SEDIV same too.Originally Posted by Steve Demeter
SEDIV same too.
The format of the Majors weekends varies from event to event based on anticipated number of participants. Two-day events obviously have qualifying and a timed race on Saturday, then warm-ups on Sunday morning followed by fixed-lap races that are designed to be longer than the Saturday races.
Most of the East coast three-day events had two qualifiers on Friday, a multi-lap warm-up on Saturday morning (so guys can check out what they messed up on Friday) followed by a timed race, then hardship warm-ups on Sunday morning followed by fixed-lap races that are designed to be longer than the Saturday races.
The West coast three-day events tend to have a practice and qualifier on Friday, a quick qualifier Saturday morning followed by a timed race, then hardship warm-ups on Sunday morning followed by fixed-lap races that are designed to be longer than the Saturday races.
In all cases your fastest lap turned in any qualifying or race session prior to the Sunday race sets the grid for the Sunday race.
The number of run groups (which affects the lengths of the sessions) also varies based on anticipated entry levels, number of hours available (due to daylight, local ordinance, lap length, and some other factors), and the historical reaction time it takes for clean-up. When the Majors program started some people wanted (demanded) all events to run the same schedule and run groups, but those people quickly learned that was impossible.
As always, YMMV...
Butch Kummer
2006, 2007, 2010 SARRC GTA Champion
Panting inside your helmet, if u havn't done that u havn't raced ............. I mean panting ..........
cost of majors
I have been following this thread since I think the cost of racing is basically out of hand and I haven't raced in SCCA since the runoffs in 2011 but did Chump Car with my FV friends until spring of 2013. We started in Lemons sometime in the late 2000's but after a run in with Nick Pons of the Lemons organization I told the guys I would never compete with them due to their circus mentality, so we were already running with Chum Car and we continued with them.
At a race at Watkins Glen in the spring of 2013 I was hit by a BMW going up the uphill exiting turn 2 and spun and backed into the guard rail and was knocked out. After being airlifted to the trauma center in PA and spending the night in the hospital I had 4 broken ribs and I thought a short recovery. Then the bills started to arrive and after all was said and done it totaled over $42K of which my HMO from my job paid most of everything but I was sweating it until everything was paid.
The next year I looked at the Chump Car site and in BIG RED letters they sated that if you don't have insurance don't come to their events. I really liked Chump Car because they let you actually race but the novices always bothered me. So even though these organizations have cut into SCCA's numbers I think SCCA is the best place to play but having raced a FV for over 30 years I was burnt out and the cost was in my opinion out of control.
Now being retired I don't know if I will ever race again but I still need to finish the Formula First I started many years ago and would like to run it but the cost of a new helmet and Hans to do so might keep me away. I had also gotten into light sport flying and it is amazingly affordable as compared to racing and it is something I always wanted to do.
So as SCCA has had to adapt to class size changing and formula class #'s dropping due to the Mazda effect as well as spec classes along with constant cost increases they defiantly have their hands full.
I am off to Mosport this weekend to attend the Canadian race with the Can Am FV Challenge series that looks to a great place to race with over 20 cars entered and a single class race group with the Canadian spec tire and wheel it eliminates the huge cost of new tires that at $800 a set is huge. Although I won't be racing it should be a great weekend and am looking forward to see a large group of vee's racing, not to mention the good beer.
So be careful where you race because if you don't have good health insurance it could be a huge expense if you are involved in an accident not of you making.
Ed Womer
Maybe I should have let this topic die out but I really just couldn't help myself.
The cost of racing in SCCA is just beyond stupid. It costs me $1000 per day to put my car on track. With that said, there are still some costs that I choose to hide from myself for fear of having a stroke while going down the front straight.
What I think is even worse than the amount of money is the amount of time required to run a Majors event. A lot of these events are 3 days plus a test day. People can make all of the arguments they want about having to do the test day or not but quite frankly my belief is that it will be very difficult to do the weekend right without doing the test day, especially when the test day usually equals the same amount of track time you will get the remaining 3 days. It becomes a good value.
