Motorsport Hospitality Marquees
WHAT IS A MARQUEE?
Traditionally used for weddings and corporate events as well as garden birthday parties for years, marquees are an often under-appreciated option as a race tent.
Whilst they can take a little longer to erect than an instantly deployed pop-up awning, marquees offer plenty of benefits and are absolutely an ideal solution for any motorsport teams looking to get a little more for their money.
What are the benefits of using a marquee over a pop-up as a race tent?
Adaptability
To expand your paddock shelter using pop-up motorsport awnings, your options are to either connect two or more together using various accessories such as gutter kits and infill panels, or purchase a larger tent. Marquees, however, offer the option of changing the size of the existing tent using only a few extra components.
Let's say you already have a 4m x 4m Gala Performance marquee, but over time you have added an extra vehicle to your team, or you’re looking for somewhere to be able to cover the team as you enjoy some downtime between stints on the track, so you’d like to double the size of the tent. You can purchase an extra 4m x 4m marquee and connect them together, if you wish, but it would be much more cost effective to simply purchase some additional framework and a 4m x 8m canopy.
Alternatively, if you have a large marquee, you can purchase a smaller canopy and if you’re faced with a little less space at the next circuit, or you’re only taking one vehicle, you can remove some of the framework and only take the 4m x 4m canopy.
Value for Money
Marquees offer unrivalled value for money when it comes to floor space and tent covers. Including sidewalls, the Gala Shade Pro 50, which is the strongest pop-up race tent on the UK market, would cost in the region of £800. By comparison, a marquee race tent of the same size, with sidewalls included, is approximately £450.
The pop-up is printable, available in twelve colours and can be deployed instantly, so the cost increase is fully justified, but if you’re working on a budget, there’s absolutely no need to go uncovered as a race tent marquee will do everything you ask of it.
Create Rooms
Due to the way the framework is built on a race tent marquee, with cross sections in the roof every 2m, you are able to hang end panels as partition walls from any of these, enabling you to build separate rooms along the marquee, to use as changing rooms or hospitality zones.
What are Gala Performance Motorsport Marquees made from?
Motorsport Marquee from Gala Performance are manufactured using a durable powder-coated steel framework comprised of either 38mm or 44mm diameter poles (dependant upon the width of the frame). The covers are available in two commercial grade materials; 240g Polyethylene (PE) which is a lightweight and functional woven material, or Heavy Duty 650gsm PVC material, which comes with a warranty of three years.
Ground bars add extra rigidity, as they connect each leg to the next, which turns your tent from legs-and-a-roof into a fully cubic, super-robust structure. The sidewalls fix to them at the bottom, which means they remain taut and visually appealing throughout your weekend.
How do I secure my Motorsport Marquee?
We’ve seen many novel ways of securing awnings whilst at the track, from spare wheels to jerry cans, and of course, strapping them to a van or trailer. Whilst strapping them down to something rather heavy such as a sprinter is in theory a great idea, we recommend using something built for the purpose.
Storm Straps and Pegs
Gala Performance Ratchet Strap Storm Kits are a great, cost-effective means of fixing your race tent to the floor if you’re on soft standing ground. We recommend one per leg, and they are available to purchase in pairs.
To view the Gala Performance Storm Straps and Pegs, click here.
Water Weight Bags
These 50kg PVC Water Weight Bags, available to buy from Gala Performance, are an incredible means of anchoring your race tent no matter what the ground beneath your feet is like. They transport to the circuit empty, so are very lightweight, but once you’re there you fill them with water and each one adds 50kg of ballast to your tent. We recommend one per leg, and they are sold individually.
To view the Gala Performance water-filled weights, click here.
Concrete Weights
Gala Performance 40kg concrete weights are a very effective method of anchoring your tent on any ground-type. They are very heavy, so ensure you use appropriate health and safety measure to transport and lift them into place. These are sold individually or as a set of 4, and we recommend one per leg.
To view Gala Performance concrete weights, click here.
Can I have my motorsport marquee delivered quickly?
If you’ve left it late and have a motorsport meeting coming up this weekend, don’t worry. As a subsidiary brand of Gala Tent, the UK’s leading manufacturer and retailer of commercial quality marquees and gazebos, we have a vast range of marquees available to buy with same day dispatch, meaning you should receive your order the next working day if you order it before 4pm.
What happens if I break it?
Our marquees are covered by industry leading warranties, but this does not include accidental damage. However, we carry a comprehensive range of spares and repair products in stock, so even if a leg is broken or the roof is torn, you can simply purchase the components you need as opposed to buying a whole new tent.
If you’re not sure which type or size of motorsport marquee you might need for your team, why not give our team of experts a call on 01709 803457 or start a live chat session, and we’ll be delighted to help.
You can also view Gala Tent’s interactive Marquee brochure here, to dig deeper into the products themselves.
Alternatively, why not submit an enquiry via the form below and one of our team will get back to you asap.
