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| Is Our Sport Broken? - Road Racing - Part 1 |
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Are the IKF Road Race Grand Nationals doomed?
There is something incredibly satisfying about being a professional in a sport that you love. The opportunity to live and breathe your passion is a great way to pay the mortgage, and we have both been lucky in be able to live this dream. The trackside event coverage that is one of our specialties ensures that we ‘actively’ watch a great number of races and it also puts us into pit area, getting behind-the-scenes to understand the inner workings of an organization or an event. It also gives us the chance to be part of the paddock community, listening to the racers, shop owners and team managers, finding out how they go about their business and how they assess each race they attend and series they follow. It’s an intriguing dynamic and certainly a challenging business that rewards passion, long hours, dedication and customer service.
That said, while making a living as a karting journalist is enjoyable, it is also extremely taxing emotionally. When you love something so deeply, it’s hard to watch it falter and it’s difficult to view the problems that prevent success, growth or enjoyment on a daily basis. And we’re not just bombarded with the problems of one organization, but all of them, coast-to-coast. We hear it all. Thankfully, our mission statement at EKN has always been to support the sport by working as closely as we can with all of the organizations, and we have always kept the door open to hear new ideas on how we can partner with karting’s leaders. We feel lucky to be able to attend events in all of the series in the country and, as such, we believe that we have a unique vantage point from which to comment on the state of the sport. While most people view the sport from their own tent, with their eyes directed on a single organization or series, we are fortunate (or not) to have a vastly wider focus. This will come into play now, as after this past weekend, we are feeling compelled to offer up our commentary and opinions as there is a serious issue at hand that needs to be addressed for the good of our sport.
A vast majority of the events that we attend make us ‘grateful’ to be in our chosen profession, however, this past weekend was not a shining example of this. It was a tough one to watch unfold. We attended the IKF Road Race Grand Nationals at Eagles Canyon Raceway in Texas, and to say the least, it was both disappointing and frustrating for us, although not nearly as rough as it must have been for those who put in the sweat equity to organize the race. A staggeringly poor turnout was the biggest issue, and for us, it was akin watching a car wreck and not being able to do anything about it. Actually, there is something we can do, and that is to discuss it openly, provide a review of the situation, offer up our thoughts of how we think the IKF should proceed and hopefully spark some discussion that will begin some kind of change. Because, folks, something has to change. The IKF Road Race Grand National program is broken. Simply put, it’s been thrown to the side of the road by the IKF membership.
This past weekend, we had the opportunity to attend our third Road Race Grand Nationals in four years, thanks to a great partnership with the Southwest Roadrace Association (SWRA). In the weeks that led up to the event at Eagles Canyon Raceway in Decatur, Texas, we were part of several phone discussions with the event’s coordinators in regards to our live broadcast and our online coverage, as well as the assorted attractions and highlights that they were working on to make this a Grand National that everyone would enjoy. The SWRA put on a great event in 2009, one that was well-attended, and nothing had changed to make anyone think it wouldn’t be a big race once again.
As many of you have likely observed from our online coverage and the associated forum discussion, the participation at this year’s Road Race Grand Nationals was abysmal. Not one class put more than nine racers on-track and a majority of the categories saw between just four and six karts on the grid. From our position, this was flat-out unbelievable. The event did not enjoy the support or attendance of even one racer from the two other IKF regions that promote road racing. Not one. No one from Region 6 and no one from Region 11. This was a race attended by SWRA members only. That’s a hard fact. So with this being the case, the question begs to be asked…if none of the other regions are coming to the Grand Nationals, does there really need to be a Grand Nationals?
WHAT’S THE ISSUE?
Now that we’ve dropped the gauntlet on this commentary, let’s set a baseline on the event itself. As is the case with any Grand National, the host region put in some serious hours putting together this event. The SWRA board did the legwork in organizing the race, as they did in 2009, and they worked on several sideline programs focused on building some excitement and enjoyment for those attending the race. In addition to bringing in a knowledgeable play-by-play announcer and live audio coverage, they also set up a display of vintage karts and memorabilia, had the local Honda dealer on site with a support trailer, assembled some very nice prizes for the drivers meetings and had a complimentary dinner for Thursday evening. All in all, they presented an event that could be enjoyed by everyone in attendance. Feedback from most of the people that we spoke with was positive, and they simply wanted to thank the SWRA for a great event.
We only state this to illustrate that the event was well organized and well run. The weather was a challenge with the temperatures at over 100 all weekend, the wind was high, and the track surface was still deemed quite bumpy despite recent grinding efforts. There is also no doubt that the organizers could have made more aggressive race weekend changes to the daily schedule to combine class and shorten each day once the small class sizes were confirmed, as for the most part, they stuck to their guns to give the Duffy classes their own dedicated track time. This made for long days, but it doesn’t really play a role in this discussion. The event itself doesn’t need to be scrutinized right now, the entire Grand National program does.
