Andreas

the Dutchies have their own forum, the German have and some other small.
Is there a chance for a big European forum to get all the RX-7 drivers together? Do you think it's a good idea? A board with a part for each country?
Let me know what you think!

rotary emotions

Isn't that what we have here
Well, not really of course, since we don't have specific country sub-forums.
The main problem would be getting the people to leave their own forum. As you can see the english have gone almost completely now their own forum is big enough to spend the days there. There aren't too many dutch visitors here anymore either (you and Mireck are the only ones we see here on a regular basis), now your forum is getting bigger.
Germans rarely go outside their forum. And so on.
So is your idea a good one? YES. But it might just be a bit difficult.
That said: if you don't try, it can't work. No guts, no glory
Maybe you should see if the other countries (esp. UK and Germany) are intrested? If it works, it'd be a great way to get people together. And maybe, finally, get a really big rotary meeting in Europe! Rotorstock in the UK is simply to difficult, due to that water being there. And it's been to "japanesed" anyway. It's a jap meet only, making Ro80 (rotary engine) not welcome, but a Civic (piston engine) is ok???

AF_H1VLTG3

I'm sure they can add sub-sections to the site if there is enought call for em'

hIGGI

iTrader: (7)

this is about as good as it gets, more forums = less ppl at each of them = less activity and no activity = no forum to be worth mentioning....

Fish

Rotary Emotions, we have a couple of RO-80's that come along to meets in the UK and are always welcomed.

I know that there have been a couple of trips over to the ring for the long weekend type event, and a couple of day trips over to France.

I am sure that if there was enough interest from other clubs, I would guess that you would get some of the more hard core rotor heads to come over.

Plenty of notice would be required so that people can get time off work, permission from the wifes, etc. etc.

Please put a post on the MazdaRotaryClub.com forums and see what the people in the UK think.

Fish

rotary emotions

Well, I do hang out at the UK forum once in a while. But like I said, the need for a big euro meet is still there. In the USA the different clubs and regions also have there own meets, but at sevenstock people from all over the place meet up.
Or in europe, the NSU clubs from several countries have their own meets during the year, but there's one big european meet once a year. The national clubs share this and it's in a different country each year.
As far as I am concered, the big problem is that "our" clubs (= european clubs) are not willing or able to work together at all. I do not know who's fault it is, so I'm not blaming anyone. But it is a fact that there is absolutely NOTHING going on in terms of European meetings. The most international meets seem to be the German and Swiss clubs who work together rather often.
Maybe, instead of ever more forums coming up, we should use this one a bit more often? It's good that there are ever more local forums, as this means closer to the people who drive these machines. But we need to get some european level too.

werny

I thought THIS was our grand-european-rx7-forum?

Of course, there is always the problem with the languages.
My English is rather poor (but my tailor is rather rich), my Dutch isn't worth mentioning, my French is even worse, merde, and my German, nanunanu, scheisse also...

There was a small forum for Belgians (http://rx7freaks.conforums.com/index.cgi#Andere), didn't work out...
> zoe dood as ne pier!

And yes, most RX-7 clubs have problems to find the proper people to organise the local club events, how/why should they organise events for strange people...
eh...
Unless there is much profit to gain... kassakassa

werny

After the last meeting in the Suisse, eh, ... didn't go that well...was rather expensive for the non-swiss-visitors...could be the last one of those...

Andreas

Antoher fought for an European forum is to exchange parts. As an example: 1 guy from Spain wants a steering wheel from Mazdaspeed for a first gen and a guy in Berlin has one that he wants to sell.
Could grow into something large and i think it's THE place to organize a EU meeting one day.
At least people can learn about the rotary living in each country and find out what country holds which meeting... where/when/who.

Andreas

*thought

rotary emotions

Well, Andreas, as stated above, I still think your idea is GOOD. It's just the problem to get people to spend time on "foreign" forums. Even here, the forum is still largely seen as an American forum with a sub-forum for some euro-guys (well, it's actually just that, isn't it ). There are several hundreds of RX-7 drivers/owners (thousands will come closer) in Europe, yet there are just a few of them here.
Language is an important factor of course. Many of us are able to speak and read some English, but there are just as many who aren't, or don't feel good enough in english.
Yet, if you have a big forum with all small sub-forums in different languages, you don't get any closer to our goal either. The dutch will still only use the dutch section, the germans the german and so on.
I guess it's a real challenge to get these people together.
Like Werny said, our local Belgian forum died due to lack of intrest (well, with just seven members it doesn't make much sense anyway), which is probable the reason why we stick around here.
But look at your own forum: since it's doing well, we hardly see Dutch people here anymore.
And so we don't get any international meets
I still don't understand why the different clubs can't get something going. From personal experiences, I also noiced that some of the clubs see the others as competitors, instead of friends!!!
Like I said: NSU clubs can make international meets succesfull! It's a shame we can't.
It's the same with groupbuys etc. Like Andreas said: now there might be people who have a part for sale that another one wants. And just because they speak a different language, they don't get together??? As a result we can hardly get any performance parts for our cars! Or pay too much for them...

