Whilst taking a little breather from the scorching sunshine at the EURO Contest we took the opportunity to sit down and consider the event itself a little bit – even go so far as philosophise dare we say.
As many might/should know by know ‘The Contest’ brand is a Bittydesign thought-up element – we’ve attended and covered these events for a number of years, be it in ASIA at Pattaya or in Bittydesign’s home country of Italy. What sets this event apart from other events we’ve attended in our decade-plus existence is something hard to focus in on exactly, but the major difference is that everyone at this race seems to be smiling.
We can’t underly how hot it’s been so far – in the region of 34C in the shade, track temp of 45C plus and a thermometer hit 52C left in the sun! That said, people are getting on with it all with a smile on their face, the on site bar/grill/ice cream chill out area is perfect – you can take a moment for yourself or go and have a meaty ciabatta with your mates.
The Barco track is another key ingredient – scrupulously worked on, moulded, caressed and tuned for this weekend by the team – it’ll need a lot of TLC after all the laps it’s seen but yet another ‘smile factor’.
Probably the biggest key to the whole operation of any event is ‘The Force’ behind it – in this case Bittydesign – the devil’s in the details as they say and they’ve got the balance beautifully right here this weekend. A mix of good racing, without overbearing fussy rules that come with federation-run events that suck a lot of ‘fun’ out of enjoying your weekend on a summer’s weekend. You get ample tracktime to do your thing, and oh does the facility look gorgeously well presented.
The growing entry list is testament that they’re doing something right, both for the travelling hobbyist racers who make up the bulk of any race, but also the elite top guys who draw the headlines. Not to mention a starting flag made from what looks like a Hermes/ Gucci handkerchief! Only in Italy!
Bittydesign have wholeheartedly embraced the holistic approach to organising an event – very much the mould we ourselves try to follow at Neo, where everything matters – not only a great track. The brand strength and professional presentation of Bittydesign and the EURO Contest puts the majority of other events we attend to shame – Bittydesign banners everywhere give the venue a real ‘event’ feel – the opposite true at the 2012 IFMAR Worlds, where we turned up to see 10 banners, a man and his dog. Not so here where they’ve crammed in 250 metres worth of Bittydesign banner alone – in addition to other sponsors Radiosistemi, Picco & VRC Pro.
Companies whether in RC or not, use these events as brand promotion and advertising – some do it a lot better than others… One wonders where the future of offroad is heading, further and further away from the old fashioned model of federation-led annual events perhaps to smaller, shorter independent events which reward entrants more richly. Its no surprise to hear they’re breaking entry records here…
As Sunday evening’s pro final wound to a conclusion, the music kicked into action under the bitty tent as their ‘cocktail party’ commenced – not so much cocktails but drinks and snacks provided for free to everyone – a nice gesture adding to the close-knit ambiance of the event.
Not to mention late night post-racing drinks by the track with racing mates with a live DJ set blasting out our fave Italo-Disco tunes on a Saturday night.
You’ll struggle to find any race you’ll enjoy more.