Those at the event certainly had their own feelings, which should not be surprising. It must have been disheartening to attend a Grand Nationals, wanting to compete for a Duffy, and have only a handful of racers to run against. Many opinions were offered up during the weekend, so let’s look at them to get them all out in the open.
One of the common points presented was the scheduling of the race in mid-June, directly in conflict with the WKA National at Mid-Ohio and just one week before the KART Nationals in Topeka. To be honest, this really affected only a minimal number of potential entries, as you can’t really blame the lack of WKA racers for a low turnout at an IKF Grand Nationals. Did any of the Region 6 or 11 racers go to Mid-Ohio or will they be at Topeka? If you agree the answer is ‘no’, then the conflicts, although crazy, doesn’t play that much of a role. Yes, it’s still a useless effort to schedule three major road race events within a two-weekend period, but this wasn’t the huge player that some would say it was. These races have been scheduled together (or at least close) for years, and it’s only been a real issue now that this year’s Grand Nationals had such low participation.
We also heard comments that the SWRA didn’t do enough advertising and marketing to promote the event. OK, we can accept that they could have kicked that up a little, but there were several press releases sent out regarding programs that were put into place to build up the event. But again, let’s be real. Do the Grand Nationals really need to be marketed that heavily? Shouldn’t the race be a must-attend event that is drilled into each and every IKF road racer in the country? Shouldn’t the other regions be aggressively promoting the race to their own drivers? If they didn’t actively try to motivate their racers to attend the Texas weekend, it’s just another indication that the IKF Road Race Grand National program is broken. Again, the bottom line is that the IKF road racers just aren’t supporting the race anymore, unless it’s in their own backyard.
The final reason that was agreed on by everyone in the paddock was the economy and the high fuel prices. You cannot argue the affect that this has had on the sport on the whole, and it certainly plays a big role in the decision for many people to skip the trip from the West Coast to Texas. The fuel that is required to travel that distance is a big investment, and everyone agreed that it was certainly a factor. The counter-argument is simply trailer-pooling to get the necessary equipment to the track. If the race means enough, people will travel. At least they do for other events in the country.
THE TIME FOR CHANGE IS NOW!
In the end, our trip to the Grand Nationals was about more than just race coverage, as it really developed into more of a research mission to find out what is really going on. We spoke with many people at Eagles Canyon, and we have our own commentary on the problem, one that is more focused on planning for the future as opposed to determining who’s to blame for this recent disappointment. There are many different ways that this critical situation can be approached, because it is critical. Its crunch time for the IKF and the validity of their road race program and something needs to be done.
As we see it, this is now in the hands of the IKF membership. Next year, we’ll see what the road racers decide to do. Will the drivers from Texas care to travel outside their region after being dusted off this year? The future has already been put into motion, and we’ve got some straight up options for everyone involved. They may not be pretty, but they’re definitely realistic. Something needs to be done. Here’s what came from our discussions during our evening’s away from the track last week.
1. The Grand Nationals may need to be sent the way of the dinosaur
Maybe the Road Race Grand Nationals are just an antiquated event that no one really cares about anymore. The Duffy used to mean something, but if racers are not willing to travel outside their own region to compete for one, is it really that big of a deal? Over 500 racers come to Las Vegas every year to chase SKUSA SuperNationals gold, some driving 50 hours from Eastern Canada or Florida. That race means something. How about the racers who sacrifice Christmas Day at home with the family to drive to Daytona for four days of racing at the World Center of Speed in late December. Yep, there’s no arguing that WKA KartWeek means something as well. This is the fuel that allows us to pose the possible question that the Duffy just isn’t that much of a draw anymore for road racers. Sad, but it might be true.
Sure, we’ll accept the reasoning that the recession is making it tough on low budget racers, at least from those who are actually truly affected by it, but there are many out there that are not as seriously affected by the economy who just chose not to travel to Texas. As a point of balance, the SWRA community cannot say a single thing in support of this concept, because not one SWRA racer traveled to the Buttonwillow Grand National last year to support the Northern California Karters and IKF Region 11. We mean, really, there wasn’t even a small group of dedicated West Coast racers who could have teamed up to load a couple of trailers to save some money by hauling east together? If the answer is ‘no, there’s not’, then this particular course of action could be feasible - shelf the Road Race Grand Nationals and let it take its place in IKF lore. From where we stand, it’s obviously not that important to IKF road racers. Just pick one event in each region every year and give out Duffy’s there so that everyone gets a chance to race for one without having to travel. No one would have to cough up the travel expenses, no one would bitch about the other regions not supporting their race, and it would certainly make the organization look better.
