ORP Update-

Jonathan
If memory serves me correctly the vote by the E-board was 3 to 2 to give TC an extension from August 1-2 the Seattle race to August 22 to get the ORP track ceritified. The 3 yes votes were with no contingencies, meaning no list of items to be corrected to get the certification, which equals insurance, which equals race on the schedule changed from tentative to a real race like any other . The ICSCC president acted as directed by the E-board vote. That is the bull crap that Rick is talking about in this thread and on the other thread.

I don't know what your club affiliation is but if it is one of the member clubs who put on races then talk to your e-board representative. If it is an affiliate club then you have a real problem. Which is another issue for another time.

Things are never as they appear and there is always another side to the story and believe me this is a long story with lots of rumor and mis-information or perhaps lack of information I don't know which. As they say you can find out all types of useful information on the internet. May not be true but there is lots of information for you to read and believe.
 
Thanks Dick,
I appreciate that. Is there anyway the other sides of the story could come to light? My e-board rep is biased towards our club (which I like ;))...I guess the ICSCC officers should be more than willing to offer up all the information and details as to how we got to where we are today.

But that's just me.

Thanks for the info.
Jonathan
 
OK devil's advocate here I go.

What details need to be offered up? If you read Dick's post, it's all there.

Dates came, dates went.......this was not something that TC could control, and it couldn't have been a happy place for anyone concerned, to cancel that race.

Some things are out of everyone's control....period.

My hat's off to TC and all their members for working so damned hard to give us another track to play at this year.

So let's not put too much emphasis on the "other side of the story". What would be gained and what difference would it make?
Just gear up for next year and come out full force to support TC.
 
This is very difficult for me because I have been trying to make sure that I represent the feelings of my fellow members of IRDC and my friends in Conference fairly and to the betterment of all. I have some extremely strong feelings about what is happening here so I guess I will slip my head into the noose and share them with those of you on the forum. If those views prove unpopular then it is only right that the people who elected me and trust me to do my best on their behalf find someone who better suits their needs. Here goes - I hope I am speaking for the majority.

An organization like IRDC or Conference would find it virtually impossible to operate if every time an important decision needed to be made the entire membership had to be convened to vote. As a result, those decisions are made by a much smaller group of people who we seriously hope represent the majority of the membership. The will of the membership is protected in two ways:

1) All of those representatives are ELECTED by a majority of the members who care enough to encourage, nominate, and vote for someone they believe will faithfuly and unselfishly serve their needs. If your representatives are NOT doing your bidding, then gather a suitable number of like minded members and elect someone to replace that representative with someone who does - myself included. This is a Democratic body, you should have ther leadership you deserve.

2) The membership can and has enacted a fairly strict set of guidelines that it's elected representatives are expected to follow, regardless of their personal feelings. It is a body of rules and regulations known as Club by-laws, Conference Competition Regulations, and the Conference Policy and Procedure Manual. This is the MANDATE that thousands of Conference racers past and present enacted into law for it's members, including it's officers, to follow.

It is true that sometimes the Clubs and the Conference E-Board make decisions without consulting the membership at large. That is because the membership at large has already given them explicit written instructions on how they want those decisions made in the form of the aforementioned rulebook.

If someone returns to their paddock space without weighing after a race, do we need to convene all of Conference to vote on disqualification? No, the members voted to enact a rule that clearly covers that at some time in Conference history and clearly they are satisfied with it or they would exercise the annual power they have to change it. The members will is clearly and unambiguously expressed so the Race Steward doesn't have to ask anyone - he just DQ's the car.

Similarly, there are plenty of rules which pretty explicitly state what is required in order to stage a race. Does the E-Board ask us if we would like them to sanction races where a section of track cannot be seen by any turn crew? Nope, it clearly states that is not allowed in the P&P. Can the License Director ask for a show of hands on allowing someone 13 years old to race with us because they feel they are pretty talented? Nope, clearly spelled out in the rules. The point I am trying to make with these random examples is that the accumulated body of rules is your mandate to the officials of the Clubs and Conference.

