Concerned VTR Members,
Let me preface this with the RRTC did their best and as always hindsight
is 20-20. Also this is not meant to berate or not recognize all the hard
work RRTC did to put on the 1997 event.
Ft. Worth was the first VTR Nationals I have attended. I have been to
several regional events around the country and really did not see much of a
difference with the exception of a lot more trailers and fewer race cars.
Attendance seemed to be the same. I had hoped to see 200-300 cars. I race
sailboats around the country on the national level and have seen the same
decline in participation over the years as the cost of campaigning has gone
up. The best and most competitive events have been when the entries were
reasonable and housing was cheap.
While you don't want to make a club lose money, hosting this event
should not be seen as a cash cow. Run some numbers with previous clubs to
help getting your cost in line. HCTC did this as an attempt to stop the
escalating prices for regional events and were successful in turning the
overall cost down at the Georgetown, TX event.. RRTC chose to do the event
on their own with out any help for the other Texas clubs. I am not sure of
the politics but for some reason there was not any participation from the
San Antonio, TX. club. In the future I would recommend the host club
tapping into the resources offered by other clubs in the area.
Tracks Increase Participation.
As has already been mentioned by others, being near a track would
increase participation.
1. All the racers would be drooling at all the at track time they would get.
2. The true polishers will jump at the chance to drive around a "real"
racetrack in the parade laps so they can brag to their friends " Oh yes I
drove it at ______ (fill in)".
3. The drivers would be there and do what they do best, drive!
When attending a SE regional at Sebring there was a lot more
camaraderie
which I attribute partially to having such historic track involved in the
event. The cost of the track was paid for by the users and there was no
problem getting enough participants to commit. The rest was being in a small
place keeping all the people together.
Rethink the venue.
Stay away from large metropolitan areas for the obvious reasons.
1. Increase the overall cost to those participating.
2. Keeps entrants too dispersed with events that are spread all over the
area.
3. Placing cars at risk by putting them in rush hour traffic to get to
events.
There are plenty of small town (like Grandbury for instance) that would
be
a better place for a large group of enthusiast to congregate for a few days.
A recent example is the BMW motorcycle convention held in Fredrickburg,
Texas. Plenty of parks, camping, rental, and fantastic roads for driving.
Somehow they attracted over 2k bikes to this out of the way location.
By the selection of the 98 site of Winona I am hoping this will set a
trend away from urban areas.
A few suggestions for 98.
1. Keep some optional local entertainment. Some people want to hang out and
talk cars. Especially after driving in the heat all afternoon. Perhaps
scheduled parking lot socials in the evenings. (Irv is the man on this one).
2. Bring in a band or outdoor entertainment. But basically give people
something to do and a place to do it that won't cost them additional money
or chances for a DWI.
3. A better organized agenda/schedule. Provide better description in the
event booklet of what is going on and exact times and where to pick up and
drop off score sheets. Don't depend on a bulletin board or word of mouth.
4. Schedule a SOL get together. They are going to do it anyway so you might
as well get involved.
5. Lose the rope around the neck badge. It was aggravating enough at the
regional RRTC held. They did not get the hint and brought them back again.
Face it in the summer it is hot everywhere. On my return from Ft. Worth
I
called a contact in the Minneapolis St. Paul area to check the weather. 96
degrees, still and very muggy. Not very different than DFW.
6. Hold driving events I the morning when it is cooler.
7. Schedule workshops, tech session, Judge training, fun events, racing
primers, etc. in the afternoon so as not to conflict with driving events and
get out of the heat.
8. Banquet time. Keep speeches to a minimum. Give doorprizes constantly
throughout the evening, even during dinner. Don't wait to the end or the
evening (or 11pm) and wonder why people have left.
Increase Show Participation.
1. Driving class (not peoples choice but judged). Not all cars are
interested in the Concours.
2. Feedback. This year one class (early Spit?) did not have any trophy
winners. The reason, none of them had enough points to qualify. How would
you expect a group to get any better when all the feedback is kept from them?
Provide access to the scoring sheets after the event. I have heard of
fights in the past from this but what if they were mailed out this would not
be a problem. I personally would like to know what kind of stuff my car was
dinged on to make the appropriate improvements. This is the only way to
raise the standard and level of competition.
3. Judging. Have some type of qualifications to judge a group. I felt our
judges had no idea what GT6 is supposed to be. Especially when they wanted
to judge the MKIII's with the 1500 Spitfires. This is not a dog show. Some
knowledge if the model is required.
4. Allow for day of the show entrants. Not everybody is a "club" kinda guy
and might only know of these events though the local media. Personally I
owned my car for 20 years before entering the club scene. I am not and
exception and feel there are plenty of independent owners that aren't as
tapped in as you think they are. As far as an earlier comment of "drop in
Triumphs" not paying their share. I would rather see them drop in and be
seen than a group of Jags and such that crashed the lines at the DFW VTR.
5. Point awarded for driving or deducted for trailered cars. Level the
playing field or require trailer cars to verify 100 miles of travel after
unloading. They can drive anywhere they want. I believe the Rolls
Royce/Bentley club does this at their nationals to encourage driving. Whats
the point of having a car that is looks great but is not reliable enough to
drive a measley 100 miles. That is not what I call a great example of the
marque
Well I am finished with my commentary and suggestion. If I offended anyone
lighten up! It's only a car.
Regards,
Richard Ceraldi
71 GT6 MKIII KF166L 1997 VTR Concours Winner
http://www.exact.com/~gt6mk3
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