NAARC/MARRS Races at the Glen/Pocono

benspeed

benspeed

New member
Hello,

I'd like to guage some interest in having some additional NAARC/MARRS races at Watkins Glen and Pocono. Many racers from the more southern parts of the NE region would like the option of running some races on their home tracks for points. This last year only 2 races were held outstide of LRP and NH. There are 6 of the 12 NAARC races are at one track NHIS, which seems a little lopsided-especially considering nearly every single class is being won by a NE region driver.

The idea is that if we have more races for points at more tracks - the series will more competitive and less lopsided to the NHIS home track drivers. Also, if we can hold a joint MARRS/NAARC race, particularly at Pocono, we should have some large turnout with some new competition.

The NE DIV mini con is coming up and I believe the schedule is decided at that event. (If not - then where/how?)

I suggest that the series can be more competitive by adding two events while still selecting the best of 8 races for points.

Pros? Cons? Chime in!

Cheers,


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BenSpeed
#33 ITS RX7
BigSpeed Racing
[email protected]
NNJR
 
awesome idea ben. more tracks may give more people a shot at the points. pocono, watkins glen, and even beaverun are relatively close for the guys south of new england.
john costello
 
Ben
Good idea. As a serious MARRS competitor i would enjoy some more out of region races.
But i would not however go to Pocono. Too many poor expirences there. Beaverun, Watkins would be excellent.
Make sure that you get your regions Board of Directors involved. It will get discussed here in Washington DC region.
dave parker
wdcr ITC #97
 
yea... I know you'll all throw tomatoes at me, but Pocono...it sucks!

I am a believer that each track has it's "signature character". At NHIS its the NASCAR 1 & 2...major importance to getting a pass done there is gettign thru the banking fast. The Glen is "the classic" road race track. Up, down, left right. Lime Rock it a weird highly technical "roadrace bull ring". Cut out the downhill at Lime Rock, ot the 1 & 2 combination at NHIS, and the character of the place is lost.

Pocono has little character to start with, and the ever changing configuration, along with the fact that you feel as though you are on the moon when you're there have caused me to lose interest.

I would love to go to Beaver and it would be nice to have some friends come along....

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Jake Gulick
CarriageHouse Motorsports
ITA 57 RX-7
New England Region
[email protected]
 
I like your idea Ben. Running for NARRC/NERRC points pretty much kept me at NHIS and LRP but I got tired of the same scene weekend after weekend. I purposely skipped the last few races at NHIS because I was just tired of it. Never mind the points. I went to the Glen instead, a few weeks ago and had a blast and if the weather forecast improves for this coming weekend, I'll be at the Glen again. Pocono??? Although it has no character, a trip or two a year wouldn't be bad. I think if NHIS, LRP, Pocono, The Glen, and maybe even the Beaver were included in the NARRC/NERRC series it would make for an interesting series. It may be a towing disadvantage for the folks from south to run up north but it will be the same for the folks up north to go south.(I live smack dab in the middle of most of all the northeast tracks so I would not be affected
biggrin.gif
.)
What are the chances of something like this actually happening?
Ray
 
I think its a great idea too.
Love the Glen,
Would like Pocono better if we little SCCA racers were made to feel a bit more welcome there,
and have never been to BeaverRun, but would be urged to make the trip for more points, more races, and different competition.

dave
 
Marrs has run the Glen and Pocono in the past. Got the body damage to prove it. It would be great to have these reinstated as an interdivisional race. Go for it.

Dave Z
 
Every year there is a Double Regional at Pocono that is part of the NARRC series. Very few show up from NER.

People are asking for it, they have it, but nobody goes - what gives?

AB

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Andy Bettencourt
ITS RX-7 & Spec Miata 1.6 (ITA project)
New England Region R188967
www.flatout-motorsports.com
 
The concept is quite good but my concern is that a minority of overly vocal MARRS drivers don't want to travel out of region (even 1-2 hours is too far for some of these folks). I like the idea of racing out of region and would welcome the opportunity to go somewhere new. However Pocono has a reputation for rain and fog - after the 2004 season, I think I've had enough rain racing to last a lifetime.

The majority of the ITA drivers prefer The Glen over Pocono although a few long-term ITAers have been lobbying quite hard to run Pocono (probably b/c it's a shorter tow).

As Dave Parker has mentioned, get your BOD involved and they'll contact the DC Region BOD. How does that go? Have your people call our people and we'll talk.

Thanks for the thought!!

Haz-Matt
 
Thanks all for the thoughtful replies. I'm getting involved in the NNJR Board as treasurer and the veterans said the same - get the other boards involved to effect the change. Being a rookie to the management side, I'm not sure who to contact. I'll check out the region sites, but if anybody would like to contact me on this or point me to the right people, that would be very appriciated. [email protected]

For folks who missed the Pocono race this year, it was very different. The layout has now been finalized (I believe) going clockwise with the chicane before NASCAR 1 - not the lame barriers, but an actual 2nd gear corner that makes for some good passing and a critical turn as it leads onto the straightaway. We now know what to run for track record and what to expect when we get there. The track staff was also very warm and friendly-unlike other events. That said - most folks seem to want another NAARC race at the Glen. And Beaver. I'd like to have a NAARC race at all three. And cross division will turn out a bunch of cars.

