So, who's goin'?

IT Fest attendance

  • Absolutely, even if I wreck my car, I'll borrow another

    Votes: 3 9.7%

  • Absolutely, unless I wreck the car.

    Votes: 5 16.1%

  • Planning on it, unless money or work get in the way.

    Votes: 5 16.1%

  • I want to, but I have to see about money..I'm 50/50.

    Votes: 7 22.6%

  • A possibility if the wife and budget allow. 25% chance you'll see me.

    Votes: 4 12.9%

  • Slim to none

    Votes: 7 22.6%
  • Total voters
    31
Kirk and Pablo will be there, taking the ITB race to Scott Giles' new Honda. [/b]
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Heh.
"Guess who's coming to dinner?"

If all these folks show up it'll be one helluva ITB weekend. I'm trying to get some of those Accord guys to come up from Georgia and Florida too.
 
Too much fun last year to not put on the schedule for next year!

I'll be there, it's on my schedule, no way I'd miss it...but I am no longer 5 so reality has the possibility of getting in the way:(

IT7 of course!
 
I am so there!

It will likely be my first Greatlakes Div race of the season![/b]
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You skippin' Grattan again? :018: Only one event there this year.

I'll be at the IT-Spec in ITS. Got to figure out how to stay on the lead lap. :D
 
So If I'm counting those planning on attending so far its:

ITA.....15
ITB.....12
ITC.....2
IT7.....4
ITS....16
ITE.....1
ITR.....1
SM......2 + 10 on the SM forum
SSM....1 + 2 on the SM forum


I'm speechless. Thanks guys. :P
 
Right...and we're not even in the same year, yet!

VERY rare to see such commitment so far out. you'll get numbers...good numbers.

Build, and they will come. Oh, they'll come, you can count on that.......
 
I haven't talked to anyone yet that doesn't feel that this event has the potential to be bigger and more important than the ARRC.

The track is awesome.
The 2007 race management was awesome.
The 3 race format is awesome.

This thing is going to grow like a chia pet. Just hang in there and give it time.
If you guys can secure some nice contingency awards it'll get even bigger and more prestigious.

Has anyone contacted Hoosier to see if they'll throw down the same program they do for the ARRC? I'd think they would.
If you guys need help trying to get some stuff set up, give me a pm. After all, I am a Cincy Region member now.
 
Jake or Andy, would either of you be willing to contact GRM to see if they'd cover this event?

Todd, last year you mentioned that a few sponsors were being worked on. Any chance of getting them on board for this year?

During your meeting, can you discuss what will be done at impound? I'd like to see more items checked especially if this is being billed as a big event for IT / Spec classes.
 
I'm in too!! I just thought it was assumed. ;)



Of course, that all depends on Crazy Joe not taking me out in the PDX. :blink:
 
Dick,

Max. cars on track is 60. Last year we held the option of either a waiting list, shift classes to another group or expand to a 6th group. We figured we would cross the bridge when we got to it.

Dave,

We have been knocking on doors and sending out e-mails to potential sponsors for the last month with little success. We have some local sponsors but a major sponsor would be a plus.

Tech depends on manpower. I hope we will have an easier time finding volunteers since there are less events the same weekend. Unfortunatly we do have a National in Michigan (GLDiv) and a double reg. at Beaver Run
( NEDiv) both are within driving distance of Mid Ohio and will effect the volunteer base for the event.


Todd
 
For those of you who were there last year, I wanted to get your reaction to a comment that came back from one of our MARRS racers who had attended events at Mid-Ohio in the past. This was in response to Gregg's informal survey of some of the MARRS drivers: Except, the people who run Mid Ohio treat you like crap. My last two visits there convinced I would never go back. No paddock camping, no pets, and I heard of security guards going through racers belongings when they were gone. One driver wishing to repair his Honda and wanted to work late was arrested when he refused to leave, all he wanted to do was make it to morning hardship.

Have things changed since he was last there?
 
For those of you who were there last year, I wanted to get your reaction to a comment that came back from one of our MARRS racers who had attended events at Mid-Ohio in the past. This was in response to Gregg's informal survey of some of the MARRS drivers: Except, the people who run Mid Ohio treat you like crap. My last two visits there convinced I would never go back. No paddock camping, no pets, and I heard of security guards going through racers belongings when they were gone. One driver wishing to repair his Honda and wanted to work late was arrested when he refused to leave, all he wanted to do was make it to morning hardship.

