Saferacer SCCA national racing series?

[stonebridge20]

Page 75-76 of the GCR or page 176 of the PDF. It looks like we have new required stickers for national racing.

Sorry I can't get it to copy and past. Doug?

[DaveW]

logo below

[Mike B]

Neato, SCCA got a new sponsor. Unfortunately, they're not listed on the sponsor page on the SCCA website and I can't find any mention of it. So, what does this mean for us, other than having to buy three new decals?

[KevinFirlein]

i thought the decal we had to run before was horrendous, especially compared to the rather nice wire wheel decal it replaced. This is even worse, although I wonder how much Saferace is gonna pay the competitors for the advertising. yeah yeah I know.

[TimW]

i thought the decal we had to run before was horrendous, especially compared to the rather nice wire wheel decal it replaced. This is even worse, although I wonder how much Saferace is gonna pay the competitors for the advertising. yeah yeah I know.

Of course, you might be able to pay SCCA to not run it. Pennzoil did that to Nascar & CART. It was always very obvious when the front fender of their cup car had no decals on it for all the series contingency sponsors. It was always talked about on pit lane how they bought their way out of running those decals.

[John Nesbitt]

although I wonder how much Saferace is gonna pay the competitors for the advertising. yeah yeah I know.

I got my check already. You didn't get one?

[Matt King]

What if a person has a competing personal sponsorship in this category? I have a deal for all my safety gear from Impact, which is a brand that Saferacer does not even carry.

[Northwind]

I think the sponsorship package should be free HANS devices for everyone.

[Dave Gomberg]

The details of the program will be announced soon (and don't ask me to be more specific because I don't have the information), but for cars running National races, the SafeRacer sticker will replace the required SCCA Club Racing field logo. You won't have to buy the stickers and they won't be required for a while (again, I don't know the exact timing).

Dave

[mblanc]

You won't have to buy the stickers.....

[Steve Demeter]

Dave,
Does that mean that we will still have to run the current SCCA club racing sticker for regionals and that someone who runs both will have to have twice as many unattractive decals on their car?

[Dave Gomberg]

Dave,
Does that mean that we will still have to run the current SCCA club racing sticker for regionals and that someone who runs both will have to have twice as many unattractive decals on their car?

No. From the 2010 GCR (9,3,29,C):

Effective 3/1/2010 for SCCA National Races, the SCCA Field Logo will consist of the National Series Logo (Figure 4A). For Regional Races and SCCA Driver Schools, either the SCCA Field Logo or the National Series Logo will be acceptable.

Just put the new ones over the old ones when you get them.

Dave

[mmi16]

dave,
does that mean that we will still have to run the current scca club racing sticker for regionals and that someone who runs both will have to have twice as many unattractive decals on their car?

effective 3/1/2010 for scca national races, the

scca field logo will consist of the national series logo (figure 4a) for regional races and scca driver schools, either the scca field logo

or the national series logo will be acceptable.

.

[Keith Carter]

I guess we're officially in the silly season to gripe about new SCCA decals... I welcome the SafeRacer decals if they're planning on some sort of contingency to go with it otherwise I don't see a point to changing what we already have.

[Todd Butler]

I guess we're officially in the silly season to gripe about new SCCA decals... I welcome the SafeRacer decals if they're planning on some sort of contingency to go with it otherwise I don't see a point to changing what we already have.

There are contingency $$$ associated with this. Details are to be announced. (No I don't have them). Getting this in the 2010 GCR was a "hurry up" to catch the online publication rather than a FasTrack at a later date. Keep your eagle eyes open for detail announcements.

Todd Butler
Area 13 Director
SRF73 (ya I know it's not Open Wheel )

PS I'm very impressed that some of you have actually looked at the 2010 GCR enough to catch things like that!!!!

PSS that is a compliment!

[Phil Green]

I got my check already. You didn't get one?

Mine came the same day I got the Obama check...in fact, I think they were in the same envelope...

