2015 Jim Clark Weekend Duns 16/17 May

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2015 Jim Clark Weekend

Scottish Borders, Duns, 16 & 17 May

Overview of event

We are delighted to confirm that Club Lotus are planning a re-run of our very successful 2013 event over the weekend of 16^th/17^th May 2015 to celebrate the 50^th anniversary of Jim’s most successful racing year. In 1965 Jim notched up an incredible series of achievements driving for Team Lotus. During those 12 months Jim won the Tasman series in Australia/New Zealand in a Lotus-Climax 32B, the Indianapolis 500 in a Lotus-Ford 38 and his second F1 World Championship in a Lotus-Climax 33.

Donations and Sponsorship

In order to help organise the event we welcome any donations, sponsorship or VIK services, to help support the many volunteers and organisations involved to celebrate the life and inspiration of Jim Clark.

2013 Jim Clark Weekend

In 2013 we demonstrated a number of famous racing cars connected with Jim in Duns. Starting from outside the Jim Clark Room and driving along Newtown Street before turning round and coming back to the Room, the display thrilled an impressive crowd, esitmate at over 3,000 people. In 2015 we intend to run the two Lotus 25 Grand Prix cars that came along in 2013 plus a Lotus 33 and one or two other famous cars including the Lotus Cortina with which Jim won the 1964 British Saloon Car Championship.

Classic Team Lotus

In 2015, we will again have the full support of Classic Team Lotus (who currently prepare and enter both Lotus 25’s in International Historic Rracing). CTL will bring the cars up from Norfolk and oversee them during the weekend. The owners of the Lotus 33, Lotus Cortina and other cars will also be there with their support teams to ensure their cars run smoothly. In 2013 over 50 Lotus Club owners attended the event with a display of sports cars lining Newtown Street. The number is expected to be even higher for 2015.

The Jim Clark Trust

In partnership with The Jim Clark Trust, we hope that Sir Jackie Stewart may be able to attend the weekend and promote plans for the new Jim Clark Museum by 2018. Invitations will also be sent to all Patrons including Dario Franchitti, David Coulthard and Allan McNish. The current Lotus F1 Team will be invited, the drivers and a showcar. The Scotsman and Tweedale Press Group as media partners for the Trust are on board to help promote the event, alongside website and social media.

Evening dinner

On Sat evening (16 May) we will be holding a commemorative dinner at Chirnside Hall Hotel with any Jim Clark Trust Patrons who can attend and thanking all our supporters; as well as covering their accommodation costs. We would be delighted to invite as guests individual donors and any sponsor organisations.

Club Lotus members

Our local Club Lotus members will once again support the weekend and will give their time free of charge to help with the considerable organisation that is required for an event such as this. All we need to do is to ensure they are fed and watered during the event weekend and a modest amount to cover this is included in the budget.

Planning, delivery and costs

In a very generous gesture and as a tribute to Jim’s memory, in 2013 Classic Team Lotus owned by Clive Chapman, son of Lotus founder Colin Chapman and the owners of the other race cars transported their very valuable cars and equipment to Duns and demonstrated them at considerable expense to themselves, but did not make any charges to either ourselves or the Jim Clark Room. However, we do not feel we can ask them to do this again as it would be abusing their goodwill. Therefore we propose that we make a reasonable but relatively modest contribution to their transport and running costs. These amounts are still some way below what they would normally charge for the commercial hire of these cars to organisations. We also feel we should cover their accommodation and subsistence costs to invite them as guests to the Saturday night dinner.

Given the success of the 2013 event and with the planned wider marketing, publicity and general awareness, we anticipate a considerable increase in public attendance in 2015. Therefore we believe that we must engage a number of professional stewards (in addition to our own Club members) to marshal and control the crowd and maintain the required safety level.

A much better public address system than we used in 2013 is also required to enrich the experience of visitors.

The pipe band was a notable and very moving feature of the 2013 event and we therefore propose to repeat this.

On Friday May 15^th the Jim Clark Room is planning to screen a film show of rare archive films relating to Jim’s 1965 season and a modest amont is included to cover the hire of a hall.

