Doug Meis wrote:
> Amen, Brother Kitchen, preach on!
Myles never misses an opportunity to rag on Steve Earle. ;=)
> Yes it is true that the rich and famous can generally count on
> preferential treatment at vintage events. We'll have to wait and see
> how the Moss incident is handled by the organizers and Mr. Moss.
If history is any guide, little will happen.
> But let's not call for Mr. Moss' head and call Steve Earl nasty names
> just yet. Although I have seen enough to expect that I would be
> punished more harshly for the same incident, I would also expect that my
> good record and reputation would count for something. If Moss has a
> good record for racing in a sportsmanlike manner and keeping his nose
> clean, he too should be treated fairly in light of his record in vintage
> racing.
Unfortunately, this is not the first time for Moss. 2 years ago when
Lotus was the featured marque, Moss had a major off in 11 as a result of
similarly aggressive driving. He placed his car between another car and
its turn in point. There was no contact, but Moss had to go into the
dirt to avoid it. Nothing happened to him AFAIK.
> Next topic. Like brother Kitchen, I am of the opinion that we car
> owners are often financially abused by the organizers. Are we not the
> real owners of the product that is vintage racing? If corporate
> sponsorship is being attracted to the sport and more spectators are
> paying to watch US and OUR cars, why do entry fees continue to go up?!
> Somebody is making a buck on this. At some point, I would expect the
> success of vintage racing to benefit the owners (CAR owners) in the
> form of lower cost to enter these well-supported events.
Dream on. ;=) While I agree, I'm not holding my breath wating for the
appearance money to start rolling in. A distinction should probably be
made between the commercial events and the small club events. The small
clubs have seen increasing track fees and insurance rates make their
entry fees go up. The big commercial events have seen ever increasing
corporate involvement (usually from Chrysler). It is well known that
Steve Earle is in it for a profit. This is what he does for a living.
He happens to love what he does, but he is running it for a profit.
Note also that the non-spectator events he runs can't be making much if
any money. He has to pay the same track rental fees regardless. He's
probably subsidizing the smaller events from the proceeds of the bigger
events. The Pre-Historics are only $200, like the rest of his private
HMSA club events. I pay more to CSRG for a similarly small event. The
Wine Country Classic and the Historics are $300. These fees have not
changed in recent years, unlike the fees with CSRG. The amenities at
his big events are first rate. That's probably where some of that
Chrysler money goes. Last year BMW hosted a truly astounding bash at
the Monterey Aquarium. This year, Steve Earle opened up the drivers
lounge/lunch area above turn 1 to all HMSA members attending the
Historics. It's still a PITA getting into the Historics, so I don't
blame Myles a bit for the way he feels. I ran in the Historics last
year, but got turned down this year. Go figure.
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