Officially a club series

[racingrivalsDOT]

With just two dates planned for 2008, is SCSA now officially a club series? A series run by enthusiasts who love the cars etc?

Please do not flame me for posing this question, but surely ASCAR was set up to be an oval series? Not road courses? You know, I wish you guys all the best with trying to keep it going and everything, but in my opinion (which isn't realy worth much I guess), surely the five dates a year at Rockingham are a must? Add a couple of rounds at Brands Indy and Lausitz and concentrate on building driver numbers by using all the spare cars that are lying around. If people like Gavin who have cars laying around want to get there money back, they need the stock value to rise. By loaning the cars to the series on the basis that they are returned in the same condition, the series can then provide arrive and drive deals for people from series such as the fun cup at bargain rates, thus raising numbers and improving the racing etc.

The fact is, the series needs to be run more like (and it really hurts to say this) the pick up series. When did the series allow itself to become second billing to the trucks???It's not going to fix things by naming people and trying to place blame, we need to get the series back to where it should be. But with people who do have cars ramping up the price when you show a firm interest, you may as well go off and do FPA or FBMW in this country, or if you have the kind of money it would cost to rent a car and run it in ASCAR, go and do some ARCA races. You won't get a full season, but it's damn better racing and bigger exposure for sponsors.

This isn't supposed to be a negative post, it just hurts to see what has become of the series. We were there, at East Northamptonshire council meetings in Thrapston, putting pressure on the council to grant planning and showing our support. We have given our Time for free to help promote the circuit, we have made every effort to support the series through the years but it has still come to this. Duane is a supehero in my eyes for keeping things running, lets hope its not in vain.

[racing59]

AFAIK, Gavin has sold his 10 cars to a French track day company.

Please see my post in another thread (2008 rockingham dates, or similar)

Rob.
(look no flames)

[racingrivalsDOT]

Cheers Rob... another sad piece of news!!!

All the best mate :-)

[pickup]

I certainly agree with what's been said but basically it's repeating my thread on "only 2 dates for Rockingham in 2008" could we not combine the two threads?

[Roland Vanderme]

Does anyone knows which "French track day company" bought the 10 cars?

[racingrivalsDOT]

Sorry about that pickup, I just went straight to new thread because of how strongly I was feeling when I heard the news. I hop the guys can ressurect it... failing that we should start fresh in 09.

[acorn]

[quote="racing59"]AFAIK, Gavin has sold his 10 cars to a French track day company.
QUOTE]

probably out of spite (if true) to deprive the uk series of the reasonably priced cars that you keep telling us about which would draw in newbies.

[LessThanSte]

Must say that i couldnt agree more with this thread. Its an oval series. We definately need the oval races to remain. Road course racing is, for the most part, dull when theres only a small field. If its going to have any effect it needs to be super tight racing but i dont expect it will be (i would like ot be proved wrong!)

But to have only 2 meetings at Rockingham is laughable and yet another nail in both coffins!

[pickup]

Sorry about that pickup, I just went straight to new thread because of how strongly I was feeling when I heard the news. I hop the guys can ressurect it... failing that we should start fresh in 09.

No problem mate as i said i agree with you i'm just worried about the future of oval racing at Rockingham and the affect it's going to have on the pickups.

[Duane]

Look guy's, i appreciate all you are saying and i guess i am some 5 weeks ahead of you here, as far as i am concerned we are an Oval series called Ascar but there is fxxk all i can do about either of them right now but i do agree with you.
we are looking for "Oval" friendly circuits as most of our current drivers and Rookie drivers that are looking to join us dont want to turn Right too much.

I do like constructive critisisum, we all need it so keep it up, please, my head is working overtime right now but the series is coming together, i cant make any promises i only state how it is and it is what it is right now, as soon as i know it will be on the official web site for you all to see.

As for Rockingham it needs to survive as a race track and right now BTCC is probrobly the best bet for them, we need to prove we can survive by not being at the Rock all the time and go and re build the series for the future in other ways, we should have two race weekends at Rockingham, how many series race at a track more than twice anyway??

I need a nice series sponsor if anyone knows one who would like to re build with us ???? of course we are talking to some !!!!

As for Gavin's Cars, i must admit i have not spoken to Gavin but i understand the sale did not go through, i am sure though that he would not do anything out of spite Gavin has always been a big supporter of the V8's and i know if he could he would be back with us, who knows once we settle the dates it may appeal to him to come back next year.

