NASA in the PacNW in 2013

It strikes me that NASA has three strengths, irrespective of a comparison with Conference:
  • It's a for-profit business, which lets them spend money on things like marketing and corner workers.
  • It's a dictatorship. Much like Formula 1, this might not lead to the best experience for the members, but it's a great way to get things done.
  • They have a strong HPDE program that runs with their W2W program. This is, in my opinion, the best kind of low-key marketing, as your target audience, i.e., people with enough money to take their car to a track, actually comes to you.

Related to the comment about how NASA doesn't have certain kinds of classes: If NASA doesn't have a class and enough cars show up to run one, they'll create a class for you. If Pro3 were to show up to NASA, you'd better believe there'd be a class for them even with Spec E30 around. That said, they also have a policy of combining smaller classes into run groups that may or may not be the best grouping. Safety issues aside, this can lead to a "less good" racing experience... but only if you know what the alternative can be.

No, we don't need to reinvent ourselves, but the greatest threat to any organization is complacency. There have been quite a few comments on this forum over the last few years in the "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" vein, but there have also been at least that many comments from people for whom some things ARE broken. My hope, occasional optimist that I am, is that the presence of NASA in the Northwest will force people to take a good, hard look at the core values that make Conference successful, and then look at how they can be used to promote ICSCC and our style of doing things to a wider audience.

NASA's arrival here is only a threat if we're worried that our core values won't stack up well with the competition. NASA's arrival is a HUGE opportunity, though, if we can find a way to use their strengths to OUR advantage.
 
Re: Loyalty

One of the best ways to generate this loyalty is to make everyone who shows up at one of our events feel like part of our group, "family" if you will.
How do we get them to stay?--Make them feel comfortable being there and excited about what we are doing.

I remember August showing up at Spokane as an SCCA member for his first (?) conference race. I remember the 944s showing up at Seattle for their first run with us. How many of you just said "hi" and made them feel welcome. Evidently enough people did what it took, because they stayed with us. We need to all keep doing that.

Individuals coming to the track alone and hiding out in their paddock space without anyone ever stopping to speak to them will not help--take an interest in people you don't know and see if you can be proactive in finding ways to make their stay with us better for them. Many of us say that the competitive racing is half the reason we're here, but the other half is the camaraderie, friendship, support, enthusiasm, help, etc. Conference is both.


Karen nailed one of the easiest measures we can do as a group. I'm an example of this as it was one of the key triggers to get my icscc license and membership this year. Back in 2010 at Spokane it started for Mark and I... After meeting with many on that Friday we knew it was a great group to be around. By Sunday we were spreading the word to our fellow drivers to make that first German touring event and give conference a shot. Since then many of our members share their time between both scca and icscc...mostly a balance but some like myself did 100% ICSCC this year.

The other is finding a way of having fun "work" weekends. I think it has to be volunteer based to work corners or what have you... But when a big group of mixed drivers "friends" go out and buddy up on a couple turns a weekend they can't race it would tie in the love of the sport as well. In three years racing out here I have yet to work an event... Most of that is due to my young family obligations on non race weekends, but my goal is to work at least one weekend this year to give back. I would love to buddy up with a non class but same run group competitor say maybe a SM driver from G2 and work a corner together just to make the experience that much better.

It's great for everyone... That worker with us has a new buddy or two for the weekend and reminds them why they love to volunteer. Not just a thank you or high five after the day is done.


Value is the name of the game initially and I know everyone has their opinion on what value means to them. The key is differentiating the offering and I think a ton of cool new ideas happened in 2012. Some were executed on (mini enduros) and some are proposed for next year (weekend race format, schedule size for championship etc). As Mike said lets keep the healthy discussions going and I hope I can make it out to the banquet in Saturday.
 
Hey Mike, anytime you and another driver want to team up and work a weekend on a turn let me know. I'll take you. I have sooooo much fun working with drivers. They leave the weekend having learned new stuff and so have I. You drivers can help make us even better at what we do.
 
You are missing the point of the exercise Greg. We want to reduce the number of race week-ends while increasing the amount of actual racing. This is being proposed to ease the travel and cost requirements for both the drivers and our worker base. As this economy falters, which it will continue to do obviously, this issue becomes increasingly more important. More double and triple week-ends gives us all a bunch more seat time, less travel, less cost for that travel, etc. You know all of this, but I thought I would throw it out there again anyway.
I don't trust Nasa at all, and the only interaction I had with them a few years ago was very negative, but I have faith in who we are as a group, and how tight and close we are both on and off track.
 
