West Coast Racing

[Bad_Matt]

I am very displeased at the sudden change in venues and choice of dates for racers on the West Coast.  The CCS Pacific region is now gone.  Furthermore, any races held in California with the South West region are now folded as well.  We all saw the demise of two regions here.  The turn outs were falling off quite badly.  But, why destroy the relationships that have been developed with the California racers by pulling out completely?  This new schedule is making me change my mind on which organization to race with.  I attended every single Pacific and Southwest event for the past two years.  

We had racing at Thunderhill, Buttonwillow, Willow Springs, Las Vegas, and Firebird.  We now have racing at Arroyo Secco, Las Vegas, and Firebird.  My drive time has gone from 3,3,4.5,9, & 9 hours for each track respectively to 9,9, and 15 hours!  This goes for any other racer in the Bay Area.  I know right off, the number of racers from this area will be next to zero this coming season.

I am sad to see this move.  I would have liked to continue racing with this group of people.  I hope the powers that be can figure out how to make it work in this region.  Until then, the rest of you enjoy the fun in the sun.  Randy runs a class act and his people are great to work with.  Thanks again for a great 2004.  Good luck this year.

[wilsav]

I hear you loud an clear Matt. The question is. Will CCS hear you? CCS really had something going. BUT, poor advertising, bad contingency and staff that was spread too thin yields these type of results. Clear Channel or whomever is really responsible for calling the shots, SHAME ON YOU!

[rotoboge]

We had racing at Thunderhill, Buttonwillow, Willow Springs, Las Vegas, and Firebird.  We now have racing at Arroyo Secco, Las Vegas, and Firebird.  

I have to agree with you Matt. Being my first year, I loved Buttonwillow and Streets of Willow. ASMA runs a quality program, but it's too bad the regions were changed. All CCS had to do was incorporate ASMA events inbetween SW and Pacific events. I understand it's really all about"gates", but I fear we will lose the CA racers who, in my opinion, are some of the best!

[Eric Kelcher]

The real dimise of the pacific region is two fold the price the tracks charge and the proliferation of track days. It had been that if you wanted to get on a track you had to race. Then tracks days started being offered mid week to both existing riders and those that wanted to start racing(ie schools). The track days have started getting weekend dates which leaves race groups out as they cannot run a week day event and being anything close to succesful. Now as the track days get weekends more people can get their race/speed/etc fix without racing.

The real shame should goto the track day groups and the race tracks that schedule "practice" during a weekend. Weekends should be racing, practice should be mid week.

[RAY_HYMER]

Eric:
How could track days get any weekends if a race oranization would plan ahead a little and get some dates secured?   ???

I see a lot of AFM and WERA West races in California!  It seems strange that those organizations can afford to race at California tracks, and can get weekend dates, and CCS can't!!  I find it amazing that CCS couldn't get even ONE Buttonwillow date in the whole year!    :o

 I live in the Phoenix area, so this new schedule isn't that much of a big deal, but I do look forward to a summer race at Buttonwillow.  If CCS can't get enough entries to justify a race in California, that would show a bigger problem.   :-/

Kevin told us all in Phoenix 2 years ago that there were going to be some "exciting developements, wait and see".  Well, eliminating a region, and discontinuing racing in California is not a very good developement.   >:(

Brian Long, Jason Catching, Matt Buck, Steve Fukiage, and Tristin Schoenwald paid for a lot of races, and they are California guys.  How does CCS expect to replace their entries/money if they choose not to race with this organization? :(   :'(

On another note, why couldn't CCS have announced that there was no more Pacific Region?  ??? ???


Ray

[Bad_Matt]

The real dimise of the pacific region is two fold the price the tracks charge and the proliferation of track days.  

Well...here is my second response.  I worked out a nice long one with some good thought and was told it was too long by the system.  Then It disapeared.  Great.  Now I am too pissed and late for my party that I am unable to put it all back out.  Ammened and more gritty-

Eric-  Bullshit.

Track day organizer were here long before CCS came to town.  It was bad negotiating  on CCS and the track that brought us to loosing our right to ride at 2 spots.  CCS wants to be a big player with small pockets.  The market is saturated by WERA WSMC, AHRMA, and AFM races.  

