Boston BMW Chapter Forum / Boston BMW CCA Forums / How to improve our Track Driving events?

Palmer Motorsports Park

John Kelley — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 10:41:21 GMT

It appears that [url=http://www.masslive.com/news/topstories/index.ssf?/base/news-2/120271801555990.xml&coll=1]NER SCCA has the green light to begin development[/url] of the [url=http://www.palmermotorsportspark.com/]Palmer Motorsports Park[/url] out in western Mass. Estimated completion date is 2010.

I recall that the intention of this track was to provide SCCA racers with a less costly alternative to NHIS and Lime Rock. Has anyone heard if the SCCA will be renting the track to other clubs? If they are renting it out, does it appear that it will be a cheaper venue to run at than NHIS?

Event Dinners

DanChadwick — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 08:17:27 GMT

Our away (non-NHIS) multi-day events have typically had an event dinner of some sort. At the Glen, we used to have a dinner at the Glen Club before it burned down. At Mt Tremblant, we've had dinners in the paddock (tent, caterred, took up too much room and I suspect won't be repeated), in a function room at the base of the mountain, and for the last 2-3 years (can't remember) at the summit. If you stay on the mountain, you can get to the top free; otherwise you have to buy a gondola ticket. Our event has coincided with the Perseid Meteor Shower, and there have been outdoor lectures and telescopes on the summit, including a PA system and a huge "laser pointer" to point out things in the sky. (Seeing a meteor requires you to have enough energy to stay up late enough for it to get dark.)

Pros: Creates a social opportunity for the club members to meet, mingle, and perhaps chat with people that they wouldn't sit with otherwise. Pprovides a welcome environment for newcomers.

Cons: Cost makes event price a bit higher than some might choose to spend dining out. Food typically not as good as restaurant food. Big crowds not everyone's cup of tea.

Alternatives: Casual BBQ hosted by volunteers (e.g. big grill, tons of sausages & peppers, beer, sodas). Or Mini-caterred event (GVC has casual food and beer in the garage at the Glen).

Other ideas, opinions, thoughts?

More sponsorship to help reduce event costs.

DanChadwick — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 08:58:11 GMT

We can get more from sponsors if they get more from us. Can we increase the number of sponsors and/or the amount from each sponsor by:

Better freebie graphics and design. More T-shirts would be worn if they were cooler. I have seen some AMAZING designs from the Minnesota Porsche club events, for example.
Better promotion of "specials" for track attendees and others. HMS gives discounts. Schneller gives free oil change to new customers. I bet a lot of these deals are not publicized, and our sponsors might appreciate that.
If we improve attendace, the sponsors get more impressions for their dollar.
Integrate sponsorship with website and Bimmer promotion?

Flagging at NHIS

DanChadwick — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 14:57:08 GMT

A couple of threads suggested that we hire professional flaggers at NHIS, citing reasons of safety (pros at work) and convenience (not having to stand there for a couple of hours). I looked into the topic and was surprised to find out that:

We always try to get professional flaggers for our events, but usually can't get a full compliment, unless the event is on a weekend or is next to another big event, such as an SCCA race. The flaggers typically have other jobs and don't want to take one day off in the middle of the week.

I know that other organizations will run with a partial complement of professional flaggers. It has been our chapter's believe that having two "amateur" flaggers at each station (sometimes 3 or even 4) is better than professional flaggers at some stations and some stations vacant. Of course, there is room for debate, but I tend to agree :P

I might also point out that I've seen professional flaggers reading books and apparently snoozing. I think our driver/flaggers generally do an excellent job. I've also run at NHIS on an open track day with as few as 1 flagger (T8, the tower). I wasn't too happy about that.

When I was learning, I enjoyed flagging, at least in good weather. I'd pick a turn that I wanted to work on and watch the better drivers (instructors and advanced students), as well as critique my peers. I think I learned a lot. It does definitely get old, however, when you've done it dozens of times.

All said, though, I wonder if we might be able to try a bit harder to get professional flaggers. It would raise the event cost by $15-$25 per day. But then again, it might simply not be possible.