Trust me, most of us old timers have mentored and begged for volunteers for decades, so what you're proposing is nothing new and has been tried for forever in various forms. We aren't lacking for drivers, so I am referring more to workers.
We've had the soldiers from Lewis out to PR, we've had high school shop kids, kids from inner city youth groups, Boy scouts, etc. We also used to put on worker schools long ago around the Seattle area to try and draw some of that new blood. I have personally put up race event posters all over this area for years and years and handed out free tickets and worked the IRDC booth at the Sovren Historics, as have so many others, but most young people simply do not relate to what we do.
It takes friends inviting friends to come watch, then turn a wrench or help on a corner, even if it's at a school. I've actually had a little success with that endeavor here and there, but after a full day in the cold and rain on a corner, guess what? We never see them again.
 
I too started in SCCA and migrated to Conference. My perception in 2002 was that Conference was more friendly and helpful to newbys than NWR but it still had some groups being a bit stand offish. Ron Muro impressed me as one who really promoted the "one big family" thing and as License Director I did what I could to encourage that attitude. I came into the job hearing Senior drivers complaining about Novice drivers doing this or that and doing nothing positive about it. It is no accident that Senior Driver Interviews are now required for Novices. It is every Senior Driver's responsibility to encourage good behavior in new drivers by example and positive coaching. Just like at home, positive instruction is far more effective than anger fired criticism. One on one coaching and Senior - Novice education was forced on Group 6 and it works One of the strengths of PRO3 is newbys are encouraged to camp with the group and join in the family sharing. Indeed that same attitude is prevalent throughout a Conference event and that is our greatest strength.
I'm sure if you took a driver survey the camaraderie would rank as high or higher than the actual driving. That is the real strength Conference has and needs to continue to promote. We are the only driver / official / member / governing board racing club of the ones mentioned above. We are responsible for our own destiny. NASA has National presence and attraction but we can do a lot to keep them from taking over on our turf.

It is a wake up call for sure. We need to step up our advertising, social media, official recruitment, (some of which is already being addressed) and we need to do even better at what we do best. Being a good family member. It is good for all if a driver's family member helps in registration, or dons white and helps officiate. By volunteering to work turns or pre-grid a driver gets to know the people that can save his / her life and gets a greater appreciation of the complexity behind every race. It strengthens that thread that binds us together.
NASA - SCCA - Arrive and drive by their rules -
ICSCC - Arrive, say Hi to your friends, and race under rules and with officials you had a say on.
 
So ICSCC has more classes to fit cars. The clubs provide instructed driver instructors to host ICSCC sanctioned DT/HPDE that can qualify for their Novice Program. Not for profit, not withstanding.
Conference 1, NASA 1

Those clubs that comprise the Conference also have other various automotive and social events held locally and in more diverse locations in those territories. Conference advantage, eh?

I think the clubs are allowed to be more diverse in their approach to the map of amateur motorsports. I don't see that NASA offers any threat to that.

Basically, I think that initially it's going to be the money up front that gets the dates locked early and so, the marketing of their events earlier. Yup. That's a big one.

So while I was thinking about that, I thought about this...

ICSCC licensing begins at Novice who race with themselves, then they get an Area license and can run with the Novice sessions and/or Senior sessions. Why would I want to up grade to Senior, if I could run with the Novices and maybe even two different "Senior" races? Same point structure for either one. There's no race within a race, within a race?

How many areas are there again?
 
At some point, the Steward "strongly suggests" that you upgrade from Area to Senior (see Sage Schreiner for an example of this).
 
NASA NorthWest 2013 Schedule - Tentative



May 4-5 Pacific Raceways

June 1-2 The Ridge

July (13-14 or 20-21) Portland International Raceway

August 10-11 Oregon Raceway Park

September 5-8 Miller Motorsports Park – NASA Championships

September 14-15 Pacific Raceways

October 12-13 Portland International Raceway





This tentative schedule is subject to change or modification without notice.
 
Those clubs that comprise the Conference also have other various automotive and social events held locally and in more diverse locations in those territories. Conference advantage, eh?

Really? Because one club I know of, besides the track days before race weekends and the monthly meetings, hasn't really done squat.

Just sayin' that's what I see..
 
