>Would it be a 'good thing' to have 1,000+ entries at the
>2000 Tire Rack SCCA Solo2 National Championships?
>
>In 1997 we hoped long and hard for the 'magic' 1000 entries
>for the 25th anniversary. Got 927 "competitors" as I recall.
>(Check me on that please Rocky E.) Every year since, we have
>talked about the magic 1,000. What would happen if we actually
>got those 1,000 entries? Not much really, a roughly 10% increase
>wouldn't mean much. We'd hardly notice the extra 100 or so drivers.
>BUT, what if in trying to get the 'magic' 1000, 1200 or 1400 show
>up? An extra 300 - 500 WOULD be noticed! LONG days. Tight
>paddock space, crowded award party, etc.
>
>So, the question I ask; should an effort be made to get more drivers
>to the 2000 Tire Rack SCCA Solo2 National Championships?
>
>
Why sure, Lindsay. Heck, we're not doing anything on Monday now anyway, nor
the following weekend. Envision a six-day nationals!
Short term (on the present schedule), you are talking 250 cars per course
per day, 50-car heats. The real trick would be arranging heats so you don't
have one of 35 cars and another of 70. I've been trying to make the point
with National that, with a 5-heat system (in place now, I suggested one 5
years ago) it is no longer necessary that at least two classes be in a heat.
For an example, look at CP. 53 cars, and 6 FSLs thrown in to make 59. They
ran Heat 5. FS ran Heat 3. FSL could have run Heat 1 with GS (35 cars) and
DSPL (6) to make a 47-car Heat 1 and a 53-car Heat 5 instead of a 41-car
Heat 1 and a 59-car Heat 5.
All such observations made with 20/20 hindsight, of course.
BTW, the 1997 total competitors on site was 920 (after the event, DNS is
removed from the "entry" total.)
> LONG days. Tight paddock space, crowded award party, etc.
Of those three, tight paddock space would be the major problem, already a
bit of one now but it could be fixed by banning "verandas" by people taking
6 spaces for one car, or saving big blocks of space for undetermined
friends/region members. Note I have no problem with saving space for
specific people. Several San Francisco people paddocked near me, had spaces
marked off early in the week with names on specific spaces (alloting just
adequate room for each -- they were not greedy). Another large region just
put their region's name on an area that took up nearly an entire paddock
block. I counted. Those blocks have room for 60-68 individual parking spaces
each.
Long days .. at least it is still Daylight Savings. Crowded party, there is
room for several more tables where we are now (as I grumble about that same
large region "reserving" a number of middle-of-the-room tables each night so
only THEY get the "good seats.")
--Rocky
> Lindsay
>
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