And, RacingrivalsDOT, thanks but i am no Superhero.........

Duane

[racingrivalsDOT]

Duane,

How concrete is the decision to have only two meetings next year? I have come up with a different proposal that would keep everybody happy, keep the five events at the Rock, bring in extra drivers and raise the profile of the series and the image.

[kjb]

the term out of our hands comes to mind,anyway i think that doing some road course meetings and maybe a trip to ESL and possibly something like warneton etc etc, would be great!!!
unfortunately i think that ROCKINGHAM appear to be more into track days and TOCA these days!! and not the oval.

[Dave17]

Some people are never satisfied. When ASCAR was an oval only series you wanted road course races now you have them you want more oval races-i'm confused.

Gavin was at a marshals get together the other night and I belive he confirmed that he still has his cars.

[Alfa Fan]

the term out of our hands comes to mind,anyway i think that doing some road course meetings and maybe a trip to ESL and possibly something like warneton etc etc, would be great!!!
unfortunately i think that ROCKINGHAM appear to be more into track days and TOCA these days!! and not the oval.

Rockingham will be interested in whatever makes them the most profit, as most business are and should be about!

[pickup]

Some people are never satisfied. When ASCAR was an oval only series you wanted road course races now you have them you want more oval races-i'm confused.

A mixture of oval and road course is good it's the fact that there are possibly only two Rockinghams that concerns me it looks like the whole series will only consist of six meetings which isn't much of an expansion for 2008 five or six of each would've been good.

[Dave17]

A mixture of oval and road course is good it's the fact that there are possibly only two Rockinghams that concerns me it looks like the whole series will only consist of six meetings which isn't much of an expansion for 2008 five or six of each would've been good.


There's never been much more than six meetings........

A jump from 6 MEETINGS (12 races?) to 12 meetings (24 races) is too much.

My take on this is 4 road course meetings early season to wett newbies apetites and get them up to The Rock for the final 2 meetings and build on that for 2009.

[racingrivalsDOT]

No offence Dave17, but when have I ever called for road courses? I'm a huge NASCAR fan, and hate road courses. That said, how many road courses are in Cup and what is the percentage??? Less than 10% which means for 10 oval meetings, SCSA should have one if we used the same ration.

Personally, I believe five rounds at Rockingham, a round a Lausitz and Brand Hatch Indy x1 would be a great. Warneton is not suitable in my opinion.

If Gavin still has his cars, the series could offer them on an arrive / drive basis to drivers from series like the fun cup. People may say why would Gavin agree to this? If we have ten extra cars on the grid, the value of the cars rise, and he can sell them one by one so he gets what he wants, or when the series picks up he can start running cars again.

[fastbob]

People.... you can wish and want till your blue in the face..... Rockingham are offering us 2 rounds!!! Thats it!! I guess Duane could sulk and say no!!! Or accept it and make the best of the situation.

[LessThanSte]

Why is Warneton seen as unsuitable, Mr RacingRivalsDOT?

[racing59]

Only 16 starters permitted (is that right Roland?) and not a FIA licenced track.

[Duane]

You guy's are going to have to accept the enevitable, the same as i have, Rockingham is NOT the home of SCSA no more, it hurts like hell cause i love the place but Hey ho, life goes on.

2 dates is what i have but its only tentertive at the moment so no its not set in stone, as i have already said.

And as for the amount of meetings most who are in the series and are looking to join us like the idea of 5 or 6 race weekends and not racing every other weekend plus it keeps the costs down.

Duane

[pickup]

You guy's are going to have to accept the enevitable, the same as i have, Rockingham is NOT the home of SCSA no more, it hurts like hell cause i love the place but Hey ho, life goes on.

2 dates is what i have but its only tentertive at the moment so no its not set in stone, as i have already said.

And as for the amount of meetings most who are in the series and are looking to join us like the idea of 5 or 6 race weekends and not racing every other weekend plus it keeps the costs down.