[Alex_Stone]

posted 12-29-2009 09:07 PM
Hey everyone,

Looks like we've had a major PR miss this week.

By now, many have seen the GCR and realize that Saferacer will be sponsoring national racers next year. This wasn't how we planned for the news to break to our customers, friends, and fellow competitors, but we will get a press release out hopefully as early as tomorrow.

Hard to believe that we got scooped by the once a year GCR.

We are pleased to support this and other opportunities, along with the SCCA, to provide direct benefits to racers as well as the club, and to continue to associate our brand with grassroots racing.

We are just a bunch of racers at heart and longtime SCCA members and supporters.

We apologize for any heartburn that this is causing as it is really going to be a positive for all.

Thanks for all of your support over the years, we have the best customers and friends in the business,
Charlie James
President - SafeRacer

--------------------

.

[KevinFirlein]

press release http://www.scca.org/newsarticle.aspx?hub=1&news=3847

Unless I didnt read it correctly it looks like they are creating a nationwide points race for all national classes and awarding $15,000 in product certificates to the champions. Which with 30 national classes ( I think thats the current number) those stickers are worth $500.00 if you win the nationwide points chase in your class. Normal points for finishes plus bonus points for cars beat.

[Keith Carter]

Sounds good to me! I'm happy to see more sponsors putting some money on the table.

[flat tappet]

logo below

Any reason that the Saferacer logo is in larger print than the SCCA National series logo?......LOL. Will we be black flagged because cornerworkers can't read "SCCA" on the sticker?

[cooleyjb]

Sounds like a regular old contingency package to me. Why do they get the required sticker for such a small outlay? How does this benefit the national racing scene as whole and not just the elite drivers?

[mblanc]

Per the press release:

"SafeRacer is the country’s number one source for racing safety equipment."



Really?

[KevinFirlein]

everyone will of course have their own opinions but 500.00 to each champion is far too low a number to sell your program for. On the surface it would appear to make people run more races to win which is a good thing, but the expense to win it will far out way the $500.00.

[Matt King]

It looks like a pretty straight forward contingency program, which is great for the club and those who would like to participate in it, but I still think it should be optional, not mandatory.

[DaveW]

Deleted useless comment...

[Roger Eade]

one of you guys are having the F1 test drive! at a grass root level (IMHO) you take all you can get, so it costs a lot to do it, but you can always stay at home and watch it on TV!
Roger

[Keith Carter]

$500 ~ 2 tires... I'll definitely do more races for that...

I know it doesn't amount to too much compared to a racing budget for some, but if we get a dozen or so sponsors doing this for all classes and getting on the bandwagon that Hoosier, etc are already on (albeit in tires and not cash) it could amount to some serious coin. I doubt that one single sponsor of a club racing contingency will ever amount to anything to seriously sway the turnouts. Every chunk helps add to the big pot of gold. Whether or not they deserve their own SCCA series sticker doesn't really matter much to me. It's good to have companies putting up some coin and taking an interest in club racing instead of pulling what they've got out given the current economy.

[cooleyjb]

I know it doesn't amount to too much compared to a racing budget for some, but if we get a dozen or so sponsors doing this for all classes and getting on the bandwagon that Hoosier, etc are already on (albeit in tires and not cash) it could amount to some serious coin. I doubt that one single sponsor of a club racing contingency will ever amount to anything to seriously sway the turnouts. Every chunk helps add to the big pot of gold. Whether or not they deserve their own SCCA series sticker doesn't really matter much to me. It's good to have companies putting up some coin and taking an interest in club racing instead of pulling what they've got out given the current economy.

I think you're missing the point that most people who oppose this are making.

Saferacer is offering what appears to be a generic contingency package but is getting title billing for the largest club racing series in the US.

A sponsor of a series should provide something of value to every person who enters a series, not a contingency package that is in all honestly in play for a select few. When it becomes the benefit of a select few, why should everyone be forced to support it.

