Reserving spots at race weekends
- Thread starter trey
- Start date
dtrides
Well-known member
:rofl:thumbup
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two farmers....jpg
trey
"Just go faster"
Hi Tyler, I realize you are all that, you have been racing for longer, probably been riding a billion years longer, you are faster, and you have sponsors. Really. I get it.
I guess I’m really confused that someone with experience is surprised with the cone-factor. Especially since, honestly, the cone-factor is all I have ever known & ever experienced for the past three years at AFM events. Like I mentioned, I have learned the hard way. AFM Friday’s schooled me up REAL quick. If not everyone is there at the same time, you better cone that shit because someone is going to take that real estate. That being said, the missing peeps you coning for gonna be here in a matter of hours, not days.
I actually take IMMENSE pride in being a novice....I’m sure most of you don’t give a flying f*ck, but in three days I turn 48–almost half a f•cking century. Five years ago I’d never been on a track before...I didn’t know WTF a “track” even was. Five years ago, I ignored my fear and went to a “track.” I raced for the first time 2016. I don’t race every race because I cannot afford the time or the money. At this rate I might (reasonably) have a yellow plate for another 5 years because I seem to make very slow progress. Currently a white plate for me is laughable. I would not want a white plate when my pace might endanger myself and others. I get it. I’m okay with that...I’m not giving up, some day I will have a laptime that I’m proud of and speaks to the amount of trying I do. So you can make all the fun of me and my yellow plate that you want. Do you think I haven’t already spent years being made fun of and ridiculed??? You are just another one of many. It’s rare to find encouragement & support when you are late to the game and late in life.
You can also slam me for being “emotional” and expressing my frustration over some bullshit comment you made, but that won’t bully me into being quiet. You made the post on BARF, and even a BARF novice knows that posting anything here solicits opinions of all kinds. I’m not going to pretend to be PCwave RACER774) when I’m not wired that way. If I was all polite and timid by nature I’d really be screwed in a race.
If you think my opinion, and the opinion of other novices shouldn’t be heard equally by the AFM, then I would suggest novices shouldn’t pay the same licensing and registration fees. The AFM should not be entitled to our revenues if our opinions are to be less important. To be clear, I’m not slamming what you said, instead I am saying —okay, totally fair, experts have more experience and history, but if novices are to sit quietly, then novices should pay “sit quietly” registration and entry fees. Shit, I might be able to stfu and express “zero” opinions if my registration and entry fees correspond to the same “zero.”
And to bring the whole f•ing thing full circle, I’m ordering more cones, and blocking off a damned zip-code sized space...while I’m happily parked off the damn grid, using gene power.
48 and still having child like emotional responses. Full disclosure, I stopped reading your rant about half way through. Again, for the record, I was only curious if there was a better way to deal with parking.
wstick1
Veteran
:rofl Was wondering if you'd see that, LOL. Dude you're getting off way too easy! Only one Sears round? Damn!
Med23
Goin' Gorilla
Just to be clear, Tyler never actually kicked cones. And knowing him, he never would. So those of you who got triggered by his insensitive thoughts need to chill.
As someone who only tows a shitty little one-bike trailer and powers my warmers from a little Yam gen, this doesn’t affect me either way. So objectively speaking, if you are holding more space than what you require while others are present and in need of said space, you’re just being selfish and/or insensitive to the fact that space is such a premium and that THOSE people have more claim to that space than your friends who aren’t there.
As someone who only tows a shitty little one-bike trailer and powers my warmers from a little Yam gen, this doesn’t affect me either way. So objectively speaking, if you are holding more space than what you require while others are present and in need of said space, you’re just being selfish and/or insensitive to the fact that space is such a premium and that THOSE people have more claim to that space than your friends who aren’t there.
68RallySport
PacificTrackTime.com
afm199
Well-known member
Using that logic, As a thirty year veteran, I should have more weight than you, :laughing.
trey
"Just go faster"
Totally agree. Both in life and in racing, there is a lot to be said for experience.
rjbrittain11
923 Track Junkie
Oh it isn't getting off easy with only 1 Sonoma round....that just means that the emails i get from people that didn't get a garage are even worse. I tell you what, if I myself didn't have a cold, black heart, those emails could hurt! But alas, i do not give a F, so :dunno
Next year I'm holding a silent auction for each garage space. Highest bidder wins. Any money over $200 goes directly to the winner of whatever race I win (or whatever place i finish) that weekend :laughing
Maddevill
KNGKAW
Well this certainly went off the rails. which is just so barf. I like consistency. LOL
When I was racing there were no garages, you showed up when you showed up and got whatever spot was open. Whether is was right up front or way over in the back 40 where they'd have to announce First Call with a pigeon. Then the RVs started showing up. So I found myself farther and farther out. Kind of relaxing actually, less noise and commotion. I'm not really sure what the answer is here. I do think that members who make the effort to get out to the track early should have some kind of expectation of getting a decent spot.
