Growing AI/CMC numbers

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Originally Posted by oz98cobra

And I have to beg to differ with the notion that the DE's are not a big potential recruiting ground for future racers. So many of us came from there - JG, Glenn, Mitch, AG, myself and Mason ...

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This is exactly what I did, but I bought a different car to compete with. I didn't use my street car to race.
I found out about NASA Pro Racing/AI after going to Sonoma, Ca on business. I was staying the weekend due to business in the bay area and planned on going out to Griggs Racing/Infineon raceway to watch the NASA races with Bruce and John Griggs. I happened to call Adam G. to shoot the crap and low and behold Adam was in the bay area as well and was staying the weekend to spend time with his sister. So I asked if Adam G. and his sister wanted to come out as well. I ended up getting a ride from a really nice guy (Hal Massey) in a Griggs Street car in the HPDE 3 run group, I believe Adam did as well. This was the start for me to acquire a dedicated race car and to look up the local NASA region.

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Originally Posted by oz98cobra

The TT positions NASA in an ideal position to provide a bridge between DE and full blown racing, ...

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I would also agree with this. This should be a great marketing focus for NASA with the younger tuner crowd.

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Originally Posted by oz98cobra

I have to agree with Todd on who pays for what - NASA TX already has brochures covering all racing classes, but unless there is already a national AI/CMC brochure available to us, if we want to do something over and above the generic NASA brochure to help attract more drivers to AI/CMC, then perhaps we should take care of that ourselves? I'm sure NASA TX won't mind helping distribute our flyers if we are doing the same for them?

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This I do not agree with, NASA TX should handle this expense as they reap the benefits of more people in the different classes. We can carry the flyers to car clubs, events and etc. We can be the ambassador for the series and not the sponsors. I think our fearless leaders should approach NASA Texas before suggesting that the racers pay for anything. Don't assume anything! ;-)

OK ... so there is 8 or 10 of us ...

How many participants go through the various DE venues in Texas in a given year, much less the last 5? 200?, 300? 500? 1500?

VERY low percentage.

DEs are not the racers gene pool ...

i came for the HPDE route. when i decided to go w-2w, i was worried my lack of experience would be a problem. little did i know that my 6 years of track time was far more than most. it was shocking. my point being that guys who come from the HPDE route are coming from driving in a manner that keeps the car undamaged for the most part. those lessons taught to HPDE guys, makes them good racers.
i learned of AI/CMC from a article in Hot Rod Magazine. got on the net, searched the www looking for a date around the time i would be in Arizona w/ family. learned of the local region and found a schedule. point is, i ran Cresson many times that year and never heard of AI/CMC from any locals. there was no info anywhere. had i known, i would have been racing much sooner. there is a total lack of exposure just w/in the HPDE/open track/road racing crowd. i was in a fairly large group of guys who all owned and open tracked F-bodies (me, Mitch, Nick, James, Chris Burton, Kevin Turner, Chuck Beuler, and a few more i'm leaving out. none of us had heard about AI/CMC. all of those w/ the exception of 2 have collected points in CMC, and have all come from the HPDE world. 1 of the other 2 is active in TT(U). until we learn to get the info out to those who have an interest in open tracking (higher % chance of setting the hook) we dont need to worry about many of the other venues.
so how do we inform those who frequent HPDE events to ensure they know about us w/out offending the host org who is hosting the event? not sure. but there has to be an answer. do we do exhibition races @ these events? possibly. would that take way from our wallets? yes. we need to work a deal w/ those orgs to get track time in exchange for instructing, or whatever they need for the weekend. it will cost us some time, money and effort. this could be done during non-racing months (off season and gaps in the schedule). Darin has already done this once for us. it didnt work out. i think it could though. race reports will help. we intend to continue w/ this at the AI/CMC TX level. there are also the local racer mags you pick up @ the local speed shops (like SpeedTek - they have a few on the counter for free. NASA TX should ask to put up a flyer stand in these places - something along the lines of a "Thrifty Nickel " stand. we are all spread out enough that these could be looked at my us racers w/ no problems. i frequent allot of these shops anyways.
point is, there is something we can do. we have the 2006 dues left over. lets put that money to work. market that AI/CMC 2005/6 Year in Review CD. mail afew off to major mags as freebies. get thier intrest. get them on our side. send them a race report w/ it and ask it to be ran.

long post for me. off to eat dinner. flame away.

