Andy Hollis writes
>
>1) Most autocrossing done in this country happens in the dry. I'd venture
>to guess that its around 80-90% (we can haggle over the exact number, but
>its not really important.)
>
Andy, most of ANYTHING done outdoors in this country happens in the dry. But
sometimes it rains.
>2) According to my memory, Kansas in early September seems to have rain
much
>more than 10-20% of the time (anyone got any stats on rain at Nats?).
Yes, if you don't mind memory. When I worked at the newspaper in Salina, one
of my jobs was to keep the monthly weather records. If you think September
in Kansas seems to have more rain than normal, perhaps it is because the
only time you have been to Kansas for any extended stay is September. Stay
here for a week in any other month and see what percentages you get wet.
And FWIW, we all know it rained in Kansas on Sept. 14. Hasn't rained since,
but I hear scattered showers may be forecast for tomorrow. There's an
autocross here, of course.
And jeez, yeah it was wet but as rains go that was not an uncomfortable one
to be in. It was no monsoon sweeping the course away. It was not windy,
freezy, the kind you run and seek shelter from. It was just wet. Too damn
bad. And yes, I drove in it, 2nd heat, on slicks. Dried out for the high
numbers. I had a low one, and I hit a cone on my dryest run too which was
still my best time. Cost me six places in the final standings, whine whine.
Hell, be glad we weren't doing Nationals in North Carolina last week!
>
>So, in effect, by having Nats in Kansas, it is really not representative of
>the "normal" case. I bring this up because rain is almost never consistent
>during the heat,
So in, say, Texas, when it rains it does so nonstop all the time? This is
WEATHER. It is a natural phenomenon. It does not fit into nice little
patterns that you can design to your own liking.
>so the competition during its presence is typically unfair.
Awwwwwwww
>It adds an almost random element,
Well, duh!
> elements which are specifically disallowed in the rules.
The rules forbid weather? Oh, please. The rules forbid an intentional and
artificial random element, like moving pylons or a triple gate with a
stoplight and you don't know which will ge green until you get there, or
accuracy of water balloon throwing, etc.
>Sure, it is what it is, and there's not much we can do about
>it... or can we?
>
>A couple of solutions to consider:
>
>1) Hold Nationals earlier (didn't we used to run the week prior?). The
>later into September you go, the more likely is the rain. Anyone have rain
>charts for Kansas?
>
Okay, rain charts. As if one week earlier or later will make a difference.
ONE week won't, several weeks will (even three or four).
Wettest months: June and August, with July just a bit less so. Averaging 3.5
to 4.5 inches. Dryest, December-January, averaging less than an inch.
Unfortunately, it can get damn cold (or very nice too), and when there is
precipitation, it is likely to be the white kind.
September average precip, less than 3 inches. October less yet, but can get
nippy.
Trust me on this after having lived in this state since 1960, on average,
you have a better chance at nice days in May and September than any other
months. Don't think you want to do Nationals in May. October is nice too,
but there's this other event in Ohio at that time (and more north than
Kansas, closer to the Great Lakes which affects weather patterns, hence
their average weather is chancier than ours).
>2) Hold Nats somewhere else (yes, I know there's all kinds of other issues
>with this) where it is drier in September (Texas?)
You got a site in mind? Can it hold two 60-second courses and a paddock for
1000+ competing vehicles (with attendant support vehicles, motorhomes, etc).
Is it closer than 60 miles from the nearest grouping of motels capable of
sleeping all of us? Are there facilities for the awards banquets, other
evening functions, etc.? I know you have some acreage of pavement down
there, but from what I've heard most of them lack the ancillary needs to do
a Nationals. But if you've got one that meets the needs -- all of then -- by
all means tell Denver!
>
>Thoughts? (this ought to chew up a week's worth of bandwidth =8-D
Yeah ... If you don't like Kansas weather, wait an hour. It'll change.
And it did.
>
>--Andy
>
>PS: Yes, I was one of the ones at a disadvantage with an early number
during
>a drying heat this year, and in '95, and in '94, and in '89...You'd think
>I'd learn...or get lucky enough for it not to rain for once... :-(
>
>
--Rocky
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