There are exactly 2 majors that I could get to from my home if I leave after work and expect to arrive before midnight. All others mean I arrive after midnight or take an extra day off of work. This then gets repeated on the back end with a travel day possibly needed after the event.
You are now looking at being away from home/work for up to 6 days per event. Let's hope some of the races are close enough that you wouldn't have to add an extra travel day on either end of the event. You are still looking at 4 days away.
One has to be darn near elite in the job category to be able to dream of going amateur racing today with the time off required and the amount of money to compete. Nevermind the $75,000+ (based on a low to fair budget for a Majors competitor) buy in to get your equipment in the first place. Are we really that blind to wonder why SCCA is not what it used to be? How intimidating it must be for someone to come out to a race that has interest in getting on track only to see toter and semi, one after the other. For CLUB racing.
If you stuck with me this far then thank you. My main question for this long post is about scheduling and run groups....
Why do we have to post the class groupings in advance? Why not change the thought process and let people pre-register and then a week before the race the powers that be look at the entries and determine groups based on entries? If a class has 40 entries then maybe they get their own run group. On the other hand if 3 FV's enter, 3 F500's enter, and 3 FF's enter then maybe they get lumped into another group as there is no point in having only 9 cars on track at a time. The whole of the event would benefit as we could possibly have fewer run groups (and then more track time) or we could have more evenly distributed run groups to make it more even for everyone as a whole.....just a thought.
Because many people decide whether or not they will attend an event based on who they're racing with and when their race(s) fall during the weekend. And obviously you're limited by what classes can run together - if you have 3 Vees and 4 GT1 cars, they can't run together no matter how much sense it makes numbers-wise.
As far as the time/travel issues, the Majors were never intended to be for everyone. If you don't have the resources/desire to run a full Majors program (and many don't) many divisions have very robust regional-based programs (SARRC, MARRS, NERRC, etc.) you can participate in. In addition, many regions (CFR & SFR, for example) have very strong local programs for those that want to stay close to their home base. If your region/division doesn't have such a program and you want more than "just racing", get involved and create one.
Butch Kummer
2006, 2007, 2010 SARRC GTA Champion
Help me understand
Simple question - How is combining Classes (i.e. eliminating some Classes as mentioned on Page 2) going to reduce the cost of Majors? The impact of combining Classes here is Southern California has been very negative. We lost 15 car S2000 fields with only 1 or 2 moving to P2. And the argument of track time... my observation as a simple stand-in-the-sun Corner Worker is that very few (20%) use all the track time available to them anyway. Just asking
But that's only because the information is being provided. If Andy's suggestion of letting people pre-register and then a week before the race determining groups based on entries were followed across the board, people would not be deciding whether or not they will attend based on who they're racing with and when their races fall during the weekend. What Andy suggested is a change in the current thought process. Why couldn't this work?
The risk is that people will decide not to participate in SCCA Club Racing. Is that risk greater or lesser than the problem you're trying to solve?
Peter Olivola
(polivola@gmail.com)
Don't have to do test days, hell, most of these tracks I drive daily, in the 'abstract' in DC rush hour, amazing the different approaches you can get to the 'bus stop' or 'turn 10' at Summit in the Corolla .......then its still a three day weekend with midnight-daybreak commutes, ............ as Butch infers, 'Ya gotta want it'!!! ....... just thought, do they have to be double events, how about single events with the same pinache, my wife sez, "if you run a regional now, are u in the minor leagues, LOL, I like it, I been in the minors forever, LOL
PS on the double events, crash race 1, many can miss points on race 2, before there was time to repair and compete in a quazi race 2, namely the following weekend event et. al..
This. People who work for a living and need to be back in the office Monday morning may not be able to run an event where they run late on Sunday, or conversely early on Friday/Saturday.
Marshall Mauney
Milwaukee Region
When I have looked at the 3 day Major's schedule I conclude that Friday's are optional. You can arrive on Sat. am make the qualifier, run the sprint race, score some points and run on Sunday. If you need or want more track time, it's available.
