Posted: June.13.2005 at 9:11am | IP Logged

Okay, please explain it one more time for those of us who ride the short bus to school each day.  Exactly why is it that Club Race drivers aren't required to work in some fashion at Club Races?

With the ever-increasing shortage of workers, why are we unable to require drivers to work in some fashion at Club Race events?  Here in the MiDiv, I have seen in just the few years that I've been working F&C, the number of able workers at corner stations has dwindled from 5-6+ per station to sometimes just 1-2 (mostly) warm bodies per station.  This is unacceptable and can be downright dangerous.

Coming from years of Solo competition, with a car that is very prone to break at events, and having to "work" at EVERY Solo event I have ever entered, I have a real hard time giving any credibility to the argument that Club Race drivers don't have the time to work.

So, please explain it to me one more time.  And please use short words.

Posted: June.13.2005 at 1:42pm | IP Logged

I can't really explain why, other than it's always been that way.  I suppose when the day comes that a region is unable to hold a race for lack of workers, it may change, but I hope that day never happens.

And who says they aren't already working?  The Atlanta Region Paddock Marshal is a driver and serves on the region board of directors.  Some of the drivers work Tech, some work Pits.  Even on weekends they're racing.  And of course, the Stewards Program (yes we are workers too) has a number of active drivers.

If there is a problem staffing races in your region, then perhaps the region needs to exam the cause. 

Posted: June.13.2005 at 5:51pm | IP Logged

Your first problem is applying solo thinking to racing.  They're different activities with different levels of risk.  Working corners as part of a solo event is in no way comperable to working corners for a race weekend.  Race corner working is more a full time job.  It requires a level of involvement and experience that is difficult to maintain if you only do a couple of weekends a year or try to work a weekend you're also racing. 

There are a goodly number of corner workers who won't work with part timers for fear of their own safety.  So there are a bunch of corner workers who don't want drivers on their corners.

Race administration depends on each specialty.  Shortages are a problem, but requiring drivers to work introduces a new level of complexity into the program that will strain management, which is already more stressed than corner workers or any other specialty worker.

Knuckledragger wrote: Okay, please explain it one more time for those of us who ride the short bus to school each day.  Exactly why is it that Club Race drivers aren't required to work in some fashion at Club Races?   With the ever-increasing shortage of workers, why are we unable to require drivers to work in some fashion at Club Race events?  Here in the MiDiv, I have seen in just the few years that I've been working F&C, the number of able workers at corner stations has dwindled from 5-6+ per station to sometimes just 1-2 (mostly) warm bodies per station.  This is unacceptable and can be downright dangerous.   Coming from years of Solo competition, with a car that is very prone to break at events, and having to "work" at EVERY Solo event I have ever entered, I have a real hard time giving any credibility to the argument that Club Race drivers don't have the time to work.   So, please explain it to me one more time.  And please use short words.

Posted: June.14.2005 at 10:01am | IP Logged

What about a surrogate program, you race you bring one person to:

• Flag
• Work ES, a FF/EMT that needs a day away but wants to be useful trust me I started several that way
• Work Grid
• Tech/Scrutineering
• T&S  a wife that hates going to the races could get used to an A/C 'd room for the day..

etc.

There are many specialties that need help not just flagging, and I can understand that if a driver that signed up to work grid, but couldn't get the jetting right on the car, should be trying to be a part of the dance not playing in the band.

We all need band players too..

Thumper

Posted: June.14.2005 at 11:24am | IP Logged

I, too, am an occasional passenger on the length-challenged yellow conveyance.

Speaking as a former (or is that ‘reformed’) driver: I barley had the time necessary to perform maintenance/prep work (go to Driver’s Meetings, bleed brakes, rotate tires, clean out the dirt from when I went off during the previous session, etc), much less time go to a Worker Meeting, get my self to a worker duty station, work, and then back to my car in time to make the Grid.

As for requiring me to be present on weekends when not driving: I’m none too sure that we want to head down that path either.  Once started, I can see all sorts of strong arm tactics being applied, everything from compelling worker-types to abandon their chosen specialty to work in an area that is short folks to forcing folks into areas where they have no desire to be and are not trained.  I really don’t want to see a poorly trained individual who may have an attitude-issue working on a turn.  Think what a mistake in T&S could cause.  As for Registration: I can hardly keep pace with what is required and would guess that a conscripted newbee would be a disaster, taking time from one of the regulars to hand-hold and to clean-up paperwork troubles.

Then, who’d schedule the Driver’s weekend(s) and who would be responsible for administering the program?  What if a driver was a no-show, or performed poorly, or was simply incompetent in their assigned task?

IMHO, GT5-33 is on the right track.