Mad
When I was racing there were no garages, you showed up when you showed up and got whatever spot was open. Whether is was right up front or way over in the back 40 where they'd have to announce First Call with a pigeon. Then the RVs started showing up. So I found myself farther and farther out. Kind of relaxing actually, less noise and commotion. I'm not really sure what the answer is here. I do think that members who make the effort to get out to the track early should have some kind of expectation of getting a decent spot.
Mad
csik magnet
Well-known member
Without all the bickering, both sides of this have some good points. On the one hand, part of the fun of a race weekend is being there with your friends; I know I have people I like to pit with, and that’s difficult to arrange without reserving spots as we’re coming from very different places at very different times. On the other hand there’s a crapton of people trying to get a handful of good pit spots. What gives my friend the right to grab an extra spot for me to use whenever I eventually get there, when there are other riders (who maybe spent a vacation day, or worked earlier, rearranged their schedule, etc.) trying to get a decent spot too?
If reserving spots is acceptable (as it is now), at what point does it become unacceptable? Grabbing an extra 2 spots for your crew? 4? Reserving an entire power panel? Slippery slope and all that. I’d be pretty upset if I rolled into the paddock and found someone had filled half a canopy with cones but no riders. “Oh they’re on the way but traffic-”, yeah but I’m here now.
Also, Friday track day riders are the only ones who should have spots before the gates officially open to the AFM on Fri evening. AFM doesn’t pay for the paddock yet, AFM riders don’t have spots yet. If you want to show up early, you wait in line outside the front gate.
Maybe we could put some sensible limits on reserved spots, like 1 extra per rider present? And/Or designate some of the more premium spaces as no reservations?
Otherwise I have a great business idea: I'll take a sick day, buy a bunch of cones, grab an entire canopy on Thursday, and sell the spots. $20/ea for the weekend, that’ll help pay for tires! :laughing:laughing:laughing
If reserving spots is acceptable (as it is now), at what point does it become unacceptable? Grabbing an extra 2 spots for your crew? 4? Reserving an entire power panel? Slippery slope and all that. I’d be pretty upset if I rolled into the paddock and found someone had filled half a canopy with cones but no riders. “Oh they’re on the way but traffic-”, yeah but I’m here now.
Also, Friday track day riders are the only ones who should have spots before the gates officially open to the AFM on Fri evening. AFM doesn’t pay for the paddock yet, AFM riders don’t have spots yet. If you want to show up early, you wait in line outside the front gate.
Maybe we could put some sensible limits on reserved spots, like 1 extra per rider present? And/Or designate some of the more premium spaces as no reservations?
Otherwise I have a great business idea: I'll take a sick day, buy a bunch of cones, grab an entire canopy on Thursday, and sell the spots. $20/ea for the weekend, that’ll help pay for tires! :laughing:laughing:laughing
Gravisman
Aspiring Racer
So, umm, pardon my interruption here. I’m so novice I just got my license and haven’t been to my first race yet. I usually get up early and drive to thunderhill the morning of a track day. If I show up at 7 on AFM Friday for a race weekend am I just completely screwed? Mind you, I don’t need a power hookup; just a modest amount of space for my pit. I can run my own generator.
dtrides
Well-known member
No, you will be fine as long as you don't mind being a bit further away and not under a awning.
it is the awning spots and the power spots that are the most sought after.
There is always a pit map posted before each round letting you know what spots are off limits ( vendors , etc that have reserved spots).
Really most folks are super cool and will help out if you need it.
DT.
it is the awning spots and the power spots that are the most sought after.
There is always a pit map posted before each round letting you know what spots are off limits ( vendors , etc that have reserved spots).
Really most folks are super cool and will help out if you need it.
DT.
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velazcod
AFM#986
You will be ok, at that point there is plenty of spaces, only the spots with power hook ups are the ones on high demand. However, 7am on Saturday is a different story but yeah.
If you aren't fighting for power you will likely see no drama.
However i would say showing up 7am the day of is bit late, for your first ever race weekend. :afm199