Which leads me to my real point in posting this. Several people have accused their volunteer elected representatives of betraying the will of the membership. I would insist on exactly the opposite and I can tell you why. I'm a fine example of the bind that the membership has put us in. I'm a racer, so I am looking forward to visiting a new track and enjoying TC's famous hospitality. It will be nice to see them back in the rotation because they have been out of it for a while, and I have some friends in that club. On the other hand, in order to keep this race on our championship schedule it appears we would have to simply ignore some rules about some dates and requirements. If I go against those I am actually going AGAINST THE SPECIFIC WRITTEN MANDATE of the members of Conference.

Which way will make the membership less likely to lynch me? Saying no to a race that may have popular appeal that we all want to help succeed or throwing my responsibility to uphold the rules of Conference out the window so we can make it happen? I'm all for some common sense bending of the rules when it is for the good of all, but I think we went past that point about three deadlines ago!

IRDC's E-Board rep will be conferring with IRDC's officers at our board meeting this week. He wants a clear directive from the club because he is dedicated to serving the desires of IRDC's membership.

I'm open to persuasive arguments and not hard to find.
 
Sounds like it may be time to put this issue to bed as was done last week with the disgruntled driver thread.
If Conference members want to see how the board voted, they have that right. It rarely happens, but perhaps it should be a part of the newsletter in the future. Most board reps vote as their club dictates, not always, but it's the norm. So publishing the voting results on all issues throughout the season would basically show everyone how each club felt about a certain issue, not just the rep. Would it really serve a useful purpose? I personally would say no, but obviously some would disagree with me.
We have elected these folks at both the club and Conference level to do a job that most don't even understand, nor want to know anything about. I believe you call that politics plain and simple. The E-board does the best it can, and gives as an end result an excellent product that so far has stood the test of time for over 5 decades. That's a pretty good track record for sure.
It isn't perfect, but it's pretty damn close to it based on the chaos other organizations deal with year after year. My hat is off to all officers in this large family, whether it be the club folks or the Conference headquarters people.
 
"And you are very correct with the presumption that as SCCA National accepts Oregon Raceway Park as a sanctionable road racing facility, then the date-grab is on. Any number of other sanctioning bodies may be interested in applying for dates at the track. We've already seen what happens when a club drops a date. The next year someone has grabbed it up, and it's all too bad for them." :(


I would certainly hope that TC/ORP will give Conference first crack at race dates when this track does come on line Kenny. We have carried the tentative race date for 2 years and many of our drivers have participated in the test days, so we should have some seniority here. Many have referred to ORP as a Conference track, which by defintion is incorrect, but most of us I'm sure see it that way.
I doubt that their dance card will fill up too quickly based on location and other logistical factors, but based on our continued support we should be high on whatever list evolves.
Okay, I'm done and it's time to make dinner...
 
My hats off to everyone that has been working hard to make this race a reality, thank you, whether it happens this year or next.

On a side note, I am upset due to the old barn having to come down, I love that barn, it was the center piece of the property and is such a distinguishing land mark. Esp. in an area of the state where there isn't much. Was there any thought or consideration to moving it?
 
Mark Estes said:
...On a side note, I am upset due to the old barn having to come down, I love that barn, it was the center piece of the property and is such a distinguishing land mark. Esp. in an area of the state where there isn't much.....
Click to expand...

Me TOO!! :(

Sort of like the old farmers grain silo at Blackhawk Farms in IL. Just about the same distance off the track :)
 
Some pictures and video was shot during the process of tearing the barn down. Hopefully someone will post the shots soon. She did not drop easily, but when seen from up close, she was definitely ready and constituted a hazard to anyone near it. You guys should have seen what they used for a foundation! The foundation was made up of loosely stacked lava rock. I was amazed that an earthquake of a minor magnitude hadn't already knocked it down when I saw that.
 