Duane


O/K so life goes on and MAYBE there will be two Rockinghams but surely 5 or 6 meetings isn't enough to build a succesfull series.
I do realise many people are on a tight budget we aren't exactly flush ourselves but still manage to run a season with the trucks and i'd hardly say 10 meetings was racing every other weekend, many people on here whom i assume are drivers or team members have been saying that you can buy and run an SCSA on a relatively low budget so why not try to incorperate more circuits and spread the "word" to a larger audience.
I'm sure the majority of guys allready racing scsa and some who wish to join that are from short oval backgrounds will be used to racing at considerably more than six meetings a year and maybe some people looking at the series would see the lack of meetings as a drawback, why buy a car and all the kit, a transporter and all the expense of keeping it on the road, enough volunteers to make up a crew and then race just 5 or 6 times a year.
Please don't read this as being negative i really do hope the series succeeds i think the cars are fantastic and i truly respect the efforts you are making but if you want to expand the series IMHO i'm not sure that such a small number of race weekends is the right way to go.

[racing59]

I quite like the format of one race meeting per month. If tracktime wasn't so expensive, then I'd like to see three races per meeting, with one of them being a longer pit-stop race. But tracktime costs circa £100/minute (cough!).

Having a month between meetings suits me because (a) I have a family, and (b) it gives me time to work on the car after I've broken it at the meeting.

Add to that the things I want to do for the charities, and keeping sponsors happy, there are only so many hours in a day.

However, I'm not saying that I wouldn't mind one race every two weeks, IF I had the budget and time to do it properly. I don't think I'd want to go to the NASCAR effect of every weekend, unless it all became a professional multi-billion dollar circus and they paid me lots of money to do it! Then, I could give up normal work, and it would be my new "job". That's just after I learn to jump over the moon, using only a trampoline for propulsion.

The old saying.... "From small acorns, giant oaks grow"

Like Duane, I love Rockingham, I've only been there competitively for a year, but it's the place to be at the moment in my mind, probably because we don't have anything else like it in the UK. As he said, you have to realise that the circuit is no longer the home of SCSA racing, we have been cast out into the wilderness, and it's up to us to find our feet. Sink or swim? Put it this way, we ain't sinking!! Judging by the interest in joining us, we're getting ready to swim the channel - a long hard slog, which will be worth it by the end.

Rob.

[pickup]

Judging by the interest in joining us, we're getting ready to swim the channel - a long hard slog, which will be worth it by the end.
Rob.

Good luck to you all and don't forget plenty of goose fat!

[acorn]

The old saying.... "From small acorns, giant oaks grow"

unfortunately we've been saying that from day one.


As he said, you have to realise that the circuit is no longer the home of SCSA racing, we have been cast out into the wilderness,

and you have to wonder why when the f3/gt competitors expressed disappointment in the crowd size and consequential lack of atmosphere when they returned this year yet they get to come back in 2008(personally i think the lack of a crowd is more to do with the product they're offering rather than the venue which is probably born out by the fact that the f3s want to split from the gts)

is this a reduction in just meetings with oval content or is it an overall reduction in all race meetings at rockingham?

[racingrivalsDOT]

I wouls say Rockingham needs a maximum of seven race weekends, five at rockingham or four and rockingham and two at lausitz (but can teams afford to go to Germany once a season?).

Again, I wasn't being negative. But Rockingham have slashes the meetings because a) it's not entertaining anymore to watch and b) nobody comes and that is because the series HAS NO PROFILE.

Taking us back to the title of this thread, SCSA IS A CLUB SERIES organised by enthusiasts. The series needs to be run professionally if it wants to grow.

[Nick Brad]

Taking us back to the title of this thread, SCSA IS A CLUB SERIES organised by enthusiasts. The series needs to be run professionally if it wants to grow.

That seems rather disrespectful in my eyes, you start out by calling Duane a superhero and then turn around and kick him in the nuts?

From what I remember, you originally joined here and was looking to get a team up and running, but unfortunately it fell through. Since then all I hear is doom and gloom, you come and say it should be like this, not that, but I still don't see you actually doing much to help out the series. I personally have been working my ass off to secure sponsors for next year, I ended up practically driving myself into the ground and missing out on the presentation evening as a result whilst a certain company messed me around, but depsite still feeling like crap, (had this for about 3 weeks now,) I'm pushing on and trying other avenues to put cars on the grid for next year. Is it possible you can dial back on the negativity and try the same?

[Rusty Spanner]

O/K so life goes on and MAYBE there will be two Rockinghams but surely 5 or 6 meetings isn't enough to build a succesfull series.

