Over the years quite a few drivers have complained about the high entry fee for a single day of racing as opposed to the 2-day rate. Most recently the difference was only $50. This makes the cost of racing tough to justify for the driver who may have a work or family conflict that would only allow him to participate for one day, or for the driver who breaks or crashes on the first day of the weekend. While there are a lot of fixed costs for a weekend of racing that make it impossible to make one day be half the price of two days, the Board has decided to reduce the single day rates as follows:
- Double Regional $350.00/Single Regional $225.00
- Double National $380.00/Single National $250.00
Also, if two drivers want to share a car for a weekend, each driving it one day, they will be charged the regular Double Regional or Double National rate of $350 or $380 with no additional driver fee. The Board hopes that these rate adjustments will help our members fit more racing into their budgets during these tough times, as well as help them achieve more balance between racing and family obligations.
2009 was rough, to say the least, for Club Racing at HPR. Nothing worked as well as we would have liked it to. Be that as it may, the tone of the Drivers and Workers forums at the Rocky Mountain Division Convention was, believe it or not, positive. Discussion of the problems that we had was reasoned and thoughtful, and all the attendees put forth constructive ideas for implementation next year. The most noticeable item to come out of the forums was the overwhelming desire of the members to have a reliable, adhered-to time schedule for the events. A new committee made up of representatives from the drivers, the workers, and the stewards will be working with Michelle McColl, Chief of Race Administration, to improve the event schedules.
In other convention news, congratulations to Tommy Boileau, youngest-ever winner of the Leadfoot Award for spectacular and unwarranted driving of a golf cart, which just happened to contain his lovely and sainted mother Kim as a passenger, resulting in golf cart carnage. His public humiliation at the awards banquet was merciless.
News Flash from HPR: Manager Glenn Conser has obtained very reasonable bids for a permanent structure at the track to replace the tents that the various clubs have been renting. Those of you who spent periods of inclement weather under the “shelter” that the tents provided know what an unsatisfying experience it was, especially in high winds. The new shelter is planned to be 40’ x 40’ (twice the size of our tents) with concrete floor, lighting, and portable canvas sides that can be installed when needed. The clubs will contribute a portion of the monies that they spent on tent rental last year to get the project going, which will be added to the contribution amounts that determine relative ownership of the track. So we will be drier, our shelter cost will go down, and we will get ownership credit for it; a win-win-win for everyone.
A couple of board meetings have gone by now without Tom Hunsinger. And we all miss him. Especially the truly awful puns that he constantly came up with, no matter what the topic of conversation. Tom resigned from the Colorado Region Board of Directors in November to devote more time to family. Although he came from Solo, Tom was interested in improving more than just his slice of the SCCA pie. During his time on the Board Tom volunteered to organize and put on so many events that promoted all of SCCA’s programs to the community, and brought a fresh perspective to the Board’s discussion of Club Racing issues. We were fortunate to have his services, and thank him for everything he did for us. (Tom’s term as Director was due to expire in October; in accordance with the Colorado Region Bylaws the Board appointed Teri Massey to serve the remaining portion of his term.)