Multiplex

Thing is,

We started a Europian forum for AE86 owners 2 years ago when there was nothing, we basically brought the whole community together, made people realize they weren't the only owners of this car in their country, that there were plenty out there on the web, that the car they owned is more special then they realized.

What you see now after two years, eventhough our forum is europian organised but has areas that are locally targetted, people are starting their own local forums.. Sucks a little allthough it has its own charm. For some reason people just feel better with their own forum where they can talk their own language then on a larger board.

That said, a europian forum like ours still offers something to its members that a more localized forum can't offer and that makes people come back time after time. This is why you see people becoming a member of their local forum but still sticking around with us. The simple fact that within the hachi community getting knowladge for your car is still a big problem within the local market (unless you live in UK or DK). For alot of things like 2nd hand parts, knowladge, and such, you have to either go to us, or go to the big american boards.
(and its fun on our board).

So why am I saying this. Obviously with RX7 the world is reversed, you already have all the local boards, and you're now thinking of starting a europian one. The big question is, is there a gap to fill here. Is there enough reason for someone on, say the dutch club forum, to also sign up on a europian forum. They wont leave the dutch club forum, its their home, its the place they communicate with the people around them, except for the one or two people who are not happy with the club the europian site will not replace that function. So the europian forum will require something to add into the picture that the local forums don't offer.

The RX7 community in that sence is different then the Hachi community with much wider support with suppliers....

hIGGI

iTrader: (7)

Dont you guys realize there is a LOT of forums already and one more does not fix anything? Power of THIS particular forum is number of members and number of posts, size of knowledge database etc...I can sign up to 10 more forums, yet i still have only as much amount of time a day to spend on it and i will spend it on the biggest one which i have highest chance of finding what i need.

Local forums and one 'main' forum is what i consider enought. We do have czech forum for our 20 or so members who are able to type and rx7club.com i consider to be 'main forum. You could still go to clubrx, teamfc3s, nopistons etc, but do you have time to spend just on forums? I dont.

Its probably same with newspapers. U can subscribe to 10 different ones, but u most likely wont be able to read them all, so why bother?

Its not like we do not know about each other, i personally met quite few of you guys who are spread across europe and it was always cool, yet another forum would not really help anything imho.

Andreas

ok, everything read and noted.

but higgi, i think you agree with the point that a European meeting for ALL EU countries will NOT be happening because we are so scattered?

hIGGI

iTrader: (7)

no, i dont agree

big EU meeting would not happen for another reason - with current fuel prices and distances we are talking about, it would not happen for simple reason of not being able to afford it - i am pretty sure a LOT of owners would agree with me - i know the situation, i tried to set up meet and i know how little guys actually come even when distances are a lot smallers

ArmyOfOne

iTrader: (12)

Even with me getting a price break on fuel still put a big damper on my plans. The only way I can save fuel would be to tow it and whats the point of having a car I can't drive. But I guess if it were central to most of us I would definitely go through the trouble to get myself there. It would be great to hang out and not have to explain why it sounds like my timing is way off. lol.

Mireck 12A

That sounds to me a lot of people having a car but can't afford to drive it.
One time a year they can't save enough money to drive to a unique event. Hell even in the US guys are complaining about the fuelprices, but still they come in caravans through the country to visit Sevenstock........

If every body puts aside 5 euro a week they would have 255 euro and one week to spend it on fuel to get to Sevenstock "the euro edition".
You can fill up a TII 4 times with that amount of money, and even with a bad milage they would be able to drive to a meeting point in central europe.

I think it's indeed a matter of priorities of people. They do have they money to drive the car around town and have expensive stereo's and tom-toms's in the car (in case they do not know the way to the shopping mall)

AF_H1VLTG3

That wouldent be any of the Mighty Mutangs telling you that would it???? There almost as funny as teh Platinum Ballers. I just want some beat to sit outside the club and make noise... Sorry!!! Averting Rant......... Thread Hijack aborted. . .

rotary emotions

I think we get a few things mixed up here. Yes fuel is awfully expensive. BUT let's be honest, with fuel prizes as cheap as in the US (ok, those guys think it's expensive too) we wouldn't manage a decent meet.
First of all: to make it an intresting event, it must be in an intresting area. Second: you'll never get everyone there. It's always something: to far, wrong time etc. Let's face it, if you have a job, you must plan your holidays carefully.
But, the main issue remains the same: or clubs are unwilling/unable to work together. If there's no "organisation" it'll be hard to set up a meet. You must have something for everyones taste. I'm not going to drive half across europe for a drag race. I want some sightseeing, some time to explore local nature and culture etc. The meet is a good way to get to places you might not see otherwise.
The really big problem is that unless you have a club (or clubs) organising the meet you're never going to able to get something like that going.
Like mentioned many times before: the NSU guys (with no better fuel consumption then us) CAN make an international meet happen, every year!!!
If you guys really want a good meet you'll need to get some decent work done.
You need a location central enough, since the outskirts of europe wont be really within reach for those coming from the other side.
What about Germany, France or Belgium (well, if someone can find a cool spot???) for a start? The area between france and germany is both nice to drive as beautifull in terms of nature and culture.
But I have given up the idea of a decent meet. Sorry, but we are just not able to make it happen.

