Rejuvenate Mid Ohio
 

Potomac’s Mid-Ohio event has brought together drivers from such diverse places as Kansas City, MO, Columbia, SC and Toronto, CA, but most importantly, the opportunity to drive with your fellow Potomac Region friends and friends from other Regions and share the experience of driving this great track.

Since Potomac started its DE program in 1965, the DE team has strived to provide a variety of tracks for our DE Program. In addition to Summit Point, we currently host DE's at Mid Ohio, Watkins Glen and VIR. We have driven at MO since 1990.

However over the past few years, the participation at MO has steadily decreased to a point for the past three years we have barely had 80 - 85 cars at the event. While this provides lots of additional track time, MO is one of the most expensive venues we have. The significantly lower registration numbers result in a steadily increasing loss of revenue. We really need your support to ensure we can continue to hold our DE at MO.

We are at a point now, where Potomac must feel secure enough in our registration numbers that we are comfortable in paying our deposit that is due by mid October. We have to have a reasonable expectation of at least breaking even for the event. Breaking even means having about 130 drivers registered.

This is why we are opening up MO for very early registration. The 2015 event is now open for registration for all drivers on Motorsportsreg.com. To ensure we have a reasonable expectation of breaking even, we must have a committment from at least 40 instructors and 40 non instructed drivers registered by October 1. If we reach these numbers by October 1, we believe we can register the remaining 50 drivers between October 1 and the event date in May 2015.

However we want everyone to know out front that we plan on billing for the event immediately after October 1.

We plan on posting this information about our MO event on various Region websites, the Zone 2 website and in dV.

If we don't get the 80 total registrants, we'll probably not hold the event in 2015.

Want to thank George Whitmore for taking the lead on this. George will be talking this up at future DE's and other Potomac events. If you have questions, you can contact either Alan or Tuffy at dechair@pcapotomac.org or contact George.

As always, Potomac couldn't have a comprehensive DE Program without your support. Thank you and we hope to see you at MO in 2015.

Alan Herod
Tuffy von Briesen
Co- DE Chairs
Potomac, The Founder's Region
Porsche Club of America

Registered

Hey guys, if you haven't been, you are missing a GREAT TRACK! Fun, smooth, challenging but very rewarding. :D

Tuffy and Alan - you said "40 non instructed drivers" - did you mean "40 non instructor drivers"?

Peter

MO
 

Dr. K

you are correct. 40 non instructor drivers.

Tuffy

Cancellation Policy
 

Personally speaking, I find Mid Ohio a most enjoyable track to drive. The best sense of rhythm of any track I've driven, and the sequence from T6 at the end of the back straight through T11 the entry to Thunder Valley is one of my favorites. The design of this circuit includes excellent use of rolling elevation change and provides the highest energy side to side lateral weight transfers of any track I've experienced. It is FUN and I plan to keep it my annual schedule when possible, and preferably with Potomac. For anyone that has not been there it is certainly worth the trip!

While I understand that Potomac needs to make the finances work, the approach of charging credit cards 7 months in advance is unusual. That in and of itself would not be a show stopper for me, but the cancellation policy states that "You must cancel online BEFORE WE BILL YOU, usually two – three weeks before the event" and adds Cancel after you are billed and you forfeit your entry fee. I would find it unacceptable if these cancellation terms apply in this case.

As much as I like to drive Mid Ohio and as much as I want to support Potomac, I don't know my schedule for next year ten months in advance and I don't believe registrants should bear the financial risk associated with early billing. I respectfully suggest that Potomac modify the cancellation policy for this event to something more reasonable, such as 30 days before the event.

Hi Eric, the problem is that Potomac as stated has to come up with the deposit in October, having 80 people sign up now and then cancel in the spring would leave a huge deficit for the DE program as has been the bleeding case for quite a few years. Commitment now is unfortunately needed, and it is a commitment.
Dirk

Hi Dirk; great seeing you at the Street Survival teen training yesterday. Very rewarding.

My experience is dated by a few years and not to get into details, but this is nothing new. Contract deposits are always required, and the club has managed its resources to support the cash flow requirements. SP has always been the cash cow with VIR also being healthy; MO has been a fairly big loss and WG also becoming more problematic. On the whole, the DE program has run in the black and funds much of the non-DE budget. As you know, Potomac's Mid Ohio date suffers from the probability of sketchy weather (this year was outstanding) and Mother's Day is also a detractor for some; unfortunately, date selection is not up to Potomac and even if they were date changes ripple through the rest of the schedule.

In my opinion, if the cancellation terms are not changed it will reduce the number that register. I suggest that Potomac reconsider the cancellation policy in this case, else it will become self-fulfilling prophesy to drop the event. It is a fact that the further in advance people must schedule the more things will come up to change those schedules. Yes, scheduling a year in advance will lead to cancellations, but if they want to receive a show of intent then the cancellation policy must be amended. Otherwise, it is not a registration fee, it is a donation.

It is a business decision for club management and I do hope Potomac is successful in retaining the event. Perhaps partnering with another region/club that can bring more than the small handful MVR did is an alternative?

Eric, PCAP either has to get enough people to commit by beginning of October or drop the date. MO HAS been carried by 'profits' at other events, but rising costs at all venues, including SP, have made so it is no longer feasible. Plus if not many want to go, why should everyone who attends SP, VIR and WG be saddled with extra costs just to support that event?

This is not something the DE heads have taken lightly, but finances have likely changed a bit since you were the track scheduler/ co-ordinator. I believe only something like 4 people from the 'co-sponsoring' club attended the latest MO DE.

In reality if only a couple handfuls of people want to go there, it may be best for them to sign up with other clubs' events and not saddle PCAP with the financial loss. But who knows, maybe a bunch of people will come forward and sign up in the next 2 months for the MO 2015 event and it can stay on the calendar.

I really hope we can keep this on the calendar. I'm looking into whether we can do it; agree with Eric (and others) that the cancellation policy unfortunately makes things tricky.

If the unfortunate should happen and we do not have the 80 drivers signed up and paid in time, do those who signed up get their money back?

My guess would be if the Club "cancels" the event due to insufficient participation, then those who had "pre-registered" could get their money back. I believe the Club needs to make its contractual agreement with Mid Ohio sometime around the end of the calendar year.

However, if the Club gets enough pre-registration, and contracts for the event, and a participant is for some reason later unwilling or unable to attend, they may be obligated to forfeit their cost. Although finding a replacement attendee may negate the forfeiture.

This is not an official position from the Club, but simply my own personal comments/recommendations.