2014 Runoffs

[Cheyne Daggett]

No go for me. Taking a year off from the Runoffs. Instead I'm going to go to Daytona with both the SCCA and NASA along with running 5 or 6 Majors.

Cheyne

[Scott Schweitzer]

Unfortunately no Laguna for me.

Staying local, Mid Ohio, Grattan and Gingerman. 3 majors and a couple double regionals. Gotta work on my Mid O speed for 2016.

[jimwheeler]

We had a discussion, on the CRB call the other night, about the sound situation at Laguna. Since sound, during the week, is restricted to 90 db (we are trying for 92db) before 0900 and after 1630, we are faced with a couple of options during qualifying. The races will all be run under the SCCA's 103 db rule. Either shorten the Q day, or try to run the classes that can make the 90 db cut early in the morning, or after 1630. That would appear to be FV, SM and SRF. All would require mufflers. It would be hard, if not impossible to make classes like AS and GT1, for instance, meet that level.
It is looking like FV could all run a spec Supertrapp muffler, and SM and SRF could all run some type of spec muffler. This would be required for all sessions, including the race, so that they would not be required to retune for no muffler.
By the way, the sound station is on the right side of the track, so all of us with exhausts that exit on that side will have to build left side systems. Mid O and RA have left side sound, so most of us have exhaust that exits out the right.
More info to follow.
wheel

It looks like the Maloney boys are a almost sure no for the 2014 runoffs, with the paddock fee($500), the entry fee to race?(X2) and then a the cost to get an rv and stacker there is just to much(30 Hours) and both boys will be in collage at the time of the race.
So at this time I think will well be concentrating more on winning the mid-States Majors title and racing in some of the Northern Majors events also.
John Maloney

I see the national office put out more information about the RUNOFF entry fee and ouch that's steep! The price that it's going to cost to race at the runoff (for a plastic trophies) made me change my entry from a almost NO go to a sure NO!
I looked at the Trans Am events and the entry fee is $1350.00 with a chance to win some of your money back? I'm don't know if there is a paddock fee or other fees for being in the Trans Am series, but I'll be looking into it more now?
I may have to eat crow someday but for now it's a NO to the RUNOFF'S.

[wre46]

Wow, sound issues, camping issues, double the entry fee, and now less track time due to sound. What, no picture. Will be easy when you only have a 100 cars! (MAJOR sarcasim)

While I agree with the Board that it is not fair to the west Coast guys to have to travel, I think the idea of one and out for venues is one of the dumbest things I have seen SCCA do yet. Of course trackes are going to rape us for entrie fees. Where does all that Sponsor money SCCA gets for these events? Hawk, Mobil One, PFC, SafeRacer? I have not seen any of this help lower the entry fee.

They need to rename the Runoffs to F.U.B.A.R.

[jimwheeler]

This is the entire post from Mike, if you haven't seen it.

Fellow Drivers,

Michael Lewis here. I'm a racer first and foremost, but also on the Board of Directors as well as serving treasurer for the club over the past 5 years. I think that may give me a unique perspective regarding the large change that the Runoffs is going thru, and I'd like the chance to explain it in straight talk. Just the facts. That's the way I like things and I suspect most of you are the same.

Today, the SCCA Club Racing office posted information for this year at SCCA.com/Runoffs, including the initial schedule, supps, registration, parking and sound info.

The Runoffs 'model' changes significantly starting this year. The most visible change of course is the first visit to the west coast in over 45 years. The most important change is our goal of moving the Runoffs annually to some of the most iconic tracks the country has to offer. We on the BoD not only thought this was the best future for the event, we were also responding to what we heard drivers/members asking for.

One of the more painful changes to come from this new future is that entry fees will escalate. I know this will be painful for all and perhaps crippling for some. Unfortunately there's no way around it. In some ways the pain we're feeling is the result of what a good job the national office has done over the past decade in keeping entry fees down! One need look no further than the cost of similar events in other organizations to see that the Runoffs has been a pretty good bargain in the recent past. This was the result of multi-year contracts with venues that afforded us income, economies of scale and stability. However, not only are the number of tracks willing to commit to these type contracts shrinking, but the competitors were sensing the event was getting stale after the initial year. It seemed to us at the Nat'l office that the multi-year model had run its course.

Now onto the subject most of you I'm sure are concerned with. Sticker shock. I realize that this year's $950 entry fee is a significant jump over past years. As pointed out, some of that was due to good work over past years from the Nat'l office in sheltering us from economic reality via multi-year contracts. The other significant contributing factor is quite simply that these iconic tracks have no shortage of potential customers and we are now in the open market. It’s expensive to rent Mazda Raceway and Daytona. Very expensive. It's hard to just find a 7-day block in the appropriate time of year, let alone an economical rental rate. Luckily this year our great friends at Mazda were able to help us out but still the costs are high. There were also economies in returning to the same track for 3-4 years that we will no longer enjoy. Its takes extra effort and capital to have the circus move every year.

You should also know that certain tracks will have policies over which the SCCA has no control (and may not necessarily agree with…) that we are all captive of. This is the reality if we want to go to some of the places I know many drivers have on their bucket list.

A brief word on club/national office economics as treasurer. I know the rumors will fly that the club office is making a mint on higher entry fees. I can tell you categorically that this is false. The new model for the Runoffs represents a loss in income for the club office over what we've had in the past. We used to be in the black for the Runoffs and now we are fighting to break even. There is no fat in this event. As treasurer I've seen the numbers. I know. But this is the price for supplying a superior experience to our membership and we over at the national office feel that's the correct path for this great event.

Respectfully,

[Scott Sanda]

It's not the entry fee. Really, that is small potatoes in the total cost scheme. Remember, in the past, the Tracks paid $$$ to the SCCA to host the Runoffs, and that was the major revenue stream. This year, and going forward, SCCA is renting the track.

Laguna has some special issues, and IMO was a very poor choice, but the entry fee isn't the deal breaker.

I'm not saying I like the new scheme, but I do understand the entry fee.

[scottdolsen]

I just registerd for the next Majors race in my division. $575 for the two day weekend. We are also going to do the Friday test day for $299. That will bring our fees to $874. for three days.

This makes $950. for a week of fun at the runoffs not seem out of line, or is it all out of line?

Scott Olsen

I plan on doing the runoffs if everything pans out in the three Majors, but the cost of these Majors is definetly expensive.
the runoffs are a bargain compared to what it takes to get there.