37th ANNUAL 8 HOURS OF THE CASCADES

Sometimes Garth at A'n'T will stay late on Friday to help out guys, but you may want to call him today and check with him..

Since the entries have dwindled down to 22, does that mean no prize monies any more? I just saw that little snippet on the Cascade site..
 
So do Conference enduros need a "chump" class? Would that lower costs?
Obviously 80 chump entries means that the timing and weather are not the main factors in the differential here.
 
There's a good chance that many of the existing local Chumps are already legal, as the classes are set. Many of the safety regulations in those rules are compatible too. It wouldn't take much to market to them.

But with the 4th (now?) annual Halloween-ish ChumpCar event only one week away... CSCC has been trapped out with their traditional Oct. date and with not much to compete with that.

When the (now) ICSCC Xhr Endurance race became an attempt to emulate more professional events and a T-n-T for the 25 @ THill, it lost some of it's unique qualities for that 'end of season, use up the what's left of the race cars and then start getting ready for next season' theme. Somehow, other than the LeMans-type start and it's longevity, the race has lost it's pazazz.

For the record, the Safety Team never left a driver stranded and 'unsafe' during my watch. Of course, now it's moot as no one has to work on their cars at turn stations any more. That was pretty unique too.

Who was it that changed out a whole VW motor at old T6, or T8, or someplace, then got back in before the end of a 6hr one year? I watched as a Porsche had parked perfectly over a low spot in T5 and the driver was able to get under it for repairs without a jack. There's probably more stories that I can't remember right now.

But we're much more civilized than that now.

I stopped by this AM before the show and they were talking 19 entries to start... (sigh)
 
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Comparing an end-of-season enduro for cars that have been running pretty close to their limits for several months with ChumpCar is something of a red herring, I think. That said, why the decrease in car counts? I think there are probably lots of different reasons, including: drivers who only wanted a taste of endurance have had their file, lack of money (after a season) and/or perceived expense of the event, car owners who are unwilling to risk (mechanically or otherwise) their cars, drivers/car who are just too wiped after a full season to do the equivalent of another season (assuming you always single-enter), and... who knows? Maybe someone from Cascade or the enduro committee should do some surveys at race events next season? (NOT here, as this is a relatively small percentage of overall drivers.)
 
I know that TC has used msp dot com to survey(s) entrants for their opinions. I think CSCC may have too at some time.

It's not a bad venue considering how a club might accumulate and analyze the data. Pose a question and limit selection to A~Z, or essay answers in 25 words or less?

Something like...

Were you at the Enduro this year?

Yes.---> Did you have fun?--->Yes--->Will you be back next year?--->Yes--->Thank you for your participation.
No--->Why not? No--->Why not? No--->Why not?

The hardest part is getting people to participate in a survey.
 
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I have to jump in again. First time for us this year, a low buck/budget/ newbie team. We ran the Enduro for about $1,000 (less driver fee). I ran R888's that had 4 sprint races on them and were not shaved. They still have lots of meat left. The car had a fresh engine so I can't say an end of sprint race season engine would fair better but I can tell you that I don't have to do anything to it before next years races, the 8 Hours didn't hurt it. There are things I need to do, adjust the floats in the carbs so it's easier to start, make sure the wiring to the tail lights is solid and lots of details in way of comfort for those of the team while they are not behind the wheel.

I think CSCC is on the right track with the groups. If we could have stayed out on track longer we would have been the tortoise to the hare. We didn't enter this one to win but to learn. And we did!

I'd like to see the entry fees lowered a bit more to get more cars out there, but that is for a different thread.

THANK YOU TO CSCC AND ALL THE VOLUNTEERS FOR PUTTING ON THIS RACE FOR US!!

I'm glad we offered entertainment for all at the beginning if the race.

I also want to thank Bret Beinerth and Dan Zenner for racing with me, Doug and Maxine from Deep Down Expressions for their help and the Beinerth family for being there and sharing with us.

I'd like to thank ALL the other teams for their patience with us. I think we stayed out of your way and didn't disrupt your race (too much).

Thanks to Joe Harlan for the help getting the car started and letting me know the fix.

This has been an adventure and one we will do (much better) next year.

Events like this and the people involved are what make ICSCC so damned GREAT!!
 
Ken Killam said:
Who was it that changed out a whole VW motor at old T6, or T8, or someplace, then got back in before the end of a 6hr one year? I watched as a Porsche had parked perfectly over a low spot in T5 and the driver was able to get under it for repairs without a jack. There's probably more stories that I can't remember right now.
Click to expand...

That would be Doug Blackburn. I had the privledge of observing the entire operation and calling in a step by step description of the entire operation to the race net which was on radio back in those primitive days. What a hoot to watch.
 
For me, there is nothing quite like an endurance race. Whether you are a driver or just part of the team, it is the entire effort from arrival to leaving which sets these things apart from a sprint weekend. Last year we had three drivers splitting the costs, this year we decided to go with 5 to minimize costs. The cost was $300 plus 15 gallons of fuel for each driver. Plus the costs of getting there and hotels, etc...but all in all a pretty reasonable cost given over 2 hours of seat time for each driver including practice. We supplied the car and prepped it with brakes, fluids, etc. The only additional cost was the $800 spent for Hoosiers to deal with the rain....they were a huge improvement over the RA-1's we started out with early Saturday morning. I picked up half the tab...the remaining drivers $100 each....I mention all this only to reinforce the fact that the cost is reasonable given the satisfaction of a team mentality effort.

