Scca club racing non-specatator events

[lateapex911]

Andy's right...I get nervous at "open" events. I can't be guarding my chit while I'm on the track.
Epilogue:
At Atlanta, somebody went into my enclosed trailer, opened my gear bag, pulled out my pants, and pulled out my wallet. And went directly to Walmart. And Chucky Cheese, McDonalds, etc etc.
I discovered it immediately, called the bank, who said there had been no activity and shut the card down. Well, it turned out the bank screwed up...the card was active for a week. Mr thief went back to Walmart everyday. As he did all sort of other white trash joints. $5000 worth of fat food crap and who knows what...Oddly, the police took all the info, and the bank couldn't be bothered with calling Walmart to get the photos taken of every transaction. Man...so EASy to bust a guy, but nobody cared. And we wonder why criminals exist....

Anyway, Dan, you can't compare SCCA to NASA. The guys running NASA events are profiting on the event. Nobody working an SCCA event makes a penny...actually, everybody entering the gates loses money that weekend. (Except the vendors). So, what we need is ...in each region/track,.... a guy to create a staff/system/agreement with the track and region to facilitate spectators.

I imagine the first events will be rough, with little results. Over time, it might grow. Or not. Dave begged me to go to the Glen with him (this past weekend), but, sorry, thats WAY too much time and lets face it, watching racing at the Glen is booooring. (As a crew, you're pretty much screwed)*

That's part of the problem. You need a working PA, and an announcer that knows his stuff. Cue Dave Parker. At Summit, he's up in the tower, and he knows everybody, so he can crack a joke, or just basically call the race, making it 1000x more interesting.

I think it's a classic cost/benefit deal. WILL we get more participants? How much will that cost us? Who will do it?? Will our stuff get stolen??

*Another aspect to me is that we don't live in 1973 anymore. We have the internet. People sitting next to each other text each other. TONS of kids would WAY rather play a video came driving a fake car and shooting cops than actually get in the car with their parents and drive an hour to go see a REAL car. And fathers have to be at soccer games, swim meets, basketball practices...for their daughters! There is just WAY more to do and families are way more "kids first' than they used to be. Summit draws spectators for Hyperfest for roll over contests, wet T shirt contests, epic partying and general debauchery. Some of the specators actually watch a race or two as well...

[gran racing]

Hyperfest at Summit....any SCCA events like that?

LOL!!! Hopefully not. It's been the only time I've written the track afterwards to complain. It's interesting to watch but after experiencing it a couple of times.

told you that this is a waste of time......

That's it? Wow, you give up easily. I have to imagine there are some solutions which would achive both goals.

[Andy Bettencourt]

It's also easy to act locally. At NHMS, the registrars will leave a list of people you want to at the window after they close so the timing isn't an issue. Problem solved.

As for 'walk-ins'...to get them, you need publicity. The track won't do it because it will cost them more than they will bring in and the Regions can't afford it even if they got some of the money. Having said that, most anyone can walk up and pay to get into an SCCA race these days.

So what is the real question? You can fortify your crew list, leave names for after hours and we can do walk-ins. If it's 'how do we get more walk ins?' then that is a whole 'nother deal.

[Ron Earp]

At 55, I worry about the future outlook of any group that has more members older than me! The advantage of more public involvement is that show up to the track to watch a race cause they think its cool are our best candidates for future club members, staff and workers etc.

I agree with you. Operational differences between NASA and the SCCA aside, walking around the paddock at a NASA event is an eye opener for a number of reasons. The average age of the participant is much lower, probably in their upper 20s and early/mid thirties. The cars are more modern and in many cases it appears that there is no shortage of money.

And yes, I'm loyal to the SCCA and love the SCCA regions I race in, but look, the NASA people have a "can do" or "yes you can" attitude that can make their organization attractive to the new racer. Forgot your license (I did)? No problem. Jane connects to the internet while sitting in the registration area and clears that license in literally twelve seconds (yes I counted). Done. No drama. No faxes. No calling Topeka on an emergency hotline. Your buddy forgot his license too (he did)? No problem. Regardless of how it happens, NASA has a very racer friendly atmosphere that sometimes is lacking in the SCCA.

All that said, I prefer the SCCA. I suspect I prefer it because I started there and now have a large network of friends in the club. But I imagine that had I started in NASA I'd be there now. And that is what we must consider when we think about the future of the club, where are new racers starting?

[joeg]

You can spectate at Nelson Ledges.

[dj10]

The fact is that "Racing in all forms is a spectator sport" plain and simple. Now lets get the SCCA & the racing faculities to think that way so we don't lose out to NASA.

[ner88]

We at NER sign contracts with the tracks. We do not have spectator privilages, we are basically allowed 3 crew per driver, thats it! If you want to spectate you muct pay the track.
We only keep registration open limited hours because the people who man the windows volunteer. If you want to keep the windows open longer volunteer your time!
Andy, (for the record) there is no late list, NHMS stopped it a couple of years ago.