[Keith Carter]

I understand that part of it, but it's not an out of pocket expense for everyone who races Nationals to support the series. They're getting the decals (at no charge) to replace the existing ones. Whether or not it's fair to other sponsors who offer similar payouts in contingencies, that's another issue that doesn't necessarily concern "Joe Average Racer" (being ME, no pun intended Joe ).

[SteveLevin]

It's not that it's unfair to have a title sponsor, I just think it's a ridiculously low figure for what is then a *required* decal on every single car entering National events -- plus the fundamental naming rights.

Heck, I bet we could have rounded up enough on this board to raise the $15,000 for the ApexSpeed National Race Series.

Steve

[rickb99]

.... A sponsor of a series should provide something of value to every person who enters a series, not a contingency package that is in all honestly in play for a select few. When it becomes the benefit of a select few, why should everyone be forced to support it.

In addition to the contingency pay outs, perhaps if you carry the SafeRacer sticker you get a FREE H&N device prior to January 2012

[DanW]

It's not that it's unfair to have a title sponsor, I just think it's a ridiculously low figure for what is then a *required* decal on every single car entering National events -- plus the fundamental naming rights.

Heck, I bet we could have rounded up enough on this board to raise the $15,000 for the ApexSpeed National Race Series.

Steve

I am not sure we see the whole picture, certainly not the entire contract...

Could it be the contingency award payout is just one part of the contract?

Perhaps Mr. Creighton or another board member could explain if there is or will be additional promotional fees paid to National?

Regards,
Dan Wise

[jwr914]

What individual entrant monetary value did anyone get from the "old" stickers? Simply club branding? Who saw that other than members and/or their friends and family?

Could be this falls into the "anything is better than nothing" catagory.

James

[cooleyjb]

What individual entrant monetary value did anyone get from the "old" stickers? Simply club branding? Who saw that other than members and/or their friends and family?

Could be this falls into the "anything is better than nothing" catagory.

James

If the guy in last place gets no money/reduced entry fees/reduced license fees from this than it really isn't any better than a contingency. That's the issue. A series sponsor should benefit the entire field, not the top 3.

[Purple Frog]

My first question:

Was this put out as a bid? Open to all vendors to bid on?

I can think of some folks that would have been interesting in bidding.

OK, I'm an old gray hair fuddy duddy, but i do think it's tacky that a "club" has advertising on it's logo.

Maybe some bias on my part since Tim at Safequip is the biggest sponsor i ever had. And, I try to support Averill Racing Stuff. But I wouldn't want their branding on the club logo either.

Follow the money.

[rickb99]

....OK, I'm an old gray hair fuddy duddy, but i do think it's tacky that a "club" has advertising on it's logo.

AGREE with that, Frog. Yes I'm an old guy too.

I would HOPE there's some considerable $$$ involved in this for the club. Having the logo as a PART of the club racing decal goes WAY beyond the level of a contingency award sponsor for cars carrying their company logo.

It's one thing to have like a sponsor for a specific race like... The Valvoline SCCA Runoffs or some such with all cars carrying the Valvoline logo. It's another to have EVERY single National racer carrying the SafeRacer logo ALL over the country for an entire season. Every time one of those cars ends up on TV or in a photo in a magazine, SafeRacer gets and advertising 'hit'. That's gotta be worth more then $15,000 in contingency awards.

[Matt King]

What happens if you refuse to run this sticker? Do you automatically forfeit all national points, or would someone have to lodge a "sticker" protest?

[cooleyjb]

What do the regions that put on the National events get out of this? They're the ones that are taking the financial risk to put them on.

[J Leonard]

You don't pass tech? Go home?

[M.Sauce]

As of today I am an ex BOD member and I would like thank Saferacer for stepping up an adding another sponsor for SCCA Club Racing.This will be a great deal for National racers.Just be patient and after the Holidays all the details will be on the website.Thanks again Saferacer.