York Racecourse is one of the most prestigious courses in the United Kingdom. With a rich history dating back to 1731, it has been the site of some of the most important races in British horseracing. With one of the finest tracks in Europe, York has won the Flat Racecourse of the Year Award for the fourth year running and tops The Times newspaper poll of all Britain’s racecourses.
The International Federation of Horseracing Authorities (IFHA) recently rated last season’s Ebor Festival, Group One Juddmonte International contest as the greatest race in Great Britain and in 2019 York racecourse was voted Best Racecourse in Britain” by the members of the Racegoers Club. This represents the 10th occasion York has won this award from the Racegoers Club – the largest organisation of its type in British Racing. The course was also voted “ROA Gold Standard Racecourse of the Year” by the Racehorse Owners Association Awards in 2019.
York Racecourse Project Brief and How It Was Achieved.
York Racecourse has continued to evolve and expand over the years, and as part of their ongoing commitment to improving the facilities and experience for guests, they approached us to take over the maintenance of their PAVA system, undertake a complete major refurbishment of their exterior PA zones, and install a full network audio system across the entire site for additional control.
Audiotek took over the ongoing maintenance of all systems, as well as conducting a full survey of existing systems and their users. From discussion with the userbase, we were then able to put together an upgrade action plan for the next 5 years. This started with the Betting Ring, and then in the second year, the Premier Enclosure.
The Betting Ring was upgraded by adding an additional Baldwin Boxall PA rack and using HiQ loudspeakers throughout. This was a custom loudspeaker solution due to the unique mounting opportunities available. A single box flat line source speaker was designed, in order to keep low-end noise away from the punters on the steppings directly below where the speakers were mounted, along with the ability to clearly project the commentary.
The second year of upgrades was then to continue the new great sound quality further down the course throughout the Parade Ring. For this deployment, Martin Audio CDD12WR speakers were specified, after extensive modelling.
The whole system has now also been bought together using QSC Q-SYS networking, over a brand-new Fire Retardant Fibre Ring between buildings. This now sits on top of the fire system, allowing more modification to level changes etc, without allowing users access to the fire system itself.
This was a great project, and our team ensured that it was completed on time and within budget, to the immense satisfaction of our client. We are proud to have worked on such an iconic venue and help contribute to its rich history.
The End Result.
Every year, thousands of people attend races at this iconic track, and now they can enjoy an even better experience with the newly refurbished PAVA system. The new innovative PA system ensures that guests attending all areas of the racecourse can hear everything, whether it’s announcements, commentary, or music.
Contact us for more information on PA systems and innovative A/V solutions. We have a long history of working with some of the most prestigious horse racecourses in the country.