"Back in the day", we'd drive all night to make Sat am registration then, after our race on Sunday, drive all night to get home. I felt it was the nature of the beast for West Coast nationals. 400 miles to so cal and Riverside, for a single event. Some holiday races like Memorial or 4th of July were 3 days but still single events. There were no test days to speak of. Frankly, test days are generally the domain of the tracks and voluntary.
The double event is an attempt to spread travel and track costs over two races. The doubles greatly complicate scheduling and class groupings.
The BOD has been following a growing trend to single class racing. Whether it be a semi-pro event or modified vintage weekend, formula competitors appear to be choosing events with single class quality track time. The semi pro model accomplishes it by charging nearly twice the entry fee. The smaller vintage organizations do it to supplement entries and to be able to cover costs.
As the chair of the planning committee you have my personal commitment that this issue is on the top of my list. The planning committee will be meeting in a couple of days to discuss this and other issues, stay tuned.
It's clear that for many of us that we can't pay twice as much, nor can we travel long distances to participate in the kind of event that we wish for. I think the solution will be in hybred events that are not part of any existing models that we now have. We have a history in restricted regional events that exclude some classes to set aside time for specific groups and maybe there's something in the future like that.
If you want to provide some input and constructive ideas, write me at bmccarthy@scca.com.
The above post is for reference only and your results may vary. This post is not intended to reflect the views and opinions of SCCA and should not be considered an analysis or opinion of the rules written in the GCR. thanks, Brian McCarthy, BOD area 9.
I disagree about the robust divisional/regional schedule. Since I run in a non majors class I have seen the regional schedules in the Cendiv and Great lakes div. shrink substantially and the number of races with entries in triple digits almost disappear. Many times the races on the Hoosier tire Formula first series find our group wit 8 to 12 entries more tha 10 percent of the total entry. Trying to find a schedule of 6 weekends from may to october spaced about one month apart usually takes racing in 3 or four different divisions. This year we were forced to schedule an event with another sanctioning body because of lack of scca events. This is particulary disturbing to me because the race group we would fit in at majors is has been regularly undersubscribed in our area. Most of ,if not all, our drivers hold full competition licences and really don't care about going to the run offs they just want a p[lace to race.
butch deer
I am a long time member of the SCCA. I have raced SCCA since 1967 and have been crewing for my son for 14 years. Brian and I are minimalist budget racers. EVERYTHING we do is on a budget. Our truck is 15 years old and our trailer is 20 years old.
Since the Majors program started we have run 4 majors where we used to run 6 Nationals and a regional here or there for track time and fun. Last year we ran 4 majors as opposed to the usual National/Regional deal and I guarantee you that our total budget for the 4 Majors was SIGNIFICANTLY MORE than we would spend for our previous programs. Now I am NOT INCLUDING the Runoffs in the costs, just what it took to do those 4 Majors races. The weekends are way longer, more food, more motels, more days off work, more travel etc. no matter how you look at it our racing fun was cut by 1/3rd and we spent a lot more $$$ to do it.
I do understand that the Club is trying to reinvent itself but I do not think that the Majors effort at something that is sort of semi-pro is going to work. All that will happen is that the costs will continue to escalate and racers will stop coming to the races. How are we going to get the young kids into racing??? Not going to happen.
I do agree that many problems of the Club need to be fixed the primary one is the continued proliferation of classes. We need to reduce the number of classes period, combine classes of similar types of cars with lap times that are + or - 1 second and adjust accordingly.
It will be very soon when only the top 1% can afford to race and that will be the end of the SCCA as we once knew it.
REDUCE THE COSTS TO RACE AND THEY WILL COME.
Now the above are simply the opinionated thoughts of an old fart.
Thanks ... Jay Novak
313-445-4047
On my 54th year as an SCCA member
with a special thanks to every SCCA worker (NONE OF US WOULD RACE WITHOUT THE WORKERS)
World peace would be nice, too. With the overwhelming cost increase to conduct an event directly related to track rental, what can the SCCA do to reduce costs (and it looks like FF spec tires are already being considered by the club)?
