Camaro Fest VI - Drag Racing (Beech Bend Raceway)

[rwi2112]

I think we both stayed at the Motel 8. My wife loves your blue car + IT IS FAST ;-) Told her sorry hun my key didn't fit it ;-( My stock V6 got to run a nitrous V6, yup that was fun, NOT!

[Bad70supreme]

Thanks, Ya that hotel was kinda crapy huh! My shower fan did not work, made my room a steam room! Lol

[rwi2112]

Yea I'm 6'3" you should have seen the mold on top of the tub surround. Looked like the vacuum cleaner wouldn't reach the back stair way either. NO WAY I was gettin in that pool LOL ;-P

[Ryanbabz71]

Originally Posted by Bad70supreme

Thanks, Ya that hotel was kinda crapy huh! My shower fan did not work, made my room a steam room! Lol

My damn toilet kept running


Ryan

[Smkymts]

Very disappointed in how the drags where organized. Never heard M6 street tire class called. Was running in AutoX and asked how we could do both drag and auto. Pete at AutoX said they got together with Mlee and Drag would call over to Pete by cell at AutoX and Pete would send us over to drag. No call was ever received. Heard my name being announced as being eliminated cause of no show. Everyone says every year that members can do both, and every year this stuff happens. Oh, you can run, but if you are good enough to go deep in qualifing, then this happens. I didnt go to fest last two years cause of stuff like this. Had hoped things had improved. It hasnt.

[mlee]

All classes were run one right after the other on Sat. We started with the main classes to ensure they were complete before going into extra classes. We're not going to even try to work two races simultaneously anymore. If there is a next year it will be pick one and go with it and on day 2 you can do the other and some of the classes will be moved to Friday. A phone call to tell someone to come over and race doesn't work while others are waiting.

Here are the results. Trophy went out to the only one who showed up for M6.

[Andrew4180]

Originally Posted by mlee

All classes were run one right after the other on Sat. We started with the main classes to ensure they were complete before going into extra classes. We're not going to even try to work two races simultaneously anymore. If there is a next year it will be pick one and go with it and on day 2 you can do the other and some of the classes will be moved to Friday. A phone call to tell someone to come over and race doesn't work while others are waiting.

Here are the results. Trophy went out to the only one who showed up for M6.

Attachment 736867

What do you mean not running two races anymore?

[mlee]

Originally Posted by Andrew4180

What do you mean not running two races anymore?

AutoX and Drags at the same time. Folks will need to pick one and a better schedule will be needed to help with this. Also, a drivers meeting would have eliminated a lot of confusion with schedule and many had no idea what qualification runs were for. My fault for not doing that on Friday as I had planned.

[Andrew4180]

Originally Posted by mlee

AutoX and Drags at the same time. Folks will need to pick one and a better schedule will be needed to help with this. Also, a drivers meeting would have eliminated a lot of confusion with schedule and many had no idea what qualification runs were for. My fault for not doing that on Friday as I had planned.

Gotcha, I was kinda wondering about the drivers meeting also. definitely put that on the checklist for next year.

[Smkymts]

Originally Posted by mlee

AutoX and Drags at the same time. Folks will need to pick one and a better schedule will be needed to help with this. Also, a drivers meeting would have eliminated a lot of confusion with schedule and many had no idea what qualification runs were for. My fault for not doing that on Friday as I had planned.

Look, I understand your life is extremely complicated before and especially during fest. You have a lot to balance and a lot more varibles thrown at you last minute. But I have proposed a question for 4 years. One I will surely get beat up over but will say anyways...

With a car show, AutoX and multiple drag classes, why are we still trying to cram all this in to just two days? Thursday, this year, people showed up for the Corvette museum and track day. Thats cool and all, but we are Camaro5, not Corvette5, why can't we do some of these "Camaro" Events on Thursday? Perhaps Thursday night drags under the lights? Qualifing? Or the car show on Thursday, so members that want to so their clean car on Thursday, can drag or auto the next two days. I mean this is a once a year event. Yes, some people have jobs and its harder to leave mid-week. But if fest is important and you have time to do so much, its worth the extra vacation day you have to take.

I personally love all three events and always tried to do at least two, but now you say, everyone has to pick just one. Its worth the cost of gas, food, hotel and $100 fees if you can do more than one thing, but not if its just one event. It just seems that its become just a event to drink and BS with others at night, and not about competing against similar cars and drivers and discovering all the cool tricked out Camaros everyone has brought.

I vote for a third day added to next years Fest, with Thursday as a full day of actual member events and not just a tourist dreamfest during the day and a night of late arrivals. Cause if its just pick one event, them many will forego the $100 cost plus hotel and pay Saturday morning for a one day event!

How about a over all Camaro5 fest grand winner trophy based on points earned in Drags, AutoX and Car show. The Camaro has always been known as a blue-collar guy/gal type of car. A every mans auto. Inexpensive enough to modify as you want. You don't have to be rich to be apart of this club. What better represents Chevrolet and the Camaro, than a car and it's owner that can do it on all levels? We have different class levels in drag. And not every level will be the fastest at AutoX and not every AutoX car will be fastest at drags. I mean, its one thing to build a fast Camaro with a ton of money and another to be a driver good enough to do it all and also be impressive enough at a car show. Hasn't that what Chevrolet has been trying to do with the ZL1 and Z28? Lets ask Chevrolet to sponsor the the class winner as overall Festival Champion with a huge trophy or better yet, with Chevrolet Parts mods from their catalog or a gift certificate towards the future purchase of a New Camaro?

Wouldn't everyone show up and compete in all three for a chance like that?

Lets not think smaller by having to chose one event, but think growth of Camaro5 by thinking bigger with more days for a multi-event Festival!!!!!

No other event that I know of had ever done this. It would be great and pull in new members as well as pull old members back.

[Ryanbabz71]

Like your thinking but one comment, isn't the hotel parking lot a giant car show?


Ryan

[mlee]

Originally Posted by Smkymts

Look, ...

Excellent post except you totally mis-understood my pick one. I said develop a better schedule and pick one is because you obviously can't be two places at one time which is what we have tried to do. A schedule needs to allow for participation in all events. 3 days would definitely help with this but the cost would be 1/3 higher too. Not to say that's a bad thing or that folks won't pay the extra. I think we proved this year that Thursday is a big hit.

An overall champion is a great idea too...

A lot of great comments in your post. Thanks!!

[Ryanbabz71]

Continuous improvement

Wish I could take off my engineering hat

[Smkymts]

Originally Posted by mlee

Excellent post except you totally mis-understood my pick one. I said develop a better schedule and pick one is because you obviously can't be two places at one time which is what we have tried to do. A schedule needs to allow for participation in all events. 3 days would definitely help with this but the cost would be 1/3 higher too. Not to say that's a bad thing or that folks won't pay the extra. I think we proved this year that Thursday is a big hit.

An overall champion is a great idea too...

A lot of great comments in your post. Thanks!!

Most of the general members have no clue as to what it takes to put on a event the size of CamaroFest, its cost or organization. Or how complicated and expensive the proposed extra say is. I actually do. And I am willing to pur my retired butt on the line to assust in any fashion I can to make this a real option. The easier but none the less more time consuming portion of this request is the organizational restructuring of the festival from a two day to a three day event. Most people believe the harder part is fund raising. But here are plenty of auto related Corporations that would be very interested in sponsoring this event. Camaro5 and our Fest has incorporated many great and small sponsors to this point, but we have barely scratched the surface of sponsored support. And money shouldn't be the barrier to making this happen. And I stand ready to support Camaro5 in this endeavor!