Having gone down to LA in order to do practice events, I'll say they are very
useful. Aside from the more runs aspect, a fringe benefit is the consulting
time you get with other "serious" competitors. However, to get something out
of a practice event really requires preparation. What setup changes are you
trying to evaluate? How are you going to evaluate the changes in what will
still be a relatively small statistical sample of runs?
If you are doing a practice event in order to get better at reading the line,
I'm not sure it will be of much help. Will eventually figuring it out in 12
runs make you better at figuring it out in 3 or 4?
The only practice event I've done in the Bay Area (there have been some great
Test and Tune events in SAC) was the event Derek Butts and I put on at 3COM.
We had about 115 entrants which just about broke even for the site charge then.
Unfortunately, it rained the whole day and earned the name Aquabowl. What did
it take to make it happen? Derek and I proposed it a Steering Committee
meeting, volunteered to run the event, and convinced the committee we would
have enough enrants to meet the site rental. Personally, to make it more
effective, I would raise the entry fee to the $50 neighborhood, figure out how
many people at that rate would take to break even, then cap the entry at that
amount. You'd have to make the event first come first served or I think you'd
have trouble getting the Committee to back an "elitist" event.
All of this is kind of a moot point as I think the only site worthy of a test /
practice day would be Marina.
-Andy
--- "Kelly, Katie" <kkelly@spss.com> wrote:
> Easy?!
>
> I like what Ken said. EVERY event is practice. That's why SFR drivers KICK
> BUTT over LA drivers. We get a lot more practice. :)
>
> Katie
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Larry G. Word [mailto:larry.word@printChannel.com]
> Sent: Thursday, January 31, 2002 10:12 AM
> To: Pat Kelly; John F. Kelly Jr.; ba-autox@autox.team.net;
> iagreen@ucdavis.edu; Smokerbros@aol.com
> Subject: RE: practice session
>
>
> Easy as I can see it.
> Have it so that once your on or join a team/club
> that each driver can not change after the first event,
> changes could not happen until the end of each season.
>
> Easy enough.
>
> Larry Word
> 666
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-ba-autox@autox.team.net
> [mailto:owner-ba-autox@autox.team.net]On Behalf Of Pat Kelly
> Sent: Thursday, January 31, 2002 9:31 AM
> To: larry.word@printChannel.com; John F. Kelly Jr.;
> ba-autox@autox.team.net; iagreen@ucdavis.edu; Smokerbros@aol.com
> Subject: Re: practice session
>
>
> Is this easy, as in easier said than done?
> --Pat K
> ----------
> >From: "Larry G. Word" <larry.word@printChannel.com>
> >To: "John F. Kelly Jr." <76067.1750@compuserve.com>,
> <ba-autox@autox.team.net>, <iagreen@ucdavis.edu>, <Smokerbros@aol.com>
> >Subject: RE: practice session
> >Date: Thu, Jan 31, 2002, 9:23 AM
> >
>
> >That would seem easy to fix, what other issues were there?
> >
> >Larry Word
> >666
> >
> >-----Original Message-----
> >From: owner-ba-autox@autox.team.net
> >[mailto:owner-ba-autox@autox.team.net]On Behalf Of John F. Kelly Jr.
> >Sent: Thursday, January 31, 2002 8:52 AM
> >To: ba-autox@autox.team.net; INTERNET:iagreen@ucdavis.edu;
> >Smokerbros@aol.com
> >Subject: Re: practice session
> >
> >
> >-------------------- Begin Original Message --------------------
> >
> >Message text written by INTERNET:iagreen@ucdavis.edu
> >
> >"(People will
> >generally pay more if they don't have to work, at least in L.A. region) "
> >
> >-------------------- End Original Message --------------------
> >
> >This is the structure used by the no-longer-functioning (nor autocrossing)
> >clubs in the Northern California Sports Car Council.
> >
> >Each event was staged by a member club and their members staffed the event.
> >Said were barred from competing in their events as they were the "hosts."
> >This led to some games playing as people switched club affiliations in
> >order to score points in the NCSCC Championship. Some joined an
> >NCSCC-affiliated club (You had to belong to one in order to score points)
> >that didn't stage autocrosses and they avoided working events entirely. And
> >they won championships.
> >
> > Those clubs are, essentially, all gone.
> >
> > Maybe the reasons why that is the case will become clear to you in
> >the coming days?
> >
> >--John Kelly
|