Breaking News from LRP

[bg43wex]

At this monment and still unconfirmed (waiting for the call back from the track), but fom a very reliable source. I have been informed that the first 2 SCCA events at LRP may not be able to happen because of the scheduled resurfacing project slated for start as soon as the weather breakes.

I was told that the track may offer July 3rd 4th and 5th as an alternative.

What does the masses think?

These new dates are a direct conflict with NNJR's pocono event and would probably cause a failure of both events if they occured together.

What about the second drivers school? with no dates available do you think we will be hurt in the future by making newbies wait till october for the Glen?

Brian m

[Greg Amy]

...scheduled resurfacing project slated for start as soon as the weather breaks.

"Here we go", indeed...

I was told that the track may offer July 3rd 4th and 5th as an alternative...these new dates are a direct conflict with NNJR's pocono event and would probably cause a failure of both events if they occured together.

I suggest the answer to that is obvious: don't schedule an event conflict. I'd rather reduce the number of available dates than take the chance of destroying both.

Plus, July 3rd is a work day. I wouldn't personally be taking an additional day off for that.

Will we lose rights to events next year if we choose to pass on the alternative? Of course, the "scheduled paving" means Skippy got his Club members, so we may be losing dates regardless...

What about the second drivers school? with no dates available do you think we will be hurt in the future by making newbies wait till october for the Glen?

Any sense of the demand for the second school this year? Obviously, making ANYONE wait is a bad thing, but maybe we can work around it depending on the demand. All the cool licensed drivers instruct at a July 3/4 Thursday/Friday school (no Regional) then we all travel en masse Friday night to the Regional at Pocono? I *would* consider an extra work day for instructing.

This is a toughie, eh? Should be a "fun" year... - GA

[gran racing]

Yeah, I've been told that the repave will happen in June but wasn't sure how it would impact the two SCCA events. I was being very optimistic in thinking it would all happen right between the two events. Yeah, I know. It sure would be nice to know the impact it will have to these events soon.

[Andy Bettencourt]

Skip has plenty of members already. The plan is a 'glass smooth surface' much more extensive than originally planned.

I also would like not to have conficting events. Let's see if we can leverage this inconvienence into some prime dates (or even a discount - ya) next year.

The "Club' already has 60 track days this year. I am looking at their schedule right now. They were independent of what we had on our sched.

[Jeremy Billiel]

This is a tough situation, but I would not have 2 dates compete with each other as it would be a looser for both parties, although if push comes to shove I think LRP would win as many would want to get on the track surface.

[dominojd]

I would suggest sticking with Pocono and dump LRP. Well yeah my decsion is sway by my location, but we haven't had 2 pocono events in years and if the region putting it on this year loses I guess we will never see it again.

I think we shouldn't go to LRp until the NARRC off's then everyone will have a even playing field on the newly paved track.

[Andy Bettencourt]

Any sense of the demand for the second school this year? Obviously, making ANYONE wait is a bad thing, but maybe we can work around it depending on the demand. All the cool licensed drivers instruct at a July 3/4 Thursday/Friday school (no Regional) then we all travel en masse Friday night to the Regional at Pocono? I *would* consider an extra work day for instructing.

I just re-read this. A VERY creative idea indeed! I am sure Flatout would be willing to support the school as instructors as well and then move along to Pocono.

Maybe a discount at Pocono to drivers who get signed off at LRP and race that weekend.

I like it!!!

[dtanthon]

Just to clarify. This event at Pocono July 5 and 6 is a Tri-Region event.
This is a Double NJRRS (www.NJRRS.com) / Double NARRC (www.NARRC.com) with the 2nd round of the Driving Impressions Pro-IT (www.NJRRS.com/proit.html).

The NNJR event is May 10 and 11 and is a Double NJRRS / Double NARRC with the 1st round of the Driving Impressions Pro-IT.

NNJR will be at Lime Rock hosting a SCCA National on August 1 and 2. This will have the 3rd round of the Driving Impressions Pro-IT as a support race for the National. The Pro-IT will be Saturday only, Andy may have more detail on the between qualifying and the race activities.

I left a message with LRP today as well to get more information on the NNJR date. If I hear anything I'll be sure to post.

Thanks,
Darrell Anthony
NNJR-RE

[dickita15]

I just re-read this. A VERY creative idea indeed! I am sure Flatout would be willing to support the school as instructors as well and then move along to Pocono.

Maybe a discount at Pocono to drivers who get signed off at LRP and race that weekend.

I like it!!!

With the economics of Lime Rock a region can survive doing a school / regional with two days rent. I do not believe it is possible to pay for Thursday and Friday or even just Friday with the entries from a school. The school would have to be very expensive.
The one interesting thing about the Friday Saturday 4th and 5th dates is they could both be race days.
I am pretty sure with new pavement a lime rock event would work but it would hurt Tri Region’s event a lot.

[16v]

The plan is a 'glass smooth surface' much more extensive than originally planned.

until the ALMS cars come in and pull it up again :cool:

[Andy Bettencourt]

I am most certianly not informed 100% on what LRP is 'demanding' from us for that new weekend they want to give us but:

I would be very dissappointed if there were two NARRC events on the same weekend. Just doesn't make any sense to me.

It also seems to me that since the Tri-Region double is already on the schedule and didn't have any conflict, it should get the nod.