I saw Ray Hymers list.  Add in Mike Haaren, Dirk Harden, Jim Haron, Scott Jackson, Nick Moore, Corey Sarros, Garth Dillon, Bob Russell, Will Willis, Ginny Cutler, and a ton of others I just can't recall right off.  Lost-  You will not likely see these faces again.


Ok-  The tracks are closer to Phoenix.  On Agregate. The tracks from 2003 were balanced all over the west coast.  Call it what it is-  P-SW region.  Quit running all this combined crap.

We now loose button willow because of proximity to phonix.  BW is one of the cheapest track in the region.  

In 2005 The tracks are a total travel of 12444 miles for someone from the Bay area.  That aint local for me.  That is 900 Miles less than if I drove to Daytona, raced all the FUSA races from Colubus OH, and drove home from the ROC.

[Super Dave]

AHRMA?

Hey, I don't see a whole lot of AHRMA dates anywhere.  They have been struggling for years now.

The AMA lost their date at VIR.  Cause of other track day programs and other racing programs.

Regardless, how many entries were the races out on your side getting?  

I think these things are kind of two fold:  got to have enough people to pay for renting the track, insurance, purses, etc (remember, you've got WERA, AFM, WSMC, etc. out fighting to get the racer money...and how many of that population has unlimited funds?) and space on a weekend to have a program.  

If XYZ Track time is willing to pay a pretty penny to have a weekend event...a racing organization still has to pay for more staff, scoring, timing equipment, people to do points, referees, etc...the race track is there to make money.  

If one organization will rent the track for $6k a day, and aonther will rent it for $5k, but has another $3k in expenses to put on their event, hey, that can hurt.

If more money can be had from the track day org, the prices might go up for the racing organization beyond what can be reasonably spent.

This is supply and demand.  How many weekends are there?  

And someone was just claiming that track days help racing?  Well, if the AMA can't get a date at VIR...

Maybe the track day organizers should start selling tickets to watch people ride at track days.

And don't forget, there are track day programs for guys with cars too.

On the flip side, WERA left the Central Midwest area in the late 80's.  Someone moves in.  You'll have a place to race.

[Roger@ASMA]

Okay, here's my take. California is oversaturated with different clubs. There are only so many racers and they all must choose which series they're going to race. For this reason the only way for the Pacific region to make it was to combine the events with the SW (Phoenix) region. The SW region is one of the smallest in the U.S., second only to the Pacific region. In the mid 90's there was usually 125-150 racers on a weekend, but that's shrunk to less than 100 per event, from what I'm told by some friends. I believe the reason for this is because when CCS started having SW races in California, two new racing organizations started in neighboring New Mexico. One, ASMA, which I run, and also SMRI out of Albuquerque. So, figure very few New Mexico riders are racing the full SW series, as well as people from West Texas. The California events were just way too far to drive for anyone who lives in this area. Back in the mid 90's the farthest we had to drive was Vegas, which is much closer than Buttonwillow or Streets. The list of current and former CCS SW racers who came from NM and W Texas is fairly large, Jewett, Ledesma, Richards, myself, Locklear and many more you've probably never heard of. I think they're trying to get the SW region back to health. I know a few of us actually moved to Phoenix to be able to race, some of us eventually moved back to NM and made our own way to race.

[rotoboge]

I feel fortunate enough that I live in Phoenix, AZ and can attend anything within a 300 mile radius. I will miss the CCS in California, but can make those trips to attend other organization events, like WERA. I am pleased to see track owner/operators such as Roger, to step up and offer services to racers that have been without (NM and West Texas). I look forward to participating in the ASMA schedule full time, as well as, the SW CCS events too.

[tshowrench]

I am pretty bummed that there is no more CCS west coast.

I have never understood the desire to go race with the AFM or WSMC and race with either 90 guys in 3 classes on the track at once, or at one track only with only nine corners.

CCS was not well marketed in California, and the attendance suffered. On the same weekend that the AFM has so many people that they have to limit class entries to 2 per person, and most calsses have a wait list, and you only get about 6 laps of practice, and they dont complete most races because of red flags, the CCS grid at T-Hill was vacant.

