Richard Ceraldi-ERC004 wrote:
>
> Concerned VTR Members,
> Let me preface this with the RRTC did their best and as always hindsight
> is 20-20. Also this is not meant to berate or not recognize all the hard
> work RRTC did to put on the 1997 event.
>
> Ft. Worth was the first VTR Nationals I have attended. I have been to
> several regional events around the country and really did not see much of a
> difference with the exception of a lot more trailers and fewer race cars.
> Attendance seemed to be the same. I had hoped to see 200-300 cars. I race
> sailboats around the country on the national level and have seen the same
> decline in participation over the years as the cost of campaigning has gone
> up. The best and most competitive events have been when the entries were
> reasonable and housing was cheap.
> While you don't want to make a club lose money, hosting this event
> should not be seen as a cash cow. Run some numbers with previous clubs to
> help getting your cost in line. HCTC did this as an attempt to stop the
> escalating prices for regional events and were successful in turning the
> overall cost down at the Georgetown, TX event.. RRTC chose to do the event
> on their own with out any help for the other Texas clubs. I am not sure of
> the politics but for some reason there was not any participation from the
> San Antonio, TX. club. In the future I would recommend the host club
> tapping into the resources offered by other clubs in the area.
>
> Tracks Increase Participation.
> As has already been mentioned by others, being near a track would
> increase participation.
> 1. All the racers would be drooling at all the at track time they would get.
>
> 2. The true polishers will jump at the chance to drive around a "real"
> racetrack in the parade laps so they can brag to their friends " Oh yes I
> drove it at ______ (fill in)".
> 3. The drivers would be there and do what they do best, drive!
> When attending a SE regional at Sebring there was a lot more
>camaraderie
> which I attribute partially to having such historic track involved in the
> event. The cost of the track was paid for by the users and there was no
> problem getting enough participants to commit. The rest was being in a small
> place keeping all the people together.
>
> Rethink the venue.
> Stay away from large metropolitan areas for the obvious reasons.
> 1. Increase the overall cost to those participating.
> 2. Keeps entrants too dispersed with events that are spread all over the
> area.
> 3. Placing cars at risk by putting them in rush hour traffic to get to
> events.
>
> There are plenty of small town (like Grandbury for instance) that
>would be
> a better place for a large group of enthusiast to congregate for a few days.
> A recent example is the BMW motorcycle convention held in Fredrickburg,
> Texas. Plenty of parks, camping, rental, and fantastic roads for driving.
> Somehow they attracted over 2k bikes to this out of the way location.
> By the selection of the 98 site of Winona I am hoping this will set a
> trend away from urban areas.
>
> A few suggestions for 98.
> 1. Keep some optional local entertainment. Some people want to hang out and
> talk cars. Especially after driving in the heat all afternoon. Perhaps
> scheduled parking lot socials in the evenings. (Irv is the man on this one).
> 2. Bring in a band or outdoor entertainment. But basically give people
> something to do and a place to do it that won't cost them additional money
> or chances for a DWI.
> 3. A better organized agenda/schedule. Provide better description in the
> event booklet of what is going on and exact times and where to pick up and
> drop off score sheets. Don't depend on a bulletin board or word of mouth.
> 4. Schedule a SOL get together. They are going to do it anyway so you might
> as well get involved.
> 5. Lose the rope around the neck badge. It was aggravating enough at the
> regional RRTC held. They did not get the hint and brought them back again.
> Face it in the summer it is hot everywhere. On my return from Ft.
>Worth I
> called a contact in the Minneapolis St. Paul area to check the weather. 96
> degrees, still and very muggy. Not very different than DFW.
> 6. Hold driving events I the morning when it is cooler.
> 7. Schedule workshops, tech session, Judge training, fun events, racing
> primers, etc. in the afternoon so as not to conflict with driving events and
> get out of the heat.
> 8. Banquet time. Keep speeches to a minimum. Give doorprizes constantly
> throughout the evening, even during dinner. Don't wait to the end or the
> evening (or 11pm) and wonder why people have left.
>
> Increase Show Participation.
> 1. Driving class (not peoples choice but judged). Not all cars are
> interested in the Concours.
> 2. Feedback. This year one class (early Spit?) did not have any trophy
> winners. The reason, none of them had enough points to qualify. How would
> you expect a group to get any better when all the feedback is kept from them?
> Provide access to the scoring sheets after the event. I have heard of
> fights in the past from this but what if they were mailed out this would not
> be a problem. I personally would like to know what kind of stuff my car was
> dinged on to make the appropriate improvements. This is the only way to
> raise the standard and level of competition.
> 3. Judging. Have some type of qualifications to judge a group. I felt our
> judges had no idea what GT6 is supposed to be. Especially when they wanted
> to judge the MKIII's with the 1500 Spitfires. This is not a dog show. Some
> knowledge if the model is required.
> 4. Allow for day of the show entrants. Not everybody is a "club" kinda guy
> and might only know of these events though the local media. Personally I
> owned my car for 20 years before entering the club scene. I am not and
> exception and feel there are plenty of independent owners that aren't as
> tapped in as you think they are. As far as an earlier comment of "drop in
> Triumphs" not paying their share. I would rather see them drop in and be
> seen than a group of Jags and such that crashed the lines at the DFW VTR.
> 5. Point awarded for driving or deducted for trailered cars. Level the
> playing field or require trailer cars to verify 100 miles of travel after
> unloading. They can drive anywhere they want. I believe the Rolls
> Royce/Bentley club does this at their nationals to encourage driving. Whats
> the point of having a car that is looks great but is not reliable enough to
> drive a measley 100 miles. That is not what I call a great example of the
> marque
>
> Well I am finished with my commentary and suggestion. If I offended anyone
> lighten up! It's only a car.
> Regards,
> Richard Ceraldi
> 71 GT6 MKIII KF166L 1997 VTR Concours Winner
> http://www.exact.com/~gt6mk3
You took the words right out of my mouth. Actually I don't think I could have
said it
as well but I agree with everything said and I like the 100 mi part on
trailered cars as
I will trailer mine (non polisher concourse entry) to some events. The driving
events
are important to me although I only participated in two due to lack of a
partener.
I also wondered why there isn't a closer relationship with the SOL group as
mentioned
even though it's not a formal group. I think the involvement of all
organizations or clubs in a near proximity to a event should be encouraged. I
also have
noticed that there are links to SOL internet pages on the VTR pages but I don't
believe
that there is any actual mention of SOL. Again I believe that we should take
the
opportunity to interface with as many Triumph promoters/organizations as
possible. I'm
new to the scene and Ft. Worth was my first event so I don't have anything to
compare it
with but I did enjoy it. Hope to see all the new friends again that I met at
FT. Worth.
Joe Worsley
80 TR8
72 TR6(sleeping until restoration)
Tupelo, MS
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