May Club Racing Meeting report (July 4 Miata update)

ulfelder

New member
I'm pressed for time (trying to get my daughter's softball game in before it pours again), but here are two items of note from last night's meeting:

1. Possible Miata race at LRP during the July 4 weekend. Here's my effort to untangle this: NER has been asked by the promoter to pay (dearly!) to put on a limited regional support race. Any kind of car we want, as long as it's a Miata. SM, SSM, ITA, that's up to us ... just make 'em Miatas. The region is lukewarm on the idea because it is risky financially; if we draw 40 Miatas, we make a bit of dough. If we draw only 20-25, we could lose our shirts. The same weekend, there's a Pro Spec Miata race at Beaver Run, so that slims the pool of potential entrants. As does the entry fee, which will be about $400 (for prac/qual/race totaling 60 minutes). Upshot: NER is going back to the promoter to negotiate fees, and we should all stay tuned. If I were a bookie, I'd say the odds are 4-1 against this race happening. Dick, Jake, did I get this about right?

2. Run groups. The board knows we need to do something about the configuration of our run groups, what with the growth of IT and especially SM/SSM. Moreover, they know we may have to make some tough decisions that will be unpopular with open-wheel drivers. The plan is to sit down in October and study the sizes of all classes and run groups at ALL 2004 LRP regionals (regardless of host region). Nothing is guaranteed, of course, and sometimes changes doesn't come as rapidly as we may like, but believe me, board members are well aware that it's time to act on this obvious trend.

3. Bonus item! Did you know there were no functional scales during the June LRP regional? We were missing just one connector and that has been remedied, but operationally, it's a bit of a no-no. Why do I bring this up? Because I have to wonder if the region will be scale-happy at the *next* regional. A word to the wise: top off your tanks for the next few NER races, if you get my drift.

/Steve U
05 ITS
 
Steve, thanks for the updates. Feedback for fodder:

- Thanks for at least re-considering the run groups. It's no secret that track time has been a pet peeve of mine over the last couple of years.

- My take on the Miata July 4th race, as a potential competitor: bring it on! I sorely miss the OMP Challenge, the opportunity to play in front of a real crowd. Since I have access to a Spec Miata, I'd enter the event almost regardless of the entry fee (unless it's just stupid expensive, say more than $600).

I passed on the Memorial Day LRP Pro race because I'd have to cough up $650 in entry fees *and* 4-6 new Hankook tires that I can't use anywhere else; hit me with a $400 entry and no need to buy tires, plus three crew passes to alleviate the costs of spectator entries that I'm going to buy anyway, and I AM THERE, DUDE.

I strongly suggest that you'd have ZERO problems filling a Spec Miata field with 40 cars, especially given the Pro boys will be on the other side of PA that same weekend. This is a unique opportunity for the true Club racers in New England to shine. You'll be oversubscribed, I'll wager.

In fact, worried about entries? Make it a sliding scale!! $400 for 35-40 entries, $475 for 30-40 entries, etc. Personally, I still think you'll get a full field PLUS stand-bys, especially given, as far as I can tell, there's no events in the Washington DC Regional area that weekend.

See if you can re-negotiate the fees with the track, but please do not let this opportunity slip by. I am *personally* willing to plunk down a non-refundable entry fee RIGHT NOW.

Greg Amy
 
having attended the meeting, listening to both sides, and not realizing there was a Pro event at Beaver Run in the same calender slot, I'd say it would not be wise to run in competition.

But that's just me, a non-racer.
 
At first I thought so as well, Doug, but remember, to run in the pro series, you have to be on the spec Hankook tires, and Beaver run is a long way to tow...

For a New England guy, he's looking at $ for a set of tires, the tow money, as well as lodging and the entry $.

I bet it adds up to more than the proposed $400 entry. A lot more...

But again, I'm not an SM guy, so what do I know! ?
wink.gif


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Jake Gulick
CarriageHouse Motorsports
ITA 57 RX-7
New England Region
[email protected]
 
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