Teamdi Pro It Update

[Robert Zecca]

http://www.teamdi.com/images/drivingimpressions468x60.gif

Dear Drivers,

Thanks for all your continued support and patience. We are finalizing the new site and within the next 7 days we should be up and running live. I am sure we will have some mistakes and corrections will be needed but you can go over the site and email us any problems, comments or suggestions.

I wanted to touch base with everyone and get your feelings on the following subject. I am now making the phone calls with Lime Rock and Pro Racing to get us as a support race to World Challenge on Memorial Day or the NASCAR event in August. The bottom line is that we can not race for free and they will be coming back to me with a fee if they decide to accept us. I was told that this could be around $20,000 and I am making the case for $10,000. The problem is that if we get to run for a cost of around $10,000 track rental I will have to come back to you with an entry fee that works that will cover our costs which include the track rental, insurance and misc. The main problem I see is that for this event or any event where we run as a support event we will not be able to pay out cash for awards. IS THIS A PROBLEM? Please let me know.

You must understand that when we run under a regular event 50% of the monies go to the region and 50% to you. Now that we are not running with a region the rules will change. The reason why I think this is so important is that I would like to showcase our series for the sake of getting new drivers, members and growing the SCCA. Plus this will help in the quest for more sponsors. What do you say? This is our series and we all get a say. Let me know your thoughts.

A second thing is I am working on getting us stories in both SportsCar and Grassroots magazines. This should not be a problem but as you know business is business and it will help if we were able to place an ad thanking our supporters and partners. I know some of you guys have businesses, etc..... The total cost will be around $1,500 for the ads and layout costs. Can anyone help? Let us know...... I would love to get this done.

Driving Impressions is the title sponsor and fyi we have laid out over $4,000 to do the podium, the website, travel etc... and countless hours working behind the scenes because we obviously want to sell more products but because in my heart I believe in this and love what we all are accomplishing. We will continue to do what we can and we would take any help where we can from anyone. ( my dogs and I must now eat dog food together )

Lastly, Thanks to everyone for everything. Try to support all of our sponsors. You will be blown away by the website.... I guarantee it and you will be very proud to be part of this series. www.proitseries.com coming soon

Gift Certificates: If you know anyone wanting to get you a gift for the upcoming holidays please have them contact us at www.teamdi.com and buy you a gift certifcate. Hey we need the business but guess what, we will work even harder for you.

THANK YOU TO EVERYONE!

Sincerely,
Robert Zecca
1-800-275-4667

[Dave Zaslow]

Bob,

I love the idea. When the LRP Import Challenge ran it was always fun to see people in the 'stands' and that was not cheap to enter either. Do it with a $375-$400 entry fee and I would give it a whirl. Hell I would go for both events, but I think you need to take a look at the NARRC schedule after next weekend.

DZ

[lateapex911]

Running a support race would be a great idea, and I'd consider tossing in some "fan friendly" ideas for the announcer to chat up...a support race needs some extra "zing" to get the spectators attention.

I think a non cash payout would be OK. But of course, count points towards the season championship. Maybe count the points double??

As for fan friendly ideas, as a fan, I love it when it rains in a race..or it drys. It shakes things up. Obviously weather control is beyond our means, but, shaking things up isn't.

Some ideas, and I might propose these to LRP, as they might like the idea that it won't be a boring event, and that might help negotiations.

-The race formats can get long, and things string out. So,

1- have a possible portion of the field inverted. Use the Porsche Super Cup format. After qualifying, have a drivers meeting, and the top qualifier draws a number from a hat, say 1 through 6. What ever number he draws is the number of guys who then draw straws for their starting positions. The third qualifier could draw the long straw, or the short straw, or anything in between, and so on. Because there is randomness in the number of possible inversions , AND the actual starting order once the number of inversions is drawn, sandbagging during qualifying won't be a problem. Watching faster cars work through the ranks is more fun for the fans.

2- Mid race two by two restart. Weird, and odd, but again, more fun for the fans. Throw a Double Yellow out at some point, perhaps randomly chosen, (Before anyone gets lapped) toss the pace car out there, and line up. It might take two laps to get in order, but hey, it'd be worth it.

3- I know this will be met with tons of resistance, but standing starts. Again, the fans will love it.

Now, these are all new ideas and not the way we normally do things, so there will be natural resistance among the competitors..

I might, for the Pro Rounds only, add some extra rewards to the pie. Add points for qualifying position, and for mid race lead, or laps led.

Also, try to get a "Hard Charger" award from a sponsor.

Pro racing is, we all know, about entertainment. Giving the announcer something to talk about. Lime Rock would, I'd hope, be receptive if we are looking out for their fans.

