Mike,
We had some real challenges putting on the NOPI event in 1999. I am the
first to admit that everything didn't go as smoothly as we would have
liked. Several of us spent hundreds of hours planning the major
components of this event. It was apparent to all that we still have some
rough spots to work out. Thankfully, most of the drivers appreciated our
efforts and didn't condemn the event because of our shortcomings.
<Date: Tue, 21 Sep 1999 10:28:49 -0400
<From: "Mike and Lara King" <mapco@worldnet.att.net>
<Subject: Re: NOPI Results
<Can't help but interject a bit since I'm probably one of the
butt-showing
<competitors you are referring to. And to all who had to witness my
little
<soapbox, I apologize wholeheartedly. But when it comes down to competing
in
<an event such as this from a region such as this, I expected way more.
The
<format was great, IMHO. Had a great time on course, and thought it was a
<great "spectator" attracting concept. It's what the "spectators" didn't
see
<that really made the event not so enjoyable. Rules making as the day
went
<along, even changing ones mandated by SCCA.
As the event chair, I'm going to have to set the record straight. The
rules were clearly spelled out in the supplemental regs. The changed
rules you refer to is the 5 minutes between runs rule that applies in a
typical Solo 2 format. The intent of that rule is to keep a competitor
from entering the course with hot tires and having an advantage over a
driver with cold tires. If you analyze the heads-up format and the time
constraints associated with trying to work all the cars through the
brackets this becomes unworkable. Because you and another competitor kept
demanding to be allowed 5 minutes between running your cars and you both
were in 2 driver cars and all 4 of you were headed into the finals of the
brackets, your group ran 1 hour longer than all the other groups. As it
was, we weren't able to finish the event until 8 PM. If we had allowed
everyone to exercise the 5 minute rule Group 5 would not have run and the
overall championship bracket would have been done away with because of
darkness.
Because of the nature of Prepared and Mod cars and their unique engine
cooling needs we chose to allow them some extra time to cool down between
runs. You and others loudly complained that we were, therefore,
inconsistent in our enforcement of the rules.
<Crowd control...crowds of people
<walking across the course during the event. Driving across the course as
<well. No control over who came into the paddock/pit area (i.e,
spectators
<doing burnouts next to my paddock spot.)
You just painted a very erroneous picture of what actually happened at
the event. You make it sound like the event just ran along merrily while
all these people just wandered out onto the course. That didn't happen.
There were a fair number of folks wondering across the lot before the
event started and after it was over. But that is the nature of this venue
because of the lack of fencing, provided. However, the crowd was very
cooperative about staying off the course during the event.
NOPI and AMS had promised to provide fencing to keep the crowds away from
the course. We arrived to set up the event on Friday expecting the crowd
fencing to arrive at any time. At 6 PM Friday evening Mike Meyers of NOPI
told me that the track was reneging on the deal to provide fence. We had
no choice but to put up banners and keep our wits about us to make sure
no one came on course during the event. Which we did and really didn't
have any problems both days.
Of course, we could have taken your attitude and just shut down the event
and let all of you go home without having an event at all. Talk about a
bad taste in your mouth!
<Shouting over the PA system telling
<people to get the hell off the parking lot doesn't sound like the right
<course of action as far as crowd control.
I didn't hear any profanity used over the PA system.
<Being laughed at by an event
<official when I wanted to protest a course official's actions didn't
fair
<well with me either. So, when it came down to losing due to the wrongs
of a
<course official, yup, I was more than a little miffed.
You didn't lose because of the actions of a course official. I was the
course official who declared a rerun of your match with Phil Currin
because of your long wait to signal you were ready, for whatever reason.
He had sat on the line for 30 seconds revving his engine waiting for your
stager to signal you were ready. He finally decided to let off the gas
because it looked like you weren't ready or there was something wrong.
Then your stager raised his flag and the light immediately turned green.
If the shoe were on the other foot I'm sure you would have been
complaining just as loudly as you are now. I only regret that I didn't
get to a radio to have the course workers red flag the match.
<It was a culmination
<of the day full of problems. These weren't problems just for me. It was
for
<quite a few other "major" competitors attending. I'm sure that I could
go on
<for hours about this, but I won't.
Thank you, it seemed like I had to endure it for hours on Sunday.
<I just want to make a point that the
<competitors that did decide to show their butts (no, Dick wasn't there,
<unfortunately), had a legitimate excuse for doing so. If I do recall,
I'm
<not the first to show my butt over this organization....I'll leave it at
<that.
Exactly what kind of impression did you and the other "major competitors"
make on the throngs of people looking on about what SCCA autocross is
like? This is one of SCCA's opportunities to showcase our sport. I'm sure
ranting and raving competitors trying to manage the event from their
driver's seat made a *glowing* recommendation for our sport. But then
again, you and the other "major competitors," you referred to, weren't at
the Saturday Driver's meeting when we talked about our opportunity to be
ambassadors for the sport in front of all these people.
An interesting note. As I was writing this reply, I got a long-distance
phone call from another "major competitor" who called to let me know how
much fun they had and just wanted to let us know that they really
appreciated our hard work in putting together this uniquely formatted
event. He also said that most of the other competitors felt the same way
he did.
I know we have some kinks to work out on the NOPI event. Your patience
and willingness to help us reach that goal would be appreciated.
Ben Thatcher
Apex Benefit Services & Motorsports
Stockbridge, GA
Phone 770.474.1402
FAX 770.474.0938
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