Tintmasters Race Nights :(
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Holy Cow, Not this again.........Somebody just Shoot this damn horse instead of trying to beat it to death..........
Anybody that thinks Idrags doesn't care about having "Street Legal" Events should think back to the amount on the Schedule in 2002 & previous years.
Each year since 2003 "Street Legal Thunder" has grown in the number of Events and/or the amount of Track Time given to Street Legal.
(2003 - (4) Saturday Night only Events, 2004 (4) Friday Night Events, (2) Sat Night Events, & (2) "All Day" Sunday Events)The feeling between Shane & I was that "Street Legal Thunder" had outgrown the Saturday Night (after Bracket Races) Events, as well as the Friday Night Events. And since time was always short, the "Value" to the participant was not as good.
Each year we thought we were improving on the program, and along with the added events and extended track time came added cost.
We thought "Street Legal Thunder" had outgrown being stuck in between or before "Bracket Events" (reason it was run on Bracket weekends was to share the operating cost of the track with the "Bracket Events") and the Street Legal Events could now cover the cost of Track Time, Insurance, and Employees.
If Idrags didn't "Care" about Street Legal, I can guarantee you that the # of events either scheduled or being planned, would be easy to answer, It would be ** NONE**, and my phone or Email hasn't been lit up by anyone willing to rent the facility, (as I have stated before, $3,760.00 is all it costs for a 1 day SL event, 125 cars @ $30.00 and expenses are covered)
(Sorry Shane, but you IM me all the time, so didn't include it....)Listed below are the dates that are booked as of now, unfortunatley, no one looked at the other sentence that stated 3 more days were in the works, with one being a 2 day Holiday Weekend "Event" Special, we are just trying to secure funding/additional sponsorship for the event being planned as we would like it. Which if all works that would make a total of 7 stand alone "All Day Events".
As far as the Owners of Idrag not caring, I don't know where that comes from, you may have to ask Shane, but I don't think we have had any problem getting the number of Events we have wanted, as long as there were no conflicts and we had the financial resources to back them.
2005 Schedule
MAY 21ST
(SATURDAY)JUNE 18TH
(SATURDAY)AUGUST 7TH
(SUNDAY)OCTOBER 8TH
(SATURDAY)
4 "All" Day events are booked,
1 two day event is being planned,
and we have 1 date that may or may not be a go.Yes, July is light, our plan is/was to have 1 a month, but July is terribly busy.
When additional days are added, it will fill out the schedule nicely.Now, don't get me started on not prepping the track for "Street Legal" (and again, as I have posted before on other boards, anyone is welcome to come out and watch/help before a "Street Legal" Event. The track is prepped no different for a Street Legal Event than it is for a Bracket Event.
The only difference being instead of 150+ cars with slicks putting down rubber at a bracket event, there is 75+ street tire cars picking up rubber. The purpose of the VHT is to adhere your tire to the surface and "Take" rubber from a slick.
We could cure this, but I don't think it would be a popular decision to not let anyone with street tires run, and/or not any car fast enough to warrant slicks run.
Anyone that has been to a Street Legal Event knows that as the night goes on, things get worse, but have you ever been there when the starting line crew isn't busting a$$ to get the dirt/debris blown off with the blowers?
If anyone would like, I would be more than happy to run some 1/4 mile mid 10 sec passes any night of the week with "No" track prep or glue, or if not impressive enough I would be happy to go 6.40 in the 1/8 for you, (it might be a little bent or sideways) and this could be 1 or 2+ weeks after a regular event, because it can and has been done.
**Bottem Line: ** Street Legal Is Important to Idrags or there would not be any Events
Derek Bakken
Track Manager
218-236-9461 Office
701-388-4208 Cell
[email protected] -
Yeah why do people bitch about track prep when its STREET LEGAL like stated above. Street legal tires grab anything and everything that fits in the tred... rocks, dirt, you name it its there. Hell even dog shit if for some reason you run some over.
At a street legal event if you want a prepped track you better be first in line.
How about towards the end of the day you guys stop all races re-prep the track and have the 10 fastest run in brackets... just for shits n giggles. I remember one race night you guys had the 10 fastest or whatever run.