I'm very intersted in why we might meet with objections to this proposed idea - can anybody give me some cons on this so I know how this might be debated by our senior leadership? Seems to me that if enough folks agree it's a good idea-we ought to do it.

Thanks again,

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BenSpeed
#33 ITS RX7
BigSpeed Racing
[email protected]
NNJR
 
Originally posted by benspeed:
For folks who missed the Pocono race this year, it was very different. The layout has now been finalized (I believe) going clockwise with the chicane before NASCAR 1 - not the lame barriers, but an actual 2nd gear corner that makes for some good passing and a critical turn as it leads onto the straightaway. We now know what to run for track record and what to expect when we get there. The track staff was also very warm and friendly-unlike other events. That said - most folks seem to want another NAARC race at the Glen. And Beaver. I'd like to have a NAARC race at all three. And cross division will turn out a bunch of cars.
Click to expand...

The course at pocono you described above is not that great. Granted it is far superior to the short course at the glen which is completly boring but it is still a ton of straightaway and you use a very poorly designed chicane that was never designed to be a chicane. One of the best courses I have run on is the north and south chicane at Pocono. Go back to this config. and you'll have people continue to come out.

As far as using Beaverrun, Pocono, nelson and the glen I am all for it! we should count an event almost every weekend if we can. Of course we can't count to many more in overall points because then it would become far to expensive. However have an event almost every weekend and then you let more drivers be compeditive in the points and you give them more choices of events to attend. I think we still need to have drops to keep the costs down but it would certainly be better with more chances to do well for more drivers. And the Money pool at the end will be that much bigger if we run an event every weekend!

We also need to change the NARRC Runnoffs to a larger track. LRP just isn't big enough anymore and it has far to many restrictions on time. Move it to a larger track so we can have bigger fields and good racing.

Oh-Ya one more thing.... move the awards banquet to another weekend besides the weekend of the ARRC.

Stephen
NORTH ATLANTIC road racing series!
 
The best race I've been to [edit: this year]was a NYSRRC/MARRS dual event at the Glen.

It was a points event for both series and the turnout was awesome. Bringing the WDC guys up from the south was a great experience...

A NARRC/NYSRRC/MARRS trifecta at the Glen would be a great draw I think.

Tom Kearney
SSM #85
Finger Lakes Region

[This message has been edited by CSPTK (edited October 14, 2004).]
 
Ben -

Sometimes, all it takes is somebody to ask the question "Can we come race with you ?". Let your RE, and your Regional Competition Chair/Board, and any series administrator know that there is interest in taking your series "on the road". The scheduling meeting for 2005 happens NEXT MONTH, so it's time to speak.

Possible problems ?

Track/paddock size, Group scheduling, for one. Imagine the chaos if the all the NARRC guys showed up at a MARRS weekend, and visa-versa.

Some Regions balk at unusually high 'per-car fees' required by the visiting Series. Some get $5 a car, some ask $25 or more a car. Talk to your Series administrators about this, as it may be why you haven't been 'invited' to race elsewhere.
 
Originally posted by JohnRW:
Track/paddock size, Group scheduling, for one. Imagine the chaos if the all the NARRC guys showed up at a MARRS weekend, and visa-versa.
Click to expand...

One of the biggest issues that MARRS encounters is the total number of participants (not all of whom travel to out-of-region races). Many smaller regions can be overwhelmed by the number of competitors when adding the MARRS series that routinely attracts 250 participants per weekend.
 
matt is right, bringing in a marrs crowd can create some size issues sometimes. we had about 400 cars at the marrs labor day double at summit and i think the annual sarrc/marrs event at vir draws 350+. the glenn was far enough away from dc to cut down a little on the "marrs pack". the glenn is a large track though and can handle the larger fields. not many tracks can do 50+ cars per session.

marshall
 
john is right about the per car points fund, for narrc it is $6 per car. if for instance dc hosted a narrc event they would have to pay into the points fund for every entry. if they already draw 300 cars that is $1800 twice that for a double. now they would only have to draw 15 or 20 extra cars to break even.

at nysrrc's request NER made our august nhis event a nysrrc points race but they only charge $3 per car.
dick
 
Originally posted by JohnRW:
Ben -

The scheduling meeting for 2005 happens NEXT MONTH, so it's time to speak.

.
Click to expand...

JohnRW,

Who do I contact to find out when this meeting will be held and to get this subject on the agenda?

Thanks,

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BenSpeed
#33 ITS RX7
BigSpeed Racing
[email protected]
NNJR
 
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