I guess the NARRC committee could 'pull' the NARRC sanction from that Pocono event and give it to the LRP event...but there is impact to the bonus point situation:

1. Pocono would lose it's 2nd NARRC event - so it would lose bonus eligibility.
2. If this LRP race isn't 'rescheduled', then the only race at LRP would be the NARRC runoffs - also eliminating it from bonus eligibility
3. Does pulling the NARRC sanction from the Tri-Region hurt the inter-regional relationships?
4. Having two NARRC races on the same weekend really hurts the series and the teamwork that has seemingly been building over this last off-season

Can someone who was at the NER meeting last night chime in on the thought processes in double scheduling? There is no doubt that a double at LRP on new pavement with a school would be a hugely popular event but lets not do it if it hurts the NeDiv relationships.

Maybe Tri-Region can have a PDX on Sat and a single on Sun? Drive from LRP to Pocono Sat night for a one day sprint?

[dominojd]

It would be kinda shitty to screw Tri Region.

[dickita15]

There is nothing saying that LRP on 7/5-6 has to be a Narrc event, but if Pocono is Narrc and LRP is not it would still be rough on Tri Region.

[gran racing]

Yeah, I really don't it would be right to do either and you know me, I really like LRP. While the idea of people attending an event at Lime Rock then traveling to the Pocono event sounds nice in theory, it will detract from people participating (volunteers and entrants) at the Tri Region event.

[Andy Bettencourt]

One other thing to think about (I guess) is that Tri-Region holds this event every year and it is never a NARRC. In recent years I believe it has been a PDX and a single.

I wonder if there is a way to take the LRP days, make them a double NARRC and not kill the TR weekend. What NARRC racers have attended that TR weekend at Pocono in the past? How much effect with the double booking really have?

It's not ideal for sure. Greg made mention above - what if LRP tells us that if we DON'T take the new dates, we will lose them in subsiquent years? The NARRC committee has to look at the long term health of the series.

Have fun with this one. Flatout will be at either event, whichever one 'survives' - and if we have to travel to Pocono for a Sunday race after LRP, so be it.

[gran racing]

There's the NARRC committee and then there's the region / club as a whole. Flatout is in the racing business, therefore your view point just might be a bit different than the typical Club Racer. That's not meant as a negative viewpoint, but it is what it is. Having an event during the same weekend would have an impact upon the Tri Region event. (I previously mentioned how I really like LRP, but I never said that I'm so not a fan of Pocono.) :cool: Don't f-over the Tri Region.

[Magical Trevor]

Well... the track has opened up the month of March for rescheduling of July's dates for clubs, etc....

...Winteregional?

[TimM ITB]

my 2 cents:

I can't believe that we would even be considering re-scheduling right into another region's already scheduled date? From what I have heard and read, MUCH effort has been expended by the regions to ensure as much harmony amongst dates as possible. And this year, it seems to be really in sync with the NARRC, most of the enduros and now the IT Fest. To create the kind of angst that will probably arise amongst the regions if we re-schedule just because LRP has thrown us a ONE TIME curve ball seems to not make much sense to me.

And on the same theme but with a twist.........why wouldn't the host region for the 2 races cancelled perhaps be breathing a sigh of relief? With the turnouts of the last couple of years, based on the escalating costs at LRP, strange weather, full moons, whatever, hasn't the car counts for these 2 weekends been perilously low?

And lastly, since this is a ONE TIME occurrence, I would think (and this limb that I am on is pretty slim I grant you) that the management at LRP would understand if we can't pony up and take on new dates for the cancelled weekends - because of EXISTING scheduling conflicts? If they posted the dates as available "bonus" dates to other clubs - again a ONE TIME bonus arrangement - and they could get the dates sold, and save the dates for us for next year, etc.........why would they have a gripe? They get the income that they want, even with the cancelling of the original dates with the SCCA? Seems like they win, doesn't it? We lose 2 race weekends at LRP, and the school, but maybe we could try to add a Friday school at NHIS?

Too simple an approach?

As for the NARRC and the bonus points situation - couldn't we amend the rules for just ONE year? Or, since the NARRC race is a double points race anyway, just leave it alone. We all get to LRP with the same lack of track time / handicap?

Whatever the outcome, I think we need to consider the existing level of cooperation amongst the regions (at least in terms of scheduling) as a priority, and not something to be potentially lost in our haste to react to this one time problem.

thanks for listening.

tim m

[JLawton]

Screw LRP. The only bad thing I see is elimination of the school. I think that it's importnt to have another school during the seaosn in the NE.

Maybe add a day to an NHIS event for a school???




I'm goin' to Pocono!



.
.

[Andy Bettencourt]

As I said in my first post, having two NARRC events on one day is not the way to go. BOTH events will fail. But we as people 'not in the know' need to understand that there may be other forces at work here. It is possible that:

LRP tells us that we need to take this one or lose it forever
Tri-Region can't cancel their date or they will lose that one

Neither of those things may be happening but they are possible.

Tim is right in that there was much harmony in the scheduling this year and this is a huge curve ball. We need to do what is best for NeDiv and the NARRC at the same time, remembering or course that Tri-Region is NOT part of the NARRC series.

Dave, I don't understand your comment about Flatout. I am just telling you what *I* would do as a racer during this one-time curve ball to 1. race as much as I can and 2. help everyone involved survive. The Pocono race is a 'far away' double and it was on my schedule anyway. So the whole weekend plus a day of travel was booked anyway. Big picture time.

Looking at the NESCCA schedule from last year, I don't even see a second Pocono as an option - for ANY series. Actually, WHAT IS Tri-Region? It isn't listed as an offical region on the NeDiv section of the SCCA site...

If we don't pay a 'penalty with LRP for not holding the July races, I say Pocono. If we lose a weekend if we don't take it, I say LRP. Even BMWCCA doesn't have any LRP dates this year.