Of course 5 or 6 meetings is enough. Its a foundation to start from and the only sensible place to start if this dream of ours is to stand a chance of surviving. No use jumping straight into a 10 meeting season if the whole thing is built on quicksand.

[Abo]

Of course 5 or 6 meetings is enough. Its a foundation to start from and the only sensible place to start if this dream of ours is to stand a chance of surviving. No use jumping straight into a 10 meeting season if the whole thing is built on quicksand.

Oh I don't know, I don't see why one couldn't put on a longer season, at the right venues.

Personally I think £0 entry fees is one of the ways to go in attacting new drivers. Look at the way Sonny does it with the Pickups, with him selling a certain amount of sponsorship on each truck in order to (help) pay for it. Ok, I dare say the nature of his business, and the fact he's a bit of a veteran helps him do this, but the Pickups have paid nothing in entry fees since before I started being involved.

I reckon this, coupled with relatively cheap machinery could pull some drivers in, but a longer (varied) season would help keep drivers interest IMHO.

[montana37]

why not try Mallory Park the also hace a oval and it would be great to see SCSA cars there.

:eek:

[The White Lady]

Dear all, It's no secret that I am a huge fan of the V8's running on ovals. It has been a great series for us to support with Rockingham practically on our doorstep! With reduced grids we have become very attached to the Pickup series too. Splitting the two series is going to leave us with divided loyalties - it will be difficult for us to support both series, particularly in view of SCSA going to road courses. We may be able to get to some of them ,depending on the circuits due to distance issues and other Sunday commitments - with Rockingham it was sometimes possible to fulfil those and still get there for most of the racing.
I am concerned that there will be too much infighting between the different camps causing further damage to the series if things get too hotheaded before there is any confirmed information out there.

I am confident that Duane continues to do his best for the series, just as he has done in the past. Don't make his job any harder.
Whichever way the cookie crumbles some of us are going to be disappointed. The way it looks now the Pitkid and I will lose the opportunity to continue going to support a series we have enjoyed from it's very beginnings. But if Duane can only get two Rockingham dates then that's all there is regardless of how much we bang on about it here. I just hope the two dates are ones that we can make - dates as soon as possible please - the Church books up my Sundays a long way ahead these days!
Sincerest good wishes to you, Duane, as you continue to do your best for this unique series, and to all the teams - hopefully we'll be back there cheering you on at some stage.
Lets try and keep things positive round here - negativity can be very damaging!

:monkeedan : :monkeedan :
We love SCSA We love SCSA

[SkidCarrera]

Sincerest good wishes to you, Duane, as you continue to do your best for this unique series, and to all the teams - hopefully we'll be back there cheering you on at some stage.
Lets try and keep things positive round here - negativity can be very damaging!

:monkeedan : :monkeedan :
We love SCSA We love SCSA

I don't suppose you have 10,000 mates who all feel the same as you, do you?

[racingrivalsDOT]

Correct, we did a great deal to put a car in the 07 series, only for the goalposts to move completely leaving us with no oppurtunity to let the sponsor move elsewhere. The problem in the last year or two was that people were being enticed with deals, that on the face of it were fine but loads of hidden charges etc soon appeared.

I never criticised Duane. He will be the first to admit he doesn't have the time to commit solely on the series. Duane has done a great job, but if the series is to grow, a new approach is needed. Rockingham have obviously lost confidence in the series, two dates next year, none the following year???

[Henry Cutts]

The series has needed to leave Rockingham from day 1 fingers crossed we go to another oval, but visiting other venues will be good for the series long term. 2008 will probably be the furthest from a club series the championship has been for the last few years, some people complained that we only race at Rockingham now we want to race elsewhere and still people are not happy!

[racing59]

You can't please all of the people any of the time!!!! ;)

Can I also tell the truth here people.

For this sort of racing to work (oval only) there needed to be at least two more similar tracks in the UK, maybe one short one (1/2 or 5/8 mile) banked like it should be!, and the other a 1-mile flat track (not like Mallory with that ruddy awful bump), with a proper wall, infield pits, etc..

But to do that, we need the crowds to flock in to see the racing, not the band that's tagged onto the meeting. Then people will be interested in building those facilities. Chicken, egg, hammer, scottle of botch, hangover...

