This announcement was published in the September Snetterton programme.

There has been further revision, specifically the removal of Blue Haze GPF - and GP from our content in 2024. The plan to run GP with YPM has been withdrawn after further consultation with the YPM riders.

Conversations are on-going with Kawasaki regarding a Team Green Grid to support young riders.

 

Plans for 2024

 

The last three years have been a real challenge with the pandemic and a tightening of our finances all round and a reduction in numbers on many grids.

Firstly, we want to thank all of our Members for their continued loyalty to the club and support of our events in recent times. We understand you work hard and spend pretty well every spare penny on your racing.

Economic problems are not going to ease in the short term and fuel/energy prices are not weakening as predicted. Interest rate rises have a significant lag factor, so the full impact has yet to be felt. 

The emphasis for the Club has to be on affordable, safe, well managed, competitive, fair and fun racing within a supportive environment which is both viable and sustainable. The cost-of-living crisis does affect our volunteer Marshals & Officials as well…We must think of these hero’s travelling around the country to ensure we have adequate numbers to run safe meetings with adequately marshalled circuits. We also invest in equipment and vehicles for our dedicated Medical Team, unique in Club racing. So, some of your entry fees go to support all of this with a small contribution to Marshal & Official expenses, also breakfast and lunch on all 3 days of any meeting. 

We're very conscious therefore that our planning for 2024 must focus on maintaining revenue from entry fees with classes that can deliver numbers at circuits that are not a risk to viability.

Circuits 

Some difficult decisions were made for 2023 with regard to the circuits we have traditionally travelled to. Expensive circuits like Brands GP and Silverstone were removed. Oulton Park with just 1 day of racing viewed as too much of a risk. Remember - the club operates as a mutual organisation - a Members Club effectively and as a non-profit we don't seek to make significant surpluses each year. Where we do that's ploughed back into Club resources, things like the Dyno, radios, medical equipment, web development.

With further economic pressures approaching us all in 2024 we have been pragmatic regarding circuits and will use the same mix as 2023. We will look to start later in March and finish in September with August again featuring the Sidecar Revival, enabling racers with families to be clear of events in the school holidays. The provisional dates will be announced soon.

Classes

Continued viability for the club has focus on filling grids wherever possible. 

With this in mind some changes are proposed to grid makeup and classes in 2024 to ensure we have as many filled grids as possible....

Two-stroke grids:

We have seen poor grids from our two-stroke classes, Blue Haze – no more than 7 full-payers at the September Snetterton round, the rest are people doing it as a second class.

So we propose to remove Blue Haze from our mix in 2024.

 

MZs will share a grid with F400s

The separate championships for each will be maintained.

 

Junior SuperSport:

In July we proposed that Bemsee would take the JSS class as a separate grid and championship as they have been cancelled at BSB. The expressions of interest we received from teams & riders has been underwhelming – to the extent that we can’t guarantee a separate grid for this class now without significant expression of interest from riders left with these bikes on their hands. These bikes are welcome – and can run as a championship within the F400 grid.

We may see changes of mind from riders in this area in the next few weeks, so the Club is open-minded to keep this under review.

We are currently in conversation with Kawasaki on plans to create a more extensive Team Green grid to cover all Kawasaki machines for young riders.

 

MRO 600 & Clubman 600:

Spare grid capacity will be taken up by the expanding experimental class launched this year, in conjunction with Tony Scott Motorsport the GP2/Evo class. Geometry adjustable Bikes that have the option to move to SuperSport at National level.

 

MRO Powerbikes & Clubman 1000:

This will change to be run as 4 races over each weekend – as other classes, based on rider feedback.

 

All other Bemsee classes stay as before:

BMCRC Rookie 600 & 1000

BMCRC F1 & F2 Sidecars

F400 (will inc MZs)

ACU Team Green Junior Cup & Senior Series

MRO Minitwins & Rookie Minitwins 

DFDS Yamaha Past Masters

BMCRC Thunderbike Ultra & Extreme

BMCRC Thunderbike Sport & BMCRC SuperTwins

 

New Bikes on the Market:

The BMW F900R has seen a few riders use Bemsee meeting for extra tracktime. This is still available to these riders – we would award medals if there are 6 entrants or more and they would run within our Thunderbike Sport class.

The new SportsBike Class at BSB features Aprilia RS660, Kawasaki Ninja 650 and the Yamaha R7 – all of these bikes are eligible to compete in the Bemsee SuperTwins class that will also run within Thunderbike Sport.

NOTE: Thunderbike Sport main entrants will always take grid slot priority at events if we are over-subscribed.

 

The new Kawasaki ZX-4RR will be eligible in F400.

 

This plan enables us to ensure that all Bemsee classes come to every round.

The spare slot created by changes to Blue Haze & MZs will enable the Club to offer a guest slot to a range of other nomadic classes such as: Landsdowne Classics – GP Originals – FSRA British F2 Sidecars – European Camathias Cup Sidecars.

The revenue here enables us to continue to support grids that are less than full, until such time as the economy improves and riders can afford to race as before.

 

The dates and circuit list will be published as soon as finalized.

 

Mike Dommett CEO

On Behalf of the BMCRC Board

(September 2023)