Chris - I agree it's and it's a shame :( here is my recollection of the past. I was there at the Melbourne Loop in the seventies and it was a sight to behold. If my memory serves me correctly the Saturday was the Kit Car Show and the MOC Rally on the Sunday. MOC members used to turn up early to join in with the Kit cars and Kit car owners stayed over, with a big bonfire & barbie on Saturday night, for the Marcos Rally, and some of them used to do the time trial. This made a wonderful week end event. :D Alas I understand the Melbourne Loop was to be developed or altered or something or other or was said to became too expensive to continue the Rally there so there was a parting of the ways for the two events. Things change to survive otherwise they stagnate, I recall the whole event becoming more commercialised as part of the process however, there are always those who oppose and dislike change and this was no exception. A way forward, due to circumstance and would also please those wishing to keep the Marcos Club gathering cosy, was to hold the rally at a different location but the whole event would become a lot lower key. Sadly numbers dwindled. :(
There was also a good gathering of the marque at the Royal Exhibition Show ground, Kenilworth, I think it was the Town and Country Festival. Reit go do it was too ! Not sure what happened about that one.
I think expectations appear to be somewhat higher than in the latter days and my view would be that there has to be more happening at an event to hold peoples interest. I'm sure we all have other things to do and it's a question of making something that will take a higher priority then the other interests. Easy said and the major problem, as always, is having sufficient people to organise and run the show, this is why things become more commercialised, it just seems thats how things have become now.
Things rarely happen on their own therefore have to be made to happen, I dont know anything about the National Kit and Performance Car Show to comment but its the old saying its not what you know its who you know that will take you a long way. An event where we want an appearance needs to be so that owners and/or enthusiasts would fight over to be there. So who knows who in the right circles to get things rolling :rollin then?