C'mon CCS!

[K3 Chris Onwiler]

I didn't know Clear Channel dictated how many people worked for CCS.  When I go to the track I see CCS people everywhere.

There are about ten people in the office at CCS.  This is where the entries and points get lost, and where customer service falls down.  Just not enough people to service such a large operation.  I think that a guy named Ken or Kevin Abbot is the king.  Name aside, I met the guy at the Indy dealer show.  What a piece of work he is!  Anyone who wants to complain about Kevin Elliot needs to meet his boss!  The people you see at the track are all volunteers.  Corner workers and staff get paid something like $50 per day, and if more than the maximum number of workers that CCS will pay for show up, that $50 per day gets even smaller.  $50 per day barely covers their travel, and certianly is no wage to work for.  I'll bet the majority of racers never stop to think that the tech inspector, the corner worker, the race director, the registrar...  all those people are race fans who do this for a hobby.  They get a bit of cash, a free room occasionally, a meal or two.  Nothing that even begins to cover their time or expense to come work for us.  Think about that next time you want to go off on someone at the track.  I worked as a corner worker for 15 years before I went racing, and I was spending my own time, money and vacation to do it.  You might meet Kevin Elliot, Linda, Tiffany or Eric at the track.  They are from the Texas office.  Everyone else you deal with is a local enthusiast volunteer.

[Chuck]

Sounds like CCE runs this like a non profit organization...the problem is that it isn't.  Us Racers Generate a $hit ton of cash.  Where does it all go?  If it doesn't go to the employees that are supposed to help make these events go smoothly who's pocket is it in?

[TZ_Boy]

   CCE of course. The last time this came up Tiffany was saying that she was working as hard as she and a small staff could manage.  If I remember correctly Her and 2 other girl's were processing 3000 license application's.  You do the math on that coin.

[TZ_Boy]

  ECU Mike you stole my middle name.  I have not let a lowly SV beat me in over a year and half. ;D   Did we meet at Barber last year?   There was some guy on a Aprilia 250 out braking me into 1 in practice.

[Eric Kelcher]

Here is the list of FUSA/CCS staff.
Kevin Elliott - Director of Competition

Kenneth Abbott - Marketing & Promotions

Tiffiney Kelcher - Event Manager (Event Info & Licensing)

Linda Hipps - Event Manager (General Info, Refunds, Licensing, & Entries)

Nicole Lewinn - Data Management (Licensing & Entries)

Nicole deals with AX during their season so she is not 100% FUSA/CCS staff.

I am a "local enthusiast" without a region. My biz/job is Blockworks

[Chuck]

Why are there 5 people managing a national racing organization?  Sounds like CCE needs to give up a little more coin and get those people some help.

[motomadness]

With such a small staff, why isn't CCS begging to work smarter than harder.  If the staff at CCS spent more time request smarter tools from CCE, they could better manage the work load.  First of all I would computerize everything (pre-entry and post-entry).  This single shift would reduce the paper work and the subsequent re-data entry.  It's like trying to make a bike go faster by reducing the friction.  After everything is computerized (with obvious reliable back systems), then the system can be optimized so everything works together.  Seems like all the commercial IBM has screams loudly at being a perfect fix for our complex system  (i.e., someone call IBM and see if they will donate there services).  One big company helping another big company may make things happen.

What really interesting is that CCE also runs the Supercross series with the AMA.  The AMA has many systems already in place that literally streamline all of the types of fan and racer info/data that reports live info and facts about the series.  Why can't CCS harness this from CCE/AMA.  Is it because the the Edmundson lawsuit - probably?

Anyway, I propose this more than a year ago, but who's in for starting a new, well attended, FRBR - For the Racer By the Racer - series in the upper Midwest?  There's a lot of talk about a new region being formed next year.  Will it be a part of CCS, or just affiliated with CCS?

[ecumike]

 ECU Mike you stole my middle name.  I have not let a lowly SV beat me in over a year and half. ;D   Did we meet at Barber last year?   There was some guy on a Aprilia 250 out braking me into 1 in practice.

hehe, may have been me. #826, AM last year. I only rode practice and 2 or so races on Sat, then blew a piston, which put me out for the rest of the weekend.

[GAMEDIC]

Have to put my .02 in..lol.. all i have to say is another org. get s the points and everything done pretty fast and if i am not mistaken they only have 4 full time people :o

[K3 Chris Onwiler]

Five people?  That's twice as bad as the ten I had suspected.  No wonder nothing ever gets done.  The work load has to be insane.
As for the money, I know that track rental fees can be killer, and often the smaller and less well attended events will lose money.  The better attended events need to make up for that.  We bitch about getting run from Barber to MAM for double points, but from the CCS point of view, those venues need to make the gate, and some tracks cost more than others to rent.  Road America is crazy expensive to rent.  I know that last year our second race there got canceled because Road America was selling spectator tickets, keeping the money, and expecting CCS to provide security to manage the spectators!
 A local series is at an advantage in some sense, because they have a relationship with their few tracks, their small pool of racers and staff, ect.  It's like family.  CCS has a more national feel.  You can race around the country with CCS, and go to a national runoff.  But CCS needs to make the rent at little events and big ones.  I think CCE needs to help CCS with some personell of computer upgrades or something, but I don't think that there is as much cash flying into the pockets of CCE as we sometimes think.

[motomadness]

Did everyone miss my point?  If you have fewer people, your are in greater need of a simplified system, not less.  CCS's priority should be to start testing new systems in parallel with what they are doing.  They have to do the work, and there is plenty of time at the track to take care of this are the tracks if need be.  We have been pregnant dogging for years, because the internet and computer advances have seemed to pass by CCS, without them making any obvious changes.  

We complain about points updates - solved with a streamlined process, plenty of examples in existence

We complain about registration issue - solved again with a streamlined process - be more hands off with the proper backup.  I bet a lot of companies would donate their services to get the system going.

We caomplain, but are we like the board of directors, or investors in CCS.  If that's the case, why does if always feel like we are the last to here about policy and process?

[StumpysWife]

At Gateway, when the old track dude got up and said "Deal with it" (for back to back races) I wanted to tell him to F.O.  Even though I didn't have any back to backs!

The back to backs aren't a big deal.  Stump ran 2 sets of them. You just have to be prepared with a hotpit and a rider in excellent condition  :-*.

So, yes, I do agree with "deal with it".  

As far as points goes, I, too, figure them myself.  No, I shouldn't have to, but then we know where he stands when we want to know--less stressful.

Heather  :)