> What I guess I'm trying to say is; there really is no place that offers
>any better odds of a successful event this time of year.
I'm not quite ready to give up on the idea. In 16 trips to Kansas for
Nationals, all but two of them including the Pro Solo finale, I don't
believe any of them has failed to be effected at some point by rain.
Sometimes it was just one day during the week (Thursday morning in '95, I
believe). Sometimes it was the whole event ('85, last event at the East
Crawford site in Salina). Often it seems to be Sunday morning for the Pro,
which really sucks when you are behind as I often seem to be.
Anyone know anything about Tinker in AKC? Isn't it in the process of
shutting down or at least downsizing? How about the base in Enid? Reese
in Lubbock? Those past two would get us back more toward the small town
atmosphere. Heck, I don't know if Enid could support the event with rooms
and such. I suspect a base that's been active more recently would have
better concrete. That's been a real problem at both Kansas sites. I also
suspect that all else being equal, a more southern site would have less
freeze/thaw damage, so even the same concrete would be in better shape.
Not sure about the weather comparisons, but I am sure there are some
alternatives that would be worth looking at. Granted, we are getting
farther away from the central location, but as bad as the north course area
was, not to mention the grids and the south course area....
San Diego has everything but the central location. It would, however, add
to the number of drivers seeking rides after their cars were stolen, but
what the heck, at least it only rains once in a while. It's a doozy when
it does!
I'd suggest New Mexico, but we're definitely offset to the west, the south
would be too hot, the north would be too high (the 2000 feet we go down to
get to Pikes Peak really helps with the low-end torque :-), and there's
definitely not a site that would even start to support the event. Speaking
of which, PPIR would need to at least quadruple their parking lot to make
it.... To answer Brian's question, Santa Flake would usually have ideal
weather in September, but it's at about 7000 feet and there is definitely
no site. SF is the only state capital without an international airport.
It's not really all that big. It is a serious impediment to our getting
out on the road, but they do have fast food and diesel, so it's not all bad
:-)
Kansas has been good, but there are reasons to look around. This year's
rain was timed really badly for most of us in AS. When the first 1/3 of
the class gets a dry run, the rest of us were just hoping for a trophy.
With a reduced chance of rain, it would at least be less likely for this to
happen. A drying course is another issue, but considerably less of a
difference than going from fully dry to fully wet in about two minutes
flat....
Paul and Meredith Brown
MR2: "Not the easiest car in the world to work on"
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