Regarding handout brochures/pamphlets:

If NASA pays for it, we pay for it somehow. Entry fees, membership, comp license...

From another angle..
Other racers shouldn't pay increased fees to market AI/CMC. Does every race group get its own marketing material?
NASA must divide its marketing energy and money amoung many race groups. We can focus on AI/CMC.

If we want something we'll be happy with we need to do it ourselves. If we let NASA handle it, we may not be satisfied with the result... and we still had to pay for it.

Since NONE of the money has been spent out of the fund, can it just cover our dues for this year?

:lol:

i dont have a problem w/ that. but what of those who did pay and aint racnig this year?

Good discussion and a few clarifications:

1) NASA TX really is concentrating on the base business right now. Diana and Becka are gone and they need someone to mind the day to day business now. This will be worked out soon enough, but needs to be way ahead of marketing efforts y'all are talking of. Infrastucture comes first.

2) Taking an AI/CMC car to another event, to another shop, to a dyno, to a gas station, to anywhere, usually generates interest. Just tonight at the dyno, Rob and I had a handful of folks asking questions, info, next event, hungry for info. If we (AI/CMC) are armed with materials for OUR series then we can all truly become ambassadors of the series. $50 out of the series fund will pay for a lot of toner and I'll gladly print up a bunch of flyers or even business cards for everyone in the series to be able to hand out! I'd much rather NASA Texas concentrate on base business than try to worry about recruiting new AI/CMC folks (who they refer to us anyway once the detailed questions start coming.

3) New year...new series dues payments. We've got to accumulate wealth in order to grow the series!

4) 3 AI/CMC racers trying to quit smoking...greaaat....should make for some lively discussions at the driver's meeting! :roll: :lol: (Al, Glenn...this could be a great developmental assignment for you!)

-=- Todd

As the guy watching from the sidelines and working to get a car in the fray here's my $0.02.

To a person, everyone I've talked to verbally or electronically has put forth more than a little effort to answer my questions. Even the "bad blood" that spills over now and then on the forums has, in most cases, enough hints of sarcasm and competition to come across as reasonable.

That being said, it wasn't easy finding you guys. I've been autocrossing since 1988, longtime reader of R&T and Autoweek and didn't really notice NASA and thus AI/CMC until a Driver's Edge event. I knew about SCCA from TAMSCC and other coverage. I like the idea of CMC over A-Sedan and, so far, have found the people more to my liking.

I agree the cars help sell the series. Somebody put several at a vacation bible school this past summer and they were a hit.

Flyers at your doctor, dentist, local watering hole, auto-parts place, etc. would all help promote visibility.

If somebody tells me how to get an 2007 AI/CMC T-shirt, I'll put the check in the mail.

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Originally Posted by Fbody383

That being said, it wasn't easy finding you guys.

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I can vouch for that. I autocrossed and raced karts for years before Morgan told Jeff Brooks and I about CMC/AI. I consider myself a pretty active enthusiast and I had no idea that we existed.
When Morgan told me about the series I immediately started looking for a car and found one in the off season and was racing the first race the next year.
There are lots of guys like me out there that are just autocrossing because they didnt know there was a reasonable, affordable road racing series in texas.

[quote="NASA13"]

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Originally Posted by Fbody383

There are lots of guys like me out there that are just autocrossing because they didnt know there was a reasonable, affordable road racing series in texas.

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And like me.... I first heard about CMC/AI from something I read and at the time it was only on the West Coast. I did a little research about then, but it was not in Texas at the time.

I even ran a Nasa event doing DE and CMC/AI didn't have cars here in Texas.

I decided to go racing as the DE's got a little on the boring side. The only option was dirt and thus went that direction for a few years and did less and less DE's. Of course CMC/AI started growing in Texas just after I bought the dirt track car.