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In a situation like this, where "east" and "west" champions are crowned, the logical 3rd step would be to invite those winners plus a few runner ups per class to a winner-take-all grand champion event, with some of the travel costs offset by the club.

fastbackss:

I was at the same 2006 one at Storm.  Still the most fun I have had at an event (at least hospitality wise).

 It may not work as designed in Canada, but looking at the last few sites I don't think it could get much further east or conversely much further west.  My suggestion was to just hedge a bit from centre.  As in, one year it is slightly more eastern, the next year slightly more western.

 Formula SAE has gone through a similar situation, but for a different reason.  FSAE had a single US competition for years.  However, the # of teams signing up exceeded what they could hold logistically.  So they went to an East (Michigan) and West.  The intent was to eventually equalise the two in terms of entries and prestige.  The "problem" is that there is no longer a true national champion, although I don't know if many of the teams care anymore - as there are no longer any students in school who remember it the "old" way.  And oh yeah - they just added a 3rd competition to confuse it more....

-Mike

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Jay Storm
96 Impreza L FSP
98 98 Impreza 2.5RS- co-driver DSP
Wives are like SCCA rules...
If she doesn't say you can...you can't

Storm:

In a situation like this, where "east" and "west" champions are crowned, the logical 3rd step would be to invite those winners plus a few runner ups per class to a winner-take-all grand champion event, with some of the travel costs offset by the club.

Some of us work for a living.  In the unlikely event I were to qualify for the "grand championship" event I doubt I could get the time off to go, especially on short notice.  Travel expenses aren't the only consideration. 

 

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Once you go Mac, you never go back!

I agree...I have bid my time off for nationals in November of the previous year...

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Tracy Ramsey
Team Blenderblaster
2000 MR2 DP Spyder

Rumor has it, that the SCCA will have separate East and West Coast Championships---

Then the top 10 drivers in each class will be flown 1st class out to Vegas, while their car gets picked up in a Transporter.  Each driver will get 3 days and 4 nights all expenses paid deluxe accomodations at the WYNN Las Vegas--plus $500 gambling and walking around money.

Each Class Winner will receive $ 100,000 or if not interested in the money, than the first competitor to turn down the money, can if he or she wishes take possesion of Jim Julow's house in Topeka.  All other 9 class positions in each class will pay thusly 2---5000, 3-4500 and so forth all the way to 10th place.

 

PS---of couse to pay for all this regular yearly dues will increase slightly to $75,000

PSS-----GO SCCA !!!

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Trying to get faster

....I also work for a living. I hope your work doesn't involve scheduling ....as the "east/west" events could be much shorter, as well as the grand championship event. They could (gasp) even be scheduled ahead of time so people could plan for the time off. Time off work could be the same or slightly longer, although split up. Splitting things up does nothing to address a ProSolo Finale....so it may not be such a good idea afterall....but we need to keep thinking of alternatives to eventually hit upon something that could work.

gary p:

Some of us work for a living.  In the unlikely event I were to qualify for the "grand championship" event I doubt I could get the time off to go, especially on short notice.  Travel expenses aren't the only consideration. 

 

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Jay Storm
96 Impreza L FSP
98 98 Impreza 2.5RS- co-driver DSP
Wives are like SCCA rules...
If she doesn't say you can...you can't

so if this East/West championship thing were to happen, would you be allowed to compete in only one of the two? Just your respective championship? or both?

Not that too many people would go to both (Andy), but that would be quite the bragging rights.

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Alex Jones
2007 A-Street Prepared GXP
www.CrazyMonkeyRacing.com

Put them on the same weekend..... Even Tony Stewart would have a hard time with that one.....

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Jay Storm
96 Impreza L FSP
98 98 Impreza 2.5RS- co-driver DSP
Wives are like SCCA rules...
If she doesn't say you can...you can't

Why would you want to prevent people from running both?

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Dr. Conemangler
#15 STS '91 Civic Si
CalClub

I'm trying to imagine how the national staff could run two finales simultaneously... 