Peter Olivola
(polivola@gmail.com)
I don't believe that costs can be reduced by much except to shorten the events. Travel/food/lodging makes up a decent portion of the budget and fewer nights make a big difference. Also, shorter events mean fewer days renting the track so it reduces the cost to SCCA.
I believe that racing is a ratio of cost and fun. Cost is high so fun needs to be high. It isn't. Having a whopping two sessions total on Sat/Sun is not good value. If the cost to compete stayed the same but there were more races during an event then the fun value goes up so it becomes a better ratio to justify the cost.
If the overwhelming cost is track rental - draw more entrants to spread the cost. I know this is easier to ay than do, but more cost effective racing (lower cost spec tires as mentioned above is one option) will help.
Another factor is the "profit" regions want/need to make off race weekends. Some regions are VERY healthy financially, yet use race weekends as a way to pad their bank accounts. Some are raising prices as entries fall to "make up" shortfalls in profit. It's also hard to draw new drivers when it's near impossible to find a drivers school anymore. Why? The regions see it as a money loser few want to put one on. Hard to get new drivers into the sport if they can't find a cost effective school - or if we don't change licensing requirements.
Craig Butt
Peter, I know that a lot of the additional costa are associated with the rent for the big track venues.
2 season ago they had the last Major at Grattan Michigan after nearly 50 years of Nationals. Grattan is a low cost and is simply the best drivers track around. But no more races there. Why? Because someone decided that the venue was not up to Majors requirement. This is exactly the kind of BS metality that is bringing the club down.
10 years, thats all I expect the club to survive if things continue.
Thanks ... Jay Novak
313-445-4047
On my 54th year as an SCCA member
with a special thanks to every SCCA worker (NONE OF US WOULD RACE WITHOUT THE WORKERS)
Uhm - not to let the facts get in the way, but there was a Majors at Grattan in 2014 and the host region (WMR) chose to return to MIS for their 2015 Majors weekend.
And again, the Majors aren't for everyone but there the participation numbers since 2013 indicate there's a significant portion of the membership that apparently DOES want the "semi-pro" experience the Majors program offers. Those areas of the country that depended on National drivers to support all their events over the last many years are struggling right now while those with strong regional programs continue to thrive.
Butch Kummer
2006, 2007, 2010 SARRC GTA Champion
Are the total participation numbers for Majors bigger than they were for Nationals? Looking at the total entries it looks to me like Total Majors entries are lower than total National entries. Am I reading the numbers wrong?
Perhaps Regionals are the way to go. We really cannot afford 4-5 day weekends including the travel days.
You are correct about the 2014 race. Butch. I was told that the decision to leave Grattan was not the Regions decision.
Thanks ... Jay Novak
313-445-4047
On my 54th year as an SCCA member
with a special thanks to every SCCA worker (NONE OF US WOULD RACE WITHOUT THE WORKERS)
I wonder if Nationals could have stayed exactly as they were and the Majors were just select major National events similar to the Super Series Tour (or whatever the name is). Every division could have two Majors within their regular National schedule.
FF, FA, and FC drivers already have a Semi Pro outfit they can compete in via the Formula Promotions team.
To say it is Majors or Regionals leaves a huge hole in the middle. SCCA at one point had a rule (I believe) that you couldn't have a Double National unless it was on a holiday weekend. It seems as though back then the office had a better understanding of what sort of toll time took on the competitors.
The comments about Majors might not be for everyone is so elitist that if SCCA really wants to cater to the 1% then they fully deserve whatever they get when things go bad.
Yes, there are fewer total participants in the Majors program (4279 in 2013, 4597 in 2014) than the 8635 drivers that ran Nationals in 2012, but the average number of drivers per Majors weekend (225 in 2013, 184 in 2014) is significantly higher than the 103 per National weekend in 2012. Obviously that is due to half as many events, but the fact remains you have more people to race with at a Majors weekend than you did the typical National.