Newtrack driver needed to help review educational materials

DanChadwick — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 07:15:49 GMT

Have you recently had your first track day? Is the experience fresh in your mind? I need you. :w00t:

I am preparing a comprehensive guide for the first-time track driver. It covers everything from what to wear to how to get there to how to drive. The document is pretty long (about 25 pages).

If you have time to review and comment on this document, please e-mail me at dan at gmail dot com.

Improve experience for never-ever beginners and novices

DanChadwick — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 09:03:51 GMT

The track is a very intimidating place for a newb. Let's make their first track day less stressful:

I'm not sure if our mentor program is running full tilt or not. If not let's reinstate it. Also, let's broaden it to others. For example, having a mentor for your first trip to Mt Tremblant would be helpful (getting through Montreal, route, finding the track, finding the hotel, bringing plywood to jack your car, where to expect air, where to buy gas, whether to change currency, etc.)
Create a soft "requirement" to memorize the track (maps, videos) ahead of time. This would make it a LOT easier for new students, IMO. Create or find annotatede track video, ideally with an on-screen track map and voice-over.
There have been a lot of "My First Track Day" articles written. Maybe we could provide some to never-ever's?

Combination HPDE / Club Race weekends

DanChadwick — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 11:21:22 GMT

There have been some comments regarding the cost and perks of being a club racer versus an instructor. While these comments weren't specifically regarding Boston Chapter events, let's discuss that.

I suppose there are basically 5 classes of people at combo weekends: Students, Instructors, Event Organizers, Racers, and Race Volunteers (stewards, etc.).

Students pay, get seat time and instruction, get classroom instruction, get surplus garage space (if available), and may flag (some NHIS events). Some advanced students are "mentors" for never-ever beginning students.

Instructors don't pay, drive free, give instruction (duh), usually get first dibs on garage space (for free), and don't flag. They usually get lunch and sometimes free cold drinks. Some help out in other ways (e.g. help with tech inspections, help with registration or control). Instructors offer their garage space to their student for storage, to get stuff out of the rain, and for repairs to student cars. I think most would offer their bay for extensive racer repairs if asked nicely.

Event Organizers work lots ahead of time (many dozens of hours per event, much more for a remote event like Tremblant) and otherwise get the same deal as instructors, except that they work harder during the day and usually instruct less (if at all). There seems to be less and/or whiter hair in this group -- whether from stress or pulling, I don't know. :P

Racers usually pay some more than students, get get more or less track time than students (depending upon event -- usually about the same), sometimes get garage space when available (e.g. at NHIS, but not at the Glen).

Race Volunteers -- well I don't know enough about this to comment, except that it seems very selfless and I don't see Bruce Smith driving much.

Let's hear from everyone. I would help to make it clear how your participate (instructor, racer, student, etc.)

Increase Safety / Reduce Risk

DanChadwick — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 09:10:08 GMT

Sounds like a good objective. Ideas anyone?

Forum on chapter website documenting known tech issues (e.g. control arms, harnesses, Elise suspension, etc).
Are your happy with our tech requirements (e.g. brake fluid change interval, harness dates / inspection, convertible rules, etc.)? Should we change anything to improve safety for the student and/or instructor?

Offer 1 or 2 day options

Bills330i — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 21:17:13 GMT

I would attend more events if it wasn't required that you sign-up and pay for mutiple days. If it is a 2 day event the option to do only 1 day would be great and less costly.

Ideas / topics for never-ever HPDE student materials

DanChadwick — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 10:33:12 GMT

I am collecting materials, forum posting, and other materials from the internet to consider for an update document set for first-time track drivers. If you have such items, I'd love to get them (dan899 at gmail dot com). If you have ideas or suggestions, post them here.

I'm particularly keen to hear from people who clearly remember their first track day. What was helpful? Was there anything that wasn't helpful? What information was too much?

Also, where you eager to study everything in sight, or did you want to just read the most important stuff?

For example, here's a document that Boston Chapter has given to the mentor (to be discussed with the new student):

Preparation for the Event

The Car

· Leave whatever you may not need at home.

· Remove everything from the car that is loose and may become a hazard.

