Tow Fund $$$

[mmi16]

Got my Tow Fund check from the Runoff's. The amount received was less than was received from 2009. With the disbursement rules being changed to only compensating those that actually finished in the top 3 in the division, more National participants contributing to the Tow Fund and the number of entries to the Runoff's being virtually flat....I would have expected to receive more than in 2009.

What gives?

[dick patullo]

[FONT=Times New Roman]Last year the income from the runoffs Monday test day was added to the tow fund. This years schedule qualifying started on Monday in order to not have any combined sessions meant that money went away. [/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman] [/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman]Dick Patullo[/FONT]

[budawe]

It could also mean that fewer total national entries were paid since it's not hard to qualify. Next year might be a bit better,

[mmi16]

It could also mean that fewer total national entries were paid since it's not hard to qualify. Next year might be a bit better,

Didn't SCCA say that total National entries were up for the year?
Total Runoff's registration was virtually flat between 2009 & 2010.
In 2009 payouts were made to the top 3 from a division attending and running in the event.
In 2010 payouts only those of the top 3 from that entered and ran.

ie. in 2009 if 1 -2 & 5 from a division ran in the Runoff's all were paid tow money. In 2010 if the same occurred only 1 & 2 would be paid tow money.

[budawe]

When as the ATT&T money envolved? Maybe it was a part of the tow fund.

[mmi16]

When as the ATT&T money envolved? Maybe it was a part of the tow fund.

I could be wrong....my understanding is that the Tow Fund is funded by a $5 fee from each National entry....nothing more and nothing less....while there may be alternate funding sources, I am not aware of them ever having been publicized.

[Dave Gomberg]

I could be wrong....my understanding is that the Tow Fund is funded by a $5 fee from each National entry....nothing more and nothing less....while there may be alternate funding sources, I am not aware of them ever having been publicized.

In addition to the tow fund fees that are part of every National entry (it is $15 per car, not $5), in the past there have been some additions to it. As Dick Patullo pointed out above, all the proceeds from the Monday test day in 2009 were added to the tow fund that year. This year, only the fees from National entries were available.

Dave

[budawe]

In recent time AT&T became a sponsor of SCCA and I thought some o the funds were added. When Mid-Ohio had the runoffs they paid serious money to SCCA and I remember one year some of it found it's way into the tow fund.

[carnut169]

How much $$ are you guys talking about? $15 for each national entry over the year sounds like it would add up!

[Hardingfv32]

So, what was the pay out per mile this year? How is the milage calculated?

Brian

[budawe]

I'd have to know the mileage used for my check. It's based on zip codes. My mileage to the track was 2200 miles and I received $844.48 so maybe $.38 per mile. the amount received was more than the amount paid in but no enough to pay for diesel used.

[M.Sauce]

In the past the tow fund money came from the track and the entry fees from all National events. I guess Road America was not interested in adding that to the sanction fee.The deal last year with the paid test day on Monday was stupid in my opinion.Track time is always a problem at the Runoffs and again this time that issue was not addressed.My tow fund check was 40% less this year than last.I am sure the BOD group has discussed this but has come up with no solutions.This along with track time issues,prices for testing and parking fees at the Runoffs will keep some more competitors from making the trip.I have been to over 20 Runoffs and I am considering not going again.I am sure more than 50 % of the competitors have substantioal expense to get to this race because of distance.(2300 miles round trip for me).I am sure this only adds insult to injury for many. Mike Sauce

[Matt King]

I am sure more than 50 % of the competitors have substantioal expense to get to this race because of distance.(2300 miles round trip for me).I am sure this only adds insult to injury for many. Mike Sauce

Are you talking about the racers who get tow fund money, or the racers who don't get tow fund money? If everybody is pissed off, then the club might want to consider a new policy! It's not like I need or expect to get tow fund money, but I wouldn't mind having the 75 bucks I kicked in through increased entry fees back!

[M.Sauce]

Matt- The tow fund was set up originally to make sure there was some financial help to get the top 3 in each Division in National points to go to the Runoffs.I for one try to be in the top three for that purpose.If there was no tow fund I would not run as many races.This year the tow fund was for me 432.00.Last year it was 735.00.It helps to offset some of the costs.If I had thought the tow fund was going to be that much different I may not have run as many races.The economics of running more races definately doesn't work out. Mike Sauce

[budawe]

Mike's right about the extra weekends not making financial sense. Even at near $900 for West coast tow money, it won't pay for an extra national weekend. I run as many races as I can afford because I love to race. I may be motivated by winning a division but at today's costs it's hard to justify.

[Hardingfv32]

Lets face it, if you don't motivate all the Divisions to come to the Runoffs, it just becomes just a big Division National race held late in the season.

Brian

[carnut169]

I'm not sure a tow fund really makes sense, esp if it's just the top 3 who get it...