When you've sobered up, you'll realise that to get the masses along to watch us make r's of ourselves you need to market the "show". On this planet, the planet CA$H you need filthy lucre to achieve that. So, before we get a chance to get that loot, we need something to sell. Right now, we ain't got it.

Here, in my cloud cuckoo land, I'm hoping that come 1st March 2008, when the world of Motor Racing starts to wake from it's winter slumbers, we will have something to sell.

That cloud cuckoo land is ever so close to reality - thanks to the work that Duane has been doing, and others, behind the scenes.

Moving on...

At one point this year, we were looking at zero races at Rockingham next year. In fact, zero SCSA championship next year = lots of unhappy people.

With the work of Duane, et al, we have two meetings, and the contentious move to include road circuits.

I also don't see the "split" making a difference, the Pickups were once seen as a stepping stone to the V8's, and they still can be. We still need the Pickups, as much as they need us, but things are out of our hands.

However, that's not saying that if things go well in the future, we can't join together to form some sort of NASCAR-esque package, Busch & CTS....????

I'm hoping that you will continue to follow us next season, and show the real "club racers" what us "semi-professionals" can do.

We do not race because we have a "whim", well I don't. I joined the series because I have the vision that we are an entertainment first and foremost (which racing on the oval allows us to excel at), and maybe one day, we'll be a marketing machine like NASCAR. OK, I'll go back to cloud cuckoo land.

Rob.

[JovialJooles]

Good Luck to SCSA for next year. :)

For those of us that live in the real world, I think your plans make a lot of sense and I hope that 2008 really is a great foundation year for you.

For others, I think you need to take a reality check...

Where on earth do you think the money is going to come from to meet your expectations?

[Chigley]

Rockingham have obviously lost confidence in the series, two dates next year, none the following year???

Excuse me DOT but what the heck has Rockingham got to do with anything? :(

Rockingham have no connection what so ever with SCSA apart from hiring the track to BRSCC. :confused:

Guys (all of you); please engage brains before letting your fingers anywhere near a keyboard. Pipe dreams are from when you close your eyes to when the alarm goes off!

This has been on the cards for a couple of years and each year a new brazen scare story has seen the forum overflow with gloom and doom only to be proven wrong each time.

The Series will never emulate the States/ NASCAR/Busch ....... etc so get used to it and stop letting your blood pressure soar.

I'm not ranting but taking a level headed view on what is available and possible right now with the cards that are to hand. Of course a hugely successful championship is the ideal but don't expect Duane and the other organiser to perform miracles by tomorrow, they did the impossible this season.

Be patient!

:)

[Duane]

Ahhh, Chiggers, the voice of Reason.....Patience indeed !!!!

Duane

[Speedworx]

Its a shame to only have 2 Rockingham meetings for SCSA, means I won't see them as much in 2008. Hope the series adds more in 2009 and beyond. The bulk needs to be at Rockingham with 2-3 road course races (like picks ups these days)

[racingrivalsDOT]

Don't get me wrong, I hope SCSA goes on to be successfull and you achieve what you want to achieve. That being said, if that is the direction you want to take the series, I like many others will spend whatever money we have in the states. Like Motorsport News said, OVAL IS OVER. The pickups will have more rounds at The Rock than SCSA and even they don't claim to be an oval series. Tell you what, if you want road courses, take your toys and play elsewhere and build a series on that format. Then hopefully Alfie will support a true oval racing series that is run like a business and promotes close racing and action on the oval. Oval Racing will never be huge in this country, but with the right marketing and image it can become a crowd puller like years gone by.

[ASCAR24/7/365.5]

i for one am glad to see scsa expend onto road courses, the thought of seeing scsa cars sweep down the craner curves at donnington or thundering along the straight at snetterton sends shivers down my spine! hey and lets face it, scsa has tried to run solely on ovals over the past few years and while it has had some sucess it hasnt appealed to everyone, so what have we got to loose!...hey if it doesnt work then you havent really lost anything!

[EarWig]

I believe some members here should listen to those who command respect in our series and digest the information tendered.