For the record...I just don't think this end of year event is marketed properly. I know it is a Cascade event, but you rarely hear it mentioned at any drivers meeting...and I wish we could get a 30-40 car field. Now does anyone know where I can buy a chump car for $2,000??

Bill

ps: A special thanks to all those who made this event possible to Dan and Chris and all the workers. Still the highlight of the year IMO.
 
Bill Bonsell said:
Now does anyone know where I can buy a chump car for $2,000??

Bill
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Click to expand...

The $2000 ChumpCar is kind of a myth. Most Chump/Lemons cars these days have far more than that just in their rollcage.

But I do know where you can get a good deal on a 1991 Civic Si race car that would be a great ChumpCar once you replace the race suspension with a stock one. ;)

And congrats on finishing the enduro, Bill. I'd have been there if I didn't have to work. I need a new job. Sigh....
 
Great event!!

Back home in Charlotte, NC now with lots more great memories. See y'all again next year!

Long live the Cascade enduro at PIR!!
 
Doug Blackburn, who called most of us 'sweet pea' cause he couldn't remember names at all. I thought that quite weird 30 years ago, but now it's just a funny memory.
Chump car and our enduro are night and day to me, and don't share much of anything, other than the track surface. Real racing versus gimmicky laps is not what i want to see in our future, but it could happen as we all search for cheaper ways to get our kicks.
 
I don't disagree Wes. Probably if you were to create a morph of Chumpferance it would cover a fairly broad spectrum of endurance-style race craft. From 'off the used car lot' stock to the 'purpose-built this way' formula go mobiles.

What they do share are those entries, and that participation of those that may fit into the seat of both, or teams that may only support one, or the other club/organization to suit their own $$.

Right now, it doesn't take a BS degree to figure out where the market trend is.

Besides, Wes. Dress up can be fun.

wackyraces-1.jpg​
 
I just don't see where a group of cars running around with fins and doo-dads hanging off the roof or trunk lid is safe. I do like the fact that many people can experience road racing for the first time at an affordable price, and I know many of our workers have been out there and loved it. The cars jut don't look safe, and with so many drivers witt zero experience behind the wheel on a race track concerns me.
I'm just an old fuddy-duddy purist who enjoys traditional racing I guess, and after running a 160 mph M3 for years I don't think driving a miata painted like a lobster would be very appealing to me!
How was the neudro? Did they start with 22? Were there any incidents worth mentioning? I assume everyone came home safe or we would have heard about it by now.
 
I think there were 21. Only significant incident I saw was the Pontiac GTA going off in T1 (non chicane). A BMW and it went off together (no contact that I saw) and it was so wet the Pontiac just kept sliding to the barrier. They did that right in front of me! Kind of a helpless feeling (kinda the herd mentality too: Hey Raplh, look, the Lion got Fred, poor Fred, oh well keep going). Another was Mike Tripps Miata got tangled with someone and left debris back in 7.
 
I also think the Fiat had some issues.

A lot of good points brought, and since I am driving in both the Chumpcar this weekend and also drove in the 8 hour last weekend, here is my thoughts.

1) While I enjoy Chumpcar, there is some REALLY bad drivers out there on the course. If some of these teams ended up running the Cascade Enduro I am sure that guys like Bullet would not want to be out there. That being said, I know that incidents happen at all levels and sometimes really bad things can happen, but for the most part when you are driving in a conference race, you have pretty good idea who the guys you are driving against are, and their abilities; whereas with Chumpcar there are some guys who just plain drive like Asshats (and don't think passing under yellow is such a big deal..)

2) I completely agree that the event was really down played this year. It should be sold as if it's not an option; Drivers MUST attend to defend their honor!

3) Maybe encourage novices to drive with area/senior drivers, it's a fantastic learning experience, and I am sure they will learn more in one enduro then several novice races (but maybe only allow one novice per team.) Heck, have someone there to sign up new Novices so their first Conference race can be in an Enduro with a real team, offer a discount if a team can attract a new driver that has prior experience in Chumpcar/Lemons.

4) Yes, this event may seem to have turned in to a test n tune for Thunderhill, but then why not use that as an advantage? Sell it as a chance for some one to go up against a team that may appear on the next "Survive the 25" TV show..

5) Why was nobody involved aware of what was going on just outside the gate?! That was a frickin' gift for the Enduro if it had been taking advantage of. What is one thing LeMans has, activities for the families and spectators to do when they don't want to watch us go round and round.. We had a frickin' Carnival and Haunted House just across the way, someone should have been over there handing out flyers for the Enduro inviting people to come by and watch, or seeing if we could get discount admission to give to family members who came to the enduro (perhaps those wearing PIR wrist bands..)


IMHO, if this organization is not willing to seize opportunities or think outside the box and rely on "the old ways", then numbers will continue to decrease..
 
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