6 Hours of Pacific Raceway Enduro Thank You's!

Scott Norton

Scott Norton

Epic Win, I push limit
First of all BIG thank you to IRDC & ICSCC Officials for a fantastic job of running the race.

Second thank you to all of you in white for the great job you did in unbelievable weather (again).

Third thank you to my team for putting up with me and letting me race with you guys. You’re the best.
Great Driving by my co-drivers and fantastic pit stops by a bunch of guys who do not practice this stuff.
Several of you were first time crew and you all did great.

Fourth thank you to all the competitors you all did well pleasure to compete with you.

Big huge Thank You to my wife Judi for putting up with the additional unplanned expenses that came up. Also for putting up with me thinking "Enduro" every waking moment for the the last 3 months. I am very fortunate to have your support.

Wow. Might have been a life changing experience. Now that I have hit the crack pipe, I am done for.
I love this stuff. My first Enduro driving and the first Enduro for the car. Better then I expected.

I am still tired, sore, drained and used up. I expected to be sore and tired from setting up, unload, load, unload at home. But the emotional drain from the highs and lows was much more the I was expecting. I would do it again in a heartbeat.

2nd in E2 Class, 7th overall

My Co-Drivers: Eric Krause, Steve Adams, Mike McAleenan
My Crew: James Temple, Cam Norton, Ashis Vaidya, Steve Clinton, Randy Krause, James Haile, Chris

Big Thank you to Jim McAdie who loaned us Seat/sliders/brackets and so we could all fit.
Jim also help sponsor us, Thanks Again Jim!

And thank you to those that help us at last minute:
Group 2 Motorsports- Joe and Chris
WebXtremes Graphics - Robert

Thanks to the following for help on Saturday with the motor/plug issue:
Mike Olsen
Franz Miklautsch
Dave Haire
 
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I just hope IRDC can somehow convince the folks in white to do this event next year, given the recent record of weather at this event. (So, what's next? Tornadoes? Locusts?)
 
Steve Adams said:
I just hope IRDC can somehow convince the folks in white to do this event next year, given the recent record of weather at this event. (So, what's next? Tornadoes? Locusts?)
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Well, we had a heck of a hailstorm where I am the Monday after.
 
Steve Adams said:
I just hope IRDC can somehow convince the folks in white to do this event next year....
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God willing, I'll be there in March 2011 Steve. You guys won one of my personal "Determination Awards" which is good for a free cup of coffee at the snack bar if you catch me in the paddock some time during the year!

Hopefully, you guys won't use the 'banking' in T-3 so much next time. Really glad to see you made the checker. That Norton Racing BMW E36 is one TOUGH car :)

P.S.
Sent the splitter/belly pan in to you but, we could have needed a dumpster to get the styrofoam back to the paddock... geez.
 
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Steve, us in white have already been through the "Tornadoes" in Spokane a few years ago. (seriously we were on Tornado watch) And we have swapped locusts for being swarmed by wasps.
Rumor has it we may now have rattle snakes to deal with.......oh well.
Sick thing is.......we just keep coming back.

And to Scott #15, I was at Turn 4 and you had one hell of a ride at Turn 3. Your car is sure impressive spinning mid-air. Hope it's not too badly damaged and we will see you in Portland.

Thanks to all the drivers for putting on some really good racing and to all the volunteers that came out and helped make the weekend work. (there were 28, that I know of, from out of town....not bad eh?)

And a GREAT JOB done by Frankie Dee and his supporting cast of volunteers!
 
I love enduros personally and donning my hat as an IRDC officer I can say you are welcome - we love putting on quality events. The racing turned out to be pretty darn exciting in spite of the limited turnout.

Now on a more serious note, I hope the racers can convince the IRDC to continue holding the endurance race so we have the problem of asking our wonderful volunteers to enjoy the typically extreme weather conditions.

At 19 entries with one withdrawing before the race, the event did not make the break even point financially by a substantial margin. Because of the great supprt we recieve from the racers of Conference we are fortunate to have been in the black for the last several years overall, so IRDC has remained healthy through the lean years the economy has been experiencing to this point. I would love to have racers weigh in on how you feel about Endurance racing and whether you have any strong support or opposition to it being subsidized by the financially more successful sprint racing season.