[PitMarshal]

Follwing on from Chigley's post, can someone clarify: is it Rockingham that have only offered SCSA two oval dates, or BRSCC? As Chigley stated, Rockinghams role is that of the track owner. Surely the BRSCC as the organisers decide who races at their meetings and when? And where do the pickups fit into all of this - Reading between the lines it appears that they have been offered more than two dates? Logistically it doesn't make sense (to me anyway) to have a meeting where only one class are using the oval. That just leaves potential for them being screwed around even worse than they were this year if/when the timetable goes pear-shaped.

Like other long-term SCSA supporters, I accept the neccessity to include 'road' courses in the package, but I worry that this is the start of a slippery slope. The series should have it's roots in oval racing, and I just worry that having more road races than oval will erode that link. What chance of it ending up as an all road course series in two or three seasons time?

[PitMarshal]

Going slightly O/T, have a look at this:

http://www.ten-tenths.com/forum/showthread.php?t=101705

Someone makes a very good point; what we really need is for everyone in Europe who runs or wants to run a American Stock Car-type series to sit down in one room together and have a good old chinwag.

[JovialJooles]

Going slightly O/T, have a look at this:

www.ten-tenths.com/forum/showthread.php?t=101705 (http://www.ten-tenths.com/forum/showthread.php?t=101705)

Someone makes a very good point; what we really need is for everyone in Europe who runs or wants to run a American Stock Car-type series to sit down in one room together and have a good old chinwag.

That would make a lot of sense...

[kelvin88]

That would make a lot of sense...

Thank you, now try this,

You drop the MSA and move over to 400/400 crate motor, We strengthen our Cages and get manual transmissions and throw some weight in our cars to bring the to an SCSA weight. We agree a cross weight limit and a control tyre. Roland and Duane can promote it together. You have an instant grid of 30+ cars that can race anywhere in the world.

The only problem making everyone agree to it. The fact of the matter is that Rolands CAMSO V8 do quite nicely thank you very much. The drivers, and indeed the boss man, are probably not up for a change of rules. The SCSA however, is not cheap. I have run a season in a 450bhp Escort Cosworth in Modified Ford for the money your asking for six races in ASCAR. Sure its cheaper than Nat Hot Rod but it wouldn't be if the Nat Hot Rods only did six races a year! The only thing that seperates you guys from every other club series in the uk is Rockingham and the fact that you use American Stock Cars. As and Mark Hales said when ASCAR first started, you wont make more people like it just because your using American cars.

Thanks for listening, i'm going back to hide in Ten-tenths now where you people can't ban me!

[racingrivalsDOT]

Thanks for all the messages. It's easy to say that I have no respect for the people running the series but that isn't tru, to keep it running as long as it has SCSA have done great. The problem is the future. Losing all but two dates is a severe indication that Rockingham no longer value the series. Who can blame them? I had a nice PM saying if I care so much, why don't I get involved. I would love to sit down with Duane, Colin, John S, John M, Gavin and whoever ton try and thrash something out. Gavin, from what I hear, left the series because there was no benefit in remaining in the series except for the value of his cars. I personally believe that if we can put together a business plan, Alfie and Rockingham would listen.

EDIT: But the series needs a radical overhaul in the way it is organised for this to happen, needs TV and needs to be a "show".

[JovialJooles]

If anyone is wondering where Kelvin88 is coming from, take a look here

http://www.camsov8fanzine.piczo.com/?cr=7&rfm=y

Not sure why you think we'll ban you...

[Old Stock Nut]

Although the SCSA series has attractions of it's own, it will probably not be able to break through the "entertainment" barrier without wider exposure - chicken-egg problem.

Perhaps one of the best opportunities coming our way next year is the addition of well known open wheeler drivers to NASCAR next year. Most people will know of Montoya from his F1 days and we will also have a Brit next year with Dario racing. The wider exposure of the excitement of V8 oval racing could come if NASCAR had a mainstream slot on TV next year. The race times are against live coverage because it is either in the middle of the night or at peak evening time on Sunday. However, a good hour or two of a race summary on Sunday afternoon for the Saturday night races or on a Monday evening for the Sunday ones on one of the main five channels would do wonders for the whole oval community. We could then push the "Like US V8" message a good deal better.

Anyone who saw the final laps at Texas on Sunday could not fail to be enthused. Luckily, I am out in the States at the moment and so did not have to sit up too late to what the ending. That race was fantastic and if we could press the big five TV channels for more NASCAR coverage next year, I am sure the whole oval V8 commuity would benefit. Perhaps we should start bombarding Auntie Beeb to expand their motorsport experience a bit wider than F1 now we have some more Euro-famous faces in it!!!!!