Core Budget proposals

Street marshals (20 @ £100 each) £2000.00

Subsistence for all marshals £600.00

Public address system £1500.00

Hotel and dinner £3500.00

Pipe band £350.00

Hire of Hall – Friday evening film show £400.00

Contribution to transport and

demonstration costs of 6 principle

participating racing cars £3000.00

Contingency £1000.00

Total: £12350.00

No costs have been allocated for Policing or PR/advertising.

For Policing the plan is to work with the support of SBC and the local Duns constabulary who were hugely supportive and key to the success of the 2013 event. We appreciate safety must be a priority given the tragic events of The Jim Clark Rally 2014.

For PR/advertising we are keen to work with the support of all partners involved in the event: SBC, The Jim Clark Room, The Jim Clark Trust, Classic Team Lotus and Lotus Group.

Without financial support we cannot guarantee organising the event because it will mean relying on the genoristy of those involved and substantial goodwill.

With financial support we can ensure it’s safety and success.

We welcome all enquiries of support for donations sponsorship.

Media and community benefits

The 2013 Jim Clark Weekend event over 2 days was attended by an estimated audience of 3,000. It was a very special weekend for all those there -spectacular, exciting, moving and emotional - taking people back in time. It was a surprise even to the organisers: a mini Goodwood Revival, Lotus, Jim Clark celebration in the small market town of Duns, in the heart of the beautiful Scottish Borders. It was inspiring for the generation who knew Jim Clark and the next generation. We must take care to keep it’s modesty and charm.

The opportunity exists for this to become an annual event as part of plans for a new Jim Clark Museum and commemoration in 2018 with the 50^th anniversary of Jim’s tragic death that shocked the world. A regular annual event could quite concievably draw far larger crowds; a ‘classic car’ Jim Clark Weekend.

We don’t have any audited media or community economic impact data, nor are we experts on these matters, but some reasonable numbers can be drawn from the 2013 event.

Media coverage for 2013 without being especially proactive included national TV coverage on SKY F1, regional TV coverage for BBC and STV; BBC Radio Scotland and Borders Radio; press coverage including The Scotsman, Daily Record and Berwickshire News; and online through social media: an audience well in exccess of 1 million.

Community and economic impact based on a reasonable spend of £20 per head for half the visitors ie. 1,500 = £30,000. The actual figure is likely to be higher when considering the over night stay of the 50+ car owners and visitors.

A more co-ordinated approach to the 2015 event and future events, will certainly see these numbers rise.

Thank you.

We would be delighted to receive enquiries for donations, sponsorship or VIK services, to support the 2015 Jim Clark Weekend.

For further information:

Alan Morgan, Chairman

Club Lotus

alan@clublotus.co.uk

07712 588819

Andrew Laing, Scottish Area Leader

Club Lotus

andrew@laingsfoundry.co.uk

07917 417257

Ben Smith, Secretary

Jim Clark Trust

ben.smith@jimclarktrust.com

07811 200860

Provisional Program for the Weekend

Saturday 16 May Classic Team Lotus and Club Lotus

1000 hrs set up Pitts and Static Display of Race Cars

1100 hrs Open to public

1430 hrs Close Pitts

1530 hrs Race Cars run at Charterhall (Closed Event)

1800 hrs Race Cars return to Chirnside Hall Hotel.

2000 hrs Diner Chirnside Hall

Sunday 17 May Classic Team Lotus and Club Lotus

0915 hrs Lotus display cars arrive and parked on Newtown Street

1000 hrs Set up Pitts

1100 hrs One Minute silence Broken by firing up Type 25 car

1105 hrs Pipe Band display down Newtown Street

1115 hrs Road runs start, Classic Team Lotus and other historic cars

1200 hrs Road runs stop Pitts and display area open to public to view cars

1230 hrs Road runs start again, Classic Team Lotus and other historic cars

1315 hrs Road Runs stop

1320 hrs Pipe Band display

1400 hrs Show Cars travel in convoy to Chirnside

1500 hrs Show cars on display Chirnside school

1515 hrs Memorial Service at Chirnside Parish Church

1600 hrs Wreath laid at Grave Side