Are there RRA for the bracket classes? Sponsorship is down for EVERY event. Businesses are struggling and the ones that aren't, would like to keep it that way. It's a struggle that everyone is going through. Racers and businesses alike. Attendance is slowly dropping at every event as well. The two probably go hand in hand. Personality. That's what the club needs. You need the people in charge to be out there sweet talking all the participants. Not picking and choosing who they talk to, but talking to everyone. High dollar classes all the way down to the bracket racer. All the participants need to walk away from the event with that "warm and fuzzy" feeling. Feeling like they were listened to and respected. If you can't give them that feeling, then you didn't try hard enough and they won't be back. On another note, no payout isn't the end of world, but for someone who has spent their life savings to get there, winning and getting some cold hard cash, is everything!
i should have added this to my original post.i've been attending the nats since 1984,with missing maybe 5 in that time.i've met and made alot of friends that i really enjoy seeing down there.love the camarodity.that is why i attend but also i really enjoy competing in the sport of drag racing.i've shown my red/white car there also.showing does'nt interest me anymore.not saying that it's a bad thing.to each his/her own.i've seen alot of changes in the gsca,but alot has stayed the same.i agree with you guys-the ball is in the gsca's court on how they proceed to keep the club alive and well.there is plenty of sponsers out there,(obviously the turbo group finds them,and thats good!)they just need to find them.i hope this does'nt go on deaf ears.we members are concerned.
I spend that in yearly maintenance, not to mention 65$ in fuel and oil every time I go down the track
Well guys I understand everyone's frustration. The first time the Buick Boys attended the Nationals I couldn't believe there was no money for the people that took the time to drive thousands of miles for the love of Buicks and the Buick community. I personally put up several thousand dollars in sposorship money for the GSCA events for two years so even the bracket classes could have a reason to come to the Nationals. Also sponsored 50% of the Super 16 T-shirts because it's a great cause. I truly don't expect anything in return but possibly a thank you from the club. Guess what, I never received even an email from anyone.....so much for that! If it's not important enough to take time to sit down and write a thank you email then it's not worth my time to open my billfold and sponsor the event.
The faster these cars go the more the round maintenance $$ goes up. As Rod and Danie can tell you fuel, oil and plugs are the cheap part. Brake something and forget about the little costs...... In the top fuel dragster I drive the cost of fuel, oil, and plugs runs about $200-$225 a pass, throw in another $100 for clutch wear, is it worth it YES:laugh: . The Tomahawk dragster will be close to this in cost, we will not have to worry about the clutch at the moment though. We will have the car at the GS Nationals next year so long as the CHRR and the GS Nats. is not the same time like this year:rant:. As soon as I find out the schedule, and they are not the same week, I will put the sponsor group back together to fund an unlimited Buick class. Rod and Danie, and anyone else that would want to run just let me know once I post the info. This will not eliminate you from the Q-16 this would be in addition to or as an option to it. Jenn and I have been to about 1/2 of the GS Nationals and go because of the people we meet there and on these boards. Do what you can to save the Buick groups not pick them apart:beer
Curtis, I for one would like to thank you for the past sponsorship money! I had no idea that you were doing that, and I bet most people didn't realize it at the time. If the club is that "cold" and "uncaring", please accept our (Racers) BIG THANKS!! I hope somehow we can collectively restore the club to what it once was. I realize we may never have the car/head count we once did, but that's no reason we can't have the camaraderie and cooperation we deserve! P.S. hope you enjoy the chairs! Steve
Curtis, I can relate to what you are saying. I sponsored $250 toward the Q-16 this year and I don't remember even hearing a shout out about any sponsors. I did it because as a racer, I know how important it is to get something back to cover at least gas. Some people may say that cash isn't everything, but it can sure ease the pain. I did call you last year and thanked you for your generosity as well as Finishline, Northeast GS/GN, Cotton's Performance, and Custom Auto Apparel. Rob
It goes back to what I said in an earlier thread. The GS Nationals is no longer ran by a CAR guy. This guy does not give a rats ass whether the racers get paid ever. Anyone notice that when we raced the GS Nats in Ohio the payouts were huge? Im just sayin........... And for the record I have been to every GS Nats since 83 ......... (dont even get me started why I wont ever show a car again there)
Well I just got the dates for the California Hot Rod Reunion (October, 18-21 2012) and the GS Nationals (October, 10-13 2012). I will start my work to put an Ultimate Buick Open class in the books for next year. As of now the two rules no electronics and must be Buick powered (aftermarket Buick blocks allowed). I will put up a thread this weekend for further input for those that are interested. Stay tuned:Comp: The Nationals will be what "we" put into it.:beer
So whats everyone's thoughts after this year's event? Well it was my first time back since 2003 and i had a blast. Got to meet some new people and see old friends. Car count i know in the show was down from what people said but the quality was good to me. Racing was awesome. Never seen more competitive and faster runs since back in the hey day of the super 16 (didnt miss a year from 89-03). Economy having an effect, people are nervous about our downward direction of our economy and country. Plus the crowd is older. A lot of original super 16 guys were in the house and a lot of gs guys are not doing well health wise. the last true real performance car from Buick was 1987, sure the s/c cars of 90s/00s can count too and we now have the turbo regal out but nothing compared to the original beasts of the 80s! We dont have a constant influx of younger people like me (30) or younger coming in and getting involved. Its one of the reasons i try and help promote the events bc i want to see them survive. The cars bring us together but the friendships and people you meet are the reason you come back again and again.:TU: I hope things get better for the racers and show cars. Whether you are Rod on the brink of running 6s or GSJO doing a frame off, its always expensive. Show some respect and rather then degrade one another and get in a pissing contest of what costs more, work together so we can achieve the best publicity for our cars both in show and go and also keep values up on all our Buicks as high as they can be, bc a Buick diehard will pay more bc its a Buick then a normal collector of a variety of cars. Keep showing up support your performance and resto shops and parts suppliers. Promote the events and keep having fun. Believe me writing is on the wall. overseas ending of road tax will cause many people to sell their old cars bc too costly. in this country our infrastructure needs trillions in work. president going after higher mpg and also you never know what they could do like cash 4 clunkers. tax old cars legislate them off the road. i dont think they could bc it would be a riot and the fact that sema and car performance parts/resto parts manufacturers would get involved as well bc of the billions of dollars of lost revenue and job loss. complaining and whining will do nothing but leave people upset and kill the hobby. believe me it would be devastating!