[Gasman]

Do we actually know what the two SCSA at RMS dates are yet?

What dates are the Pickups running next year?

Any hard facts anyone?

[Chigley]

Do we actually know what the two SCSA at RMS dates are yet?

What dates are the Pickups running next year?

Any hard facts anyone?

If anyone knew and told you; you would have to be killed immediately afterwards :p

Fraid I don't know and I bet Pickup Office ain't telling yet :D

[Abo]

If anyone knew and told you; you would have to be killed immediately afterwards :p

Fraid I don't know and I bet Pickup Office ain't telling yet :D

Probably start to hear stuff after the Pickup awards evening.

[hmmm - donuts]

Dumb question - I assume the V8s can run on road courses even when raining?

I assume we don't know yet which road courses are in the frame?

[Nick Brad]

Yeah, they can run in the wet using Hoosier tyres, will be a bit slippery with that power, but that will only add to the show :D
I have thought about the dropping of MSA, but that brings it's own set of problems and so not something the series needs to add to it's plate unfortunately, also there's too much difference between a CAMSO V8 and an SCSA car, finding a common set of rules to equalise the cars will bring lots of expense to one or both series which can't really be justified. (One thing I shall leave you all to think about though, we will NOT be subject to the road traffic act if we lose the MSA due to the fact we race on private property. The boy racers in your local Tesco car park have taken advantage of that rule for a long time now and it's also the reason short tracks are able to stay in business.)

[racingrivalsDOT]

NASCAR on mainstream TV isn't going to happen, unfortunately :-(

With the switch to digital underway, look out for ITV sport and BBC sport channels et all.

[acorn]

. However, a good hour or two of a race summary on Sunday afternoon for the Saturday night races or on a Monday evening for the Sunday ones on one of the main five channels would do wonders for the whole oval community.

getting mainstream tv channels (ie terrestrial analogue) to show any form of motorsport(barring f1) during the evening is near impossible. with the enforced move to digital more homes will be exposed to the wider choices available.

five already shows a 50 min highlights show of the latest nascar round albeit on tuesday sometime between 01:00 and 06:00 but five us, which is available on freeview digital (so no need for a subscription), also shows a 1 hour show on thursday or friday at 15:00 and/or 19:00.

even if you're not in the enforced digital area chances are many already have it. if you're a motorsport fan , you've probably hunted out what's on and when so are probably aware of the five us showings of nascar (and nhra drag racing) and as there isn't much else on in the way of motorsport at that time that's what you should be watching and if you're not, then you're probably not interested in oval racing.

my point of view is that potential oval converts HAVE to be introduced to it by existing oval fans otherwise they will not seek it out.(and reducing the number of rockingham oval meetings will not help the cause)

[deadsquirrel]

(One thing I shall leave you all to think about though, we will NOT be subject to the road traffic act if we lose the MSA due to the fact we race on private property. The boy racers in your local Tesco car park have taken advantage of that rule for a long time now and it's also the reason short tracks are able to stay in business.)
Sorry, you're wrong. Private property does not exempt you from the RTA - and the boy racers on Tesco's can get pulled by the police without any problem. Short Oval run (IMO) outside of any recognised authority, and on the basis of what may be a flawed interpretation of regulations - it would probably take a court case (or coroners inquest) to get some definitive answers on this.

[Abo]

five already shows a 50 min highlights show of the latest nascar round albeit on tuesday sometime between 01:00 and 06:00 but five us, which is available on freeview digital (so no need for a subscription), also shows a 1 hour show on thursday or friday at 15:00 and/or 19:00

And they have a +1 channel which is handy!

[Abo]

Perhaps one of the best opportunities coming our way next year is the addition of well known open wheeler drivers to NASCAR next year. Most people will know of Montoya from his F1 days and we will also have a Brit next year with Dario racing.

No-one outside the hardcore motorsport community will know who Dario Franchitti is... There maybe something to gain with Montoya (and Villeneuve if he comes on), but feel there is quite a 'what have you done for me lately' atmosphere in the community, maybe?