I'm sure we will be talking about this over the next few IRDC Board Meetings and I'm interested in how the membership of IRDC and ICSCC feels about the subject.

Anyway - congrats to the participants. Wish I could have spared the time to prep the Rx-7, because it looked like you were having fun out there!
 
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Thanks Richard and Lynn. The car was as reliable and tough as I could hope for. The Owner/Driver needs to improve though.

I was in the air spinning? That would explain the BLUR I felt when I "landed" on the return road.
I prefer to be "entertaining" in the pits on Sat night.:p

The styrofoam is energy stuff fire and enviromentally rated. :) Appearently design to absorb energy....:)~

Will inspect for damage tonight we hurt something exhaust wise I think.
 
rick_bostrom said:
Now on a more serious note, I hope the racers can convince the IRDC to continue holding the endurance race so we have the problem of asking our wonderful volunteers to enjoy the typically extreme weather conditions.

Anyway - congrats to the participants. Wish I could have spared the time to prep the Rx-7, because it looked like you were having fun out there!
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This is just one old farts opinion. I've been to two different races this month, the Enduro and an Oregon Region driver school/Regional. Oregon Region has had the same problem at their March and October races for several seasons now. The racers just don't seem to be willing to support those events in enough numbers to break even. Why? I personally don't feel we should be racing in March. The off season has been getting shorter with events right up to and through Halloween The regular Conference season doesn't start for another month. Perhaps if the event was a few weeks later, the weather would help us out and more racers would be ready to go racing. For comparison, the Oregon Region Regional had a total of 58 cars take the green flag for racing. Two of the race groups had only 3 cars and another had 4. I was sorry I took the time to go. The Enduro had great racing, but you can't waste the club's money and time if the drivers won't show up in large enough numbers to break even. Like I said, this is just one long time volunteer's opinion. Your mileage may vary.
 
robjacobsen said:
..... Perhaps if the event was a few weeks later, the weather would help us out and more racers would be ready to go racing......
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Geez, Rob. We've got 5 months off from mid Oct to mid March. How much time off do you want :)

Trouble with running it a couple of weeks later is, a LOT of the Endurance racers run the sprint season too. They need time to go back through the complete car again to be ready for the sprints.

Yes, at the end of the season there's only a 2 week gap from the end of sprints to the Enduro. But at that point, the teams are just 'hanging on' with the hope that the car will make it through the enduro before the winter rebuild.

Couple weeks wouldn't help much. SOVREN faces the same problem with there Defrost event in 2 weeks. Low turn out and iffy weather conditions. But each year, the drivers say please KEEP IT!

One year of low turn out for the IRDC race does not make a long term trend line.... looking forward to 2011 :)
 
I want to thank all my new friends and Randy and Frank for making us feel at home and one of the group. We had a great time and will return for some more fun! Thanks goes out to all the drivers that drove a very well respected race!

Richard Migliori and crew

www.pdg4.com
 
Richard Broadhead said:
Geez, Rob. We've got 5 months off from mid Oct to mid March. How much time off do you want :)

Trouble with running it a couple of weeks later is, a LOT of the Endurance racers run the sprint season too. They need time to go back through the complete car again to be ready for the sprints.

Yes, at the end of the season there's only a 2 week gap from the end of sprints to the Enduro. But at that point, the teams are just 'hanging on' with the hope that the car will make it through the enduro before the winter rebuild.

Couple weeks wouldn't help much. SOVREN faces the same problem with there Defrost event in 2 weeks. Low turn out and iffy weather conditions. But each year, the drivers say please KEEP IT!