Generally speaking, the top 3 guys seem to be doing just fine $$-wise. By forcing everyone to pay into a tow fund your almost taking $$ away from the guys who can just afford racing and giving it to the guys doing just fine.

I like the fact that someone was thinking about a way to reduce costs, but not at the expense of other racers. Why not approach a corporate sponser to fund the tow fund? A transport company would make sense for that...

When the economy is just hanging on, entries are down, etc, one way to reverse that trend (IMHO) is doing whatever you can to reduce the costs of racing for all entries... something that might require some out of the box thinking.

IE- the Atlanta Region has been able to prevent raising entry fees (due to reduced entries) by having a PDX during the quiet hours...

Just my .02.

[budawe]

Carnut, You're confusing success with wealth. Not really the case in more cost effective classes like vees.

[Hardingfv32]

I'm sure the well financed racers of the Runoff's home Division don't mind creating an incentive to draw competitors from other divisions. What is the point of the event if all the best racers are not there.

The tow fund is a marketing tool. Probably one of the more effective features of the Runoffs.

Brian

[Bruce]

[SIZE=2]Need BOD approval for 2011 Tow Fund (GCR Appendix B. Section 2.1.E) specifies a tow fund “authorized by the Board of Directors). The approved tow fund appears in the Runoffs Event Supps.
“Move to approve the following Tow Fund Program for 2011.”
The Tow Fund Program for 2011 will consist of a $15 assessment per National Entry which will be paid to the top 3 points finishers in each class in each division. If the top three do not attend the Runoffs, the tow fund will NOT be paid farther down the points list. No money will be paid to drivers living closer than 299 miles and the maximum mileage to be paid will be 2,100 miles.

It use to be if one of the top three did not go the next one in line got the tow money. [/SIZE]

[glenn cooper]

If I'm reading that correctly that sure smacks of some super sized load of bulldung right there.
So the funds don't get paid to anyone outside the top 3 of the region, even if the top 3 don't go?
I would then really have to wonder where our money is going at that point.

Granted I think you will see most of the top 3 in each region going, but there's no way it would be 100%.

Surely one of you blackberry toting, former slide rule types probably have the ability to find out exactly what the breakdown was this year for example.

Sounds fishy as all get out...

[Matt King]

So if no one is eligible to claim the tow money, the club just keeps it I guess? It's one thing to pay that $15 tax per race knowing some other racer is eventually going to benefit from it, but not so cool if it's not.

[Dave Gomberg]

So if no one is eligible to claim the tow money, the club just keeps it I guess? It's one thing to pay that $15 tax per race knowing some other racer is eventually going to benefit from it, but not so cool if it's not.

If I'm not mistaken, the entire tow fund is split among those who do show up from those who are eligible. The fewer who show up, the greater the payout to those who do.

Dave

[Todd Butler]

If I'm not mistaken, the entire tow fund is split among those who do show up from those who are eligible. The fewer who show up, the greater the payout to those who do.

Dave

Dave is correct. The tow fund is a set (at time pf payout) bucket of money. It pays to the top 3 in Division. If one or more of them do not show up, that means the ones who did show up get incrementally more payout.

My understanding is in the past there were sponsors of various sorts who did contribute to the tow fund, thus increasing the payout and enabling the earlier "Pay 3 within Division, even if not all Top 3 are there" scheme. Those sponsors are not onboard anymore and thus the tow fund will have substantially reduced dollars in it. The BoD thought the changes proposed, withing the limits of the $$$ available were reasonable, and voted to approve.

Todd Butler
NorPac Area 13 Director

[john77]

[FONT=&quot]I too did my Tow fund check. I sincerely hope that next year it would be better. This year it was not good for me, as compared to the year 2009. This year the expectation was high, due to the change in the disbursement rule. But, all our expectations got ruined. [/FONT]

[mmi16]

Dave is correct. The tow fund is a set (at time pf payout) bucket of money. It pays to the top 3 in Division. If one or more of them do not show up, that means the ones who did show up get incrementally more payout.

My understanding is in the past there were sponsors of various sorts who did contribute to the tow fund, thus increasing the payout and enabling the earlier "Pay 3 within Division, even if not all Top 3 are there" scheme. Those sponsors are not onboard anymore and thus the tow fund will have substantially reduced dollars in it. The BoD thought the changes proposed, withing the limits of the $$$ available were reasonable, and voted to approve.

Todd Butler
NorPac Area 13 Director

I won't dispute that there were sponsors that contributed to the Tow Fund, what I will say is that as a rank and file member, the sponsors and their contributions to the tow funded weren't publicized to the extent that I knew that there were sponsors contributing to the Tow Fund beyond the contributions of the National competitors through their entry fees.

[budawe]

That's because the staff wants to retain the option to apply sponsorship to the general fund. It wasn't until some folks complained that some of the Mid Ohio money found it's way into the tow fund.