LP Days. I'm not happy.

[K3 Chris Onwiler]

I showed up at Gingerman this morning to race my Formula Forty class.  I was informed that because this was an LP day, the schedule had been shuffled, and my race would be on Sunday.  Let's just say I wasn't pleased.  Most of the traditional Saturday races had been bumped to Sunday to make room for the LP day, so a great many competitors were in for a rude surprise when they looked at the schedule.  People were either saying, "I don't even race today.  I could have stayed home!" or "I'm supposed to be going home tonight.  Now what do I do?"
As has been discussed before, it seems that CCS has sold a big chunk of our track time to the LP program, and to make it up to us, they offer to let us have a Saturday afternoon practice FOR AN ADDITIONAL $25!!!  It seems to me as if we've already paid for practice, but now CCS is trying to sell it to us again.
  OK, that's all been talked to death already, and CCS will obviously do whatever they want with no reguard to our feelings.  Here's what really irks me.  I showed up Saturday for my race, but now it was scheduled for Sunday.  When I pre-entered for this season, I specifically chose classes that would run on Saturday so that I could go home Sunday and prepare for the following week.  I wasn't told about this then, and I was specifically asking which classes were Saturday events.  Everyone knows that a Twin Sprint or F-USA weekend will have an unusual schedule, but I had no warning reguarding this weekend.
This month alone we have four race weekends in a row, and the five weeknights between each aren't enough time for me to prepare.  Like many competitors, I work two jobs and do side work to pay for my racing.  Competitors must juggle their time and money.  Babysitters, vacation time, accomidations and many other factors come into play each time a racer plans to go to the track.  I was told, "The schedule is on the web site."  Well, not everyone has a computer.  I do, but didn't even think to check it out, because I expected this weekend to be like any other.  I'm thinking that there could have been a mailer, or at the very least we could have been informed of this at riders meetings during previous events.  
I only live 150 miles from Gingerman, so I came home.  The cost of this SNAFU to me is 6 hours of my time, $50 in gas, and 300 extra miles on my truck.  I will accomplish my Sunday work today, and drive back there tomorrow to race.  There were many, many furious racers still screaming when I left.  Those folks had come from much further away, and the inconvenience to them was far greater.
Can you imagine if Clearchannel rescheduled a concert but didn't tell the customers until they arrived?  There would be a riot.  To me, this entire LP thing is a simple case of CCS taking track time that we've already paid for and selling it to someone else, then trying to sell it back to us as well!  The schedule change clearly caught many people unaware, and should obviously have been handled differently by CCS.  It's just icing on the cake.  I'm pretty sure that we are the PAYING CUSTOMERS of CCS, yet we are treated as if CCS is doing us a favor by allowing us to race.  There are other series out there willing to take our mony as well.  CCS would be well advised to realize that they do not hold a monopoly on motorcycle racing in this country.    

[EX#996]

Chris,

Man, that sucks!  The Road America Schedule was different at the track verses what was on-line and the person at registration said, "you cannot always trust the schedule on line, it may change."   :o

Here's the schedule for Gingerman this weekend:SATURDAY SCHEDULE
7:00AM Gates/Registration/Tech Open
8:00AM Practice as follows:
  Group 1: All Expert Licensed Racers
  Group 2: All Amateur Licensed Racers
and LP USA Advanced Riders
  Group 3: All LP USA Sport Riders
  Group 4: All LP USA Street Riders
  Group 1: All Expert Licensed Racers
  Group 2: All Amateur Licensed Racers
and LP USA Advanced Riders
  Group 3: All LP USA Sport Riders
  Group 4: All LP USA Street Riders
  Group 1: All Expert Licensed Racers
  Group 2: All Amateur Licensed Racers
and LP USA Advanced Riders
  Group 3: All LP USA Sport Riders
  Group 4: All LP USA Street Riders
  Group 5: LCR License Clinic Practice
11:15AM Lunch Break
12:00PM Resume LP USA Sport Rider Day
  Group 2: LP USA Advanced Riders
  Group 3: All LP USA Sport Riders
  Group 4: All LP USA Street Riders
  Group 5: LCR License Clinic Practice
  Group 2: LP USA Advanced Riders
  Group 3: All LP USA Sport Riders
  Group 4: All LP USA Street Riders
  Group 5: LCR License Clinic Practice
1:00PM Registration Closes -Riders Meeting
2:30PM CCS Regional Championship
Series Races As Follows:
1. GT Lights (Ex &Am) (30 min)
LCR License Clinic Practice (15 min)
2. Akrapovic Pipes GTU (Ex &Am) (30 min)
3. LCR Exhibition Race (5 Laps)
4. GTO (Ex &Am) (30 min)


SUNDAY SCHEDULE
7:00AM Gates/Registration/Tech Open
7:30AM Riders Meeting
8:00AM Practice as follows:
  Group 1: All Expert 250 GP Bikes, MW, HW, Unlimited
Classes & SuperTwins
  Group 2: All Amateur 250 GP Bikes, MW, HW,
Unlimited Classes & SuperTwins
  Group 3: All GP Singles, SuperSingles, Sportsman,
ThunderBike, & LW Classes
9:00AM Registration Closes
10:00AM 8-Lap CCS Races as follows:
1. Middleweight SuperBike (Ex &Am)
2. Lightweight GP (Ex &Am)
3. $1000.00 Speedscreen Unlimited GP (Am)
LUNCH BREAK (45 min)
4. Formula 40 (Ex &Am)
5. GP Singles /SuperSingles / LW Production Twins
6. Middleweight GP (Ex &Am)
5. Middleweight Sportsman (Ex &Am)
& Ultra LW Sportsman
7. Heavyweight SuperBike (Ex &Am)
8. Lightweight SuperBike (Ex &Am)
9. $1500.00 Speedscreen Unlimited GP (Ex)
10. SuperTwins (Ex &Am)
11. Middleweight SuperSport (Am)
12. Middleweight SuperSport (Ex)
13. HW Sportsman (Ex &Am)& LW Sportsman (Ex &Am)
14. Heavyweight SuperSport (Ex &Am)
15. Lightweight SuperSport (Ex &Am)
16. Unlimited SuperSport (Ex &Am)

What about those who were running the GT, GTO, and GTU classes?  Did they have to pay an additional $25.00 to practice even though they have a race today?