Personally, I believe the limited number of Majors events will actually STRENGTHEN the local programs for those divisions/regions that are willing to adapt. Being from SEDiv I was a long-time participant in the (very successful) SARRC series, so I was surprised when I went to work for the National Office and found out most areas of the country have no divisional championship program for those who don't care about Nationals and/or the Runoffs! SARRC and similar programs like MARRS provides an opportunity for those that want to venture outside their own region yet still contend for a season-long championship while running 4-6 (two day) weekends a year. As I said before, if your division doesn't have such a program get involved and help them create one.
I'm not sure where you got your information, but after running MIS in 2013 the region really wanted to return there in 2014 but went back to Grattan when they couldn't work out a date that fit within the SCCA and NASCAR schedules. As you know, I attended the 2014 Grattan event and it's really a nice little track, but with the 2015 Runoffs being at Daytona WMR leadership felt they'd be better off running their Majors at MIS this year.
And Andy, 4000+ participants represents just a bit more than 1% of the total drivers in SCCA. That said, things like TNiA, the Alternative Drivers School program, the Club Race Experience, and the (new-for-2015) "Bracket Enduro" are all relatively new programs designed to bring new participants/members into the club. There really IS enough room for everyone...
Butch Kummer
2006, 2007, 2010 SARRC GTA Champion
MAjors
The Majors for me and my daughter has not been the value that National racing once was. Too many Nationals and too many Doubles killed the per National weekend participant numbers. The Majors in my opinion is another step toward competitors running less races. Mainly because of the time allocation and the travel costs.This is exactly what the club does not need. We need more competitors coming to events. In the SW we have events at MSR Houston and MSR Cresson that can't even get 80 cars for a Regional event. Our Major events draw a reasonable number of competitors but with the exception of NOLA the numbers are much less this year than last year. A hybrid concept of Nationals with Majors might prove to consistently draw more competitors.
Soon if these numbers do not improve many Regions will be forced to stop putting on Club racing events. The quality of the event(car counts, track time etc) is more important to me and the number of events available to run.
Like Las Vegas Region. They haven't had an SCCA Road racing event in over 12 years to my knowledge. Also, I believe that one of the big hitters in SCCA management was RE of LV Region when they stopped. Phil something or other, I believe, could be wrong. I ran in the "Last Laps of the Millenium" event in a SRF, late 1999. I don't think they had many after that. Probably had a few reasons, but it's really sad that their road racing program came to a halt. I consider it proof that someone either didn't care, or wasn't paying attention, to let that happen. Vegas offers everything, had two tracks to run, and was an easy tow from SoCal, PHX, Utah, etc.
Here's a link to their page, looks like two autocross events and a lot of meetings this year
http://lvrscca.org/
Don't think this couldn't happen to your region. When I lived in Vegas, I couldn't believe it either.
Last edited by marshall9; 05.14.15 at 2:56 PM.
How does solicit big corporate sponsorship sound?? PEPSI's Sports Car Club of America doesn't sound too horrible.
Is track rental the same cost for Midwestern Council or NASA races or does the SCCA get a "special rate"?
2003 VanDiemen FSCCA #29
Follow me on Twitter @KeithCarter74
One of the most important counter-intuitive truths in racing is that sponsorship, meaningful sponsorship, raises, not lowers the cost of racing. If it's an individual team then everyone else has to meet that level of capability just to stay even. If it's a series, then the series becomes more important and attracts competitors with more resources forcing the original participants to meet their level of capability just to stay even. And it isn't a zero sum game. It's more like war, where cost ceases to be a controlling factor in expenditures due to the need to maintain competitiveness.
Different sanctioning bodies pay different rates based on the services provided which, in turn, are a function of requirements some of which contribute to other costs, specifically insurance. If you can find someone from the three named groups to provide you the information I would be suspicious of the veracity of that information.
How does solicit big corporate sponsorship sound?? PEPSI's Sports Car Club of America doesn't sound too horrible.