[EV]

At the NASA events held at Summit Point, there's no way in hell I'm leaving ANYTHING out. There have been plenty of instances where stuff is stolen, and other issues are created.

If this was at the Hyperfest, then ya, it's true. At their regular events, never seen/heard of an issue.

[EV]

I agree with you. Operational differences between NASA and the SCCA aside, walking around the paddock at a NASA event is an eye opener for a number of reasons. The average age of the participant is much lower, probably in their upper 20s and early/mid thirties. The cars are more modern and in many cases it appears that there is no shortage of money.

And yes, I'm loyal to the SCCA and love the SCCA regions I race in, but look, the NASA people have a "can do" or "yes you can" attitude that can make their organization attractive to the new racer. Forgot your license (I did)? No problem. Jane connects to the internet while sitting in the registration area and clears that license in literally twelve seconds (yes I counted). Done. No drama. No faxes. No calling Topeka on an emergency hotline. Your buddy forgot his license too (he did)? No problem. Regardless of how it happens, NASA has a very racer friendly atmosphere that sometimes is lacking in the SCCA.

All that said, I prefer the SCCA. I suspect I prefer it because I started there and now have a large network of friends in the club. But I imagine that had I started in NASA I'd be there now. And that is what we must consider when we think about the future of the club, where are new racers starting?

I have had a similar circumstance. I registered for an event, and my membership was going to be expired by event time. I got a call on the phone from the local group reminding me to renew.

[Andy Bettencourt]

Andy, (for the record) there is no late list, NHMS stopped it a couple of years ago.

At the RAL on Saturday I showed up at 11:30am. Was asked if I was on 'the list'. Saw the list too. Luckily, the Registrars were coming back in to find something and looked me up via crew list.

[Andy Bettencourt]

The fact is that "Racing in all forms is a spectator sport" plain and simple. Now lets get the SCCA & the racing faculities to think that way so we don't lose out to NASA.

Come on Dan, road racing sucks as a spectator sport. At WGI you can see what, 1/20th of the racing surface? I would venture to guess that NASA events are well attended because they are EVENTS...with much more to see and do than the small time their RR program has on track.

[dj10]

Come on Dan, road racing sucks as a spectator sport.

How many people does road racing in europe draw..ask Rob Thiele, and from everything I've seen and been reading it is growing here in the states. Hell even a lot of the nascar guys like it better than the circle tracks! To have a track say" your a spectator we don't want you here" is BS! BTW when I watch the races @ the Glen I drive to the different corners as long as the races aren't 5 laps or something stupid. I love to watch Henderson & Driscoll beat on each other.

[Russ Myers]

And Football, (pardon, soccer) is all the rage in Europe. How well does it play here?

Russ

[mossaidis]

“The M.L.S. won’t be the N.F.L. in our lifetime,” said Jeff L’Hote, a consultant to soccer teams and companies interested in working with them. “Maybe it’s not as sexy as some want, but we’ll see steady growth.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/24/sp.../24soccer.html

ok fine - you're comparing soccer to RRacing. At one dimension, I think the arguement here is NASA vs SCCA, let's keep it on topic. I still don't see the cause for my why SCCA organizers and tracks (generally speaking) do not allow spectators much like NASA does. Explain.

[dj10]

And Football, (pardon, soccer) is all the rage in Europe. How well does it play here?

Russ

Russ have you heard of the world cup and team USA is in it and it is also growing by leaps and bounds? Just sayin......

[Knestis]

We've been having variations of this conversation since I joined SCCA in 1979. It's better now than it has been at other times (see Butch's point) but we are still going to struggle unless someone really takes the initiative to improve spectator participation and access. And as was mentioned, there's really no return on that UNLESS it's a commercial effort (a la NASA).

K

[racecarjohn]

I was racing at a spectator event at Summit Point. It was a night enduro a few years back. Without a full moon it was very dark. The good old boys that were spectating started a bon fire that was huge(I'm sure gasoline was used to start it). I am talking 40, 50 feet high, 15 to 20 feet wide. This lite up turns 5,6 and 7 like it was day light When I reached that part of the track, right after it started, I thought a car had crashed and was burning up. It was pretty scary. After a few more laps I could see it was just a party with a 30 foot bon fire.

Just Saying

[Knestis]

There was a couch on that fire, among other things...

K

[Kai Noeske]

There was a couch on that fire, among other things...

K

I assume events like this led to restrictions that spawned the "Free Turn Five" movement...?


... and WHERE ON EARTH do people find a couch at Summit Point???

[dj10]

There was a couch on that fire, among other things...

K

Are you sure you weren't at the Wva campus K?