Quote Originally Posted by Alain V. View Post
...Then there's the whole economics of it. track rentals and associated costs are expensive. So wouldn't it seem logical to try and have participation as high as possible? More participants=more entry fees=more money to cover costs,,,,,,,,so why does the scca seem to do everything it can to lower the motivation to enter on the regional level????

I guess to wrap up my little rant,,,,,, if you go to a local restaurant and they constantly treat you bad and serve mediocre food to you.
If things don't improve, you can vote with your wallet and go to their competitor down the street.

This is pretty much for what I and many others have done and are doing. I know this may seem like a "foreign" concept to many who only run scca events,,,,,,but there are actually groups and clubs out there who are happy to have you participate with them and who will treat you like they appreciate your choice to run with them.
I hear what you are saying - But I think you are missing one point. The SCCA is a club that 'should' be member-driven. My region is working hard to promote IT racing. I volunteer and participate in race planning as well as compete in the events. It takes members to participate and make the club what you want it to be. I'm a member of the club and want to do what I can to help my region be a success. I hear this over and over and over - "I don't know why the SCCA doesn't ...". I've said this over and over - It is EASY - Make it happen! Around here, IT racing is doing GREAT! IT-Fest, IT-SM Shootout @ Grand-Am, ARRC... There are plenty of 'cool' events to do along with all the other regional races going on. This past weekend was a 2x regional at Grattan and one at Watkins Glen. I was at the Glen and there were plenty of IT/SM cars and an overall great turnout for a regional race weekend. The IT-SM shootout event is sold out and has a waiting list...

Many of the other groups are for-profit and of course will be happy to take your money so they can make a profit! These groups will take your money and do what they can to make you happy (as long as they make a profit). The product they offer is fine for some - but not all events are equal... Some of these groups have poor safety records or practices. Some of those groups have sups with things like "you are responsible any damages you cause to the track" and "any damage between cars is between the owners of the vehicles". I know what those things mean and what they can mean if/when something goes wrong.

I appreciate there are choices and that some people are comfortable with making a choice different than mine. Everyone needs to asses the risk/reward/value and choose the path that they want. I know my risk/reward/value threshold and there is only one club that meets my criteria. All my .02 cents.