Is track rental the same cost for Midwestern Council or NASA races or does the SCCA get a "special rate"?
Peter Olivola
(polivola@gmail.com)
In addition to Post #12....
Recently I was asked to run a vintage event at Blackhawk Farms the weekend after the June Sprints. Given the perception of vintage events I decided to give it a shot and see what it offers in comparison to SCCA. When the car owner told me what it cost to enter the vintage event, and the track time, I just about fell out of my chair. Here is the schedule:
Friday Test Day (They call it practice) - 5 sessions, 15 mins. Cost - $135. I have not done a test day in 5 years, but I recall them being $250 at Blackhawk.
Saturday - Practice, and qualifying. About an hour and a half of track time.
Sunday - Races. If you do the Enduro event, and the handicap race you can have just about 2 more hours including the standard races.
In total, it's possible to have nearly 4 hours and 45 minutes of track time for $520. If you want less, you pay less. It's a al a carte format. Interesting idea.
By comparison, the SCCA Majors event at Blackhawk looks like this:
Test Day - 4 sessions, 25 minutes. (I know, this is not an SCCA deal, it is Blackhawk. Still the point is that vintage events can offer a lower price. Maybe SCCA should take control of the test days...or maybe not.) $250
Majors Event - 1 hour and 45 minutes of track time. Cost - $470 for early reg. The Mid-Ohio event coming up is $595 for an hour and 45 minutes of track time!!!!
Vintage VSCDA Event - 4 hours, 45 minutes for $520.
SCCA Majors Event - 2 hours, 45 minutes for $720.
My math might be off a bit, but that is a pretty big difference in track time, and price - at the same track. Somewhere, there is a large amount of bloat and waste occurring within SCCA events.
Last edited by reidhazelton; 05.15.15 at 9:12 AM. Reason: Corrected Majors entry fee.
The Blackhawk supplementary regulations are still available on the SCCA website. The cost was $495, or $470 if the entry was received online within the first 7 days registration was open. Each SRF, SRF3, and FE entry was charged an additional $20 compliance fee per entry for the weekend.
Yes, Mid-Ohio is expensive - it costs more than the June Sprints at Elkhart Lake, which makes no sense. It's true that the June Sprints is back to a single-race format this year, but Mid-Ohio was also more expensive than the Sprints last year, when it was a two-race format.
I think your point applies much more to a pro series (or any series with payouts), but not as much for SCCA club racing. In your scenario, the main thing that would make the series "more important" would be larger payouts and/or better exposure (TV package).
If the SCCA used the series sponsor's cash to lower entry fees, that would hopefully raise participation. It is true that some of the new participants would be big budget teams viewing the series as a better value, but I think it would also encourage all participants to run more races and bring in more budget racers. Beyond the natural cost to win going up due to more competitors, I can't see this scenario materially raising the cost to run the series.
Cory
The above is a much better thought process IMO.
We do not need prize $$$$ in Club racing. We need lower costs and corporate sponsorship could do just that.
BTW, what is a typical breakdown of costs for a Majors Race?
You know, track rental, insurance, people, travel, food etc.
I have never seen this info ever, why is that?
Thanks ... Jay Novak
313-445-4047
On my 54th year as an SCCA member
with a special thanks to every SCCA worker (NONE OF US WOULD RACE WITHOUT THE WORKERS)
What percentage of your weekend expense is entry fees? How much would you have to reduce that to cover one additional race weekend?
Peter Olivola
(polivola@gmail.com)
Keep in mind it is two things. Cost is one but the other is value and I think that was Reid's point. A ton more track time for the dollar. I could likely rent an old f1 car one lap and spend what I currently spend on a weekend at a Major. That one lap might be unbelievable but I don't think that is a good value so why do it?