Have things changed since he was last there?
[/b]
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Hmm... I wonder how long ago these events happened? No pets is true. Private and Mark clubs rent the track for daytime purposes only which means you have to leave at 6:30 pm daily. Keeping the track open at night is extra but is covered under all SCCA and NASA contracts. So that could be where all the rotten experiences with security came from. Security is pretty laid back at SCCA and NASA weekends. Well..except when Matt Downing throws a party and gets "Barney fife" excited. I still think you guys should have just duct taped him to the catch fence :)

Todd C.
Cincinnati SCCA
 
For those of you who were there last year, I wanted to get your reaction to a comment that came back from one of our MARRS racers who had attended events at Mid-Ohio in the past. This was in response to Gregg's informal survey of some of the MARRS drivers: Except, the people who run Mid Ohio treat you like crap. My last two visits there convinced I would never go back. No paddock camping, no pets, and I heard of security guards going through racers belongings when they were gone. One driver wishing to repair his Honda and wanted to work late was arrested when he refused to leave, all he wanted to do was make it to morning hardship.

Have things changed since he was last there?
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i have always stayed in the paddock in either my enclosed trailer or my tent. the grassy knolls that is. not sure about the paved pit areas. i do think that spectators must stay in the camping area west of the keyhole but i have always seen racers stay in the grassy upper paddock areas (up in the general area of where the showers are).

i have no pets so i don't care about this and frankly i do not care for the "surprises" that many pet owners have left at other venues. as far as i am concerned, this is a plus.

i have seen folks work well into the night but i think there is an exception to running to race engines after some time. and since i sleep in the paddock, that is fine with me as well. and i don't mind generators for emergency lighting but simulated dyno runs at 2:00 a.m. piss me off.. i have heard others comment that there power is not available as other tracks where they race.

the only times i have heard of folks being asked to leave was due to bad behavior and typically alcohol was a factor.

one night i got up and helped the guy in the paddock next to me change his clutch at 2:00 a.m. when he said thanks the next day, i was embarassed that i did not do it to be nice but to get back to sleep.

i have never heard about the guards going through stuff. i have heard about them giving bike riders a bad time but it was in the supps that no bicycles were allowed. i am no longer as casual as i used to be in the paddock and lock up when not there since there are many more posers hanging around.

i have no idea when an incident as described above might have happened. it just has not been my experiences and it is still one of my favorite tracks.

and as far as i was concerned, the IT Festival was hands down a better racing event than the NASA Nationals. less money, good format, bigger fields (ITB vs. H5) and depth of competition.

thus, no Honda Challenge for me in 2008 and it will be IT only.

i would strongly urge your friend to come back.

we'll put some :birra: on ice for them but will not leave a light on, the campers in the paddock don't like it.
 
I have been racing and working at Mid Ohio since 1990 and have never experienced an incident like was indicated. People camp in ALL areas of the paddock, paved and grass as well without problem. I have camped in the paved area, the grassy paddock, and the workers area, been up late at night, had security and track officials visit, and never had a problem.

Sometimes, the Deputy Sherrif gets tense when people blow up the porta potties, do wheelies for hundreds of yards through the paddock, and drive recklessly through the paddock as I have seen, but there has generally been little aggressive activity otherwise.

My understanding about the pet issue is that someone allowed their pet to get loose and ended up on the track dicing with the racers. Not a good situation. The easiest fix was to disallow pets rather than try to contain them and deal with angry participants when their pets and/or cars are involved in a head on crash.

Of course, my experiences over the last 17 years may not be the norm, they are just my experiences.
 
I found the staff pretty easygoing last year and have never had any problems when the runoffs were there. I did hear about someone getting hassled for driving from the paddock to registration with some people in the back of a pickup. Security claimed that public road rules apply on track property. Seemed odd.
 
Mid-Ohio had new "everyone" last year, so there was some small issues with people doing what they have always done... The track management is GREAT and the facility is top notch. I'm sure the little issues of 07 will not be a problem in 08. :)
 
The security staff that got the reputation as being th "Nazis" are long gone. The track has been very pleasant for at least 5 years. A couple of years ago Joey Hand tried to see how far a Rolex series BMW would fly and we had a race the following weekend. We were setting out to walk the track and see how they fixed the rut that launched him when a security SUV came up to us. We told him what we wanted to do and he said we could not be walking the track after dark and it was almost dark. He said jump in and I will take you on the tour around the track and show us how they had fixed the track in that area. This was right after the paving that added the oval using the keyhole. He even took all 5 of us back to our paddock spot, this would not have been the case 5 years ago.

matt
 
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