I personally had a great time, as well as my wife, (which was her first time to GSCA Nat's). My car ran slow but consistent. I qualified 9th in the Super 16 but went out in the first round due to a major brain fart on my part! Made no money but still had a great time. Imagine that! :grin: After winning the Super 16 last year (2011) I decided to Sponsor some cash this year. There was a mix up before the Nat's that eliminated "SRE" from the sponsor list on the boards. We corrected that before the start of the Nat's. The GSCA website did list me as a sponsor. The issue I have is that not once did I hear Sponsors promoted over the PA, or posted anywhere in writing. Sponsors generally donate money for a little bit of advertising in return. How many people that raced or won their class actually know where the money that they received actually came from? Did any of the winners know that SRE sponsored $600? Other than a little "word of mouth" I don't think most people knew where their cash came from. This is not a major issue but one that should be addressed if people or businesses like me (SRE) is to continue to sponsor race classes. SRE is only a part time business and I don't have a lot of cash to just throw around, so I need to know that when I do sponsor classes it's being recognized by the people that matter. Again, not a big deal, but something that needs to be looked at. Steve
Steve, I personally handed my Super-16 sponsor list, including SRE, to the track announcer, Smokey Joe. I asked him to shout it out at least once and hour an he said he would. I asked him on Saturday if he had been doing so, since I only heard him three times on Friday. (That I am sure of!) He assured me he had been doing so, and he said he was calling out the sponsors each time we rolled up for qualifying and eliminations. That, of course, can't be confirmed by either of us, since you and I were both in our cars, making noise. (As it should be!) :TU: Just judging by the number of racers I've heard from over the years who tell me that where they are pitted they can't hear the announcements, I'd say Beech Bend is in need of a major PA upgrade. I'd also say there's not much we can do about that. I do want to tell you how much I personally appreciate your coming aboard as a sponsor and I was remiss, both in being unaware of your pledge to the GSCA, as well as in getting my list of Super-16 sponsors over to them in time to make into the GSXtra. Real life got in the way, as it sometimes does, and I got behind. I will say, however, that I'm quite proud of how things worked out. I paid out $3,450.00 thusly: http://www.v8buick.com/showthread.p...16-Sponsors-amp-Payouts&p=2105078#post2105078
Thanks Doug, Where I was pitted I couldn't understand the PA at all. You're correct in saying that Beech Bend needs a new PA system. As long as they were announcing.... I guess that's all I can ask for. It would be nice if someone printed out a "list" of sponsors and posted them around the track. If you get me the list next year ahead of time I'll gladly print them out at home, bring them with and put them up. I hope to repeat the sponsorship next year for the BPG and the GSCA like I did this year. We'll see how it goes between now and then....financially that is. Thanks for everything. Steve
Posting the sponsors is a great idea Steve. We were a couple of spots down from you in the pits and hardly heard anything over the pa.
Todd- does your stage 2 race car still look like it does in your avatar? Would've stopped by and said hello. I was down in the pits walking a few times then driving Mark Lob's red 68 4 speed...Maybe next year:TU:
even though ive never had a car in condition to bring me and dad went 3 times in the past. i came for the show the drag racing i didnt care about. that said it got progressively worse each time i went. last time i was there i think there was 30-40 cars in the show. for the 20 dollars it cost us to come to the show and the 3.5 hour drive i really lost intrest in the event. i may return when one of the two cars is ready idk.
well since my original post got reintroduced i'll chime in also.yes i decided after last year not to go back this year.next year we'll see.? sounds like it was a good time.weather held out.no gamblers racing i hear!? thanks steve for showing some interest to the bracket racers that particapate in the show.i see some posts about q16,but no mention of how the bracket or heads up classes went.sounds like it was a good time,and yes i did miss it.the comaroderie.competition.and yes rafferties..we'll see what next year brings.
Q-16 bump was really 10:40 but with the last minute breakage the only close alternate that would pay up was in the 11's.
Actually, if Bobb Makely had managed a normal pass in qualifying (in the 8s or even the 9s) Gary Paine would have been #16 with a 10.02. Bobb only had a shutdown pass of 11.44, so Dave Hanlon jumped into the last round of qualifying, was #17, and got in as an alternate with an 11.38 qualifying pass. An awful lot of guys shut themselves out by not even attempting. Ya gotta be in it to win it!
