March FasTrack is up!

[Joe Harlan]

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">And I would think that anyone enjoying Drifting as a sport probably considers Joey Chitwood a number one entertainer.</font>

Yep it is attitudes like this that is what makes it difficult to even get the younger crowds attention...To attract a younger group of people GRJ you must first remove the stick from your butt. Drifting is not only cool and fun it takes car control like you'll never have. I used to think it was stupid to race a front wheel drive car until I drove one and found out it was just different. My guess about your kids racing NASA is they wanted to run the Honda Challenge class and that's kool. NASA has SER cup and a couple of specialty classes that are attractive. IT is getting its flavor back by allowing newer cars and some decent newer cars a chance to be competitive. What it will take if for people to stop protecting their own turf and allow it to happen. ITB and ITC can handle the load of having some cars moved down at them (with adjustments) Freakin door glass and washer bottle are not going to prevent the best racing SCCA has to offer from growing. Attitudes like your's will. I believe your car is classed in GP and you can do all the things you want to do.

[gsbaker]

Originally posted by Fastfred92:
!! And what in the world has happened to this post ??? Is this a record ???

Naw. There was a 10-pager recently. It happened so fast, I never had time to keep up with it.

I'm following a 21-pager on another forum, where I check in every other page or so. Those guy are completely lost.

G

[gsbaker]

Originally posted by Banzai240:

Okay, okay Darin. I see your point. How about this: At some point some of the GCR should be thrown out and rewritten.

Would it help if there were fewer production-based classes? Just asking.

G

[Joe Harlan]

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">I'm following a 21-pager on another forum</font>

Has to be an engineering forum.....

[gsbaker]

Originally posted by Joe Harlan:
Has to be an engineering forum.....

Ouch! Yikes! Super Zinger!

Damn Joe, that hurt. Fast too!

(Where are George's head-slap and mooney smilies when you need them?)

Full signature follows:


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Gregg Baker, P.E.
Isaac, LLC
http://www.isaacdirect.com

[grjones1]

Originally posted by Fastfred92:
[
IT is for people who want to make their cars go faster (or at least handle better) than showroom stock for as little money as possible. GRJ

Wrong, a competitive National SS car will cost you more $$$ than many IT cars!

[This message has been edited by Fastfred92 (edited February 17, 2005).][/B][/QUOTE]

Fred,
I either misspoke or you misread- I didn't say SS was less expensive I just was trying to say among other things that IT was for people who wanted to make their cars better than SS for racing.
GRJ

[grjones1]

Originally posted by Joe Harlan:
Yep it is attitudes like this that is what makes it difficult to even get the younger crowds attention...To attract a younger group of people GRJ you must first remove the stick from your butt. Drifting is not only cool and fun it takes car control like you'll never have.

Drifting is not racing. Period. Stick in my butt or otherwise. And as far as my car control, I believe there are those with whom I race who might disagree with you. But that's for them to report. You assume a great deal, Joe, about some things you know nothing about.
GRJ

[Joe Harlan]

Have you ever tried drifting? It does not have to be racing to be hard...And it leads kids to cars and kids in cars become people that will become interested in racing solo and future workers and crew people if treated with a bit of respect for the things they like to do. So the stick in the butt still fits. You have not taken the time to understand what it is that excites them or anyone else for that matter.

[Geo]

Originally posted by Joe Harlan:
NASA has SER cup and a couple of specialty classes that are attractive. IT is getting its flavor back by allowing newer cars and some decent newer cars a chance to be competitive.

What NASA does quite successfully is to provide a place to race for those who not only put together a class, but also provide the competition as well. That said, IIRC, SRX-7 (and possibly SM) is a product of NASA.
I personally know most of the guys in SE-R Cup and I know a number of the Spec 944 guys. In both cases, the classes were created because owners of these cars believed their cars couldn't be competitive in IT (yes, there are other reasons, but that was the main one). Like many classes in NASA they are regional in nature, i.e. not like SCCA regional racing, but if you don't live in the region where it started, most likely you can't race with anyone. SE-R Cup has tried to expand to the east coast, but I wouldn't not call it successful. Spec 944 has not really expanded and in fact, on the east coast there is 944 Cup with different rules. You see, folks build the class and get people to build cars and they have their own little place to race. What the SCCA does well is create classes you can race in from coast to coast with a single set of rules (if not a single interpretation).

I predict that SE-R Cup will not become national now that the SE-R is in ITA. The 944 classes is anybody's guess.

Joe, we don't always agree, and I guess I've got the pole up my butt as well. Ricey is usually described as something superficial and gaudy that is more about style than subtance. I think drifting fits this description.



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George Roffe
Houston, TX
84 944 ITS car under construction
92 ITS Sentra SE-R occasionally borrowed
http://www.nissport.com

[Geo]

Originally posted by gsbaker:
(Where are George's head-slap and mooney smilies when you need them?)

Always handy.....






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George Roffe
Houston, TX
84 944 ITS car under construction
92 ITS Sentra SE-R occasionally borrowed
http://www.nissport.com

[This message has been edited by Geo (edited February 17, 2005).]

[oanglade]

Originally posted by Geo:
What NASA does quite successfully is to provide a place to race for those who not only put together a class, but also provide the competition as well. That said, IIRC, SRX-7 (and possibly SM) is a product of NASA.