 

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Robert Puertas
www.EvoSchool.com

Robert Puertas:

I'm trying to imagine how the national staff could run two finales simultaneously... 

 

 

Hold 'em at the same location.

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2002 Mercedes C230k, retired, 2005 Nationals STU DFL

1969 Beach Solo Vee and 1985 Lynx B Solo Vee

Lynn:

Robert Puertas:

I'm trying to imagine how the national staff could run two finales simultaneously... 

 

 

Hold 'em at the same location.

LMFAO

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Ted

2004 Z16/Z06 SS

Lynn:

Robert Puertas:

I'm trying to imagine how the national staff could run two finales simultaneously... 

 

 

Hold 'em at the same location.

 

Awesome! 

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Jer
1993 MR2 #196 ES
2005 Lotus Elise (retired)
1999 Dodge 4X4 tow vehicle
1993 Miata (just tired)
1987 Corolla Lemons car
1984 Citation Lemons car

Surferjer:

Lynn:

Robert Puertas:

I'm trying to imagine how the national staff could run two finales simultaneously... 

 

 

Hold 'em at the same location.

 

Awesome! 

Why didn't I think of that!

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James Plotkin
'05 FSP Echo

What's rather funny is that everyone dislikes the HPT surface, what reason I don't know I'ts easy on tires and the courses have been good and it's really the same for everone. Having said that I'm not sure if you guys realize it or not but at Forbes they always had difficulties running the 1100+ national and at HPT it has never been a problem. Honestly the surface that really sucked was Forbes. Having to stop competition to repair the surface having all the mod guy complain that there cars are botoming out. Well I could go on and on I heard it for 10 years and I believe I made more than 8000lbs of patch while at Forbes, so I think I know what I'm talking about here. The HPT surface in comparison is great and If solo nats moves It would be stupid.

How much money is the national office going to spend to set up the staff at another location for several weeks to put on the nationals. If we do have it in arkansas I'll bet anything that you'll be driving 40 min to get a hotel. I've looked and there is only six hotels and 16000 people in that town I don't know how you could even consider that they could put on an event of this size and make it work. Rediculous        

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Ron Williams

Multi-time national champion---ship trophy winner

Ron,

While you make some great points about the surface, there are some negatives to it which have been pointed out.... If HPT does not want us back then they don't want us back.. nothing is going to change that, other then $$$$.

 I also know your proximity to the site is like no others attending... you are one of a handful of folks that don't need hotel rooms for Nationals.  You would have significant our of pocket costs to get to nationals if it moved anywhere, and like everyone else who has to travel, the further it gets from home the less viable a solution it is.  When its in my back yard, we, as a club, can deal with whatever the inconvenience is.  Its the biased, human nature, opinions that cloud this issue... 

 
Lets find the best place for Nationals, that is *somewhat* centrally located and have a great event... we come to race, so surface is foremost.  After that we are pretty resourceful to come up w/ everything else.  A few coolers/kegs/BBQ grills + Microphone and we have a banquet.

 

Rick
 

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Rick Cone
Atlanta Region Director

STS2 #98
1991 Mazda Miata - Aqua

I was told by a national staffer that the town has 850 hotel rooms, The info that I got when I researched the city, it showed only 6 hotels and about 500 rooms. I know from working at a hotel for several years that generally 10% of the rooms need some sort of maintenance and can't be sold. That being said, it is rediculous to think that a town of that size can facilitate an influx of 1200 individuals. Maybe this is a way to make the majority of the people coming to national stop coming so the numbers will dwindle back to the 700's.

Your right I love having nationals in my backyard, even if we never get to run the sites. I also think that it has been in kansas do to its central location. If I have to drive from the pecieved center to arkansas and thats 500 miles away then I believe that the majority of the national attendees will have to drive further and may not attend.     

Heartland park didn't say they didn't want us to be there, what they said is that is if the runoffs is leaving then the solo national will not be given to scca for free. 

