[BlackTalon]

What's there to think about? There is always a waiting list in Green and Blue... Do they really need to focus on getting more beginning drivers out there?

[VaSteve]

I keep watching the bottom of the screen....lots of guests today, why don't you register and say hello! We don't bite....usually.

[forklift]

Originally Posted by John Brown

Jim, NASA has a complete traveling track crew integral to the operation. They don't use the BSR truck and they work together all the time. While at first blush it sounds attractive I don't think hot pulls with us doing the pulls and BSR flaggers is the way to go. Ask Elizabeth if we're going to do hot pulls at FATT anytime soon!?

Gotcha.

[Vicegrip]

How about rolling starts for white black and red whenever they don't precede a green or blue group? Green and blue use standard starts so the instructors have time to hop in and get set up. Keep the format 20X4 but don't plan on the time savings from rolling starts. Use rolling starts to build up "bonus" time or to catch up from delays. If we build up some slack time call the groups up sooner to a max of lets say 10 min or so. Tell the drivers in the drivers meeting. "Listen for your run groups and be ready 10 min prior to the standard printed time. We might be calling you before the printed time. Be ready or loose track time” The slack time will help reduce a following group getting stiffed track time due to a track clean up. If we build up unused time that is more then ten min or so leave a run group on track for the "extra" time. Some tracks such as VIR MO or WG the half as lap cool down and rolling start will make for good bonus time buildups. As it is we build up slack time that is not used on track and if it is in order to make u- for an on track cleanup you still have to call groups to the grid off the printed times. Why not put the time to use from the get go?

Rolling starts; you do not need to hold up fresh off the track cars that are coming in, let them off the hot lane via opening near the T10 stand. Have a gate keeper let them off when you close the other end for the next group. I am sure we can come up with plenty of Dorki that will work the gate as needed. Right guys?

Remember the often said saw "be safe, have fun, learn something. 3 a day is cutting into the have fun part according to many. Few ever cranked about the format when it was 4 a day but the cranking started as soon as 3 a day format began. Why do something that has so much negative value for something that is only for fun? We are a car club and DE is a way for us all to get together and drive our cars on track. Nothing more nothing less. It is not a product, we are not a company. We should (and we do) work like one to better the experence and run things well but let's not forget the goal.

Be Safe, Have Fun, Learn Something. All 3 points have value to us all. It is not us and them it is 100% US.

[TD in DC]

Originally Posted by Kurt Mickelwait

Rolling starts; you do not need to hold up fresh off the track cars that are coming in, let them off the hot lane via opening near the T10 stand. Have a gate keeper let them off when you close the other end for the next group. I am sure we can come up with plenty of Dorki that will work the gate as needed. Right guys?

I would help.

[forklift]

Originally Posted by Kurt Mickelwait

Remember the often said saw "be safe, have fun, learn something. 3 a day is cutting into the have fun part according to many. Few ever cranked about the format when it was 4 a day but the cranking started as soon as 3 a day format began. Why do something that has so much negative value for something that is only for fun? We are a car club and DE is a way for us all to get together and drive our cars on track. Nothing more nothing less. It is not a product, we are not a company. We should (and we do) work like one to better the experence and run things well but let's not forget the goal.

Be Safe, Have Fun, Learn Something. All 3 points have value to us all. It is not us and them it is 100% US.

Good post.

[William Miller]

I've waited and watched as hopefully all the points have been made. All good points and many suggestions. I may be new, but after hearing all the discussion there are good points to both options. Kurt has some great suggestions.

Tom, you said it was a choice and you were open to what your "customer" wanted.
Speaking for myself, I would like 4 run sessions.
I'm not qualified to state my reasons or debate the merits.
Maybe the simple thing to do is to ask the rest of your customers.
How about asking the question when people sign in this weekend, and maybe sending out a questionare.
It seems like you will get responses, and discussion, but when it comes down to it, let people choose 3 or 4. That's it.

[VaSteve]

Originally Posted by William Miller

How about asking the question when people sign in this weekend, and maybe sending out a questionare.
It seems like you will get responses, and discussion, but when it comes down to it, let people choose 3 or 4. That's it.

Just ask at the Sunday driver's meeting. We'll have had plenty of time to think about it on Saturday.

[Manny Alban]

What's a rolling start? Is it like club racing, where we're all bunched up at the start? 'Cause that sounds like fun (in a driver's ed, no passing in corners, kind of way).

[TD in DC]

Manny,

I don't know if it is the correct term, but we mean the Nasa style starts and stops for run sesssions where the new run group starts to pit out during the cool down lap for the previous run group so that there is little to no down time on the track. That is the only way I can think of to increase the amount of time we can actually spend on the track if we are limited by contract to starting at 9 and stopping at 5.

I also agree that 3 groups is a more efficient use of time than 4 BUT if you lose one run group you have lost 1/3 of the day, which seems to hurt a lot worse than losing 1/4 of the day.

TD