[Nick Brad]

Sorry, you're wrong. Private property does not exempt you from the RTA - and the boy racers on Tesco's can get pulled by the police without any problem.
If that is the case why do the police often wait outside car parks to catch "offenders" when cruises are taking place rather than go straight in and bust everybody, (apart from the obvious size of the task). I know some groups are split up very quickly by the police before cruises take place, but I assumed that was simply because of the driver's ignorance to the laws.


Short Oval run (IMO) outside of any recognised authority, and on the basis of what may be a flawed interpretation of regulations - it would probably take a court case (or coroners inquest) to get some definitive answers on this.
The majority of short track racing falls under the ORC or BriSCA which as far as I'm concerned are recognised authorities and I hate the fact that racing has to be controlled by the MSA to be considered professional. What the hell have they, or for that matter the FIA, ever done for oval racing and what makes them so much better than everyone else?
I realise that some people on here are covered by MSA insurances and so on which aren't currently catered for by the aformentioned groups, but I'm not covered by any such protection and yet I have to bow down to MSA law and I'm sick of it.
Motorsport can be a dangerous pastime, that is accepted by most without question.

[kelvin88]

I should think about it again. Don't be fooled into thinking they have some kind of love for stockcar racing hidden away! :) It would be nice if ASCAR, CAMSO, this new DNRT series and the ACSE thing were all the same chassis and engine and everything but the fact of the matter is, they ain't. And we are each stuck with what we got. My point is you could make the cars close enough to put on a show. I dont expect every SCSA driver to rush out and by a 400/ 400 in the same way that i am not going to throw away a Brinn transmission that can all come later. What you need is bums in seats in the grandstands. Which people say you don't have because of the lack of cars. I have heard rumours fly about about this driver joining and that driver joining. But everyone involved in a one-make series knows that out of ten wannabies for ANY series, not just this one, you will be lucky if one actually puts his money where his mouth is. Just give the idea an extra coat of looking at is all im saying. As for the MSA, I think all the stockcar promoters would gather round if you could pull off a stockcar series like this. T.V would be what makes it professional wether the MSA like it or not.

[racing59]

I'm not going to get involved with any shouting matches going on here, but...
Duane has so far turned a sow's lughole into a silk purse by comparison, and what we need now are the diamond edgings to go with it.

Of those 10 wannabe's - so far one has actually bought a car!! That's commitment.

I personally don't think there's any chance of an ASCAR/CAMSO tie-up in terms of cars on one grid. Our cars wouldn't be as good as yours on a short oval, because you run proper offset chassis, we run a "multi-use" chassis, designed with the sole intention of doing both oval and road course racing.

The DNRT series is probably closest to what we're doing. They're using the crate LS2 engine, which will be fine on a road course, but take it on an oval and expect failures, especially an oval like Rockingham or Lausitz. It's a wet sump engine. Had they gone for the LS7, which OK, produces more power, but added a restrictor, then yes, take it to an oval. It should be OK.

As has been said, the "regional" NASCAR champioships have gone the way of a spec motor/chassis with alternative body shapes. There's a pointer for the future.

Like I said, I'm in cloud cuckoo land when I think that we could be come a NASCAR feeder, or even the origins of what might become one. But what I do say, is backed up by everyone I guess, is that the only way for "our way of life" to figure much more highly in the "food chain of motorsport" is for some serious backing to fall off of the back of a lorry somewhere, and let Duane do his job with the confidence that he's got TV, got media exposure, and got the circuit fees, and maybe a few other niceties like tyres/fuel covered too.

That is where (as Old Stock Nut says) it's a real chicken-egg scenario.

Like, once again, I said previously, we have to have something that we can sell, before we can sell it.

MSA/FIA/ORC/etc is all irrelevant. If we have something that people want, it will be a success. The difference is that we are trying to sell something to the people, not just to the competitors (or would-be competitors).

Rather than griping on the forums, like we are indeed doing, we should be emailing, or better still, formally writing to the likes of ITV and BBC to make sure that the ITV Sport or BBC Sport channels are not just ITV Football, or BBC Football (with a bit of rugger and snooker thrown in), and that they have their fair share of motorsport on them, not just BTCC, of F1, but EVERY form of motorsport. They could run a 1hr program every week, showing a different discipline/championships in depth, and I would say, NEVER run out of things to cover such is the way that the sport evolves.

I'm looking forwards to the "ALL NEW" SCSA championship next year. Are you?