Track Talk A place to talk about Track and DE Events, share driving tips and other Track related items. |
|
Thread Tools | Display Modes |
#31
|
||||
|
||||
Quote:
registrar rant: Honestly folks, we're adults for fuchs sake. If you make a commitment - i.e. register now - STICK TO IT and don't worry about/complain should something come up and you have to eat the relatively measly fee (given the overall cost of our frivolous hobby). Stop with the whiny baby routines. If you want to go, sign up and take the risk of having to eat the fee. Or if you don't want to take that risk, then DON'T sign up and bear the risk of possibly losing our track event for good. Sheesh. Personally I love the track/event but I fall on the side of not wanting to shell out 7mos in advance - I am willing to accept risk of losing the event over risk of losing my fee but at least I ain't bitching about it. Rant over. Hugs and kisses. P.S. I will see what we can do about an email blast from our MO sponsor.
__________________
Chris M. |
#32
|
||||
|
||||
Thanks Chris, I think that may help significantly...hopefully it's not too late.
Eric may come across somewhat strong, but he's absolutely right: this MidO issue has only very recently (within the past couple months) been officially deemed a "crisis", one worthy of making the drastic move of requiring folks to register 7mo early (an unarguably uncommon move, as far as DE registration is concerned), without hope for cancellation or refund. I'm sensing a significant degree of frustration (some certainly warranted) whenever anyone tries to offer suggestions. We have to realize that yes, we would have greatly benefited by coming to this realization as soon as we saw 2014's MidO was going to be such a disaster (or perhaps could we have done something last year?). I've reached out to a number of folks outside the core Potomac DE community, and have received some comments back from people who are scratching their heads as to why everything went from 0 to 11 so quickly -- why are we suddenly scrambling now? But we can't do anything about that now. If this is to be successful so late in the game, we need to pull out all the stops. It's not the Dorkis, nor instructors, I'm worried about reaching out to -- they are only a modest percentage of total PCA DE registrants, and they've undoubtedly already heard about this anyway. How do we get the word out to the other folks -- to the other clubs -- who enjoy running with us? Not sure if we've done any of this yet, but yelling the same message to the same people will only get us so far. I have already forwarded this to everyone I know belonging to other clubs (BMW and Audi mostly), but given how recently I moved here, that doesn't amount to much. Who's got the connections?
__________________
Collin M. I wear a cowboy hat. '86 951: lucky number 13...rare 6.0L edition. '06 M3: hers. |
#33
|
||||
|
||||
it did not go from 0 to 11 quickly. MO has been an issue for several years. Many things have been tried (joint sponsorship, etc.). None have worked, but frankly none of that even fuching matters looking towards 2015. PCAP has been losing a ton of money. Pleas for attendance were made last year as well, and previous years. It has been discussed at open board meetings.
People want to keep it on the calendar? Then sign up now. And don't expect that even if we get enough people for 2015 we won't need to do the same thing for 2016. It's a track that hosts events every fuching weekend. PCAP drops it and you really want to go? then go sign up with another group. You really bitching that you can't go and hand out with your PCAP friends, then talk others into attend that DE with you. Dropping MO ihis isn't the end of the world, but keeping it means everyine needs to pay more $ for EVERY DE during the season to help subsidize the loss. As a customer who does not go to MO, I kinda don't like having to do that. If you are passionate about PCAP keeping it, then sign up and even go a step further and contact the DE Chair and let them know how you propose to help drum up more entrants. I'm sure they would welcome volunteers willing to start contacting a lot of other car clubs. One thing is for sure though -- the people (volunteers) running the DE program don't have the spare time to start cold-calling clubs, etc.
__________________
David D. '87 Targa - 2021 quickly disappearing... |
#34
|
||||
|
||||
Quote:
As for subsidizing other events, the DE program is the financial engine for many non-DE activities that most of us track rats do not attend. Very sad to see MO go from Potomac's schedule. But there are other opportunities to drive it.
__________________
Previous: 2010 911 GT3 1993 911 RS America 1992 911 C2 Targa |
#35
|
||||
|
||||
Yeah, all good points BT. The phrase "delaying the inevitable" keeps coming to mind.
As for going from 0-11 quickly, I was mainly speaking from the perspective of an Average Joe Participant; while most of the regular instructors (and other club leadership) may have been aware of our MidO financial issues, I'm not sure this knowledge was quite so widespread as it needed to be. So to many of the other folks -- on whom we are ostensibly placing this pre-registration burden -- it seems like we're making much ado all of a sudden. But at the end of the day, you're absolutely right: there are ample options to get one's MidO fix, and Potomac can't keep fighting a losing battle. :-/
__________________
Collin M. I wear a cowboy hat. '86 951: lucky number 13...rare 6.0L edition. '06 M3: hers. |
#36
|
||||
|
||||
Collin, I think the DE chair, et al, did their best to provide as much time as possible. Obviously the issue really showed after the final MO #s were in this past May. By mid-July, after unsuccessfully searching for a partner willing to split costs, they were faced with a decision. The October date was/ is looming, and the easy way out was to just say fuch it. But thanks to George Whitmore and some others, it was agreed to give people a chance to commit to the event before PCAP has to make the binding commitment and payment in October. I personally think the DE heads have done their best to provide people with as much time as possible to decide. Now as far as how this has been/ is being publicized, their tools are limited so it really falls upon all of those interested in keeping the event to get the word out to their friends, other car clubs, etc. I'm sure any and all help at that would be appreciated.
__________________
David D. '87 Targa - 2021 quickly disappearing... |
#37
|
||||
|
||||
Mid ohio will still be there. This even won't. People have been voting with their wallets for years.
|
#38
|
||||
|
||||
I signed up for this, understand the commitment and recognize that it is what it is.
If we go, we go. If we don't, well.....I'll find another opportunity to go to MO with another club. Will I be disappointed that there won't be more PCAP friends there? Sure, but I suspect it won't matter as much after the first lap or two. Besides, If I've learned anything from racing Chump Cars it's that driving around on racetracks with strangers in strange cars builds character.
__________________
Jim B. Maryland 1987 944S - Black #303 - Zeus Suit Racing 2007 Boxster S - Carrara White - Daily Driver "Life is too short to have a boring car" |
#39
|
||||
|
||||
The issues with declining numbers for MO are not single or of a temp nature. I don't see the reasons that Potomac members are becoming ever less inclined to go to MO as going away.
If PCAP stops hosting a DE weekend at MO all is not lost. In fact I see that little is lost. Potomac members can simply agree on a weekend that has a DE being run by one of the local clubs and all sign up for that one the day reg opens. Same group of Potomac members as would want to go now same track none of the money or logisitic issues. This would let us get away from the Mothers day issue too.
__________________
http://vimeo.com/29896988 “Those that can make you believe in absurdities can make you commit atrocities.” Voltaire. "There is grandeur in this view of life...." Darwin. The mountains are calling and I must go. “The earth has music for those who listen” Shakespeare. You Matter. (Until you multiply yourself times the speed of light squared. Then you Energy) “We’ve got lots of theories, we just don’t have the evidence’. |
#40
|
|||
|
|||
Quote:
Ohio Valley Region Porsche Club of America (PCA) April 4 - 6 Mid-Ohio Region PCA April 25 - 27 Northern Ohio Region PCA May 2 - 4 Potomac Region PCA May 9 - 11 Northern New Jersey Region PCA May 16 - 18 Allegheny Region PCA September 5 - 7 Mid-Ohio Region PCA September 12 - 14 Northern Ohio PCA September 26 - 28 Ohio Valley Region PCA October 17 - 19 |
Thread Tools | |
Display Modes | |
|
|