I know of several folks who drive on occasion and are workers on other weekends: they are more than appreciated.  Maybe we need to plead our case to the Drivers (starting in Driver’s School and continuing during Driver’s Meetings during the weekend with the possibly something in SportsCar too), asking that they pitch-in when/where possible.  All sorts of things are possible: help in Registration/Tech on Friday evening, there as well as T&S, Grid, etc after their race day is done.  I just have reservations about coercing someone to work a Specialty.

With all of the competition for our limited free-time, every volunteer outfit needs to ensure they are an attractive choice; forcing someone into a job hardly makes it fun.

TREAD LIGHTLY: I’M A VOLUNTEER applies to Drivers too.

See here for additional discussion:

http://www.scca.org/garage/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=278& ;PN=1

Posted: June.14.2005 at 6:37pm | IP Logged

I can't get anyone to come help push the car, time laps or anything else. If it gets done at the track, I do it (often with help from other racers in the same boat).

Away from the track, I am on the region board, help drum up publicity, write articles on occasion and generally try to be productive.

The day I am told I have to provide workers for a race weekend is the day I go back to flying airplanes for fun.

Posted: June.14.2005 at 9:06pm | IP Logged

here in the good old cen-div, there are many of us who are special (both in the eating paste and the short bus way). In my case, this coming weekend is a double regional at road america. (Milwaukee's event...) because the June Sprints is the following the car count is way up over what has been in hte past. The worker (F & C) count was at 12 or 14 confirmed when the Falg chief for the event called me last Sunday night begging me to work this weekend .... (NOT SO GENTLE HINT .... WE NEED BODIES THIS WEEKEND AT RAOD AMERICA PLEASE!!!!!)

I have a problem, Saturday, the lovely and talented bride (who I worship and adore, without whom, life would not be worth living....)  gets on an airplane for Phoenix to be gone for a week. Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday are the Sprints where I will be one of the race chairs.

I will of course answer the bell for the Double regional....

Drivers on corners?????  I had one assigned as "punishment" once. Thank you very much but no thank you. Not enough training and not enough interest in learning. The whole deal was not good.

IMHO of course ...

Posted: June.16.2005 at 10:03am | IP Logged

QUOTE "Precisely what makes the club racing family great. That volunteerism often, OFTEN manifests itself in un-accountable ways, like when a bunch of drivers and crews will give up a few extra hours the night before to wrench on a fellow competitor's broken vehicle. I wouldn't want to see  compulsory work take that away."

Work requirements in solo have never affected the family atmosphere or the sportsmanship of people helping others.  That's a lame argument for compulsory work assignments. 

QUOTE "Okay, please explain it one more time for those of us who ride the short bus to school each day.  Exactly why is it that Club Race drivers aren't required to work in some fashion at Club Races?"

Because it has ALWAYS been done this way. (I have heard that  statement quite a few times in club racing)

New ideas are very scary to many in club racing and this one would scare the heck out of many. 

I have actually had a steward say we just needed to go get "those solo people to come work corners for races".

My experience has been that innovative ideas (aka change) in club racing to solve problems are not accepted well by many of the people involved in club racing

Solving the dwindling worker shortage in club racing is a MAJOR problem and needs, in my opinion, innovative fresh new ideas to attract fresh new people to this sport.

Posted: June.17.2005 at 12:18pm | IP Logged

Is not the objective of Club Racing; Racing? It would be difficult to hold races without drivers. Either that or it would make for long boring weekends standing around on corners with no traffic.

The working backbone of the club is the volunteer. Perhaps our best strength is to keep it that way. Mandantory assignments are a sure way to loose control of the ability and success of a specality. It is how you measure success that makes a difference to the participants, the more volunteer workers we have (in every speciality) the more full course green flag time we can maintain. The more green flag time we maintain the more attractive racing becomes to those who wish to participate. If they realize their volunteer time can contribute to more race time for everyone, perhaps they would be inclined to volunteer what time they may have between driving, turning wrences, and spending MONEY keeping things together.

I don't drive, but I support and encourage those who do because I love the sport. I also encourage drivers, crew, team members, and families to get fully involved. There is more fun available to life at the track than changing hot brake pads...

Come out and join us sometime, you might get hooked.

Posted: June.18.2005 at 7:59am | IP Logged

There are lots of things that Club Racing does that Solo can use, and there are lots of thing Solo does that would be be useful to Club Racing.  Regions that encourage all programs to work together can benefit.

A person coming to a race (or a Solo, Rally, RallyCross event) for the first time will feel like an outsider and the trick is to make them feel part of the group.  If you suceed they will probably be back.

There are lots of ideas.  But the important part is not to stay stuck in the past.  People get involved because they like cars, but they stay involved because they make friends.