· Discuss the importance of clean oil and brake fluid.

· Discuss the importance good brake pads?

· Getting a professional inspection before the day of the event for those who are not self maintenance people.

· Remind the student to bring the completed tech form.

The Student

· The importance of a good night's rest.

· Dress in layers.

· Bring water (some people freeze water in plastic bottles to bring for fresh cool water all day).

· Talk about the canteen and if they want to bring food.

· Remind them that we require Snell 95 or newer helmet.

· Wear comfortable driving shoes; preferably no big boots, they can get in the way.

Extras to bring if desired

· Windex and paper towels.

· Sun Glasses and Suntan Lotion

· Motor oil.

· Tape for numbers (and razor to remove stickies from window and tech sticker).

· Air Gauge.

Increase event attendance

DanChadwick — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 09:07:38 GMT

While our events do pay for themselves and do make money, I think that higher attendance would make for better events. I don't want to return to the days when every instructor had students in 3 of 4 student run groups and the event was oversold on the first day. On the other hand, I'd like to see new faces and certainly many of the tracks we attend can hold a lot more cars than we put on the track. In addition, it is not uncommon for us to be worried about making money, and so we keep registration open until that last minute, much makes the event harder to organize. Here are some "sub-goals" that might increase attendance:

Decrease student cost. Our events have gotten a bit more expensive in the last 8 years or so since I've been attending. They seem to still be good values compared to other clubs (at least those that offer the same level of instruction and event format), but still, isn't cheaper better?
Attract more Boston Chapter members to HPDEs. Of 3500-ish members, we attract less than 200 or so to each event.
Attract non-BMWCCA members. We can gain new members by attracting new students (e.g. Import Tuner enthusiasts) and from other organizations (other chapters, other clubs).

Keep advanced students and instructors learning

DanChadwick — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 09:05:09 GMT

At some point, I think many HPDE attendees start to stagnate. The learning process slows and there is not much difference between one event and the next. If we can keep events fresh, they will be more fun, better serve our educational objectives, and attract advanced students to our events. Some ideas:

Create a passing program similar to the WMC Orange Stripe program. Controversial, I know. Let's discuss!
Get a "Big Name" driver or educator to work with advanced students and instructors. Lots of interesting topics and techniques, such as suspension setup, data acq., left foot braking, when to use trail braking, etc.
Instructor education day -- focus on role playing, dealing with difficult students, helping advanced students, communication skills, when to give instruction while on track, etc. Let's tune-up our instructor base and keep learning as "educators".

Other improvements: not covered in existing topics

johnmdanskin — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 12:09:00 GMT

I usually love Boston Events, but track time at the last BAB was in the rip-off category. I realize that it's hard now with the 30 car limit, and I keep hearing that it doesn't work financially without the racers.

I'd be tempted to believe all of this, except that I attended LCMT events with audi, COM, and bmw quebec last year and got substantially more track time for less money with all three groups. Track time, for less money, was between 1.5X and 2X.

I'm planning to switch to racing this year, so it's moot, but I wouldn't go to BAB for the DE again unless something changed.

As a side-note. The cars-on-track limitation comes from the people who vote in the town. The people who vote in the town do not own Disney-Land-On-The-Hill. They own local businesses. Why we don't encourage patronizing the local businesses instead of Disneyland is beyond me. Other clubs seem to understand this issue. I understand that some board members are comped at Disneyland. I'm sure that this couldn't have an effect, but the appearance is there.

I was really happy with every other Boston event I attended, but this is supposed to be the premiere event.

Improve the evaluation process

DanChadwick — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 09:02:33 GMT

Can we make the evaluations more informative and less work?

Improve / update our student and instructor eval forms, which are looking a bit tired compared to other chapters and clubs. (I believe something in this area is in progress.)
Provide a mechanism to enter evals for both students and instructors on-line, both at the event and at home. This would increase compliance with filling out the forms, plus make distributing the forms easier. Students could just go on-line to look up their evals, perhaps. (I believe a pilot program for this is underway).
Consider having instructor and student go over eval face-to-face. The interaction might be more effective (chance for discussion). GVC does this, I think.