What a pain in the _ _ _

Dawn   :(

[EX#996]

I just checked, according to the web site.  The schedule for Gingerman in September is the same format.  

Himmm...  Do we drive 8-1/2 hours one way for just one day?

We will have to see.

Dawn   :-/

[K3 Chris Onwiler]

That whole block of time from Noon until 2:30 was off limits to racers unless they paid the additional $25.  Also, unless you were competing in a GT race, there was no reason for you to be there today.  Wish I'd have known in advance...

[Woofentino Pugrossi]

I just checked, according to the web site.  The schedule for Gingerman in September is the same format.  

Good enough reason for me not to go to Gingerman in Sept. After the 2001 fiasco I encountered there, I doubt I'll ever go there again.  >:(

[Litespeed]

That's the schedule we've been dealing with in the SW all season.  I have given up on the long trips because it's not worth it anymore.  I will race when the drive is less than 5 hours which only leaves me with one track which we visit 4 times a year.  Good thing there are track days or I would just sell everything and be done altogether...

[KBOlsen]

Chris, that totally blows.  $25 for a 2-1/2 hour practice? Hm.

On a semi-related note: Does Gingerman host a Friday practice day a'la Blackhawk (independent of CCS)?


One more thing... we didn't get ALL of your grill out of my car the other day... I've got the regulator/probe thing here yet.

[Super_KC124]

Thats why I've only raced once with CCS this year. :(

[Thingy]

K3-

Hopefully you already know this one, but there is another schedule change that you need to be aware of...  (luckily this one does not screw us out of track time)

Halfway through the year, they will reverse the Sunday schedule so that the same races aren't always at the end of the day.  While I do think this is a good idea, and fair, I just wish they would publicize it a little more.  (The year I found out about it, I had purposely chosen the early races and was in the points hunt before I fount out.  By then it was too late... :-/)

[K3 Chris Onwiler]

Hey, Hitchthingey!  I knew about that, but only from experience.  Five years later CCS is still surprising me.  How is a beginner supposed to cope?

[Xian_13]

I just got home from G-man...
Let me offer my input

*** Be warned not to read any further unless you are open to other peoples opinions ***

[opinion]
Who ever thought it was a good Idea to run ALL Armatures together should have words spoken to them... Who ever thought you should put "Advantaced rides" in there also should have bamboo shoved in between their finger nails!

Practice today was like 5:00 pm traffic in Chi-town, in fact I think they may have invited some of the commuters also!

Heavy Weight AM's do NOT belong on the track with a 125 GP Am. Maybe on paper its a good Idea, but you don't race paper.
Now you add the "Advanced rides" driving who knows what... It was not only scary... It was dangerous as H3ll!
(stiffer guidelines are needed to define an advanced rider IMO)
I am not the fastest guy in the world on the track, but I was passing people like they were standing still. There were time I would be behind a group and they would split a rider, where I would not see them till almost to late. I have no idea how we made it past practice with out a serious crash.
[/opinion]

[skydiver19]

I got screwed during a recent LP track day as well.  CCS scheduled a LP day on the Friday before a normal race weekend, which is normally great for those who want/need a little extra practice before racing.  On this particular weekend, however, I was only able to make the practice day--not stick around for the race weekend.  Still, laps are laps.

My one concern was the gate fee. Normally, so long as you leave the track by early evening and turn in your wrist band, your gate fee is refunded. Wanting to make sure this was the case, I called the CCS office on Thursday to confirm the refund policy.  The girl I spoke with was very nice and told me "absolutely" the gate fee is refundable for those not staying the whole weekend. It was based on this info. that I and my wife made the 3 hour trip.  You guessed it--- I arrive at the gate and am told there will be no refunds on the gate fee of $30/person.  Now I've already loaded my trailer, woken up at 4 in the morning, and driven 3 hours-- I'm not turing back now. But before I've ridden a single lap my one day adventure has already cost me $60.

Now I approached the CCS people and was informed that there was a new system in place, the track was handling gate fees, and they controlled refunds or lack thereof.  Bottom line, refunds were the tracks deal and I wasn't getting one.

At this point I naively believed that common sense would prevail. Afterall, I specifically called and spoke with a rep. from CCS to obtain gate info. and made the trip based on that info.  Having been given incorrect info. my foolish belief in logic had me thinking that CCS would do the right thing and give me the refund.  No. They took no responsibility whatsoever.

It's my understanding that CCS didn't know until they arrived Thursday evening about the new policy. (Which is a whole other problem.) So the girl I spoke with that day wasn't aware that she was giving me incorrect info.  Regardless, when a representative of a company makes a mistake, the company is responsible for making amends.  

Or so you'd think. I've been loyally racing with CCS for 5 years despite other less expensive alternatives.  Now I'm starting to understand why the CCS grids at least appear to be getting smaller... If they're not getting smaller, this kind of treatment certainly isn't going to make them grow.