Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Last Update 11/05/2020
Update on Santa Pod Future Events: Corona Virus (COVID-19)
We would like to thank all of our loyal customers for their patience and understanding during these unprecedented times.
Unfortunately due to Coronavirus and in line with Government Guidelines we have been forced to suspend all scheduled events at Santa Pod Raceway up until the end of June 2020. Therefore ticket holders will receive a full credit to your Santa Pod Ticket Shop account equal to exactly what you’ve already paid, which can be redeemed against any Santa Pod Raceway event within the next 24 months. This will be added to your account and contrary to our standard terms and conditions, this credit will be available for 24 months instead of the standard 12 AND include any booking and postage fees that you’ve paid.
We are operating with a reduced workforce like so many other businesses causing a significant delay in our normal administration processes but we will be in touch with all our visitors as soon as we have more information to share. We are also trying hard to instigate a few more bells and whistles on our ticketing platform to make some of the admin quicker and more efficient for us all. Bear with us, while we work through all the communications, enquiries and requests from our customers – we’re dealing with everything as quickly as possible but it’s not easy.
Rest assured that we will get around to you!
In the meantime, we will keep you updated via our website, newsletters and social media.
Once again, thank you for your understanding during these very challenging circumstances.
"If ever there was ever a time when Santa Pod needed your support, it is now. We are asking you help us through this crisis by accepting the full credit values that we will be offering to every single one of our customers who have purchased advance tickets to affected events. On behalf of Santa Pod Raceway and all the staff I would like to thank you for all the support we have had over the past decades and sincerely hope we can count on your support. Help us to get through this - and in return we will continue to bring you the most exciting events in motorsport and entertainment in the UK." - CEO - Keith Bartlett
Your enjoyment is our priority so please refer to the Essential Information/Terms and Conditions relating to the purchase of tickets and general guidance for attending our venue.
A Statement from Santa Pod Raceway CEO - Keith Bartlett (13/05/20)
Following my last official statement in April and following the latest Government guidance on the Coronavirus outbreak, I want to update you all on our current situation here at Santa Pod Raceway. Firstly, I hope you are all well and bearing up under the strain of these unprecedented times. The whole Santa Pod team misses you all.
You will all be aware we have been unable to hold any type of events from mid-March to the 31st May. We can also confirm that the current events in June have also now been suspended/postponed too. Whatever phrase we might use, they will simply not be able to happen.
As the months of non-activity roll on, this is having a monumental impact on Santa Pod Raceway, its ability to operate and trade – which is currently non-existent.
Following the Government’s latest announcement, we now know that we are most unlikely to ‘turn a wheel’ before July at the earliest and that’s a punt at best. We believe it may be possible to hold some events this year but what they might be, and to what level, we are still unsure. Any event, of course, will be subject to ensuring a safe environment and the personal safety of both our customers and staff.
So - we don’t want to make a decision yet on what future events may need to be cancelled, rescheduled or reformatted and we are pleading with you all to give us the time and space to work on our plan to survive this crisis.
As a seasonal business, we had already invested so much into our 2020 events calendar and beyond and if we receive no income this year, we can only survive by carrying forward this investment into 2021. After 24 years of operating, nurturing and fighting to develop the UK’s premier drag racing facility, I never envisaged writing a piece like this. But I am now. This means asking you – our customers to please, please opt for the revised credit offering we have devised rather than a bullet-firing cash refund.
Santa Pod, like many other venues, needs your support to be able to survive this crisis.
To put it bluntly, if we are forced to refund all of our customers right now, we will not have sufficient cash to operate the business into 2021; tragically, after over 50 years the unique heritage that is Santa Pod would be gone.
During the coming weeks, we will continue to provide updates on specific events giving advance ticket holders the choice to switch to a different event, carry their ticket over to next season or accept a FULL credit (for the same event or any other events of their choice) which will be honoured for the next 24 months.
To be frank with you - the future of Santa Pod is in your hands but we have our plan and together I’m confident we WILL get through this. I plead with you all.
I want to carry on my normal sign-off and say – “SEE YOU AT THE TRACK”
“Stay Safe” and Best Regards
Keith Bartlett
CEO – Santa Pod Raceway
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