"Ike" (untitledcarshow)
05/25/2016 at 15:36 • Filed to: Untitled car show
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"Ike" (untitledcarshow)
05/25/2016 at 15:36 • Filed to: Untitled car show | 0
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Tonight I will be talking to Heyward Wagner Director of Experiential Programs from SCCA. If you have any questions you’ve been wanting to ask the SCCA. Now is your chance!
Random racing Volvo for your time)
MR2_FTW - Group J's resident Stig
> Ike
05/25/2016 at 15:46 |
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When are you going to acknowledge that a classing system that requires 300 pages to dig through to class your car is horribly out of date?
-everyone that’s used to autocrossing with NASA then tried to figure out how to register for an SCCA-rules autocross.
EL_ULY
> Ike
05/25/2016 at 16:03 |
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I am like....suuuuper poor but LOOOOOVE motorsport. I own a little sportscar and would love to give it a couple spins around some local tracks (MSR Houston, Texas World Speedway, COTA, etc.) What am looking at as far as dues to get into SCCA, inspections, so on and so forth?
RallyWrench
> Ike
05/25/2016 at 16:04 |
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How do they plan to stay relevant & cultivate new enthusiasts as their “traditional” member base ages? Also, how has NASA affected SCCA’s approach to events & membership, if at all?
MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner
> RallyWrench
05/25/2016 at 16:07 |
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I think there was only 1 driver over mid 30's at the SCCA RallyX I did last weekend and there were definitely some young 20's driving too. At least in events like RallyX that’s wide open for full on amateurs I don’t think that’s a huge issue. (Just my 2 cents from my 1 event though!)
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RallyWrench
> MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner
05/25/2016 at 16:17 |
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Go to an SCCA regional weekend, there’s lots of middle age to senior citizen white people. Rallycross is definitely a different draw, and something they’re doing right, but it needs to be expanded. Autocrosses draw younger people in as well. I’m in California, one of the SCCA’s biggest markets outside the eastern seaboard, with Laguna Seca, Buttonwillow, Thunderhill, and Willow Springs from 90 minutes to 4 hours away, but there are almost no rallycrosses out here, and none nearby.
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MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner
> RallyWrench
05/25/2016 at 16:18 |
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Ahhh I see then.
Shift24
> MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner
05/25/2016 at 16:28 |
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Agreed Rally x is way way more open than even say auto x. But what i noticed at my first season and a half with OVR and WOR (ohio regions) rally cross is it was closer to 50-60% under the age 35 depending on the event. That can also vary depending on how long the region has been running rally x.
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Shift24
> RallyWrench
05/25/2016 at 16:38 |
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I don’t think it’s a problem with finding young enthusiasts, I think the cost/expense is an issue. Now the open events like Auto x and Rally x like Montego said are pretty wise spread and inexpensive but anything else you have to have money to compete. You have to have a full roll cage, fuel cell, fire proof gear, way of getting it to the track, and a decent car to compete with depending on what class you want to run. All of that adds up quick.
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MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner
> Shift24
05/25/2016 at 16:41 |
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Yeah I would say that’s fair.
And hey I’m just north of you in the Detroit region. We actually have 1 race location in Ohio (Wauseon just over the border)
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Shift24
> EL_ULY
05/25/2016 at 16:45 |
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A 2 years for a membership was close to 150 for me with region dues.
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Shift24
> MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner
05/25/2016 at 16:56 |
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Nice i think I am actually coming up for the Great Lakes run off in Detroit, June 25? I think Detroit is hosting it. I’ll have to look at it again but definitely want to go.
CCC (formerly CyclistCarCoexist)
> Ike
05/25/2016 at 17:00 |
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Why is the regular Fiesta not allowed in SCCA autocross but why is the Fiesta ST is allowed even if it’s on the same chassis?
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RallyWrench
> Shift24
05/25/2016 at 17:06 |
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It does, for sure, and I know what is costs from experience. But I don’t think young enthusiasts are as interested in spending money on club racing, if they have the money in the first place. I’m 36, not young, but younger than their base, and have been an SCCA member before. I’ve worked as a mechanic on several race cars in their series. Myself and my friends did HPDEs, track days, and autocrosses for years, but now we not only don’t have the disposable income to spend on those things as we raise families and run or own businesses, but what money we do have sure as hell won’t be spent on racecars. It’s scraped together for limited street car projects, to pay down mortgages, or furiously put away in a futile attempt to build a retirement or pay for our kids’ college. Not to mention, none of us have the vacation time needed to mount any meaningful racing campaign without sacrificing our families. Generations younger than the boomers don’t have the finances or time on the same level, because wages & benefits haven’t kept up and everything costs more. That, and the guaranteed comfy 30 year company job that makes $100k a year with a great retirement doesn’t really exist any more.
It’s also worth mentioning that using lots of expensive hydrocarbons for fun is becoming increasingly hard to defend as a hobby, more so to younger generations where such activity is even seen as antisocial. And I say that as a lifelong racing enthusiast and mechanic who also deeply cares about our environment, a dichotomy I have trouble rectifying sometimes.
I no longer saw the value in SCCA membership, so I dropped it, and I can name 10 people who did the same. Also, for those that can afford it, NASA has a much better HPDE program here in the West, in my opinion, and their racing is more accessible. Long story short, that’s why I’m curious how they’re approaching the future.
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Shift24
> RallyWrench
05/25/2016 at 17:24 |
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Yep all very true the average man can’t afford any of that anymore and like you said its all retired baby boomers with a few rich snobs thrown in.
If I had to guess, all they will say is “but look at our Auto x and Rally x attendance, that’s the future”. While great road courses start to lose money and close because the next generation doesn’t care.
MarquetteLa
> EL_ULY
05/25/2016 at 18:07 |
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SCCA Track Night in America sounds like it’s perfect for you. http://www.tracknightinamerica.com/
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MarquetteLa
> CCC (formerly CyclistCarCoexist)
05/25/2016 at 18:11 |
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It’s a rollover risk. Sway bars and other suspension mods on the ST make a huge difference. Same story with the Fiat 500/Abarth 500.
Dusty Ventures
> Ike
05/25/2016 at 19:39 |
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It seems like the SCCA’s return to rallysprints has been a big hit. Are there any long term plans, hopes, or considerations to go back to full stage rallying?
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MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner
> Shift24
05/26/2016 at 09:43 |
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Ahh dammit I don’t think I’m going for that one. Yeah, Detroit is hosting at I-96 Lake Odessa Speedway. I think my next race will be at the same place at Thistle Hill in South Lyon MI in August.