Mireck 12A

Good point,

but after that they will have face the problem of actually getting people willing to drive to it.

Only meeting i've seen so far where that worked, for a small bit was in Larh, Felix wankel's 100st birthday.
Before that, no meeting worked, after that also non of the effert to get such a meeting has come to a large international meeting

rotary emotions

Well, actually the meeting in Lahr worked very well when you keep in mind nobody seemed to have organised it
The fact that this meeting was rather succesfull (the downsides where really down to nobody being "in charge", and the city not really caring for us) was simply the "rotary only - all rotary" approach. By making it a rotary only event, there was no such thing as "boom-cars" or wanna be street racers. By making it an all rotary event, turnout was quite good, and very intresting (or how many times did you see a Citroën M35 on the road, running on a mixture of fuel and diesel ) I saw cars I had never seen before!
So why not "simply" do it over? You do remember how that meeting was started don't you?
It was never really organized (we remember that...) but in fact started out as an internet call to be there, celebrating Felix Wankel. There's no reason it can't be done again.
But for the time being, why don't we start by visiting eachother ??? Why can't clubs meet up with other clubs? Or why is it that, even if RX-7's (and all Wankel-powered cars/bikes/lawnmowers/chainsaws/boats...) are especially welcomed by the NSU clubs to join in, we never do so? It's very simple: we can join their international meeting, and ask for some space for ourselfes. Like a Mazda rotary spot on the campingplace. It's a nice and easy way to start making international friends, and maybe one day we can have our own?
The 2007 meeting is in Austria, so it's a bit far for us (belgium and holland) but by making it a holiday we could manage. For CZ this shouldn't be too far, for Germans it's next door. Even for France and Italy it ain't that bad. It might be too far for the scandinavian people?
Dates are 7-10 jnue 2007.
Why don't we show rotary engines still ROAR and rule the road?

Mireck 12A

yeah, i was thinking the same, funny the orginasation was non-excistend to chaotic.

austria is not that far, we've been twice to north east CZ with the 12A turbo and a FC, even that was only a 10 hour night flight, ehhh ride

I would think that the area around Nurnberg/munich would be the most central for all europe, maybe a bit more north.
And also you should take into account the largest rotary communities, the scandinavion, the germans, the Swiss and the dutch. they would give the largest possebilities to get the most people together.

We'll see

rotary emotions

Hey Mireck, since when are the Dutch one of the largest rotary communities??? When we have 20 cars at a meeting, we think it's a succes, and then you count the Belgians as part of the Dutch because we are members of the Dutch club!
That said, you do have one of the more active communities, with pleasant, well organized meets all over the year. Which is probable why you guys thought Lahr was so chaotic. For us Belgians, that's just the way we live everyday
Well, of course there are many nthousiasts in Germany, Scandinavia and the UK, but I'm afraid it's always going to be "too far away" for somebody.
You also must not forget that some people have more in their lifes then the cars. I have a family to feed, and want to spend some time with them too. Since I do a lot of nightshifts, I try to be at home with the kids in the weekends. There's just no way I can ask them to spend a holiday dominated by cars. Well, maybe my 2.5 year old daughter would like that, but still.
Then there are the other hobbies, like my garden, costing me a small fortune and a lot of work. Or my "breeding program" for butterflies (only swallowtails) that asks a bit of time (not much, but still) and so on.
I'm sure many others will reconize that, and have the same problems: not enough money for all the hobbies, let alone enough time.
As long as I'm driving an RX-7 there's also little chance to take the family on a holiday with it... We don't fit in there!
That's why I bought the Ro80: four seater rotary pleasure will at least allow me to take the family with me.

rotary emotions

BTW: what about invading Lahr every five years for the birthday of Felix Wankel? I'm sure they'll remember us after a while? So next year, all heading there?

werny

earlier this year there was a meeting in the Swiss (http://www.rx-7club.ch/Temp/Programm_Pfingsten_2006.pdf): Märstetten - was open for ALL wankel rotary powered vehicles - not seen many cars from Holland (5?), nor Belgium (2?), UK + France = 0, Lux (1), no Vikings at all... etc, etc, etc...


BTW, NSU RO80 = zero!