Quote:
Originally Posted by James OLC
On an event or series basis I will politely disagree with this.
I believe what you were saying is:
This is what will eventually thin the Pro-Touring focused competitors.
This is what will eventually thin the Pro-Touring focused spectators.
Pro-Touring focused Sponsors won't stick around...
From what I saw last weekend "we" are a small part of this overall concept yet "we" think we have some right of ownership to the idea. The enthusiasm and support that some of the  import teams had was simply amazing and frankly put us to shame. And again, from what I saw, the import folks (new and old, competitive and not) were every bit as (if not more) excited and proud to be there as anyone. And, to be honest, they were younger than most of us. Appreciate them or not "they" are the next generation.
Jody's question here was what would a PT class look like and I think that there are several great answers to that. BUT there seems to be an assumption that OUSCI (or SSCA or GG) needs to change to suit us or they are going to fail. Not the case. The only potential loser in any of these cases is ourselves. We need to show THEM that we can be a part of their events and we can make them more successful. Personally I think that they know that - the reception that Smitty, Poorvette, and I received when we pulled off the track showed me that we put on a show for the fans - but I wouldn't expect them to cater to us exclusively.
As I said to one member last week at SEMA - why should the USCA (or OUSCI) define "us"? It's just one of many opportunities that we have to enjoy our cars but it's existence doesn't somehow dictate what we can or can not do.
Just my 2 bits
 |
James, this is exactly what I was saying. I don't really care about the import racers, spectators, or sponsors (gasp!), or even the late model guys sponsors, etc. What I do care about is fair racing, because I am a racer. Been involved in racing since the early 90's.
Do we not have some ownership in this deal? It's totally irrelevant, but I'm glad that the import crowd seemed excited to be there. They should be excited to be there, when they know that they are out gunning a bunch of old cars. So I'll say it again, I'm interested in fairness. I do appreciate the younger crowd, the next generation, as you called them. I hope they stick around, and possibly even catch on to what "we" are all shooting for, which is trying to up the performance levels of our old cars, and then instead of street racing, which is stupid, find a venue to compete against ONE ANOTHER, in fairness. As Mark said, and I'll say this again, I don't want build a cool old car, and then go run it against late model cars. Well I don't either. In fact, come springtime and I pull into some of these venues, I'll be downright upset, if I have to face off against an all wheel drive import. That's not what I'm building my car for. So why not have a class just for those of us with old cars? Let the late model guys race against themselves!
The performance parts that me and you are purchasing today, for our old cars, were bred and designed out of the desire to make our cars more competitive against each other, due to events and series like these. If the future of these organizations cater to the late model guys, and the "Pro Touring" community gets left behind, then "we" suffer. At the end of the day, it's all just a hobby for us on this side. Hopefully the promotors will listen to the little guys, and at least keep this hobby fair.
Jody, I don't know if there is a correct answer to your question...
My .02 pesos...