Poll: Planning for the future AX

[Wellardmac]

smankow wrote:

W, in looking at your poll, there are a few items that don't make sense. Why would "lack of publicity" or "other driving" be one of the most important factors in attending an AX event?

The lack of publicity refers to whether people are hearing about when the AX events are being held and the other activities asks if people would like to see other activities being held at the same time as AX. I know my family are mostly bored by AX, if we had other family related activities going on would that increase the draw of AX?

[Wellardmac]

Okay, for further clarification -

i) Publicity - are people hearing about the events at the right time (or at all) - not everyone has web access (horrific I know, but not everyone checks the web page) - do we need to advertise the schedule in Der Gasser?

ii) Location - quality and proximity, the two are combined as a reason for not attending.

iii) Your comments on course type are probably valid and can be combined iin the final analysis - doing so now would mess up the poll.

I've made clarifications above - let me know if that works. I'd like this poll to be as accurate as we can get it in order that we can get a true sense of what's going on and allow us to make changes.

[Wellardmac]

Additionally, we could have a paper flip chart to post times - that's an inexpensive option if people want it.... that or invest in a whiteboard.

[STEVEMCMORN]

Don't think course layout or speed would be a factor as people won't know what the course is like until they show up

...... unless of course, past behaviour predicts future behavior - I'm a biologist - which is does, if have small venue which used in past

...... but then again, Brain said that some people don't like competitive nature of SCAA events so smaller, slower course would appeal to them

works both ways I guess 

[Mike Andrews]

A few of you have mentioned a PA.  The club has one.

I also assume a results board would not be that hard to do...

As to the events landing on holiday weekends, yep, that's pretty much what we were offered.  We pretty much have to take what is offered.

Being an exec member I'm pretty much up to date on AX and what we are dealing with.  The number one issue is a parking lot for us to use.  If any of you work for or know of business that has a lot they would allow us to use we would be more than happy to add another date and location.

With that said, we do have someone checking into the Penn State campus.  Any other suggestions???????

[TwentySix]

Mike,

Do you have any thoughts on this?

Nick Betegh wrote:
Allright!!
The facility is the Unysis complex adjacent to Township line Rd. The place has 3 large lots where only part of one is being used at any given time. I was there on a Saturday and Security said that the facilities manager would only be available during the week.
I don't know what it takes today to secure a parking lot where weeds are begining to take over, but I would sudgest the AX chair to start negotiating with Unysis TODAY and maybe by Spring something can happen,

[TwentySix]

STEVEMCMORN wrote:

...... but then again, Brain said that some people don't like competitive nature of SCAA events so smaller, slower course would appeal to them

works both ways I guess

The SCCA competition can be fierce, and the classing is not always Porsche friendly, though the GT3's set up properly are eating up a particular class now

The Philly region events are very newbie friendly, that'is a particular goal of their program

[Mike Andrews]

elizabeth26 wrote:

Mike,

Do you have any thoughts on this?

Nick Betegh wrote:
Allright!!
The facility is the Unysis complex adjacent to Township line Rd. The place has 3 large lots where only part of one is being used at any given time. I was there on a Saturday and Security said that the facilities manager would only be available during the week.
I don't know what it takes today to secure a parking lot where weeds are begining to take over, but I would sudgest the AX chair to start negotiating with Unysis TODAY and maybe by Spring something can happen,

I don't know if you are poking fun.....

The facilities management is currently under construction. There are a number of things in the works right now. The lot behind building "B" is not being used as we have moved everyone out of that building. But then neither is the lot behind "A" on the weekends. It's too late to do anything this year but I will approach them once again over the winter to see if we could use the facilities come 2007. It would be a great venue as it's fairly local for most of us.

I do know the Witpain township uses the lot for motorcycle training so maybe there's an opening there.

Another lot in the same area would be the lot at Montco. Does anybody have any connections there?

[Wellardmac]

elizabeth26 wrote:

STEVEMCMORN wrote:

...... but then again, Brain said that some people don't like competitive nature of SCAA events so smaller, slower course would appeal to them

works both ways I guess

The SCCA competition can be fierce, and the classing is not always Porsche friendly, though the GT3's set up properly are eating up a particular class now

The Philly region events are very newbie friendly, that'is a particular goal of their program

Exactly! Many like the PCA events, as they've seen what SCCA is like. We need to strike a balance. A friend of mine brought his Camero to the last event and said he preferred our event to SCCA.

[Larry Herman]

Having been an avid autocrosser in my youth, I remember those Sundays well.  Running your car as fast as you could make it go, and spending the day socializing with your friends.

In seeing today's autocrosses, at least around the Phila area, I feel that they have lost that atmosphere.  The first aspect is the time board, which was updated minutes after
your run.  You could gather there to check on times, trash talk your opponants and jaw with your buddies.  And you had plenty of time to do so, because your runs were usually about 1.5 hours apart.  But it was worth it, because each run would take 50, 60, or maybe even 70 seconds.  Those courses were long.

I think that things started to fall apart after the heat system was instituted.  Yes it was nice to come, run, and then have some of your day left, or spend the morning the way you wanted to, and show up at noon to take a few runs, but I think that this was the beginning of the downslide of autocrossing. Once you lose the direct competition and then the social atmosphere, you only have the runs left.  And as the sites got worse, and the courses got shorter, I think that a lot of participants lost interest.  Add the draw of DEs, and it is little wonder why our autocross program has suffered.

Long courses, time boards, and one run group, in my opinion, is the way to restore autocrossing to what it once was.