Did we make history this weekend?

B

Bonnie

Bonnie Healy
Just wondering ... was this the first time Conference has had a double race weekend in its 50+ years? Not the double points for a new track weekend, but qualifying and racing on both Saturday and Sunday? I kept meaning to ask but forgot ...

Will be interested to hear what the drivers thought ... all the workers I spoke with really enjoyed it.
 
This was the first time a double race weekend was held on Two days, not three. It was a testing weekend to see if it would work and what everyone would think after it was over.
 
I was there for both days and absolutely loved having points races on both days. Also, it's nice that a driver can race only one day (Saturday or Sunday), if he/she chooses. I hope this continues and other clubs adopt it.

It does make for a busy Saturday (practice, qualify, and race), especially if you run two race groups like I did - that's the only downside as I see it.

So, thumbs up from me! Well done SCCBC!
 
Was great, first time @ the track and its a super fun track, the format of the weekend was great, long day on Saturday but the format works. SCCBC did a great job hosting the event. Only problem was that JC was not giving out salsa !
 
I think that this was scheduled because the SCCBC couldn't make a schedule with three races -- a required minimum per year -- after the TC took dates off the calendar for ORP.

This format worked well at Mission because you can leave mission at any time without waiting for a track crossing. Doing it at a track where you're stuck inside (like PIR) would be very difficult. I have never had a busier race weekend; on Saturday, I was either working on the car, on track, or off getting parts or gas continuously from 7am to 6pm. Further, this double race was hosted the weekend immediately after the races at ORP, which is a long tow to a track in with zero services or supplies.

I think it's also notable that the double weekends stress the first group on the first day by spreading the schedule out. This weekend, Group 4 was first on Saturday. That meant arriving at the track at 830am on Saturday. The rotation moves for Sunday, so Group 4 became last -- which meant that Group 4 drivers were almost the last to leave the track on Sunday. This essentially maximizes the time that "lucky" group is at the track over the weekend.
 
Last edited:
mikeblaszczak said:
.... This weekend, Group 4 was first on Saturday. That meant arriving at the track at 830am on Saturday. The rotation moves for Sunday, so Group 4 became last -- which meant that Group 4 drivers were almost the last to leave the track on Sunday. This essentially maximizes the time that "lucky" group is at the track over the weekend.
Click to expand...

Yes, that's not a good deal. Some people look forward to weekends being the 1st group so they get home early. But I don't see the 'infield paddock' thing being a really big issue. Most we've ever been delayed leaving Portland is 15 minutes or so waiting for the running race group to finish their session.

The rotation. I guess that meets the philosophy of ICSCC in that the race Groups rotate each 'RACE'. Which works just fine for the 'normal' single race weekends and is probably 'okay' with the 3 day doubles.

However, if the 2 day Double races do become popular and widely accepted could not that procedure be changed to say on a 2 day double race weekend the race groups do not rotate on Sunday?
 
Last edited:
It is a great format bottom line, and the details can be smoothed out easily enough. I spoke to quite a few workers and drivers, and the consensus is that this is the way to go in the future. 5 sessions over 2 days for a total of 100 minutes of track time, or 200 for those running 2 groups. Saturday was very long for the workers, but if we had more doubles and fewer overall week-ends during a season that would be a trade-off that most of them indicated would be worth it. They can not continue to travel and support 20 to 30 events in a year without total burn-out, and due to the lack of sufficient new blood on our corners we really need to listen to their input on this.
We all understand the reluctance of the clubs to relinquish race dates, but if each club were to hold one of these doubles next year as a test, I think we would be all the better for it.
 
It would take some adjustment in the Novice Program but it could be worked out. Obviously it works for SCCBC as it is a normal format for them. And Mike quit whining - I was first up for the Novice meeting and last out for the Novice race. ;) It is a quick pace and probably better suited to short tracks like Mission where things can be swept up quickly. Considering all the incidents the volunteers and officials did a great job keeping things close to schedule. Cudos for the team!
 
