The Bottom Line - Conflict Free

[David Cole]

A new column from EKN Publisher Rob Howden was posted this morning. If you have a chance, give it a read and we would love to hear your feedback and comments on the subject.

http://www.ekartingnews.com/news_info.php?n=19923
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David Cole
News Desk Manager
eKartingNews.com
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[Jeffory Mott]

David. Well said. As I am also a glass half full type, I agree that cooperation is important. One issue we face as a club, (SouthernKartClub) is that we have to pick our weekends at Roebling Road quickly before others lock them up. We compete with SCCA, WERA and others for dates. This prevents us from any flexibility in moving dates. Once we have locked in the dates we are set and cant really change to coordinate with others. I am sure other clubs have the same problems.

[Roger Miller]

Would have to agree that the Road Race scene has the problem of lack of control on scheduling due to being at the mercy of track ownership and competition with non-karting motorsports groups. However 2012 has a lot going for it - see this post:
http://www.ekartingnews.com/viewtopic.php?t=111246&highlight=

As part of setting up the NCK schedule, I contacted Tom and others in SoCal prior to accepting our Willow Springs date in April, to try and avoid conflicts, which I believe is still successful.

Also, I have been part of the effort to schedule an IKF Regional Sprint program for Norcal, Region 11, and in that effort the group has made every effort to avoid conflicts with the new WKA series in the area, as well as the other established western series (Rotax and ProKart) by communicating and working with those groups.

Positive stuff all around
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Roger Miller
NCK President
www.nckroadracing.com

[Juan D Gomez]

Great article. Glad to hear things are looking up.
As far as RR. I know KART/MARRS had this in mind when they moved their Nationals from their usual date in June to October 5-7. Hope to see a lot more people coming this year.
Last year we saw a lot of major races in the area runing on the same weekend or going back to back. no excuses this year though

www.kart.org
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"Of course I don't look busy, I did it right the first time"

[Max Wood]

I guess you'll find out this year how many series karters can afford, and are willing to support, now that the scheduling excuse is removed.

[kelly Read]

First of all, GREAT post from Rob!!!

Being one who has been involved in Speedway, Sprint & Road Race in my life time of racing, I know how tough (stressful) it is to schedule events including trying not to conflict with other areas of the country so people can travel, let alone support their local club.

The main issue in ROAD RACING for me is scheduling events so people outside of a organizations area can afford to go and support some other organization and still support their area. It seemed that IKF, WKA & KART always had there BIG EVENT (NATIONAL) either on top or back to back of each other making it impossible for many if any, to support the other organizations events. For ROAD RACING to stay alive, WE ALL (organizations, clubs, promoters, racers, etc) need each other due to the cost of tracks, etc.. You would be amazed with what only a few extra outside entries can do for a promoter (make or break)!!!

For 2012, KART has moved there 2012 ROAD RACE nationals date from the normal June/July dates to October, which should help there racers make other organizations major events and hopefully other organizations racers, make the KART national event October 5-7.

"THE MAN"

[Jeff Grist]

Really nice to see Rob put down the microphone and pick the keyboard. He is by far the best at calling a race but its' his love of journalism that really fuels his passion.

This is were we the readers of EKN get to say Book It.

Jeff Grist
Secrets of Speed Publications

[Rob Howden]

[Todd Kovi]

Rob,

Great article and points. Just to add some more information on the schedule coordination. As I'm sure you are aware in Florida we have a full plate in addition to all the winter auto events like 24 Hour and Sebring. As president of Florida Karting Championship Series we have to schedule around WKA nationals for Manufacturers Cup and Gold Cup, work closely with Bill Wright, and also consider all the Rotax events our drivers normally want to participate in. After consideration for the drivers one point many people miss, and you allude to in your article, is the cost for teams and kart shops to relocate their operations to the various tracks in short periods of time. If it doesn't make sense for them from a financial standpoint they will simply pick and choose events they can afford to attend. That is not good for the sport, racers, series, or tracks.

