bsztanko

Deleted..

steveP911

A few comments. None about NJ...

It may be due to living in a fairly populous area (greater DC region), but my chapter - PCA Potomac - is usually able to arrange for a local Porsche Indy shop to perform free tech inspections one or two Saturdays before the event. I think it is a mixture of goodwill and marketing for the shops. Porsche dealerships have also done this. I think it's rare for Potomac to miss being able to arrange these. Usually 9-12 on Saturday morning. Free donuts and coffee at the shop, along with pre-event jabber.

I have also talked to enough folks at HPDE events to realize that there is a very wide disparity among drivers regarding automotive competence. Many are very capable but a good number are not, at all. I have actually told solo-qualified drivers (not PCA) not to use the door frame label for setting their tire pressures. One guy came in nearly 50 psi in the rear! So count me as one who much prefers the formality of a qualified shop inspection for all non-instructors. Ideally Porsche, but maybe another's suggestion of a ASE certified mechanic would also be okay (as long as the shop owner is aware of any potential liability - I am not, BTW).

I also like the "difficulty" of promotions in my PCA Potomac group. I recently drove with another organization (not FATT), where the solo group had guys who drove like novices. People who get terrified and panicky/dangerous when you just present yourself for passing. And then don't know how to give a proper point-by. I cannot see any negatives for diligent promotion criteria. You learn more and you are far safer - for yourself and from others.

Cheers

PS - our last event of the season has 186 drivers registered, although a few of those are waitlisted and may not make it in. I think (I do not know for sure) that this is a very high number for our chapter HPDE, so I guess we are doing okay, for now. I am also one of those who sign up for the entire season immediately (12:01 AM) in order to get a spot in all events.

tgibrit

This is the first time in a few years I have not attended any PCA events, not out of any particular desire to avoid PCA, but the issue / cost of getting the car inspected within 30 days is a hassle and we are all short on time. when other organizations trust students to be responsible its easier to use them - maybe this is something that needs to earned - intermediate/advanced only or only after 10 or 15 PCA events so people understand how to make their car safe for them and other drivers.

tgibrit

I have no affiliation with any particular PCA region and I have attended all the local ones that schedule events at NJMP and WGI - they all seem the same to, NNJR no different to the others, friendly and open to a conversation if you have questions.

Matt Romanowski

VIR was down this weekend for Trans Am / SVRA. I think almost all of their events have been down this year.

Streak

When I started DE'ing my chapter was so well attended that it was Porsche only.

A few years later after the meltdown attendance dropped off to the point that to fill an event they opened it up to any make.

I believe we are going to see attendance drop off for a little while again.

As for Club Racing the endurance series effect can't be denied. Lemons was a bit of a clown show that didn't really attract the same kind of racer that would generally run with a PCA or SCCA but these new series are serious and fun and for PCA types looking for something different it's quite attractive.

ProCoach

Is that why you didn’t come? They had forty plus TA2 cars, a bunch of other TA/SGT cars, F4 and FR cars, six pages of entries of vintage cars (SVRA really doesn’t care about them, anymore) and a full field of Porsches racing IGT. Looked plenty full to me.

Seventy cars at a Porsche dealer appreciation day with David Murry, Dylan Murry, Tom Long, Owen Trinkler and myself, plus the next two days with Ingram Experience. So there’s that. Every day is rented…

ProCoach

Agreed. WRL, AER, NASA and SCCA’s new endurance series, plus the semi pro Porsche Motorsports North America Sprint series, plus IGT. Good Lord, it’s not WHEN you go, it’s WHERE do you go?

Matt Romanowski

We were there. The TA2 field was good, but the TA/SGT/XGT field wasn't much. F4 and FR are a whole separate series. SVRA is down at every event I've seen. 🤷

I wouldn't say that because tracks are rented everyday that things are good.

ProCoach

TA without TA2 is not compelling.

Yes, like most “pro” weekends, there are many support series that make up the card. IGT was one of the better ones, for sure. Race entries go up and down, but by all accounts, it was a successful weekend.

I don’t know about you, but I remember 2008-2009. It was like the light switch for track rentals was flipped off. ALMS and Gran Am merging. We’re far from those thin days in this hobby…

mikew968

Matt, I think SVRA is having an identity crisis with the vintage drivers. As they do more with pro groups the vintage guys might be feeling left behind. Just what i have hard. While SVRA might be down the overall at VIR was crazy with lots of spectators and the street car challenge they had at the same time.

Matt Romanowski

It's kind of funny - the pro guys think the same thing! I don't think anyone is real happy. Thinking back 4-6 years ago, the events had more people.

I think the overall landscape of events has changed enough that the groups have developed and brought in their own new participants, while stealing some from the legacy groups.. There are lots of people who might have been SCCA members who are now WRL, Champcar, or Grid Life drivers. PCA membership is changing along with the needs and wants of it's members. Same for the other groups.

ProCoach

Bingo. We’re several years down the road since there were 300+ vintage car entries at VIR, 500+ at Indy and COTA.

I joined SVRA in 1985 when there were about 250 licensed racers, became CI in 1994 and saw it peak at 4000+ a decade ago. It was the pacesetter for a few decades for vintage and historic cars, but no more. CVAR in Texas, VARA in Southern California, SOVREN in the PacNW, VSCDA in the Midwest, VSCCA and HRG in the Northeast, VRG and VDCA in the Southeast, along with HSR are where these cars go now..

Tony has a vision that doesn’t emphasize or even feature historic cars anymore. He bought Trans-Am and F4, did deals to sell track time to Mazda Heritage and Ken Fengler’s well-run International GT series and may even be making a little bit of money, which was always his goal.

Too bad.

T&T Racing

It is too bad. Tony purchased SVRA for it's only viable asset, the huge losses on the balance sheet. The participants in SVRA prior to Tony were precipitously declining as the number of vintage drivers retiring were not back filled by younger generations. Times are changing, and the number of truly vintage car drivers is continuing to decline as the total participant's stablizes with other non vintage race cars

docwyte

Here in RMR we do free tech inspections, at multiple locations. Some of these are at shops, some of these are at houses where inspectors gather and take care of the cars.

We do also tech at the track but I've been trying to get the board to make that harder, in order to push people to the free tech inspections *before* the event. Not this past event but the one previous I had to fail a car at the track inspection. He had blue brake fluid, like Ate Super Blue, which hasn't been sold in what, 8-10 years? I was able to get him some tools and help to properly flush it all out but he ended up missing at least his first session.

I disagree with having people self tech, all of us assume that people at the track are like us. That's false, most enthusiasts know where to put oil and gas, that's it. They've never done a brake job, or bled their brakes etc. I can't tell you how many people have told me they love Porsche for making access to the brake bleeders so easy that they don't even need to take off the wheels. Yep, they had NO idea there was another set of bleeders on the inside of the calipers.....