brought it up at a club meeting, IIRC), but Jan stated that on a good weekend they make about $1k at the gate, which would need to be replaced somehow (ie from the riders). I'm sure they don't factor in the cost of printing the tickets, the time it takes to stuff envelopes, the postage to mail them to everyone, the ticket collectors at the gate (with potential cash handling issues) etc etc. So, round it down (to compensate for not incurring additional costs) and it's roughly $5 per rider.

Personally I'd be very happy to pay an extra $5 to avoid all the heartache. And Owen's suggestion about a gold coin donation to the club is tops! I'd throw some coins in on the way in myself.

And please please please don't be misled by TON's crap about 'perceived value'. It's club racing for f@#k's sake, not MotoGP. The only people that currently attend are family and friends. That could potentially expand to interested motorcycle riders who wouldn't pay $30 at the gate for an hour of club racing, but might well pop in for a look if it was free/donation. Forcing people to pay a significant sum is offputting; suggesting people might like to donate to the club would, I reckon, raise a similar amount but attract many more 'casual' spectators.

My $0.02, or rather $2 (gold coin)