Is $350 for a single day regional a record?

[Andy Bettencourt]

Trust me when I say that $60-$90 extra for the event isn't going to keep me away. I do understand that some people have thresholds and they vote by not showing up. Short sighted? Maybe, but it is what it is.

Where my thersholds are is the quantity of events. I simply can't afford FORTEEN NARRC/NERRC/NNJR/NYRRC events. I choose 8 weekends. The +/- $90 isn't the issue. If you have 1500 entrants over 15 races, you get 100 entrants per race. If you only have 10 races, you get 150 per race. People will still race the same amount of races.

[raffaelli]

$8.75 a minute is kinda steep. Sucks really. Skip sat next to me on the hill at the Koni race. I didn't think to bitch at him. Just noted to him that it was a beautiful day and that the World Challenge was missing.

I love the place. My family loves the place. I can be there in 40 minutes with the trailer. I will be there and at the test day earlier in the week.:026:

[xr4racer]

What everyone should know is the $300 double at Beaverun this weekend will be lucky to get 65 cars.

matt

[chuck baader]

DAMMIT MAN:026: How many of you that are complaining about entry fees have actually sat on your region board and discussed what a reasonable entry fee would be based on the entries YOU THINK WILL ATTEND? None of us have a crystal ball so we do the best we can. And to hear the complaining really makes board members want to VOLUNTEER their time and effort to give you a place to race. Maybe you should take up golf. Chuck (ex-SCCA Alabama Region Board Member)

[mossaidis]

DAMMIT MAN:026: How many of you that are complaining about entry fees have actually sat on your region board and discussed what a reasonable entry fee would be based on the entries YOU THINK WILL ATTEND? None of us have a crystal ball so we do the best we can. And to hear the complaining really makes board members want to VOLUNTEER their time and effort to give you a place to race. Maybe you should take up golf. Chuck (ex-SCCA Alabama Region Board Member)

From one cynic to another, you have an excellent point but it won't stop people from venting or sharing their options - please take the good and seperate out the bad. As a board member you should know that no good deed goes unpunished - sorry if you were burnt out. Remember that these forums are just that - a place for folks to speak their mind sometimes without the "filter".

[dj10]

Trust me when I say that $60-$90 extra for the event isn't going to keep me away.

If I had your money, I'd burn mine.

[anthony1k]

Price alone does not tell the whole story. The key here is value. Track time I think is important. It takes a fair amount of time for most of us to load and unload car and equipment, tow to and from the track, and setup and close shop at the track. For 40 minutes of track time (assuming no incidents) just isn't worth it. I liked what NNJR did with the Friday T&T. I felt that between the two days I was getting a decent value.

IMHO LRP is not a good place to have a school. Finances aside, I think it is hard to put on a quality school in one day.

[Andy Bettencourt]

Chuck, some of us know the issues. Here are some:

LRP is VERY expensive.
The value is low.
SCCA gets 4 weekends a year there and they refuse to give any up because they probably won't get it/them back.
3 of the 4 weekends threaten to cost Regions money, sometimes significant dollars. Sometimes dollars that the smaller Regions don't have.
The Regions put on great events given the constraints they have. The entry fee is a chicken and egg thing as you know. If you knew 250 cars would show, you would have a low entry fee. If you had a low entry fee, more cars would show up. The balancing act is the issue.

Regional execs and reps from series come on here and ask us our opinons every year. They tell us we need to support these events or lose them...all while we are telling them we have too many events yet nobody is willing to bite the bullet and consolidate.

I will be sending out invitations for a 'NE Drivers Tast Force'. A group that would want to work together to present some ideas to the PTB for consideration for 2010. If you would ike to be part of that group, please send me a PM with your e-mail and I will get you on. We know the PTB work hard at a hard job - hell, I live that every day on the ITAC, but we need to figure out a way to get them to listen - AS WELL AS take the time to learn what we don't know about the issues so we can find a solution that makes it work for everyone.

Bottom line? We have people working on our behalf for racing that want what is best for the racers, the workers and the Regions. Let's help them help us all.

[seckerich]

I will offer a couple of options from a fellow race chair and BOD member:

If you did not make money when the economy was good with 4 races you never will. Dropped my regions National for that very reason. Less work for our already stressed worker pool.

Set an entry fee up to a certain car count and then rebate if the number is met. Share the risk as it may be. Who in their right mind runs 4 races at any track that loose money?

If you have 2 smaller regions that run races there and are close to loosing everything have them cancel a weekend and share the other. This will get worse before it gets better and it will take some creative thinking to get through.