2. Hold the Grand Nationals every three years, possibly in a dedicated location central to the three IKF regions
OK, so our first option likely got a couple of ‘IKF lifers’ pretty torqued up, but we stand by the concept. If the Duffy is indeed still important to a few, even though no one really shows it during the off-years, maybe this second approach would once again put a level of prestige on the Duffy. The IKF could have the race every three years to put some excitement back into it. The host region would have ample time to really put on a serious event, and the draw would be there, much like the Olympics or the World Cup. The racers can save up their money to attend the race, eliminating the budget factor for many. To inject further prestige into the Duffy, set the entry limit for doling out the big bronze guy at a minimum of 20 racers and it would really mean something again. Can you imagine having to wait three years to get another chance at winning such an honor, and you would have beat a full field to do it? If you’re of the mind that the Grand Nationals need to stay, then this could be your solution. Don’t bother playing the card that the IKF needs the money from the Grand Nationals, because the SWRA took a hard hit this past weekend. They’ll survive, only because they have some dedicated supporters who will likely cover the losses personally. The GNs are just not a money-maker right now, thanks to the high costs of track rental.
The last component to this approach would be to put the race at a marquee track in a location central to all three regions. Travel would be more balanced for everyone in the organization and the attraction of a major league facility would further promote the quality, prestige and draw of the event. If you look at the map, the best option would be Miller Motorsports Park in Tooele, Utah. Miller is 800 miles from Portland, 1300 miles from Dallas and 720 miles from San Francisco. If the racers like it, this could be a possible answer. It’s a major league track and provides the best balance of travel time for all three IKF regions that feature road racing.
A race every three years, at a marquee track in a central location, with a higher minimum number of entries to qualify for the Duffy…is this the answer?
3. The SWRA could leave the IKF and join with KART to form a strong road racing program through the central region of the United States
This concept involves the biggest shake-up to the status quo. As it stands right now, the United States features four unique road racing organizations: the WKA, IKF, KART and, to a lesser extent, the Championship Enduro Series in the Midwest. The WKA manages a vast majority of the road racing on the East Coast with its National Road Racing Series and assorted regional programs. The IKF handles the West Coast with Region 6 in the Pacific Northwest and Region 11 in Northern California, and it also has its presence in Texas with the SWRA (Region 5). KART runs its own program in the heartland of the country, staging races in Kansas, Nebraska and Oklahoma, and it already has joint races with the SWRA at Eagles Canyon (Texas) and Hallet (Oklahoma). If the IKF Grand National program is indeed dead in the water, it could be a positive move for the sport if the SWRA would partner with KART to form a strong road race community up the center of the country, continuing to co-promote a few races and bringing their racers together for the KART Nationals each year, which are actually being run this coming weekend in Topeka. If all the SWRA racers were going to Topeka this weekend instead of Eagles Canyon this past weekend, the KART Nationals would have enjoyed a considerable expansion in field size.
A partnership between KART and the SWRA would also allow the move of the IKF Road Race Grand Nationals to the West Coast permanently, which could motivate the Region 6 and Region 11 racers to actually attend the GN when it wasn’t in their region because the travel would be significantly reduced. If they still elected not to travel, revert back to Option #1. The statement would have been made. This approach would also form a stronger road race community through Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas. The race at Topeka could also extend an invitation to the CES, to again bring more racers together. A majority of the CES racers reside in Wisconsin, Illinois and Indiana, and Chicago is a 14-hour drive to Topeka. In the end, isn’t that what it’s all about, racers coming together to enjoy the sport and face out to see who’s best on that day?
THE BALL IS IN THE RACERS’ COURT
It is inarguable that road racing is a different form of karting that at one time was more like a cult following, touring across the country 12 months out of the year to different race tracks with the same top drivers and manufacturers vying for supremacy. Today, road racing still sees a solid percentage of its driver base as those who live and breathe the high speeds and grueling 30-45 minute races. In road racing, it’s normally not just a hobby, it’s what these unique karters do. They don’t buy turn-key chassis, they fabricate, engineer and think outside the box. They are a different breed, and hopefully, not a dying breed. Although not alone in being faced with important issues, the IKF community needs to allow itself to change and evolve, and these next six month’s will be extremely crucial.
As stated from the beginning, our goal with this commentary has been to fuel discussion. We want to see the road racing community finally start talking, and if all goes well, finally start acting on these issues. It’s time to break out of the ‘old school’ way things are, and embrace some new ideas. To participate in a constructive discussion on this topic or to provide you opinion, please click over to the Forum Discussion Thread that we have started to begin talk on this subject.
In Part 2 of this series addressing the problems that currently face the sport of karting, we will examine other segments of road racing that we feel need to be addressed. These include the decline in participation across the board, the fragmentation of the community and the confusing and scattered class structure that is seen in the different organizations from coast-to-coast, and the need for a vast increase in the focus on competitor safety. We’d also like to hear any feedback from the karting community regarding this column and the concepts that we’ll be included in the second installment of this series. |
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