[rthiele]

Some great food for thought!

First of all I think Bob made a fantastic suggestion and I am all for running with the pros at one or both races, tripling the other replies.

Most likely we will only have one race there, but I'd like pick up the race format topic for a general discussion: what about a WTCC like format where the top 6 or 8 start in reverse order in the second race (this of course only working for double weekends with two races)? Less boring than seeing always the same guys running up front (at least for a couple of laps ;-)) and more competitive.

[gran racing]

Pro racing is, we all know, about entertainment.

I absolutely agree!!!

Since you're looking for honest input on this (and I totally appreciate what you and others are doing here Bob), if it were a support race thrown in at the very end of the races and didn't use a unique idea like Jake suggested, I'd pass on doing the event. At that point it's just another race that I get to watch people rush to leave the track from inside the car. It would be ideal if this could be done before the last race of the day, but understand that's probably a tough sell. This again goes directly to what Jake said - come up with something that will tempt people to stick around. It will not only draw interest in the race, but the series as well.

And yes, if it's a unique type of race I'm in.

[Robert Zecca]

Guys,

We have time for the format, etc... my main concern was the money thing because I feel bad about this but you guys are willing to step up to the plate and that is good. I have never done this before but I am getting all the info I need regarding costs of sanction fees, insurance, etc... Lets see how much and what tracks get back to us with and we will move forward.

Once we get the final costs we will determine the entry fee and then we could attack the format. You guys know what will put on a great show and we will go after your ideas. This is your series..... so lets show everyone how it is done. I know the LRP customers love our type of racing and we put on a show better than most. It is going to be interesting ??? keep the ideas coming.

Thanks
Bob

[Zephyr]

I for one would rather see a ProIT race as "half time" entertainment at a pro event in place of something like the Ferrari Challenge snore fest that they had at NJMP during the GrandAm races. I think it would be much more entertaining for spectators to see real drivers who they could identify with then the FC drivers. As a driver I would be more then thrilled to have an opportunity like this. If there are more then 100 spectators at an event I'm thrilled and it is worth it to me to be out on track.

Oh yes, and I'm all for doing standing starts or two laps of double yellow in the middle to keep things interesting for those watching.

[lateapex911]

Bob, I'll bet my entry fee that if you can create an interesting race at either the WC weekend or the NASCAR weekend, you'll have 42 cars on grid. Yes, you'll need to get SCCA to let you run 4 more than the normal 38. And that's a good thing.

And I'll bet my entry fee you can get 42 guys to enter for $425, with no prize money. That's just under $18K in entries.

I think the format might be very important....a good format will entice more entrants, and a good format might make negotiations easier.

Now, those 42 guys might need some "incentives", and that's where the unusual format comes in. Also, you'll need to "repay" the drivers with increased points payout for the series. And I know you're a good marketer, so I'm sure you'll use the announcer to sell some name brands, and talk up special awards, like the "Sparco racing shoes Hard Charger award", etc.

One other thing I'd consider: Limiting the classes. Having only 42 spots is a limitation, and for a spectator, following 3 or more classes in a race is tough. Consider limiting it to, (Don't hate me guys, the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few) ITA and ITS.

Seriously, this will prove very popular if it's done right. It has great potential.

[ner88]

Yah, limit it to ITA and ITS, half the field will still be Miatas! :happy204:

[dominojd]

One other thing I'd consider: Limiting the classes. Having only 42 spots is a limitation, and for a spectator, following 3 or more classes in a race is tough. Consider limiting it to, (Don't hate me guys, the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few) ITA and ITS. Less Miata's of course.



Fixed for ya Jake. :D

[dominojd]

Bob, some food for thought. I know LRP is "supposed" to be the marque track in the NE, but wouldn't it be more interesting to run more than one track as a support race?

We have 3 tracks in the tri state area that run pro events at LRP, WGI, and NJMP. If we could get our foot in the door and run all three I would consider that way more of a Pro IT series. You could bill the event as The "Tri State Pro IT Shoot Out".

I don't know just thinkin out loud, but when you think Pro you have to think big.

Jeesh if we did something like this I may even wash my car between events instaed of once in the begining of the season. :D

[Ed Funk]

like the three track format that Joe mentioned, and since I have an A car, I don't mind the ITS, ITA deal either.

Joe, the dents are going to show more if it's clean!!:D

[dazzlesa]

ed
what did you buy?

[gran racing]

If you're going to limit it to two classes, why not run the two that typically run together? ITS & ITB. During a regional race many would complain if two classes running close times were put together. Oh, Jake, I don't hate you I just know where you live and a nice new truck is parked. :cool:

[lateapex911]

You'll hate me now though, for what I'm about to write!