How about an ICSCC sanctioned DT/Novice race weekend/day? No championship points involved. Pure and simple, separate Novice events.
Consider individual clubs' 'Driving Master' might be appointed/volunteered as an ICSCC License Director Asst. / Club Representative.

No? Too diverse? We might be able to get some open wheels interested in the extended format.
 
Last edited:
Ken Killam said:
How about an ICSCC sanctioned DT/Novice race weekend/day? No championship points involved. Pure and simple, separarte Novice events.
Click to expand...
As I understand it SCCBC discourages race cars for DT and I can see other clubs doing the same. Hard to give instructions while in the right seat in a noisy race car etc. At DT days therefore at most you get a mock race start with a waving yellow then black immediately after so they are not taking street cars into the mayhem of T1.
The closest we have to what you suggest is Don Kitch's competition license school which I know works very well. But even with that the ICSCC Novice program really helps make the new driver get comfortable with club procedures, the ins and outs of club racing and to blend into our greater family. I believe it is the ICSCC Novice program that keeps ICSCC growing because fewer new drivers drop out due to frustration (or is it fewer new found friends setting the hook deeper ;) )
 
Small correction...Group 1 was the first-in; last-out run group. And I think the biggest complication from that was tech. It's the last run group that has mandatory tech given that group has the most time before they need to be on track. Except on a double race weekend such as this one, where we then had to hit mandatory tech Saturday morning AND be the first group on track. It seems that made for a hurried first session and unnecessary stress on the Tech workers (having to get there at 0630).

I wonder if the rotation could be 'frozen' for a double race weekend? So the order from Saturday is then the same for Sunday?

I will be a supporter of this format in the future. I don't see it working at all the tracks or at all the races. I think this format will be an excellent way to condense our growing schedule and possibly help to increase the attendence at such weekends in the future. Was this an attendence record for Mission, by the way? Groups 1 and 5 were filled to capacity. As an aside, there were a lot of '700' numbers out there so I wonder if that skewed the attendence numbers.

The weekend took some real focus on drivers and crew. It seemed I was always getting in an out of the car. Which has its benefits over the alternative of having a session, then waiting for hours to have another.

The SCCBC crew did an outstanding job of hosting, as always. Schedules were followed and incidents were quickly handled. Even the racers got into the swing of things pretty quickly in the larger groups by getting to Pregrid early...

For perspective purposes, I entered G1 and G5 for both days; raced in G1 only on Saturday, then both G1 and G5 on Sunday. A heap-load of racing and I believe I got every dime's worth of my entry!
 
What? Street cars in the Novice races. No...that's ridiculous.

Just sayin'--

Separate entities... Driver Training/HPDT, one day. Novice program on the second day, with maybe some folks able to enter both.

Nothing changes in the DT/HPDT formats, and you have to have a legitimate race car, equipment, license, and all that junk before you get into the 'Novice' program, right?

Come on. Open up them perspectives. Especially, if I'm even gonna think about volunteering for back-back sessions for a dbl. race weekend stuffed into two days.

I am personally do not think that any clubs will move towards only two event weekends on their schedule. I don't think that the clubs can make their average income/budget for the year. Of course, I could be wrong.

But how many clubs, with the extra date left from one dbl, and one normal race weekend will actually give that date up to some other marque club or something.

For the sake of the volunteers? Yeah, well...

I'm pretty sure that each club will attemp (at least) to maintain those track dates every year and put on 'Special' event that may not be associated with ICSCC at all.

And that's okay, but it does nothing to eleviate the shortage of 'traveling' volunteers.

So, FWIW.
 
Ken Killam said:
How about an ICSCC sanctioned DT/Novice race weekend/day? Pure and simple, separate Novice events.....
Click to expand...

There you go INCREASING the number of days per year that the club needs a full compliment of workers, Ken :) The entire objective of using a 2 day 2 race weekend format more in the future is to REDUCE the number of days drivers and workers need to travel.