One year of low turn out for the IRDC race does not make a long term trend line.... looking forward to 2011 :)
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The way I count it, I had from Halloween until March 6. Four months. It used to be we had 6 months off. Any wonder we are buring out the volunteers? This year, there are several races at ORP and a new one at Spokane that the worker core will be trying to support. I spent more than two months at race tracks last year and I know of a few ohters that did as much or more. Do I see new workers showing up on a regular basis? Not for many years now. I love racing, but I still have to earn a living and I'm not getting any younger. I had to raise my own replacement, Adam. So when will the driver core realize that they need to beat the bushes? All of the workers I know have already tried all their friends and aquaintances. When I first got involved at the tender age of 16, it was through an Explorer Post that was sponsored and lead by a couple of drivers. That Explorer Post was dedicated to exploring the realm of motorsports. It means more to hear a driver telling why workers are needed. In the last 40 years, we have gone from easily having half a dozen volunteers per corner station, to frequently having to dragoon people from the paddock for a session or two in order to hold events. This is a serious problem for all of the clubs. If we ignore it, the problem will only get worse as old pharts like me hang up our whites. Think about it folks. How long do you want to sit and wait for someone to notice that you've broken down or crashed? We may end up back in the bad old days when the only way word got around that someone was off was when another driver stopped in the pits to tell folks in the paddock about it.
 
robjacobsen said:
The So when will the driver core realize that they need to beat the bushes? All of the workers I know have already tried all their friends and aquaintances. ...... In the last 40 years, we have gone from easily having half a dozen volunteers per corner station, to frequently having to dragoon people from the paddock for a session or two in order to hold events. This is a serious problem for all of the clubs. If we ignore it, the problem will only get worse as old pharts like me hang up our whites.....
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Okay, Rob. THAT I can agree with for sure. We are quite short on workers overall. It will be interesting to see how 2010 goes. Usually ICSCC can pull in a good quantity of course workers and it's not uncommon to have enough for 3 people at each station.

Admittedly, the March Enduro usually draws the hard-core who have suffered through the 5 months of cabin fever and they don't care if it rains, snows, sleets, monsoons or is sunny (hah).

Taking care of an ailing 92 year old mother I cannot travel to as many races as you do. So I don't feel the pain of trying to support many more races. Wish I could but it just isn't possible.

But all of that really has nothing to do with the Enduro being in late March. At least we get a 'taste' of being back at the track then have to wait another month for the Sprints unless, you work the SOVREN Defrost :)

Then again, we have had NUMEROUS discussions about how to fit the same quantity of Championship races in to fewer weekends per year. But it has been impossible to get serious consideration of that so far.
 
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Rich, on the subject of fewer races, which has to happen eventually for the very reasons Rob pointed out, there is a race coming up that will show our drivers another format.
The double at Mission in June will be run basically in the same format as a CACC event from what I understand; that being a practice, qualifying and race each day. So approx. 60 minutes of track time each of the 2 days and a chance to be in the car 3 times per day rather than 2. CACC does 20 minute races, which at Mission is plenty, but I'm sure we'll do our required 30. Assuming 15 and 15 or 15 and 20 for the P and Q, we'll have close to 2 hours of seat time over those 2 days, and hopefully our guys will realize how much more fun that is.
I did a couple of CACC events last year, and it reminded me of karting, where you're running every couple of hours basically, which is a hell of a lot more fun and the day goes by without those long and boring lulls between sessions we have now. We're actually heading up there tomorrow to the first CACC event of the season in a couple of rented FV's, and so far there are 10 of us signed up for the class! Weather looks crappy, but at least it won't be snowing, I hope!
So a shift to fewer week-ends, which would be mostly all doubles seems like a win-win for both drivers and volunteers, especially with this economy and the cost of fuel rising again. I assume that most drivers do understand that our worker base is aging, as is our driver base, and that you folks do not just Conference events, but SCCA and Sovren as well. Adding in a few pro events and the run-offs for a few probably means that some of you spend as much as a part time racer does over a season, and that's crazy.
 
Rob, help with turn workers is on the way.
We attended the TC Instructor/turn worker training day last weekend at ORP.
There were so many new turn workers they had to be split up into 2 groups.
I am very impressed with the quality of workers that came out to the track.
They picked up on the flags and radio communication very well.
I think the other clubs may want to look at what TC is doing, it is the future of our sport.

John Rissberger
# 10 Camaro Oregon
ICSCC / SCCA

OREGON RACEWAY PARK


Attention all Race Personnel, Instructors and Course Support Specialists!


Re: Training Day at O.R.P. Saturday, March 27 / April 3rd.


Our Mission: To provide the best course support staff, at the best track. Safety is always our number one priority, Training is the path to that goal.




Oregon Raceway Park, Team Continental, South Sherman Fire and Rescue, Northwest Road Racers, Motofit Group and S.T.A.R. Projects are combining efforts to present a comprehensive integrated training day, Saturday, March 27th at O.R.P.