Take it for what it is worth and do not be afraid to get involved and call your elected officials.

[JLawton]

Considering one heat cycle on my tires is $100, the extra $$ for the entry isn't that much. Plus I don't have to pay for a motel and only one tank of gas for the TV. And I save by skimping on my safety gear.......

But I am looking forward to Palmer.........



(And I was kidding about the safety gear)

[Andy Bettencourt]

And while Palmer *MAY* give us a less expensive option, it will compound our supply problem...

[gran racing]

Set an entry fee up to a certain car count and then rebate if the number is met.

Interesting idea.

Jeff, you're right! We should create a new hate thread about tires!!! I am absolutely at fault with this but I somewhat hide the tire costs in my head. Not sure why, maybe because it's pretty crazy so I just block it out? Tires are a big factor in killing my budget and what my wife hates the most. Then again tire budgets do range quite a between people and how competitive they want to be. I know I went from freebees or old SRF tires ($100 / set) to a budget I try very hard not to think about.

I can't think of any way to do it, but it would be great if there was a way to reduce everyone's tire budget. Spec GAC Hoosiers? yeah, I know... lol

How many Palmer dates do we have allocated per year per the agreement?

[lateapex911]

and only one tank of gas for the TV.

Really, Jeff, try the electric models. They've been out for a few years now, and they are far quieter and less smelly.

[Robert Zecca]

Guys,

A few weeks ago I wrote a post "SCCA IT IS TIME FOR CHANGE". This is what I am speaking about. NOW WE MUST SUPPORT NER AND THEIR EVENT and then we need to think about the future and how this can change for next year. Please deal with this for now and then lets work together later. We have ideas that may work for the better.

Sincerely,
Bob Zecca

[tdw6974]

I will offer a couple of options from a fellow race chair and BOD member:

If you did not make money when the economy was good with 4 races you never will. Dropped my regions National for that very reason. Less work for our already stressed worker pool.

Set an entry fee up to a certain car count and then rebate if the number is met. Share the risk as it may be. Who in their right mind runs 4 races at any track that loose money?

If you have 2 smaller regions that run races there and are close to loosing everything have them cancel a weekend and share the other. This will get worse before it gets better and it will take some creative thinking to get through.

Take it for what it is worth and do not be afraid to get involved and call your elected officials.

Steve, Amen to the get Involved.Spent last evening as comp board member for Glen region trying to keep things in line for the region and the Customers(racers) At some point I suspect the regions will make a tough decision to drop events. We as a region are struggling with our October event as the"biggest Loser" We share the National with an adjoining region this is our "off" year. We tried to move the driver's school to July but WGI controls the test day on Friday and that is the way it is. I'm sure other tracks are the same way. We discussed the rebate but not certain how to handle it. Other regions have done it it would be a matter of logistics. Also discussed was a reduced entry fee for entering in 2 groups. asking regions that don't have a track/races to help fund the drivers school for drivers from there region? do we need to spread the area of scheduling so less conflicts of events. ? TW

[gran racing]

Tom, in the future, maybe your region (and others) could partner up with a HPDE group to complete a school?

Please deal with this for now and then lets work together later.

If only it were this simple. For most it's not just a matter of the extra money allocated to entry fees. Like Andy said, people can only afford so many races. Then there's the whole economy. Although I hate to admit it, this is a hobby and when people are cutting costs this one sure would be the logical choice (at least to others in the family).

[Doc Bro]

Guys,

Please deal with this for now and then lets work together later.

Sincerely,
Bob Zecca

The problem is Bob that some have already brought this up in years past. Certainly AB (and I) as drivers reps talked about these things 2 seasons ago....at LRP in an open forum, the regions missed the opportunity this year (and they're paying for it) and if history repeats will miss again next season. If anything the problem is even worse this year with the addition of a robust Pro-IT schedule.

We should've cut races right at the beginning of the season when it was deemed that '09 would be lean.

R

[dj10]

It's a damn shame you guys and Gals are stuck with so few choice's when it come to tracks. You want to play you'll have to pay no matter how much your region will lose. :~(

[gran racing]

I don't think we are. It's just that pricing is a bit tough at some.

Thunderbolt
Lightening
Lime Rock
New Hampshire Motorsports Park
Watkins Glen
Pocono (yuck!)
Summit Point (a little hike, but do-able)
Palmer coming soon - sweet!

[Andy Bettencourt]

We are lucky to have choices for sure. But it creates over supply - and that is what is killing entries. Just 2 events at each of these tracks and we have the potential for 16 race weekends. Data in NER shows most racers do LESS THAN 4 races per year.