ITS and ITA a re more pertinent and recognizable, and modern to the spectators. And the ITA field is usually larger than ITB, although I admit, ITB has shown real resurgence this year.
At a track like LRP, where the car count is limited, it's an issue. At the Glen, where you can have about 70 starters on the long course, I could see adding ITB and ITR to the mix.

Joe, remember Bob's original question....would you be willing to race for no prize money at all three support events, should your idea become reality? (Assuming the other tracks charge similar amounts on a per car basis?)

[Ed Funk]

ed
what did you buy?
Serra's CRX

You'll hate me now though, for what I'm about to write!

ITS and ITA a re more pertinent and recognizable, and modern to the spectators. And the ITA field is usually larger than ITB, although I admit, ITB has shown real resurgence this year.
At a track like LRP, where the car count is limited, it's an issue. At the Glen, where you can have about 70 starters on the long course, I could see adding ITB and ITR to the mix.

Joe, remember Bob's original question....would you be willing to race for no prize money at all three support events, should your idea become reality? (Assuming the other tracks charge similar amounts on a per car basis?)

No $, no problem, as long as the pit bimbos have big------umbrellas! Hi, Steph, when did you get home?:rolleyes:

[RSTPerformance]

If you're going to limit it to two classes, why not run the two that typically run together? ITS & ITB. During a regional race many would complain if two classes running close times were put together. Oh, Jake, I don't hate you I just know where you live and a nice new truck is parked. :cool:


I am with Dave... I don't want to get defensive but I think I will... I think that the best races have been the ITB and the ITS/ITR (combine that class) races. At Lime Rock the largest class in the field was ITB (1/4 of the field) and more cars were at the track to race if the field wasn't already full!!! I think it is fun to watch the ITSR cars battle it out through the lap traffic while the ITB cars are switching positions lap after lap.

No offence but if you really want to go down the track of picking classes to run then ITA isn't the class to pick. Realisticly in this format and what Jake is looking for SM is a much better option. SM already has the free national advertizing through Mazda and every other race series. Run ITB cars with SM and you can have some other cars in the mix that won't beat out the SM cars, also it would be a lot easier to tell what car was in what class - Miata must be in SM, German car (or a darn Honda and/or Volvo) must be in ITB!!! (hummmm just a thought, we need to find a mercedes ITB car...)


Ok, now that we have got past the bad idea of limiting classes...

I would love to run at some pro races, but I don't think that you should forget about running at SCCA National and Regional events. I think that the Lime Rock National event was great. National events always end early, thus we can easily find racing time, even if it is at the end of the day. Maybe make Pro Race support races tripple points, SCCA National support races double points and SCCA Regional support races single points? Obviosly more points equal higher entry and lower cash payouts (but maybe better sponsorship opportunities).

Standing starts.... AWSOME!!!

Mid Race double yellow... we had that at NJMP for Debris... I liked it!!!

Inverted fields, fun, but everyone needs to stay safe!!!

Raymond "PLEASE don't limit classes" Blethen

[dazzlesa]

serras crx is a nice car! sounds like ITA might look better this year. maybe i should drag the integra out? who elseis running in A?
i do not think limiting classes is a good idea unless less than a specific # of cars register.

[Robert Zecca]

I am trying both for LRP and NJMP since they are close and have major events. This year the series will be going to LRP, Pocono, NHIS, Glen and NJMP for sure. I am working with Pro Racing for some where else. We will see???

[Robert Zecca]

Why limit to any class. We have 6 classes supporting this series and we really should not alienate any class. ITR and ITS put on a great show up front and then we have all the other classes duking it out thru the field. You guys put on a great show both at LRP and NJMP. This is what we have to build on, a great show and not a crash fest.

[Robert Zecca]

Dave you are correct. No matter where we are on the schedule even last we will give people to stick around. We will have to pull all plugs, standing starts, women on the grid waiving sponsor flags, whatever but I ASSURE YOU PEOPLE WILL BE THERE TO WATCH US and walk away with a smile on their face!

[dazzlesa]

back in 2005 or 06 ITS and ITA ran a support race at limerock. the winners each received $1000. great race and the field was full.

[Robert Zecca]

Who paid this money? Who put on the event and was the main sponsor?

