Local auto-x club is on the verge of extinction

[Jand3rson]

Update with good news. Looks like our 2009 season is back on, one of the local high schools has agreed to let us use their gigantic parking lot, and the club is ironing out details for dates and what not. Another benefit is that insurance for events is going to be MUCH cheaper, since it's being held at a school and not a convention center/fairgrounds. The parking lot is also about twice as wide as the one we were using, and just as long, so the long, skinny courses of past seasons are bye-bye.

I'm fucking STOKED.

[dashboardmonkey]

Sweet, that's awesome.

I am going to make a trip to Bend eventually. Maybe even on a race day and watch.

Hope the high school works out for you guys.

OT: How is the job market over there? Thinking of a new job/career.

Andy

[nando]

a high school parking lot huh? somebody in your club must know somebody on the school board, I'm surprised they would touch that with a 20 foot pole (racing on school property?). Or maybe they're desperate for revenue, which is very likely.

We're probably on for 2009 as well. The airport loses $20,000 per weekend that the skid pad is shut down, so they're pretty interested in getting it back up and running again. Damn busy body neighbors complaining about noisy cars when there are helicopters and planes taking off and landing every 10 minutes..

[Keanan]

It's good to hear you might have something figured out. I was going to suggest that you check into using Mt Bachelors west village parking lot. I think it is close to 20 acres. It could make for some pretty cool courses. But you would have to deal with snow and you would have to clean all the gravel off really well. Hoodoo is a good option also.
The Redmond High parking lot might work. I think it was decent sized.

I think snow autocross would be pretty cool. I would love to rip around cones in the snow. No one would have good times but it sure would be fun.

[nando]

I think snow autocross would be pretty cool. I would love to rip around cones in the snow. No one would have good times but it sure would be fun.

we did that once, but it was supposed to be a regular autocross. we had an inch of ice on top of the skid pad, then it snowed and rained on top of that. the cones were frozzen to the ground.. it was way too slick to do any timed runs so we just took turns screwing around. I even had snow tires on and it didn't help much.. slickest surface I've ever driven on. :)

[Jand3rson]

It's good to hear you might have something figured out. I was going to suggest that you check into using Mt Bachelors west village parking lot.

Not a chance. The pavment is SHIT. There's about 20 different textures, and it's not level at all. There are tons of small elevation changes, which would make for disastrous results when suspension unloads/reloads, and when the super/turbocharged guys make boost.

[Jand3rson]

And it's slipping again. There's no further details on the club's site, but it just says that most events will be held at HooDoo ski resort, which is like an hour away, and up in the mountains, with NOTHING nearby.

[ethirtydavid]

:/

[nando]

I heard that the Boeing Employees Autocross Club (BEAC) closed here too. That definitely means no more boeing everett site. :(

[BraveUlysses]

I heard that the Boeing Employees Autocross Club (BEAC) closed here too. That definitely means no more boeing everett site. :(

Completely false. BEAC is alive and we still host a few events (and some private practices) at Bremerton and Shelton Airports.

Boeing pulled the Everett lot due to internal politics relating to the 787's extreme delays. It may come back in the future, but for now the site is closed indefinitely.

I just wish Packwood was closer, it's the absolute BEST location and surface in the whole region.

As a side note, I absolutely fucking hated Chuckanut SCC when I attended events while I was at WWU. Every event operated at a stoner's pace.

[nando]

Completely false. BEAC is alive and we still host a few events (and some private practices) at Bremerton and Shelton Airports.

Boeing pulled the Everett lot due to internal politics relating to the 787's extreme delays. It may come back in the future, but for now the site is closed indefinitely.

I just wish Packwood was closer, it's the absolute BEST location and surface in the whole region.

As a side note, I absolutely fucking hated Chuckanut SCC when I attended events while I was at WWU. Every event operated at a stoner's pace.

Well that's good to hear, I saw a couple comments that it was gone just last week.

when did you attend CSCC autox events? Wondering if I've seen you at any. I think one of the reasons they were so poorly run was lack of initiative from the autox leaders.. There's a certain someone I'm thinking of who basically let it go to shit.

The stuff up in canada is really well run though, and we usually get lots of runs (10+). The only thing I hated about everett was you got maybe 3 runs at the most, unless you paid for both sessions. But the competition was better.

[BraveUlysses]

Back when I was in school 00-05 I only attended a few events with my former Celica Alltrac/GT-FOUR.

Yeah, Everett and Bremerton events have kind have become victims of their own success...too many participants.

I loathed that stupid port location which always consisted of driving through a patch of unpaved dirt in the staging area or courses which involved doubling-back and only one car on course at a time

[nando]

Back when I was in school 00-05 I only attended a few events with my former Celica Alltrac/GT-FOUR.

Yeah, Everett and Bremerton events have kind have become victims of their own success...too many participants.

I loathed that stupid port location which always consisted of driving through a patch of unpaved dirt in the staging area or courses which involved doubling-back and only one car on course at a time

pretty sure I remember your car. and yeah the pavement at that lot sucked.. but I still liked it because I lived 5 minutes away! and now we have nothing, I'm not driving to bremerton to get 4 minutes of seat time. :p

[E30Idea]

Sounds like great news, Josh. I am yet to read the whole thread but have you considered the Target parkinglot as well for a backup? The one we met at for Joshiefest07

[Jand3rson]

That parking lot is always full, especially on weekends. And there's light poles, parking blocks, and cart corrals. Wouldn't work. The only other venue that would have worked is the high school parking lot they were trying to get.

I'm still going to be active, but definitely not both days each weekend. Probably just one race a month for me instead of two. We'll see what happens, the next club meeting is tomorrow night.