One of the major problems with running any kind of pro-am series is the money. Nobody want’s to invest and lose money. Unlike the professional series, a pro-am series requires somebody to come forward, and spend money on renting tracks and organizing the events; hoping, that in the end, enough amateurs will come each of the said days and pay for the event so that the organizer can break even.
Drift ops, for the last year, tried to do that, they tried, on their own account to start a pro-am series and hoping people would show up to every event. CSCS did too, but unlike DRIFT-OPS, CSCS does it as a part of an already organized event, so the investment costs are much less.
If everyone who wanted to drift in pro-am, came forward, and said, here is 500$ for the season, I am in. And 20 people like that came forward, then, someone out there, kind enough willing to put their time into it and hence would be able to successfully organize a series without thinking they wasted their time and money and fuck this sport.
There is alot of talent out there. Being able to run in a professional series requires multiple factors, the most obvious of which is skill, and money. However, there are multiple factors people are missing. Commitment - you must be able to commit to a season, a driver is asked prior to entry whether they can commit to making X many events out of the season in order to run the series, there is no ‘i feel like coming out’ thinking involved. Operational - you must be able to continuously maintain a team of people and a running competition vehicle meeting safety standards to compete. If you blow a motor a week prior to the event, you must be able to take time off work, get your shit together, and leave enough time to travel.
I believe that everyone out there, just like me, who want’s to give it a shot at the professional scene, get your shit together, and try it out. And if you can’t make it to the series because you can’t satisfy one of those factors, well then you can’t run a professional series. I am not the best driver out there but I was good with a ka, I was good with an sr, an upgraded SR. But to be honest, hopping into a car that meets DMCC/Formula D standards, no matter how good you are, going from an amateur-series to a pro series is like night in day, not only in terms of skill, but in terms of the pace of the competition, demand, pressure, and everything else. Yes, everyone who complains about track time at competitions needs to suck it up, you hardly get practice runs, and when its your turn you have to run it all you’ve got.
I hope there is a pro-am series for everyone to compete in this year, so that Ontario’s talent can keep growing and more talented drivers have a chance to discover their hidden talents. I also support the idea of amateurs running together with the pro’s, that way they can learn and get ready for the pro series if they are planning to go into it. As well, an open-lapping drifting events such as the ones Peter and Driftops help at the end of last year are essentially fundamental for amateurs running together with the pros, that way there is a significant amount of time to keep lapping and establishing your skills through concrete repetition.
So my two cents, is that if everyone wants there to be a well-organized pro-am series in Ontario, everyone should get together and see if they are ready to commit, because why should someone like Kendrick front his own finances on events he’s not even sure that people can commit to. If you are complaining about a pro-am series, then make sure you that if you want to compete, that you can commit.