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I wasnt saying that you guys didnt care. I was just saying that it seemed like it because the street legal event schedule seems to get shorter every year. I was just waiting for someone to step in and reassure me. BTW I've always respected the track workers that stand out there all day and fry their asses off.
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Jim wrote:
haha lets go get hand held radios and close off a long stretch of 13th avenue... and tell the pizza boys to find another way homei like that idea!!!
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Shit id stand out there all day for minimum wage... watching nice cars cruise down the track cools off any day for me. I love cars and working around and with them is awsome.
Hell id even donate my time to help out around the track. Before a street legal event. Who knows maybe run my car for free?
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thats a good idea.
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Flowcus wrote:
Shit id stand out there all day for minimum wage... watching nice cars cruise down the track cools off any day for me. I love cars and working around and with them is awsome.Hell id even donate my time to help out around the track. Before a street legal event. Who knows maybe run my car for free?
we tried volunteering for Mayhem last year...they said we couldnt work...i said i woulda not run and just worked instead to make sure the event went on
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Flowcus wrote:
Shit id stand out there all day for minimum wage... watching nice cars cruise down the track cools off any day for me. I love cars and working around and with them is awsome.Hell id even donate my time to help out around the track. Before a street legal event. Who knows maybe run my car for free?
ya im sure you could get a job there if you filled out an application there -
if people are bitching about how there arent enough days to race.. i dont suppose there would be any way we could get a shop or two to go in together and build a new track? since they owned the track they wouldnt have to worry about renting it out for the day.. so thatd save money. plus im sure if they held enough race days there, they could make back the money in maybe 5 seasons or so.
probably no way that'll happen.. but its an idea..
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amicheze wrote:
if people are bitching about how there arent enough days to race.. i dont suppose there would be any way we could get a shop or two to go in together and build a new track? since they owned the track they wouldnt have to worry about renting it out for the day.. so thatd save money. plus im sure if they held enough race days there, they could make back the money in maybe 5 seasons or so.probably no way that'll happen.. but its an idea..
That is the best idea ever!! One problem, coming up with the millions of dollars needed for the land, track, etc... It isn't as easy as just saying oh, I think I want to build a new track this weekend, or oh I think we should have races every day and night this summer.
Nate -
91nbtsi wrote:
That is the best idea ever!! One problem, coming up with the millions of dollars needed for the land, track, etc... It isn't as easy as just saying oh, I think I want to build a new track this weekend, or oh I think we should have races every day and night this summer.
Natei have no idea at all how much land or the track would cost. it was just an idea since someone mentioned buying the track.
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Point being after how many years now i still dont see why the track cant open up and put these events on by themselves. Promoting isn't the problem, getting the events to actually take place is.
I myself would have no problem sponsoring some of these events as well but after giving the track $$ for the sponsorship last year and the treatment and feedback i received back from it to say the least i wasn't impressed. Basically no one wanted to cooperate.
If i remember right we had the 1st street legal/sport compact event back in 00.
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Nick-
You know better than that. I don't think anyone worked closer or bent over backword sometimes with yourself or Jake on Autowerx & Straightlines dual sponsorship. No specifics need to be aired, even when things got "mucked" up most where kept abreast of the situation, even leading into the last "All Day" Event, I told Jake we could do about anything within reason to get his/your name out, and have vendor booths etc at the facility during the Event.
I myself would have no problem sponsoring some of these events as well but after giving the track $$ for the sponsorship last year and the treatment and feedback i received back from it to say the least i wasn't impressed. Basically no one wanted to cooperate.
Not once did you call me last year voicing any concerns, or when you saw me at the track voice them. Did I stop at your shop when each month I made calls to all the sponsors, no, but I always kept Jake abreast of anything we were doing.
Point being after how many years now i still dont see why the track cant open up and put these events on by themselves. Promoting isn't the problem, getting the events to actually take place is.
It is difficult to schedule "Special" Events or 10+ "SL" Only.
At one time all that were held were "Bracket Events". That is why last year we had 10 Bracket Sundays and 10 Bracket Saturdays, too many and the market gets saturated, too few and you cannot generate enough income to cover expenses. If the track has 10 SL Events, 100 cars show up at every event, or maybe 75 on the average, SL would lose money, and how would SL events the next season be able to be put on the schedule if as a business a profit can't be shown.As far as a SL in 2000, I know I was living here, and sorry, memory is the 2nd shortest thing I have, but I do not remember that, only Events starting in 2003.
Below is the cost involved in having an "ALL Day" SL event, as you can see, it takes 112.4 cars @ $30.00 to cover the expense. Without sponsors & Spectaters we would not generate the income needed to pay land tax, payments, facility improvements, etc. That is why SL in the past was "Piggy Backed" on regualar event weekends to decrease costs.
After all is said & done, nobody is going to get rich, and the track on some events has "Invested" in the SL participant coming back, as not alot of $$ was generated over & above expenses.
Again, Street Legal is Important, not so much for the $, yet that is very important to any business, but as much as that is important, so to is that a new generation of participant is coming into the sport.
My Phone/Email has never been a secret, if their is/was a problem, it doesn't take much to get ahold of me. But unfortunatly, when their is no communication problems seem to create themselves.
**Event Day Expense
Street Legal “All Day”INSURANCE- $1,755.00 (Single Day)
EMPLOYEES- $850.00 (Single Day)
TRACK PREP- $492.76 (1/2 barrel VHT + Gas & Alcohol)
PAYMENT- ?
TAXES- ?
NHRA FEE- ?
ADVERTISING- ?
TROPHIES- ?
HANDOUTS- ?
ARMBANDS-
SEPTIC- $455.76
ELECTRIC- $47.66 Pro Rated Per Event
BATHROOM- $89.76
GARBAGE PICK UP- $85.00
EMT-AMBULANCE $100.00
TOTAL--------------------------------------------------------------------
$3,372.52 **I know that every year since 2003, SL has grown, in # of participants, as well as the amount of hrs of track time that has been scheduled But..........
If you dream of a 5-10-20 Event "Street Legal" venue at Idrags... It is very easy...
Just overwhelm the facility during the events that are scheduled, make the "Bracket Events" look miserable compared to the "Street Legal" Events, that is a sure fire way for me at the beginning of the season to "look" where my customer base is and shedule the events accordingly that most benefit Idrags & it's Customer.
Derek Bakken
Track Manager
Offuce - 218-236-9461
Cell - 701-388-4208 <<<These all work<<<<<<<<
Email: [email protected] -
The $$ isn't a concern of mine its just the facts of getting it done and getting things GUARNTEED. I even spoke w/ Jake about this again today when Ron called him back and GUARNTEED he would get that even Jake looked into made up. Well that never happened. We had a discussion after the Mayhem fell threw to get something setup and reshceduled as this would have been a huge event for IDR w/ participants from all over the midwest.
IMO if IDR cares as much as they claim they do about the street legal events and they future of this sport and its participants they would be hosting events of their own rather then depending on someone else to cover it and organize it. Hell i still haze a dozen trophies left from Mayhem last year we never ended up using. I was told hold on to them we'll make use of them.
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very well put Homer and thanks for breaking down the expenses for those of us who hadn't realized the overall costs associated w/ running the track. I suggest we do as he says, overwhelm the track w/ cars @ the all day events.
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Derek,
Here is what i wanna see and if i push this this is what i'd wanna lay out. 3 day event:
Friday night test and tune
Saturday bracket/heads up, whatever
Sunday Quick 10/16, whateverYou could even throw a car show, show-n-shione, whatever int here w/ it. I know a few guys who have ties in w/ local bands, have a concert @ night, have a BBQ, camping, etc... The best weekend i have ever had drag racing was @ TVR 2 years ago, those guys are a blast and their so laid back they know how to have a good time. I have a lot of ties w/ shops in the uppr midwest and i can say right now no one wants to travel 3-8 hours for a 1 day event. This could be the start of an annual thing for IDR to get their name out there to the Midwest. There isn't many tracks in our area so you guys right now are the ticket. If you guys needs the funding, the sponsors, the whatever, you know where to find me. Gladly help arrange/set this up. But i think IDR should be putting themselves out there as well as far as promoting some of these events. You guys are the ones who should be looking for the advertisment, exposure if you want to grow.
You always said come to you and you'll make it happen. Let me know what you think of the rough idea.
Nick
SLS -
what tony said
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