We have had 3 events and are averaging 64 people per event. I would like some constructive criticism as to why the turnout is so low as compared to previous years. I want to know why YOU aren’t coming.
This is your chance to tell us what you want to see changed about the way we do things. It takes a group effort to run events, and without your input, we don’t know what everyone wants.
And before someone says “Different Sites” - find us one. If you find a site that is the same area or larger than ECCN, and has a few hard obstacles (light poles, curbs, drain grates, etc), with pavement in good repair, we would be willing to let you run for free for the rest of the time we use the site.
Wait wait, so 64 people is LOW? I think thats the problem right there.
More people = less run time. People already jump for joy when they get 6-8 runs (8 minutes of seat time? yuck) but the more people the less even thats going to happen.
Plus, it costs $20-30 per event…track days just make more sense if you’re going to use the gas.
The increase in event entry fees (not WNY / FLR’s fault) thanks to SCCA’s new insurance/weekend-member BS was a big one for me. I don’t do enough events to make having an SCCA membership worthwhile anymore and the non-member price is outrageous vs the seat time.
The transport/distance thing is why I don’t come to WNY - by the time I load / drive with my trailer I might as well spend a few bucks more to just go to the Glen - since my fuel costs are a major portion of a total weekend’s expenses and the two are almost the same distance for me (Buf vs WGI from where the trailer/car stay in Webster, from my appt Buf is closer).
That’s about it for me - if I catch a ride out and co-drive someone’s car I’ll suck up the extra entry-fee cost and deal with it, but other than that I won’t be doing much of any autox this year, I’m working on getting a few more DEs under my belt, joining the instructor-training (debating PCA vs BMWCCA) ranks and hope to be wheel-to-wheel racing in a few years. AutoX is great for sorting out a car and as a refresher but I don’t enjoy it enough to buy $2500-3k (my Pilot Sport Cups are useless out there, I’d need A6s or a set of “road” tires) in wheels/tires to run a car that is in stupid XP vs spending that at the track.
cheerleaders work in all sports, and semi-nude women are generally the answer to all of the worlds problems (or the cause in some rare occasions).
edit: ok really, I don’t know, I go to pretty much all events. I don’t do track days mainly because it consumes more time, as in before every event I’d need to go through my car to make sure its ready to go, more frequent brake replacement and oil changes etc… I just don’t have much free time in life unfortunately, and Autocross is easy enough to slot in, and is fun enough for my purposes. I think track days are definitely more bang for the buck, and ultimately the driving is more fun, but it lacks the timed competition which I think is a turn off for me.
edit2: I realize I am not answering the question asked, but that’s because I can’t answer it, I am always in attendance
gas proces
retarded amount of money it costs per event compared to what it should be
too many classes makes it confusing.
i dont wanna bother trying it because theres too much shit going on.
Weird. It seemed like there were a lot of newbs last year. Where’d we all go?
I’d be back if I had still had a car, but life does not allow for a both a usefully large vehicle and an autocrossable car right now. That’s why I’m out.
also extremely off-topic but who runs the event registration for flr? My number/class combo is taken but it is not registered for anything, any way I can actually get my number unreserved if its not really being used?
I think there are several things contributing to it. Some are out of your control but I think too much focus has been put on the hardcore autocrossers.
Less local events, more Seneca events. Not everyone is willing to travel 4 hours round trip for 5-7 50-60 second runs. When I first started it sure seemed like there were a lot more local events so you could miss a few and still have plenty for the season points. Maybe this is perception but I can’t look it up because results only go back to 2007.
No road tire classes like FLR has for the people who don’t feel like buying $1k+ sets of tires to be competitive.
Prices went up. I’ve never seen the books, but $30 seems high for 5 minutes of racing at ECC-N. Did costs go up that much this year? I can get more seat time per dollar at the Lasertron carts and have zero equipment costs.
Things outside your control that I’m sure are having an impact:
Gas prices
People having less discretionary income
Dunnville track days giving a much higher seat time to dollar return.
People getting older/busier with family/homes etc.
That last one shouldn’t be an issue because for every member that goes away because of pinched free time there should be new young members joining. Having the novice school as the first event of the season was great, and based on what I saw and the people I talked to at the one ECC event I’ve been to there were definitely some new people hooked there.
Another idea that could be tossed out there is running heats with morning and afternoon groups so autocrossing would be a 1/2 day event for a lot of people instead of a whole day. I know this has met resistance in the past.
Just observations, don’t shoot the messenger. For me personally it came down to just lack of free time since I had a kid that I couldn’t justify the majority of my Sunday for about 5 minutes of racing. When she’s old enough to come out with a cart and I can combine time with family with autocrossing I’ll probably be a regular again.
Well… I haven’t been able to attend the last two events because 1) a wedding this weekend, and 2) last weekend I was too sore and too tired from Dunnville the previous day. But you all know I’m still a regular…
But the comments I generally hear from new(er) people is that the entrance cost is too high for casual attendance (like Moffitt said, not WNY or FLR’s fault, but it will certainly have an impact on the local regions), and gas prices combined with sites that are a decent trek. Lots of people like Seneca, but even I’ve found myself weighing the benefits of the gas money to get there versus the seat time. Edit: And I’m closer than the Buffalo people, and probably can be considered more hardcore into autocross than a good portion of them.