SRX-7 and SM are both a product of Shannon McMasters in SCCA SOWDIV. SM in conjunction with David DelGenio from NEDIV

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Ony Anglade
ITA Miata
Sugar Hill, GA

[Geo]

Originally posted by planet6racing:
If the alignment had been better and wasn't already steering for the wall, I would have tried to put it back on. Not sure if I could have done it without lifting, though!

I'd love to see that video!!

Sorry Bill, I forgot to post that before....

Here is the link to the thread (so you can see others) :

http://forums.rennlist.com/rennforums/show...ad.php?t=184365


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George Roffe
Houston, TX
84 944 ITS car under construction
92 ITS Sentra SE-R occasionally borrowed
http://www.nissport.com

[Joe Harlan]

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">and I guess I've got the pole up my butt as well</font>

Look I don't like everything either...But I don't talk down at it like it doesn't count. I have seen these drift events and tried it myself....I am not very good at throwing a car flat ass sideways at 90MPH and a lot of these kids could never figure out how to pull 1.5 to 2 g's on radial tires either. The key here is if you want them you have to find something in common. Cars is it. When they see cars they like doing something we like to do they won't give a crap about a washer bottle or a passenger window they will just want a shot at it. So Geo you can remove the stick from your butt really easy....Take yer 944 out to the local drift event and let a couple of them teach you how to pitch it sideways...Then invite them all out as crew to your next event..Free help and you will make some converts out of them...

[ddewhurst]

**Has to be an engineering forum..... **

There are engineering forums & there are shade tree forumns.

***SRX-7 and SM are both a product of Shannon McMasters in SCCA SOWDIV.***

IIRC the Spec7/SRX7 was started in the SoPac by Mark Holland & Dave Turner. 1994 maybe ???

Have Fun
David

[Russ Myers]

I don't know what the big deal is about drifting, I've been doing that at autocrosses since 1976. Hell, they even used to call me 'the sprint car driver". On rock hard Dunlops, you can get a 280Z really sideways. The real trick is not to hit any cones while sliding.

Russ

[grjones1]

You have not taken the time to understand what it is that excites them or anyone else for that matter. [/B][/QUOTE]

My daughters were excited about rap when they were 6-years-old, but I introduced them to classical and blues to expand their horizons. Thank goodness they outgrew the rap. Get my "drift"?

GRJ

[Andy Bettencourt]

Originally posted by grjones1:
You have not taken the time to understand what it is that excites them or anyone else for that matter.

My daughters were excited about rap when they were 6-years-old, but I introduced them to classical and blues to expand their horizons. Thank goodness they outgrew the rap. Get my "drift"?

GRJ

[/B][/QUOTE]

You're making eveyones point. Guess what is the most popular genre fo music in todays pop-culture? RAP.

Not for me, but you can't ignore it. JUST LIKE THE DRIFTING CROWD.

AB

[grjones1]

Originally posted by Andy Bettencourt:
You're making eveyones point. Guess what is the most popular genre fo music in todays pop-culture? RAP.

Not for me, but you can't ignore it. JUST LIKE THE DRIFTING CROWD.

AB

Yes Andy, and many people like monster trucks, demolition derbies, and drag racing, but I don't think I'm going to change that mindset by pretending to like it myself.

As a high school and Jr. college teacher on and off for 30 years, I can tell you dishonesty and hypocrisy are the first things that turn kids off.

Teaching a kid to build a car with max oversteer so he can throw it sideways and waste rubber and components to impress his friends is not my idea of introducing him to motorsports. But I concede to Joe's 25 years of experience. He knows more about everything and everybody than I could possibly know.

GRJ

[Geo]

Originally posted by Andy Bettencourt:
You're making eveyones point. Guess what is the most popular genre fo music in todays pop-culture? RAP.

Not for me, but you can't ignore it. JUST LIKE THE DRIFTING CROWD.

I do!

But I'm kind of weird I guess. I want to get satelite radio just for the jazz. The only rap I hear is from the car three cars back at a light.


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George Roffe
Houston, TX
84 944 ITS car under construction
92 ITS Sentra SE-R occasionally borrowed
http://www.nissport.com

[Joe Harlan]

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Teaching a kid to build a car with max oversteer so he can throw it sideways and waste rubber and components to impress his friends is not my idea of introducing him to motorsports. But I concede to Joe's 25 years of experience. He knows more about everything and everybody than I could possibly know.</font>

Thank you I do more than most Here is one thing I know for sure, You come here looking for a fight because it gets you off. Nobody is being dishonest by taking part in being a friend and mentor to a younger person. Here is a news flash for you......I was a drag racer and motorcycle racer before that. I was 25 when I was introduced to sports car racing. I had never built a car engine that had less than 8 cylinders and 400 ft lbs of torque... The feeling of having yer head slammed to the back of your head was all I ever cared about. Almost 20 years later I make my living at building racing cars and I have had great sucess at that. All because some 45 year old dude introduced me to the sport. Changing the rules in IT will not help you remove the stick from yer butt or do any more to attract the younger crowd. I am off to the Dyno for 6 days so ya'all have a good time cause I am not taking this thing with me.