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Ron Williams

Multi-time national champion---ship trophy winner

ron:

What's rather funny is that everyone dislikes the HPT surface, what reason I don't know I'ts easy on tires and the courses have been good and it's really the same for everone. Having said that I'm not sure if you guys realize it or not but at Forbes they always had difficulties running the 1100+ national and at HPT it has never been a problem. Honestly the surface that really sucked was Forbes. Having to stop competition to repair the surface having all the mod guy complain that there cars are botoming out. Well I could go on and on I heard it for 10 years and I believe I made more than 8000lbs of patch while at Forbes, so I think I know what I'm talking about here. The HPT surface in comparison is great and If solo nats moves It would be stupid.

How much money is the national office going to spend to set up the staff at another location for several weeks to put on the nationals. If we do have it in arkansas I'll bet anything that you'll be driving 40 min to get a hotel. I've looked and there is only six hotels and 16000 people in that town I don't know how you could even consider that they could put on an event of this size and make it work. Rediculous        

 

I dislike the HPT surface for one big reason, it's too small an area. I hate having to grid so far away from the surface we run on, and putting two big courses on that surface is barely doable. We need more space. The surface I can deal with, and the fact that it's not super grippy is fine with me anyway (other than the sand it's kinda like what we run around here). 

I, as I've said at least once in this thread, would really like to stay in Topeka. It's a town that has treated us very well and it has everything we need from a hospitality/amenity standpoint. And I'm not one of the closer people, either (Maryland).

BTW, Ron, thanks to you and all the Kansas Region folks who have done so much to help run the Nationals over the years.

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Brian "Big Enos" Burdette

Ron, I direct your attention to the May 14th edition on your local newspaper in which Mr. Irwin states that he will not have the Nationals at HPT.  The National office did ask Mr. Irwin what it would cost to rent the facility.  The response was allegedly that it is not available at any price.  Even it it were available at the exorbitant price that he charges Kansas Region, the entry fee for Nationals would have to go up by $50 to $60.  I think the cost of the staff traveling to Arkansas is much, much less than the KR rent times 10 days.

As it stands now the entry/exit to the course area for Nationals is dangerous.  I have seen numerous near collisions there.  The pavement really does suck.  Yes, it is easy on tires.  Ice is easy on tires, too.  I doubt that those who spend the money to travel to Nationals are worried about tire wear.  I suppose the surface is adequate if you wish to use the same line as those who have gone before you.  But if you wish to use a different line or the car needs a different line, you are well and truly screwed.

The demographic center of the US is near Fort Leonard Wood, MO.  The majority of competitors come from east of that point, so the majority of competitors would have a shorter drive.  There are hotel room is Jonesboro and Paragould MO,  Kennett and Carutherville, MO and Dyerburg, TN.  Yes, people will be driving 20 minutes to maybe an hour, but most of us probably drive that to get to a local event.  I drive almost 30 minutes to my local events.  And I'm not all that far away from Gateway.

Topeka has treated us well and it is too bad we are leaving.  But that is Ray Irwin's decision.

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2002 Mercedes C230k, retired, 2005 Nationals STU DFL

1969 Beach Solo Vee and 1985 Lynx B Solo Vee

ron:

What's rather funny is that everyone dislikes the HPT surface, what reason I don't know I'ts easy on tires and the courses have been good and it's really the same for everone.

 

Well, I'll have to disagree with you on that.  It's a surface that as the day wears on becomes increasingly unsafe and if you vary as much as 6 inches off the line set, not necessarily the "right" line, you're watching the course through your side window - don't ask me how I know

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Bill Schenker
CalClub & S.D.R. #14 CSP 10AE Miata
Owner/Builder 2005-'07 CSP ProSolo Finale Champ./2007 National Champ. & runner up

Ray Irwin's position sounds like a negotiating position to me.

 

But then again I once produced something called, "Everything's Negotiable".

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Dr. Conemangler
#15 STS '91 Civic Si
CalClub