Held together with rotting wood, and rusty nails. Insulated with cow poop, and owl guano.

It's truly in a better place now.

Plans are, that some pieces will be used for special projects, but other than that... it's junk.
 
Ken Killam said:
Held together with rotting wood, and rusty nails. Insulated with cow poop, and owl guano.

It's truly in a better place now.

Plans are, that some pieces will be used for special projects, but other than that... it's junk.
Click to expand...

That WAS the beauty of it! A real piece of our heritage from 'the old days' out on the wide open planes of America :cool:

It should have been allowed to go from natural causes.
 
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The barn has surely met with a most natural demise.

Today, only the memory of that barn stands. Its sacrifice serving as true homage to a different pioneering spirit from which it was raised. A symbol of that indestructible essence within all of us that drives deeper into the twists, and turns of an invariably uncertain future.

No longer a mere nevus upon the terrain, created to serve the needs of past ideals, and more primitive philosophies. Its overstressed architecture of an era gone by has been put to fitting rest. The rotting walls that encased the decomposing excrement of ancient notions are finally relieved of that mysterious veil of undocumented history.

Across an unencumbered landscape flow the winds of a new paragon. As one less relic stands to deflect its natural flow, one less link to a culture that refused progress through the narrowing concepts of a past existence, and the inevitably slow descent to mediocrity.

We move forward.
 
Or, just maybe you can come to Grass Valley this Weekend and enjoy the predicted 82 degrees and 11 m.p.h. winds for the O.R.P. Open House. There is still room to join the STAR Projects Event on Sunday. Come hang out in the glorious beauty of Central Oregon and spend time with old friends. Thats why we built this place. Enjoy it, have fun, drive fast. life is good. Call me, I know a guy who can get you in!
Bill Murray
 
Sent: Tuesday, August 25, 2009 9:26 AM
Subject: OREGON RACEWAY PARK, Track Certification Update

O.R.P is working hard on meeting the certification benchmarks as specified by various race sanctioning bodies in preparation of holding the tracks first ever Championship Racing event this October.
Volunteer workers are a key part of that effort.

Sunday O.R.P. had 17 turn out for dropping the old barn, picking up scrap piles and clearing brush. SEE ATTACHMENTS. Four people brought their own tractors and brush hogs and cut a 50+ ft. verge all the way around the track as well as the unfinished South Paddock. Track-side clearing is important to aid in recovery of vehicles and reduce fire danger from hot exhaust pipes when cars get off course during competition.

Most of the volunteers were from the Portland racing club Team Continental Participants included: Ron Tanner, Duane Starr, Jonathan Clark and Bill Murray. They were joined by fellow racers Mark Hanken, Bob Skinner, Dave Gilbert, Kevin Smith, Gordon Jones, John Risberger, The Turn Worker contingent included Rob Jacobson, Ken Killam, Holly Remington, Robin Gilbert, Vikki Michaelenoff. Mark Hanken brought a neighbor, Mark McKeg who showed up with his own tractor and brush hog. Lynn Coupland provided lunch.

This weekend, Saturday,August 29th will be the O.R.P. Open House, and all are welcome. come talk with Representatives from sports car clubs, go-cart and motorcycle racing. Vendors will be on hand. Track tours and parade laps are also scheduled.

Sunday is the STAR Projects Track Day Event, where drivers will be honing their skills prior to full competition this Fall.

If you would like become a volunteer to help get the track ready, or come learn turn worker skills or participate in a future track event contact Bill Murray mastermechanic05 at comcast dot net or Mark Hanken markh at controlcontractors dot com; you can also check out the O.R.P. website www.oregonraceway.com

As always you may copy or forward this communication and attachments without restriction.

Bill Murray

It doesn't take you directly to the pictures, but, click on "Thank You TC Volunteers - ORP Pictures August 23"
http://www.teamcontinental.com/
 
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Holly, does Kenny walk around the house late at night mumbling that kind of prose on a regular basis? He is definitely our Conference Thoreau...
 
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