What made the ARRC so prestigious?

[R2 Racing]

Delaware, OH to Braselton, GA = 634 miles. Damn, I've forgot how long of a drive that is!

Oh well, don't care. I'll be there!

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Kevin
Ruck Racing
'92 ITA Acura Integra RS
'92 ITC Honda Civic CX
'85 ITC Honda Civic S
'95 ITS Honda Prelude Si

[lateapex911]

Well, Kevin, when I started whining in my head about our CT/MASS to Atlanta tow, I stopped myself thinking about the guys from Nova Scotia....they're so far away I don't even know how bad it is, but I know we're lucky!

Looking forward to this years event, hope to actually make a race lap or two at racing speeds this year...the new carb is on the car....and I hope I get as lucky as I did last year with crew...what a luxury to have a knowledgable good natured friend to help out!

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Jake Gulick
CarriageHouse Motorsports
ITA 57 RX-7
New England Region
[email protected]

[R2 Racing]

Originally posted by lateapex911:
Well, Kevin, when I started whining in my head about our CT/MASS to Atlanta tow, I stopped myself thinking about the guys from Nova Scotia....they're so far away I don't even know how bad it is, but I know we're lucky!

Yea, I agree. I thought about those guys a couple minutes after I posted that and felt like a schmo. I can right now think of 18 tracks off of the top of my head I could get to in a 10 hour drive or less. Not too shabby!

[This message has been edited by R2 Racing (edited July 20, 2004).]

[apr67]

I think the ARRC has lost some of it's presitge. The addition of so many local classes (i.e. classes without national rules or even national acceptance) has made it look alot like any other regional.

I'm not being elitest, I think the region needed to do it for the $$ reasons, but I think getting back to basics of national regional classes would help.

Also, I think the old Enduro format made the weekend a bigger event. The short enduro's are not much longer than the average sprint race!

Dealing with the parking police is always a hassel. I know that Fletcher has to do it, and it is a hateful job, but sometimes you have to remember what we drivers go through.

Having towed 10 or 12 or 24 hours straight to get to the track, (in the rain) and being told that I have to move my open trailer, that has all my tires, my tool boxes, my generator and my compressor on it to the grass is not going to be met with a sunny disposition. Especially when some rich bozo with a semi and one corvette can take up the entire paddock.

Personally I say give each car entered a piece of real estate on the pavement, say 12 x 40. You can put anything you want in that 12 x 40, everything else goes to the grass. Those of us with several cars will work together. Those guys with huge rigs and one car will be 'out to pasture'.

Alan

[Scott Webb]

Originally posted by Super Swift:
It is viewed as the IT runoffs because it is billed that way and simply that. Should the ARRC be moved to bring more cars. NO. The South East has the car counts. West of the Mississippi they are lucky to get 10 car fields of all IT classes. Central isn’t much better having only three or four 15 one class IT fields a year.

Cause or effect? I don't know the answer - just asking.

I've heard that San Francisco Region gets pretty good IT car counts these days. They've been trying to build a championship event as well. What was once the Pacific Coast Runoffs (or something to that effect) is now the Western States Shootout.

Originally posted by apr67:
Personally I say give each car entered a piece of real estate on the pavement, say 12 x 40. You can put anything you want in that 12 x 40, everything else goes to the grass. Those of us with several cars will work together. Those guys with huge rigs and one car will be 'out to pasture'.

At the Mazdaspeed Miata Cup/Challenge races at Laguna Seca, where we run in support of CART/ALMS/Atlantic/FM/Barber Dodge/etc., we all get a fixed-size space under a series of giant tents. You can bring your hauler into the paddock to unload whatever will fit, and the rest gets put out to pasture. While I'd prefer to have my enclosed trailer nearby, this configuration really fosters a feeling of community and communication, and it's a good solution for a limited amount of space.

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Scott Webb
WebbRacing.com

[lateapex911]

Yea- I would HATE to be Fletcher! Imagine how many guys point at the big semi rig and say..."why do I only get 20 x 10 feet for my stuff, when THAT guy gets the best spot AND a space...for the same ONE racecar... that's 6 times the size of what you're giving me??"

Yup...I'd hate to be him!

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Jake Gulick
CarriageHouse Motorsports
ITA 57 RX-7
New England Region
[email protected]

[gran racing]

Well, this certainly isn't unique to the ARRC event. The labor day MARRS event at summit point is crazy! Last year we were very, very lucky to have someone nice enough save Jake and I a spot to share. If it weren't for that, I have no idea where we would have been.

The last lime rock race - I drove around for a while and again got lucky. Tom Blaney gave up some space and again Jake and I squeezed in. Other people had to park up top in a different lot.

People should only be alloted a certain amount of space no matter which race it is.

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Dave Gran
NER #13 ITA
'87 Honda Prelude

[Knestis]

Minor highjack...

The paddock space equity issue is a huge one. I was the ultimate low-footprint guy this season, driving the car to the track and unloading stuff from the hatch but there was a full-on 40' transporter towed by one of those RV 5th-wheel conversions parked next to me at VIR early this spring: It had one Spec Miata in it and the car that the team driver used to get to run errands.

We now return you to your regularly scheduled programming.

K

[Tom Donnelly]

This is kind of a hijack but it relates.

I got used to working out of my enclosed trailer (sold). I could keep all the tools and stuff inside and the car under an awning. I was skipping getting another enclosed trailer and spening the money elsewhere and I'd take up less space and not need an expensive tow vehicle.

But after reading the thread on sabotage I wonder now if I need to lock my stuff up at night and sleep under the racecar.

I've been saving for an enclosed trailer and all the recent threads seem to add parameters to the decision. 15's or 14's. Lock up the trailer or open trailer. More or less space. New Hoosiers or old.

ARRG!

Tom

[Knestis]

Sorry - sabotage? I obviously missed something...

K

[m glassburner]

Why not have a east coast semi championship and a west coast one.....and then meet in the middle for a doozie of a winner take all?? Say at topeka???? mike g. p.s. like the wreck me otters did??maybe even the same week??

[apr67]

The Spec Miata thing was a pro race. Different ball of wax.

But your idea has merit. The problem is our club doesn't care enough to make it happen, so it would be up to us to make it happen.

I would not hold out a lot of hope for that happening.

My suggestion at one time was make a race like the ARRC an invitational with a tow fund. Every division has a regional series, (some have several), invite the winners in each division and encourage them by providing something. Discounted entry fee (based on distance), tow fund, or something.

But this is Atlanta Regions event, and although they did have discount entry fees in the very beginning (I think) that disappered.
Alan

[gsbaker]

(Slightly OT)

What about this year's ARRC? With all this talk, one can sense the mounting enthusiasm. Perhaps the Webmaster can begin a 2004 ARRC category to compliment last year's.

Personally, I am curious about the status of Jake's efforts to secure the hot tub girls. And, of course, poll all potential attendees about estimated beer consumption.

Gregg

[Tom Donnelly]

K,

Someone posted a link the other day to the prodcar forum and the spec racer forum about cars being sabotaged at Roebling. Shock settings changed, suspension components loosened and/or bolts removed and such.

It was a little disturbing because I'd never heard of that except in movies.

Here's the links:

http://www.specracer.com/forums/topic.asp?...405&whichpage=1

http://www.coloradoscca.org/prodcar/viewto...opic.php?t=3151


Tom



[This message has been edited by Tom Donnelly (edited July 22, 2004).]