Rocky Entriken wrote:
> To regard Solo as nothing but a sales tool
> would be a huge mistake. To fail to appreciate its possibilities as one is
> equally a mistake.
As I pointed out earlier, EVERY SCCA-sanctioned event has the same PR
possibilities as Solo. As a spectator, I think wheel-to-wheel racing is much
more fun to watch myself.
> But its facility to attract .... must also be exploited.
To what end? Should Solo competitors not have a say in the nature and extent of
this exploitation? Or are we just supposed to be club racing's bitches and be
glad they let us tag along?
;<)
> To do so grows us.
I just don't see that we aren't growing. If event quality is good - and there
are clearly some issues of late with what National has been serving up at
Tours - then it will continue to sell. Autocross _clearly_ does not need road
racing in order to be a viable competitive activity. If it did, the independent
autox-only clubs all around the country could not have survived all these years.
I'll leave it to others to say if they think club racing needs autox. If it's a
viable activity long-term, it really shouldn't. To the extent that a symbiotic
(as opposed to parasitic) relationship can be forged between the two activities,
that's fine. I just get tired of hearing allegations that autocross loses money.
If it does, then it's being badly managed. Very badly.
> It is not utterly independent.
Organizationally, and strictly within SCCA, it is not. Practically speaking, it
is. Otherwise, how do the non-SCCA clubs continue to operate year after year,
then?
> However,
> defining "profit" is IMHO broader than simply how much money it generates in
> sanction fees. It's overall value to the club in generating public awareness
> is also part.
That sounds as if you're making excuses for Solo2 not bringing in enough money
to pay for itself. Given fair, common-sense accounting practices, Solo2 has to
be operating in the black. If Pro Solo is dragging it down, then it's time to
make it go away (or pass it along to another entity). Same thing with Tours. I
see large local events with fewer administration/operation problems than some
Tours in recent memory. The argument that we have to have National staff present
in order to have a quality event just doesn't hold water.
Jay
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