Speed Weekend NI, Balmoral Park, Lisburn

[Bryan]

It's the £5 parking charge that gets me. It's not like they're short of car parking space at the site. £12.50 should include parking and it would be a reasonable cost.

 

[KyleR]

It's the £5 parking charge that gets me. It's not like they're short of car parking space at the site. £12.50 should include parking and it would be a reasonable cost.

Yea that's a bit crap of them, how do they expect you to get to the CAR SHOW if not by car? It's not like it's serviced regularly by public transport or there are alternative parking spaces.

 

[Phil_EK9]

Sunday last year was much better hopefully its the same today. The show and shine was piss poor it has to be said.

 

[cauld1]

I'm not sure but is it not the case that the organisers don't have control over the parking charge like events at the Kings Hall?

I had great fun making an arse of myself yesterday at the autotest and will be doing the same today again! Only had a brief walk round the show and shine bit etc, and it did seem to be quieter than last year though I was only there on the Sunday last year so hopefully it picks up today. Best thing at the show and shine was the Fiat 500 by far in my opinion!

 

[johnboy888]

Can't decide whether to go to this or not.
Went last year and enjoyed well enough.
Wouldn't know it was on if it wasn't for rms

 

[OZ10]

Was decent enough. Only problem was you think there is alot more to do when reading their website etc than there actually is when you turn up lol. Drifting and autotest were the only things that ran all day,autotest is a load of balls and driftings boring after 20mins so you spend most of the day waiting on the drag/spring/rallying starting......

Bit of false advertsing for this event. This was not an autotest! It was an autosolo, the most basic form of an autotest. They advertised it as the cream of the crop battling it out. No im sorry it was a load of beginners and mx5's attemping to drift around cones. This is something i feel very strongly about. This type of event will not please crowds and will not get people into the sport.

I think it was three/four years ago we ran the autotest at it. One was NI Championship autotest drivers and the other was a simplier form and it drew big crowds on the day. That is how you get people interested in the sport.

 

[Reno_LV]

Some pics from yesterday to give you an idea of the event. Never found out how to get across to see the 4X4 stuff!
006 by Reinis Babrovskis, on Flickr

399 by Reinis Babrovskis, on Flickr

114 by Reinis Babrovskis, on Flickr

062 by Reinis Babrovskis, on Flickr

166 by Reinis Babrovskis, on Flickr

178 by Reinis Babrovskis, on Flickr

012 by Reinis Babrovskis, on Flickr

 

[dmcmsn]

£10 for the first person who unplugs the speaker of the boy trying to sing Kenny Rodgers!

 

[garyhoker]

was going too take a run down on bike is there many spectators.....

 

[dmcmsn]

was going too take a run down on bike is there many spectators.....

There seems to be plenty about, but it's £12.50 a head in

 

[Gemma]

Was decent enough. Only problem was you think there is alot more to do when reading their website etc than there actually is when you turn up lol. Drifting and autotest were the only things that ran all day,autotest is a load of balls and driftings boring after 20mins so you spend most of the day waiting on the drag/spring/rallying starting.

Show&shine was pish although thats not the organisers fault,although a 350z got car of the show today..madness considering there was a dc2 just short of 500hp,escort cossie,chevetes etc.

No trade stands for cleaning products etc,just insurance and citroen merchandise from memory,thats all i saw.

That said it was decent for wasting a few hours.

The 350z got best female modifier while the white escort cossie got best performance and best kit/classic car went to a vauxhall chevette iirc

 

[56oval]

Im just back, i did 4 demo 8th mile passes with a handful of the others drag racers, to be honest it was a really nice chilled out Sunday, i saw drifting, loads of rally action, some sprint action and some decent machinery, parachute display team flew in, so for £10 or £12.50 in i wouldnt really have much to gripe about. If your bringing a family, its an expensive day out, so a family ticket needs to be available at a decent price ( if it wasnt already on offer ) what with the kids going back to school next week and the parades, i wonder if its just a touch late in the calendar for the organisers to get decent footfall, but all in i had a great Sunday and would certainly go back next year.

 

[martybelfastsri]

just back myself me and the young lad spent 5 or so hours great day out even got a chunk of sunshine!

 

[cauld1]

No im sorry it was a load of beginners and mx5's attemping to drift around cones.

I would have happily given you the keys to my mx5, I'm sure you could have shown me how it's done.

I do agree on the nomenclature however, it is a bit like when people call the tests in lanes rallies 'stages'.
There were plenty of people getting enthusiastically involved in it today with passenger rides so I would have thought it worked to some extent. Colin Turkington seemed to enjoy himself yesterday which is bound to help too.

Had a good day today again myself, the place did seem a lot busier and the weather held up which definitely helped.

 

[OZ10]

Lol never drove a real wheel drive before I'll leave the hair dressing to you [emoji13] I would have came up and done the demo no bother if it had of been an autotest but simply not worth my time nor tyres to loop around cones.

I can see people wanting to get in beside people for a run out, not sure if it was free or u had to pay but how many of those passenger rides or spectators will you see out in the future?

 

[cauld1]

Haha, I left all the hair cutting gear at home!

I'd say the same as at any event of this nature no matter which way its run, small numbers. I know for me a day spent marshalling a championship autotest as an around 10 years ago scarred me for life! As for spectators I would imagine it will be partly down to the promotion of future autotests as to numbers.

 

[OZ10]

Yeah championship level maybe aiming too high. But the likes of MG or PPMC could have ran a great, simple but entertaining autotest there. Possibly boosting the numbers entered

 

[KevM]

As said, nice chilled out sunny Sunday.
The drivers all seemed to be enjoying the activities!

I got a couple of stages in the passenger seat of the Manta & then took to the sky for a quick run in the helicopter. I'm only gutted that I wasn't there doing passenger runs round the cones in yet another MX5!!!

@56oval were you in the Beetle with the trumpet?

 

[Sonny]

Decent day out, plenty to see and something for everyone almost. Maybe needs a tanoy instead of posters to let people know what's on and when.

Few photos, more to come in a report or two

Speed-Weekend-SJKG-1 by Sonny Gorman, on Flickr
Speed-Weekend-SJKG-3 by Sonny Gorman, on Flickr
Speed-Weekend-SJKG-4 by Sonny Gorman, on Flickr

The noise from this thing
Speed-Weekend-SJKG-5 by Sonny Gorman, on Flickr
Speed-Weekend-SJKG-6 by Sonny Gorman, on Flickr
Speed-Weekend-SJKG-7 by Sonny Gorman, on Flickr
Speed-Weekend-SJKG-8 by Sonny Gorman, on Flickr
Speed-Weekend-SJKG-9 by Sonny Gorman, on Flickr
Speed-Weekend-SJKG-10 by Sonny Gorman, on Flickr

Need to own this
Speed-Weekend-SJKG-11 by Sonny Gorman, on Flickr

 

[Sonny]

And a short video of a V8 Landrover at the start of the off road course

 

[56oval]

@sonny, fantastic pics, now i can put a face to a name ( 2nd time around ) looks like you toured the whole site . Sorry i had to duck off mid chat ( hate that ) but great to meet you

 

[chrisd1]

I thought it was a great event! Perfect weather today, some great show cars, but more importantly lots of action, drift, drag, sprint, rally, off road, etc... where else would you get it all in one place? A few issues to iron out, but this is an event i can see getting better and better every year!

 

[RickyMcG]

Great weekend so much fun.

 

[garyhoker]

well done ricky

 

[RickyMcG]

Cheers Hoke, you should have been out yourself you would have had a ball.