Saturday, April 3rd. will be the medical training part of the curriculum. First Aid, C.P.R. and A.E.D. certification will be covered. Attendance at both trainings is required for those who wish to be eligible for track staffing employment through S.S.F & R. (See attachment).

This event will serve as a dry run to practice and develop a variety of operational and emergency training scenarios, as well as to test response and communication protocols. A training meeting for driving Instructors who wish to qualify for T.C. schools is also on the agenda. This event is open to seasoned workers as well as first time volunteers.


The Course Support training schedule will include a 9:00 to 12:00 classroom session followed by on course training from 1:00 to 5:00 P.M. .The curriculum will include dutys and procedures for Turn Marshal's, Flaggers, and Responders for Automobile, Karting and Motorcycle events.

All turn station functions will be practiced. Roll over / crash extraction, and fire suppression training will be very "hands on". A variety of racing emergency response techniques will be simulated with cars, karts, and motorcycles to provide experience with the different types of racing vehicles Transponder quipped vehicles will be used to provide testing of the timing / scoring functions.

A seminar will be simultaneously held, for Driving Instructors. Covered topics will include a refresher on training techniques, emergency procedures, communications, and track specific training and safety tips. As in past T.C. Instructor Schools, experienced instructors will be encouraged to share their best teaching technique with the group. Instructors with S.T.A.R. Projects experience are especially encouraged to attend.


Driving instructors will be utilizing a track walk and parade laps to gain course familiarity. (Due to insurance regulations this is not a speed event). Instructors will also participate in setting up a variety of scenarios to aid in training of course personnel.


This training is free and all volunteers are encouraged to attend. Please sign up by Midnight, Monday, March 22nd.

Bill Murray
Event Coordinator
starprojectsevents@gmail.com
503-358-2617

Glenn Fluhr
South Sherman Fire & Rescue
Grass Valley, Oregon 97029
Phone 541-333-2525
Fax 541-333-2276
southshermanfr@yahoo.com
503-358-2617
 
ORP has to support their, other than ICSCC/SCCA events with, other than a volunteer base. It's a natural situation to have the local district's EMS/Fire Rescue Team involved in that training/ministration. They too are a volunteer based organization, so this becomes a win-win for safer events.

It's not unreasonable to believe that some of these new folks will get the bug and travel to other tracks for more fun, and experience.

Another positive step.
 
westipton said:
.....The double at Mission in June will be run basically in the same format as a CACC event from what I understand; that being a practice, qualifying and race each day. So approx. 60 minutes of track time each of the 2 days and a chance to be in the car 3 times per day rather than 2. CACC does 20 minute races, which at Mission is plenty, but I'm sure we'll do our required 30. Assuming 15 and 15 or 15 and 20 for the P and Q, we'll have close to 2 hours of seat time over those 2 days.....
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Wow, Wes! That sounds like a great format and, it's one of the schedules you and I came up with about 1.5 years ago. Only glitch was the need for a 20 minute race on Saturday to fit the Novice Race in to the schedule (requiring a rules change) and a 30 minute race on Sunday. Getting 1 hour of track time per day is an improvement over the current situation! No more 5 hour (or more) waits between times? Good!
 
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Hello Wes and all our conference friends, Looking forward to having you up again Wes, The weather friday ( practice day) will be wet wet wet. Saturday and Sunday showers, Conference racers are always welcome to race at our CACC race weekends and experience the 2 race weekend format. BTW Our scheduled conference race weekend is a 2 race weekend.

cheers RS
 
Exactly, 2 races in 2 days, with more sessions per day and more total track time. Being in the car 6 times this coming week-end, whether we can actually see the track or not, is very cool, and definitely eliminates that boring down time between sessions. Everyone would rather race, or watch races, than watching 2 qualifyings, so I urge everyone to hit this double in June and see how much fun it is.
 
The two races/two days schedule works well for a CACC race weekend, but you have to remember the races are 20 minutes long and there are only 6 run groups on Saturday and 5 run groups on Sunday. The schedule allows for a 40-60 minute race for the West Coast Sportscar Championship as well. I'm just offering this information so a fair comparison of the two schedules can be made.
 
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