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@stacey cook wrote:
… Greg, Brad we all need to just keep our eye on the ball as they say and focus on what is best for karting. We all have offended each other at one time or another don’t take it personal let’s put that aside and realize this is good for all of us…
Now let’s get it done.
Hear, here.
The same passions that have us saying heated things sometimes are the same, exact passions that built karting here to begin with — as with all good things.
The Big Picture outweighs all else. Keep going forward. :rotate:
Accolades to Scott for this thread, and for his presentation.
Cris, it was actually I who designed the track — so natch, I agree with your Field of Dreams quote.
Ready to finish upon Brad’s command. 🙂 I can even donate some dirt from the yard. 😆
Several posts above make a lot of sense.
Some of you long-timers know I’ve been around racing awhile (karting off and on since 1977, and sports car racing since 1963). I have made much of my living since the ’70s from racing like IndyCar, IMSA, and many other major Series’. I haven’t kart-raced for a decade, but have witnessed many things in my time — those that worked and those that did not. I only mention all this to pre-qualify my comments.
Here’s my simplistic view from the perimeter… overall, karters are karters and get along fine and just wanna race. These relationships are priceless and enduring, and a big reason karting is so great. But if pushed into a corner, racers will go where they feel most welcome. Stacey and Brad and JB get along great and have for a very long time. I’ve never seen any of them do anything for monopolistic purposes. The gap seems clear in that some owners are willing to do what’s best for our karters, others not as much. All told, don’t we have six tracks including Pikes Peak and the revitalized SBR to host a State series?
Beyond, as I’ve said for years, it seems all this would take is one person acting as a go-between between the racers and the track owners. A Driver’s Representative, if you will. If any track owners can’t get along, why exactly does that need to preclude such a series? I’d recommend the first year of such a series might encourage larger participation by hosting only one race per track — so all can afford it amongst their other pursuits during this economy. Always better to build slowly than to tear down suddenly. From a racer’s standpoint, the idea of racing at several tracks for one championship — especially for those posting here who can’t afford too many races at the moment — is very enticing and fun, and defines the best of why we race.
When a national pro series in cars takes shape, the track owners typically don’t work together at all. Why would they need to? In theory anyway, it seems a relatively-simple matter of creating a series, working the dates and fees with the track owners, and carrying on in the direction everyone wants. Anyone not participating will soon shine brightly as the Problem Child.
The tracks eager to participate deserve the accolades that follows cooperation, for the good of the sport. The ones that don’t also get just what they deserve.
One note… when I raced in the early-’80s here, we had one of the weakest states in the country for karting. A very few people here dedicated their entire lives to changing that, at great personal sacrifice and expense, at risk of losing everything — and they succeeded to the benefit of all Colorado karters past and present. Just look at the drivers who’ve come out of Colorado since! This was no accident. It seems to me the ones who made this happen, during the years we struggled to be on the national map, deserve a bit more gratitude for developing a ready-made market for those who followed.
Good Luck, I sincerely hope this can be worked out.
I’m not at all surprised Fox bailed out. The only real shocker is it took this long. Classy? They never have been before so no surprise there, either.
It is bloody terrible to break up this squad. I’ve known Hobbo quite a while, since watching him race in the ’60s even. This group is absolutely irreplaceable. If the new races in ’13 have people like Mike Joy, I may not often watch for the hair I’ll pull out. They need to hire Greg Creamer, another old pal.
I agree with Jon, NBC is doing pretty well with IndyCar, but not even close to the F1 boys. Yes, the Sky feed is awesome, and it’s free for the most part.
That really is great news!
Lest we forget, Sergio is North America’s only GP driver…!
I was kinda hoping to find him in red next year, now I wonder who will be. We love Felipe around here but he’ll never be the same, it’d be a shocker if he got re-signed. To think he’d have been WDC without the last-corner, mid-field pass just seems an annoyance to Felipe’s misfortunes.
Wow, that is some great news. I only ran there once, in 2001, and loved it.
A former karter and longtime friend from the Springs just asked me a week ago what the status was out there (he’s run the Pikes Peak Hillclimb for 25 years). I’ll let him know it’s up and running, he loves coming out for rentals.
Congratulations!
Greg, the only tweak I ‘d offer is having the music compete with the dialogue a bit less.
Very well done overall. Great interviews, very nice imagery.
9/10
Tony, thanks from the periphery for all the work you put into this.
Very nice reporting as well! (which is what launched my career).
Is Sabre still the points leader?