I don't run majors. I run divisionals. Last year I had to replace my SCCA stickers with ones that say "SAFER RACER". I wish someone would quantify for me howw much money I'm saving by putting the name on my car.
butch deer
MAjors
The problem since I joined SCCA in 1974 has been a growing bureaucracy and all the red tape to be able to compete. Vintage racing is a much more friendly environment track time versus entry fees is no comparison. Vintage is a much better value. The Vintage events I have attended have had more cars and have been more fun than SCCA events with the exception of the Runoffs. The club has a business model that is dated and less than friendly. I know many people have tried to change that. I for one donated 6 years to try make the BOD understand there are other organizations that we could learn something from. I also predicted in 2005 when we 11k drives and 60k members that at the rate were loosing competitors/member we would have 5k drivers and 40k members in 10 years. It actually happened faster than that. I love SCCA and have raced since 1974 and still want to keep racing but SCCA's days are numbered if they don't change the culture. There are many great people that work tirelessly to make the club successful but that is not all that's necessary to attract new members and competitors. The program needs rebuilding from the Regional level up not from the National level down.
That's all well and good, but I was making a point to Corey who said he would enter more races if entry fees were lower. Let me put this in more direct terms: How many more races would you enter if there were no entry fees at all?
Peter Olivola
(polivola@gmail.com)
Here's an easy one: SportsCar Magazine. I can't imagine the time/effort/money to create, print, and distribute this dinosaur of a publication. Does anyone ever get any value from it? I don't.
What's more, after I renewed my membership this year after being away for 3 years and changed to a family membership, they sent me FOUR copies of Sportscar (along with 4 giant packages of useless junk mail that went right into the recycle bin). The membership renewal process was much more complicated and time consuming than it needed to be.
The SCCA should reinvest in modern publication and communication channels. I'm sure the argument is made that advertisements help recoup the cost, but that revenue could be redirected toward the actual purpose of the club: racing cars, not printing magazines.
I've worked on boards of other unrelated non-profit organizations and I can vouch for how difficult it is to create change in established organizations, especially with volunteer leadership. I imagine some of the success of other racing organizations can be attributed to the fact that they can start from scratch with a fresh business model.
Is anyone paying attention to the flip side of the Majors program? Its implementation freed up regions to implement much more locally centered programs. What has your region done to develop its regional program?
I asked similar questions at the RMDiv MiniCon. We put on a great weekend at HPR earlier this month with a disappointingly low entry and I don't see the entry for our next event at Pueblo being any better. It includes CTT and PDX programs, both of which are growing but the only group of racers showing numbers is CFF as part of a locally organized program.
There seems to be a whole lot of time and energy expended in finger pointing and blaming and not so much effort being put into building those local programs which are free from the bureaucracy you decry.
Peter Olivola
(polivola@gmail.com)
Many Regions don't have the funds to start anything new within the club racing programs. They are doing their best to stay alive.The costs of putting on races is ever climbing because of the business model they must follow. Budgets with insurance, worker incentive costs, sanction fees and track costs make the entry fees where they are at. Why do tracks rent their facilities cheaper to other organizations? I am not pointing fingers but I have seen the inside of the beast. I still support this club but the numbers continue to fall and other organizations numbers continue to rise. You cannot argue the numbers Peter. I am willing to discuss the issues on how to change them for the better
but facts are facts.
Please don't put words in my mouth. Reread my post and you will note that I never said I would enter more races if the entry fees were less. I didn't even give an opinion on whether current entry fees are too high. All I did was express my opinion that if SCCA uses a series sponsor's cash to lower entry fees for SCCA Club Racing, it will not materially increase the cost to compete.
Now that they seem to have completely eliminated listing any race results, I 100% agree.
Call me a dinosaur, but one of the things I really enjoyed when I first joined the club was seeing full race results from all regionals and nationals. To this day, I still save every issue where I'm listed in the results, and it used to be fun following the results of all the races around the country. Could I find all the results on the Internet now? Yes, but it sure ain't fun and would take way too much time.
I say let's start publishing all the results again and cut out the crap in SportsCar that nobody reads, or just make it online only. I'm guessing not too many people would share this opinion (especially the first part).
Cory
There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote