28 replies to this topic

[tonyp]

I thought the track was really good last night. That race had a little bit of everything, track looked fast, some guys were able to pass pretty well, some heartbreak for the leader, nobody really ran away with it. Overall I thought it was a great night, I had a good time.

[LM RACING]

This is not necessarily a Lernerville-specific response, so keep that in mind.
 
Again, everyone complains about the expense of lightweight engine components, oppressively expensive/ultra adjustable shocks, data recording & gathering, titanium this, titanium that...but lobbies for the the exact track conditions that these components are favorable and designed for.
 
I don't get it.  Isn't racing about going fast?  If you want to reduce costs, doesn't it make sense to reduce the need for the toothpick tie rod ends, tin foil spindles, lightweight (read: expensive) rotational components, hyper sensitive shocks, etc.?
 
Keeping the water truck maintained also helps with the dust, which better attracts the new fan, the casual fan and the wife/gf of the hardcore fan.  You know...the exact group of people who EVERY track owner wants to attract and who push a losing or breakeven night into a profitable night.
 
If we all want dirt track racing to exist for generations to come, the worst thing that can happen is to let the inmates run the asylum.  Though we like to put racers on pedestals, they are rarely looking past the "ends of their hoods".  They looking out for themselves and what affects them immediately, not the overall and long-term health of dirt track racing.
 
Hell, the most fun I ever had as a driver was on tacky surfaces.
 
Fire away with your insults and name calling.  However, I know what keeps my wife and I away more and more.  I go to fewer and fewer races every year.  At this point, I don't ever care if I am not at a dirt track every single Friday and Saturday night anymore.  If it keeps the most hardcore fans away after 4 1/2 decades of being at a dirt track in some capacity, I assure you that it keeps away people with lesser interest than us.

I agree with this completely. If you build a decent solid motor it will hold up on a tacky track. There are just as many motors if not more that blow up now as there was in the past. Three sets of tires and some bent sheet metal is less expensive than a $40,000 engine, all the lightweight brand new parts/cars and ridiculous shock packages. Plus a hammer down track is more exciting. But everyone has already fell victim to buying all that stuff.

[dirtstudent2]

Dropping the tire rule a bad thing, you'll get a few cars here and there but the competition is what keeps the cars from coming. If they lose the tire rule I'll have to buy 3 different compounds to race a night and it will cost more it sucks the tires cost more then a regular one but that's the way it is, if they want to gain cars they should park the water truck the track has been way to fast this year.

 

Would tire prices come down because of competition between tire producers if it were open tires brands?

 

Wouldn't racers soon learn which tire brand worked best and it would be what they buy, forcing tire producers to make tires which would work without chemical prep?

 

_________________________________

 

And now just for fun:

 

Isn't that the american capitalistic way all the right wingers on here preach about?

 

I guess under it all those who preach the capitalistic way of do it my way or the highway is fine so long as it's big business and the Republican's controlling "them and their brains".  

 

Or would tire producers get together make all the conservative lead by the nose racers happy and fix tire prices?   Then all racers could pay the same company set fare rip off price, the same as now?  

[dirtstudent2]

Engines and slick track verses grip track.

 

Is it really harder on and engine to run a grip track where I think you can gear more accurately to use your engine as designed?  I'm thinking it might be harder on engines when there's more possibility to spin the rear wheels.

 

I read often on here about how a grip fast track is hard on engines.  But if your geared right and track grip is stable meaning you have enough grip, I think you should be able to set more accurately how your engine is used.

 

I was told by a top engine builder his biggest problem to over come which he has not yet done is when track grip can hold engine hp and the driver keeps their foot to the floor even though the engine is being forced to reduce rpm's.  

 

Except for that one thing he can handle making the engine preform as needed.  He graphed out for me hp and torque curves on his work table showing me where the problem occurs and explaining why it's a problem.  Because of what was explained to me I'm going to say the only thing making it tough on an engine racing on a grip track is the driver.

[ohsofast]

Anyone that thinks a tire rule does anything but help the track is wrong.  Almost all teams get some sort of tire deal from the manufacture.   I know teams that get 10 free some that get 20 free.   I know for a fact that on a deal you save at least 25 over buying them at list.  This my friends is the teams saving money.  If a dog hollow car wants to run Lernerville and has 1300 hoosiers he has to buy 4 lms to race there.   If he has 44 ar tires he has to buy lm tires to race there.  These are facts..... So how is this not hurting car counts.  If you can run any tire you want you would be more into going to a new track if it does not mean a 600 dollar price tag to go there one time.  Also the Dirt membership costs more for no real good reason.......

[BUTTBEAK]

Opening up the tire rule will cost you more money to be competitive. PERIOD.

Hooked up tracks are harder on the drive line than a slick track. PERIOD.

Lernerville is by far the best track in Western PA. PERIOD.

Edited by BUTTBEAK, 07 September 2016 - 07:27 PM.

[ohsofast]

How would paying more for tires make it cheaper for a non regular to come there and race? And pay more for tires. Every 4 you buy you get one for free basically as opposed to paying full price for lms.....

[FanJim24]

This is not necessarily a Lernerville-specific response, so keep that in mind.

 

Again, everyone complains about the expense of lightweight engine components, oppressively expensive/ultra adjustable shocks, data recording & gathering, titanium this, titanium that...but lobbies for the the exact track conditions that these components are favorable and designed for.

 

I don't get it.  Isn't racing about going fast?  If you want to reduce costs, doesn't it make sense to reduce the need for the toothpick tie rod ends, tin foil spindles, lightweight (read: expensive) rotational components, hyper sensitive shocks, etc.?

 

Keeping the water truck maintained also helps with the dust, which better attracts the new fan, the casual fan and the wife/gf of the hardcore fan.  You know...the exact group of people who EVERY track owner wants to attract and who push a losing or breakeven night into a profitable night.

 

If we all want dirt track racing to exist for generations to come, the worst thing that can happen is to let the inmates run the asylum.  Though we like to put racers on pedestals, they are rarely looking past the "ends of their hoods".  They looking out for themselves and what affects them immediately, not the overall and long-term health of dirt track racing.

 

Hell, the most fun I ever had as a driver was on tacky surfaces.

 

Fire away with your insults and name calling.  However, I know what keeps my wife and I away more and more.  I go to fewer and fewer races every year.  At this point, I don't ever care if I am not at a dirt track every single Friday and Saturday night anymore.  If it keeps the most hardcore fans away after 4 1/2 decades of being at a dirt track in some capacity, I assure you that it keeps away people with lesser interest than us.

The casual fans are the churn.  You usually can't run a successful business on the churn, especially a seasonal one.  As you point out, most of the churn comes along with the core customers.  If it's follow the leader every night you lose the core, and then you have to hope for the churn, but it's churn for a reason, and if there's something else to do, they're not coming.  

When you see your customers as inmates in the asylum you will have to figure out a way to keep your business afloat without those "inmates."  Ask Steve Case, former head of AOL, how well that works out.  

[BUTTBEAK]

Well you will note I said "to be competitive". How are you going to feel about open tire rules when a your competition is bolting new appropriate tires needed for the track conditions. If you want to race there buy some tires, race there a few times till those tires are junk. You likely could buy some used tires from the teams that are bolting on new tires often.

 

You may find out what you have been missing!

 

You better come overloaded for bear @ Lernerville. There is some top shelf equipment/drivers racing in the weekly LM battle.

Edited by BUTTBEAK, 08 September 2016 - 09:03 AM.