[lateapex911]

Pure conjecture, random memories and thoughts-

- That money sounds a bit high...
- Lime Rock has been under different managements. Not too many years ago, regions were paying, what, about $22K for a race weekend? Now, I think it's in the $53k or so range.
- There have been a number of "Pro IT" support races over the years. Peter Roberts was instrumental in running one series.
- The name "OMP Import Challenge" rings a bell.
- We've done the NASCAR support race a few times, and it's always pin and needles to see if we even race, as they run long with all the cautions, and we've been up against Lime Rocks hard engine off time.
- One year it rained, and we sat around, and around, and...... and i was amazed that NASCAR, having a hillside full of people twiddling their thumbs waiting for the course to dry, didn't contact SCCA and have us out there racing, and, wow, what an idea, drying the course. Nope, we waited until it was nearly dark!

With today's management and the philosophies that Lime Rock operates with, I'd be shocked if an arrangement could be reached that would allow such a generous prize payout.

[dtanthon]

The final checks will be in the mail after Thanksgiving. Just need to get off my a$$.
Make sure you get me your W9 if you have not done so. I'll bug you with e PM later as well. Call or PM if you have questions.

Thanks,
Darrell
973-697-5871 / 973-220-1007
[email protected]
eamDI Pro-IT Pointskeeper and Check writer
NNJR-RE
#27 ITS
Jersey Racing Board
NJRRS Committee
NARRC Committee

[dominojd]

Joe, remember Bob's original question....would you be willing to race for no prize money at all three support events, should your idea become reality? (Assuming the other tracks charge similar amounts on a per car basis?)

Well that's a stupid question.:blink: What's the payout at every other regional we run?

I'm sorry there are no stupid questions just stupid people. :p Ah haven't seen Jake in a while to break his balls.

[Andy Bettencourt]

Run all the IT classes and no SM's. If you look at pre-reg for the last LRP event, it breaks out like this:

ITR: 3
ITS: 7
ITA: 9
ITB: 8
ITC: 1
IT7: 0

All we need is 10 more cars for a full field. Easy. Promise no money but if you have some left over, pay out to the winners. Try for support races at all 3 tracks.

[rthiele]

Re/the 10 cars you mention Andy: easy indeed. Auto Technic alone will have 3+ ITR cars next year and I am sure there will be more in other teams as well.

I know the most recent thread about the economic situation paints a different picture, but a very attractive Pro IT let's me also think how we would deal with the positive problem of over subscription for a couple of races next year, not only at one pro event.

[lateapex911]

I'm sorry there are no stupid questions just stupid people. :p Ah haven't seen Jake in a while to break his balls.

I miss you too, Joe!

But you made my point for me, so thanks for that.

[dtanthon]

Check www.ProITSeries.com (http://www.ProITSeries.com) for news on 2008 season prize money. :happy204:

[dominojd]

I miss you too, Joe!

But you made my point for me, so thanks for that.

That was the plan Stan. :)

[lateapex911]

Just coming in and doing some late night posting after yet another hot date Joe??

:cool:

[Dano77]

I cant believe im with AB NO SMs and if an sm just changes the class letters they shouldalso run IT rules(read Compliant). IT7 had to race in ITA and they were compliant SMs should be to. Like tGA said "just sayin"
Dan,way to make friends

[Andy Bettencourt]

I just think that as the fields grow, we should eliminate the 'filler' classes if at all possible. It's well known that many people/classes don't like to run with SM's so lets try our best to DRAW IT cars into the IT series.

Stuffing the track with everything may be short-term gain but long-term pain. The more IT cars that come out, the less room there will be for fillers.

[Magical Trevor]

Memorial Day at Lime Rock has a gaping hole again.
http://world-challenge.com/news/story.php?ID=1181

[raffaelli]

Geez. Guess Skip doesn't want racing at his race track?:shrug:


A slot opening for Pro IT?

[Andy Bettencourt]

TOO MANY EVENTS!!!

Run these races in conjunction with NARRC, not against NARRC.

[dtanthon]

2009 Team DI Pro IT Series schedule is complete.

Round 1 - 5/2-3 - NER National - NHMS
Round 2 - 5/9 (Sat) - NNJR Regional with double NJRRS/double NARRC- Pocono (double points)
Round 3 - 6/6-7 - SJR National - NJMP - Thunderbolt
Round 4 - 7/25-26 - Glen Sprints Regional with double NARRC - Watkins Glen
Round 5 - 8/1 (Sat only again?) - Mohud National - LRP
Round 6 - 9/11-13 (Fri-Sun) - ProIT (support for pro event (ARCA, VW TDI)) - NJMP - Thunderbolt (single points but should have 2 races)
Round 7 - 10/17 (Sat) - Jersey Road Racing Classic (JRRC) NNJR Regional with NJRRS - NJMP on Lightning
Round 8 - 10/18 (Sun) - JRRC - NNJR Regional with NJRRS - NJMP on Lightning (awards)