I personally think it takes considerable effort on the part of the promoters working with each other to insure the competitors can afford to attend as many races as possible and make sure the events are well supported by the industry businesses. Obviously the trend has been to work together so the sport can grow along with the businesses that support it.

Again, you have provided some great insight into one aspect of a very complex problem to resolve.

[Dan Schlosser]

Good to see the big programs cooperating - can only be good in the long term.

Ironically this cooperation on the national and regional level makes it difficult for clubs to schedule around those events, at least in our region. For the first time since I've been doing the scheduling at BeaveRun/Pitt Race we have two conflicts with the GLSS Regional Series. Part of that issue is with the additional midwest races on the Man Cup schedule, both Man Cup and GLSS take up a lot of dates. Add in the Rotax Grands and the July Rotax race at South Bend and we have eleven potential conflicts in a twenty week stretch. We have other factors to work around being a multi-track facility as well.

We'll likely make some changes to our rules structure to allow people to miss some additional races and still have a chance at the Championship battles. If that is the price to pay for better cooperation and organization, I'll gladly take it!

[Larry Dobbs]

This forum is a lifeline in my drudgery of making a living, and I need the positive passionate people who join me daily in my love of kart racing on this forum to look forward to my next race! Another phenomenon this year is organizations planning some of their events together which helps me the racer support them and not have to choose between them. This is possible because of people like Roger Miller who like Rob have devoted a large portion of their discretionary time to serving their karting community. People in karting are the most caring and happy souls I have ever met and I like being around them at the track. I always need help with something and I always get to help someone else with something at the track which makes me feel really good. Thanks to all the hard working volunteers that make it possible for me to race; remember to thank them at the track

[Stewart Willis]

Rob,

Very well written article! Truly, the West Coast has some great people leading the charge for karting. I have asked the advice of those that I thought did a great job. Tom K and Andy Seeseman put on some of the greatest spectacles of events in karting. Rob Niles is a brilliant business person who made many of the earlier business decisions that guide me today. He also laid much of the administrative groundwork to make my job easier.... I truly appreciate what these guys have done to help the sport.

I think what the West Coast needs now is to mend the North/South divide. In the past, as a spectator and participant I was able to freely express my positions that may not have been all that well thought out in terms of their long term implications. For this, I apologize. All of us who care about karting need to continue the work, in the spirit of cooperation and fix this fracture, regardless of the letters the organizations that we represent. Whether we represent IKF , SKUSA, or WKA is really irrelevant. Lets put the past behind us and grow this thing we all love so much. Maybe I am being selfish by hoping to get the Kartel boys from Sacramento, the Luthers from Dixon, and all of the rest from Reno, and Stockton back in to the West Coast mix. It would be nice for me to be able to learn from them as well.

[mark coats]

Rob,
Good artice, when I make the Route 66 Sprint Schedule I always reach out to WKA, the tracks and other series. In the past I would call MWSS and MWSS always called GLSS. This year MWSS waited until everyone was done and my contacts with GLSS never returned my e-mails and our first two dates are on top of each other. I understand they are hours apart, but what about the engine builders who have to satisfy all of their customers and shops & racers that support both series have to make a choice. After our schedule was published Mark Dismore called and ask if we would move our October date one week so he could schedule the Robo Pong Race on that date. (Mark called to prevent conflicts.) The reason that he needed that date was it was the only weekend that the NASCAR & INDY car drivers were available to possibly attend. We checked with the tracks in our area and the host track had no problem with us changing the the date. One track in the area did not want to reschedule a race that they already had scheduled because it was there season championship. Like Rob's artice said, races on the same weekend only hurt the sport and make tough choices on the racers & the shops.
It will also hurt the entries at both events. All tracks, series and shops have to make a profit to survive and competing against each other is not a smart business model.
Keep up the good work Rob,
Mark Coats

[Carlos Calderon]

As a personal critic of schedules in the past, I would also like to say thank you to those who have made the effort (this year and in years past) to avoid conflicts. It is appreciated by many.

Great article Rob.
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Aluminos

[Walt Gifford]

When I saw the title of this thread I thought they were mining chromalloy in south Africa.