In a message dated 10/18/99 6:42:14 PM Pacific Daylight Time,
jemitchell@compuserve.com writes:
> autocross sucks because they make you stand around in the sun for two hours
> > chasing cones and it eats your whole day to get 2 min of seat time".
>
There is a point here. The reason why I did not get involved in Southern
California autocrossing was the very reason made here: Three runs, wahoo,
then two hours chasing cones. Which I usually didn't mind. But the reality
was if I needed to be at registration early and then wait for a late run or
work group, it made for a very long day. If it was early, bonus. If not, my
day was shot. For three runs, the fun factor was not worth it.
Now in new, my smaller region, it is great. 40 car fields on the average,
mean every body gets at least 8 runs. Fun factor has gone up, and now I can
justify my day and entry fee. And usually the events only last 1/2 day. But
if you enter an event with 150 + cars, scheduling will only permit 3 or 4
timed runs in order to get everybody through, and it will take all day.
The road racing comparison is interesting, but you forget one factor that was
mentioned in the comment about keeping cone chasers awake. Solo is a great
participant sport, and only the really dedicated soloists think it is
interesting to watch for an entire day. I fall in that category....sometimes.
But for the average attendee, and newbie, watching a solo can be like
watching grass grow. Unless you are the grass, it is not all that
interesting. Road racing, for the worker, provides a higher excitement level
and therefore is much more entertaining. Plus the worker at a road racing
event is actually more of a participant in the progress of the race than the
solo cone chaser. Although I have seen my share of flaggers asleep at the
wheel. Scary no doubt.
My point is I don't know what the answer is. But if recruiting is one of the
functions of a local event, then maybe a better solution is needed to
accommodate this problem. Many newbies just don't want, nor can they justify
spending the entire day for 10 minutes of thrills, two hours of work, and
their pockets at least $20.00 lighter. The era of those type of car nuts (I
am guilty, as my wife will attest), are long gone.
Mike Dickerson
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