On the other hand, the very last thing ICSCC should do is mess with the Novice program too much. It is the heart and soul of what keeps ICSCC growing versus what the 'other club' does.

Most Novices come in to ICSCC just barely making it with a budget for racing. The LAST THING we want to do is tell them to go spend multi thousands of dollars to attend a private race drivers school. That had a LOT to do (and continues) with the drop off in racers in the 'other club' throughout the country.

ICSCC has a very good thing going. Don't mess it up.
 
>>Only problem was that JC was not giving out salsa ![/QUOTE]<<


Wrongo Bongo!!!!!!

Contraire Pierre!!!

J.C. did, in fact, gave away about three quarts of "J.C.'s World Famous Gourmet Salsa Loca" ............... I don't know in which planet you were racing but ....................... there was salsa everywhere.

On Sunday morning, I arrived at the track ans some of the recipients were using my salsa with the eggs and omelets they cooked in their R.V.'s.

The Port -A-Potties were not full so it must have been good quality salsa.

The problem is, ................................... all you fender types are soooo afraid to get even close to the open wheel community. We are not contagious in any way .................. except for Wes Tipton.

In summary, the salsa was great, our Canadian friends hosting this event were absolutely "top drawer", racing in the rain in a Formula car was the most incredible experience of my life. I could not see anything!!! I never saw the checkered flag and continued racing until I was told the race was over. Winning the race was the highlight of my short time racing.

Thank you all for allowing me to part of your lives and this wonderful sport.

J.C.
 
jc_cuevas said:
racing in the rain in a Formula car was the most incredible experience of my life. I could not see anything!!! I never saw the checkered flag and continued racing until I was told the race was over.
Click to expand...

Now this is why I think you open-wheel guys are the craziest of the bunch! Don't ever change! ;)
 
Double race weekend was great!

A big thanks to our Canadian friends for hosting the event. Everything appeared to flow well.
Lots of racing = lots of fun. Add a touch of Canadian h2o, and things get real interesting.
I like to think of Mission as my version of Monaco - a tight and twisty circuit on the water. Only difference, concrete instead of Armco. Also, although I cannot quite see the yachts on the water through the trees, I am sure they have bikini clad beauties on deck......with lots of mosquito repellant.
I digress - back on topic.
Action packed days and plenty of time to replay the action with the workers and fellow competitors on Saturday night. I sure like it better than doing all the racing on Sunday and then immediately having to pack up and go home.
I would agree with Mike above that mandatory tech on the first group and the first group being almost the last to finish on Sunday could use some tweaking for future events.
I would definitely support more of these double weekends.
 
Richard B.

We have already seen the OW Novices be sucked up into Grp 6, and now particular relief given to the schedule, really.

Because it is so easy to fill that empty space with something. That's what asking the Conference of clubs to drop a schedule date is only going to drop a ICSCC championship points date. They will, just like dropping a group on saturday, fill it with something else because they don't want to lose the date, and especially the potential income resource of maintaining the dates that they have at the venues that they use.

Mess with the Novice program? Please sir, you do me an injustice. Do you insinuate that the only place to have two novice practices (qual, whatever) is going to be that much different when it's not directly connected to, or scheduled into a championship points weekend?

Do you suggest that only the single ICSCC License Director would be unable to control the flow of upgrades to our Novices?

I'll point out the expanding ICSCC Steward's Program. If calling it a program isn't too SCCA-ish for one's palate.

I simply ask for the sake of discussion, the 'Broad(head)ening of perception from "the way it's always been" perspective, to one of an open thought process.

What are we, a bunch of 'wheat stalk chewin', front porch rockerin', farmers?

I do not suggest, and have never considered that there is anything wrong with the overall design and performance of the ICSCC Novice program. But to sit on our butts and ignore possibilities is simple ignorance.

Sez, I.

@RandyB. "You trying to booger-hook me again Ken? "

Chummin'.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top