Saturday 2-11-12

[r414]

I am not sure if this is the place to post this but here goes. Chris, I realize that Saturday could not have gone as you expected, however all the racers and spectators paid good money and had reasonable expectations that I feel were not met. Let me say that I respect and appreciate that you and your team have the safety of the racers as a core value. Although there may have been valid reasons for the long delay in getting started, no one felt in the loop due to the many communication issues both with the PA system inadequacies and the radio broadcast either working spotty or not working at all. This probably was a contributing factor once we were racing as to why there were so many periods that the staging lanes were empty. Please be aware that I had 7 guest that accompanied me to the track, 6 of which were there for the first time. We are always looking to improve attendance and participation both with spectators and car count. All of which contributes to the tracks bottom line. Saturday was not the best opportunity to showcase No Problem and make a lasting impression to both encourage them to come back or to invite guest of their own. For their part it was disappointing that on such an uncomfortable day to be out in the elements, the delays were so long and concessions were closed basically before eliminations started. Hot food and drink can go a long way to comforting a cold spectator or racer for that matter, while waiting for the track to get it in gear. Racers will begrudgingly tolerate a number of situations, conditions, and inadequacies to get an opportunity to race. The spectators however are far less tolerant and considering that there are no payouts to them, that is basically free money to the track. I know that I have rambled, but the bottom line is PLEASE IMPROVE IN THE FUTURE. I enjoy racing locally as do so many there, however as I am sure you are aware, a number of your "regulars" were at KOC this weekend. If more start traveling farther to race and stands are empty, then there will not be a local NPR in business, so we all have a vested interest. Just my 2cents. I trust that you will address this appropriately.

[dave4270]

Doesn't matter if this is the appropriate place or not, the discussion has been started.

The absolute most important thing on a day as cold as Saturday is to keep the track warm. The only way to do that is to run constantly. No amount of VHT will help if the rubber on the track is too cold. The tires have nothing to work with when the laid-down rubber is hard as a rock. The large gaps, which had various reasons, just let too much heat escape. Not to mention, those bored spectators had nothing to watch.

After my quarters pass the paramedic at the ticket booth asked "how's that track?" I thought for a second and responded, "dangerous."

I didn't even make my semi's bye-run for fear of not having a bike to run the finals.

Due to my bars being a bit off, the bike was going right on the launch. In the sun, I could correct for this easily. In my final's pass, No amount of input would turn the bike. I'm lucky we were only running eighths because I was about a foot from the wall in the traps.

I'm a racer, I was sticking it out no matter how much I bitched and whined. But I'll think twice about even starting next time if I'm not sure about the surface.