You simply have to attract some "name" talent, and promote your events locally if you want to get a decent turn-out.

I really enjoyed the family atmosphere, and the large group of friends that existed in the Pac and SW reigons, but its hard to sell it to your sponsors that you are going to race a series that doesnt even submit a race weekend report to Cycle News or RRW after its races!

Promotion, promotion, promotion!!!

[Bad_Matt]

IMHO- There is too much racing available and not enough racers.

Here was last Year for instance:

AHRMA ran two races here in California last year.  One at Willow Springs that conflicted with a CCS race being held the same weekend at Streets of Willow.  They also had a race at Thunder Hill.  

WSMC Runs Every Month.  Plus there was the  Toyota 200.  I know there were at least two conflicting dates.

AFM ran an Eight Race Series.  One Date conflicted with a CCS combined event.

WERA ran 8 events.  Two of which were conflicting with CCS races.

AMA ran three events out here and ALL! were in conflict.

Then along comes CCS.  They ran 11 events between the pacific and the South West. (7 of them combined)

That is thirty six race weekends to choose from after the conflicts are weeded out.  This did not include Arroyo Seco or the now dead Arizona club.  They had conflicting dates as well that stole riders away.

Now-  How many tracks do we have?  Laguna Seca, Sears Point, ThunderHill, Fontana, Las Vegas, Las Vegas Classic, FirebirdEast, Firebird International, Fire Bird West, Horsethief mile, Button Willow, Streets of Willow, Willow Springs, and (if you want to count it) Arroyo Seco.  Fourteen! That make 728 weekends available!!!  You cannot tell me that there are not enough weekend dates available.

What happened out here was there was too much to choose from.  I would probably have run the AFM, WERA, and CCS series last year.  However-  Conflicts came into play  I chose (and now it looks to be rather unwisely) to follow the CCS series as my main effort.

Prior Proper Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance.

[Zac]

I'll throw in a couple cents too.

In 2003, Pac ran at Thunderhill.  I (living in Tucson), never went to T-hill, I've heard it's an awesome track, but on the far side to drive for a regional race.  In 2004 CCS lost T-hill.  Once that happened, the Pac and SW regions race the exact same tracks, SW has a couple more dates at Firebird East and Pac had extra dates at Buttonwillow and SOW.  No longer two regions with overlap, but two regions racing the same tracks with slightly different schedules.

Honestly, IF I lived in NorCal, I wouldn't have raced CCS in 2004.  There were no dates in the area.  Makes AFM look appealing.

CCS also effectivly lost SOW.  Now were does that leave the Pac region?  Sure, they could have a couple races at Buttonwillow, but when the corporation looks at the numbers, the Buttonwillow turnouts have been lackluster.  Granted, that was because of bad scheduling (2004 it was the same weekend as Laguna Seca, 2003 it was over 4th of July weekend...), but business decisions will be made by the numbers.

I'd be really suprised to see any NorCal folks at a CCS race next year.  They are good guys and I'll miss them, but times change and it's not really feasible for them to spend much effort to race so far away when there are other closer oppertunities.  I'm sure Matt is frustrated because that means not running his number 1 plate next year too, unless he drives down to Vegas or PHX.  I do hope we get some SoCal guys that come out and run at least a few races.  But, like Roger said, CA is becoming oversatured with racing orgs, someone had to give.  If there is anyone to blame, it's the other orgs.  People get screwed becuase plans were made which now neeed to change, but it's racing and that happens.  AMA killed 250s, then said they could run in FX (at 330cc, bet Oliver could have seen the podium), then removed them from FX.

On the other hand, for me the schedule is great - PHX is 1.5 hours, ASR is 3.5 hours, and Vegas is 8 hours.  I'm sure ASMA will grow with the added exposure.  Hopefully it will also get more ASMA guys from El Paso, Las Cruses, Tucson, and even PHX that haven't raced with CCS to start.  With the unknown destiny of SMRI in ABQ right now, we might see some of the northern NM riders hitting CCS SW as well.  I know I'll actually make all the CCS SW dates for once next year because they won't conflict with ASMA.

-z.