NASA NorthWest 2013 Schedule - Tentative
May 4-5 Pacific Raceways
June 1-2 The Ridge
July (13-14 or 20-21) Portland International Raceway
August 10-11 Oregon Raceway Park
September 5-8 Miller Motorsports Park – NASA Championships
September 14-15 Pacific Raceways
October 12-13 Portland International Raceway

From what I see compared to our own very tentative schedule, there's only one potential conflict with Conference races. A couple of other potential "conflicts" with training days, too.

One selfish advantage to people with current racing licenses is the chance for open lapping with NASA. They're not TnTs, but a chance to run in their "Group 4" which is for open passing. Don't know about pricing, but anything comparable with the other lapping programs around here would be an advantage to NASA for someone with race experience.
 
I’m not as experienced as most of the ICSCC drivers and only been here for 3 years with ICSCC but I have spent a few prior years with NASA in their HPDE program, Time Trials program and also with the Road Race program as they have a specific spec class for Factory Five. NASA does work with the drivers on the rules, much like I have seen it happen here, we proposed changes and some of them made it and some did not (all up to an executive committee) but we did have a say on what we would like to see happen to the FFR series. I think that the NASA Time Trials and HPDE level 4 will attract a lot of folks w/o race licenses or race prepared cars, which means $$$ for NASA to keep going and expand. The TT will also attract some race drivers from ICSCC and SCCA for some open passing track time (given price is right). I would imagine that the NASA price will be up there with SCCA which is more than any of the ICSCC events. For at least 3 of us in conference NASA offers us a specific FFR class we can run in (as we don’t have enough cars to form a ICSCC class) so that is an attractive option which may attract more cars to be built. For me each organization has something to offer me, SCCA offers me the ability to run with vintage cars, neither ICSCC or NASA offer this, NASA offers a specific FFR class to run in and a national run off, neither ICSCC or SCCA offer me this, also NASA offers a chance to be at the track with HPDE and TT folks which makes for a great track weekend and ICSCC does not offer this, ICSCC offers me great hospitality, great group to run with and track side partners that I have not experienced with either NASA or SCCA. So for me I will take advantage of NASA events (funds permitting) but also keep up my current participation level (driver and volunteer) with ICSCC.

I also just noticed that NASA does not recognize the ICSCC license but they do an SCCA license, maybe this is something they can fix if they are going to try to draw ICSCC drivers
 
BillB I think I remember that some where in the discussion, you made the remark that you were a member of IRDC but not ICSCC. If I also remember correctly, if you are a member of ANY club, you are, by default, a member of ICSCC.

And just the heck of it---SOVREN releases 2013 dates

April 27-28 Spriing Sprints

June 1-2 Spokane Festival

July 5-7 Historics

August 31-Sept 1 Columbia River Classic (yes, two only this year)

Sept 21-22 Fall Finale

Oct 5-6 Mary Hill
 
My son was able to race with NASA in February of this year at Infineon raceway in NorCal using his Conference area license. He did have to join NASA though. And just as a clarification to a statement I made, I know my IRDC membership automatically connects me to ICSCC, but it is to IRDC that I pay my dues and receive a membership card from. That was the point I was I was making.

Bill-
 
So far as I understand it, having an ICSCC license qualifies you so far as experience is concerned, but you still have to get a NASA license to run with them. What would be "better," and I think this is what Tony's talking about, is if they'd recognize an ICSCC license as something under which you could enter a NASA-sponsored race.
 
So far as I understand it, having an ICSCC license qualifies you so far as experience is concerned, but you still have to get a NASA license to run with them. What would be "better," and I think this is what Tony's talking about, is if they'd recognize an ICSCC license as something under which you could enter a NASA-sponsored race.

Yeah surprised they elected to allow you to run in certain classes even if your ruleset doesn't match, but neglected to do a 700# rule like ICSCC does with SCCA members. Obviously it's easy and fairly inexpensive to join ($45?).. And I'm guessing non conflicting dates should help both groups.
 
So far as I understand it, having an ICSCC license qualifies you so far as experience is concerned, but you still have to get a NASA license to run with them. What would be "better," and I think this is what Tony's talking about, is if they'd recognize an ICSCC license as something under which you could enter a NASA-sponsored race.

Steve is correct, at least as far as my experience.

I used my ICSCC license as "experience" a few years ago when I applied for a NASA license, but ran my first NASA race under a "provisional", or "observed" status. If you didn't mess up too badly, you were granted a license.

I actually like the NASA organization, classes, national presence, and national championship for Club level racing. The Conference family is what I enjoy, though. It's still home for me ...

Dan
 
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