MiDiv Schedule

[FireballPhil]

SLUFF & IPRESS,

Thanks so much for your vote of confidence. It really means alot. The NN on March 14/15 is a definite go. MMP gave me 3 more dates to look at in 2009. All of these dates coincide with an open date in the Midiv schedule. I "want" to use 2 out of 3 of these dates. They will be a RR and probably both a PDX on one day and an enduro the other day. Those dates are Memorial weekend May 23/24; August 22/23; October 31/November 1.

I will find out about those dates Wednesday night but more than likely they will be the May and August dates. The October date is 1 week after the RR in STL. I had some less than positive feedback from STL so I am not going to consider the October date. The STL region is very good to the Mid-South region and I am not going to screw up that relationship. I am trying to build a worker base for the Mid-South region is the reason for the 2 extra races.

SLUF/IPRESS, do you have any opinions or suggesitons? They would be appreciated.

[tnord]

Phil -

Is Memphis region prepared to lose between $5,000-$10,000 in the name of trying to building a worker base?

I know there's probably not many people from NE who would travel to Memphis for a race and vice versa, but there probably are people in MO who would go to either place. However, I can practically garauntee there will be ZERO people willing to travel to Omaha one weekend, and Memphis the next.

From my perspective, adding these two races is going to thin the field both at MAM and Memphis, and create a big heaping loss on the Memphis Region cash flow statement for the month. I have thought about your question of how to attract workers, and my answer is that we have to have a STRONG racing program that puts on a good show in order to make it fun and worthwhile for workers to volunteer their time and money. I have worked corners in the past, and the "races" with only a handful of cars which is hardly anything more than a lapping parade is not fun. But back when SM had 25+ car fields, that was a lot of fun to be on the corners, and if every race was like that, i'd be a lot more willing to do it again.

There are only a certain number of people racing in this part of the country, and especially these days there is only a certain amount of money to be had by the regions. If we keep adding events, we're only slicing the pie into smaller pieces, and that's not good for anyone.

I think adding more events to MiDiv's schedule is the worst thing we can possibly do for the health of both the racing and worker programs.

[PSherm]

Phil -

I think adding more events to MiDiv's schedule is the worst thing we can possibly do for the health of both the racing and worker programs.

+1! Cancelling the S/R at Hallett cost the AVRG. With low car turnouts this year, I think we got lucky with the July race weekend, so we may have broken even on the year. As a driver, cancelling both Hallett and the RR at MPH, cost me plenty for season points. I have heard plenty of complaints over the last couple years from worker chiefs that the back-to-back weekends, as well as just the shear number of events, have taken their toll. Something's gonna give eventually, especially since we can't seem to recruit enuff new blood.....

[CCARVER]

Phil,
John and I will make one of the events you get approved and we will bring all the F&C guys we can fit in the trucks when we head up.
Thanks for all the hard work.
Carver

[FireballPhil]

Thanks Carver for supporting us. You have in the past. And you were also here in 2008 in March when we had the SSR and lost $9400. Thank you. Driver schools are a requirement for a track per the GCR.

[tnord]

Driver schools are a requirement for a track per the GCR.

Curious what this statement means. Not every track has an SCCA school every year, nor should they have to.

[SLUF]

More races in the eastern part of the division! Bring em on Phil!

[Turkflyer]

Not all of us live in the middle of the MiDiv. For those of us in Arkansas, Memphis is great....and MAM is too long a pull. A friend of mine in AS says it costs him $1000 in diesel alone to attend MAM. It's an extra day on the road for everyone down here.