Long explanation - Was: Money and Ramada ...
>Mike,
>
>If you have resource problems by December, then you need to
>plan better.
Thanks. I think.
Life's a compromise and my unrequited dream to return to the autosport industry fulltime, without turning wrenches like I did in the 80s, was launched with the purchase of Scheible's New Beetle Rally Car - a machine that may be the best known single rally car in the world. We created RealAutoSport, LLC and handled things as business-like as possible while we focused on our main goal: win a ProRally National Championship and fill the one gap I had in my motorsport CV (resume). The end goal, of course, was to secure some form of sponsorship that would allow me to own/manage a team and secure a future in the burgeoning stateside performance rally industry.
As you may or may not know, while holding down a full-time job as Helmerich & Payne, Inc.'s IT Help Desk Lead I did seven of the ten 2001 SCCA ProRally championship events, towed over 30,000 miles in 9 months (almost half solo), had one-off, non-repeating mechanical anomalies that cost us finishing three events, did 99% of the between-event repair and maintenance, created at least 12 million media impressions but ultimately failed in our goals. My meager vacation was gone by September and the days I took off for Prescott and LSPR were covered by working overtime in the weeks surrounding the end of the season (including volunteering the weekend after 9-11 to move the computer and satellite equipment at an oil rig near Baton Rouge, LA that was battling to prevent a blow out). The only reason I could justify doing LSPR was because I had an outside shot at a series podium finish and thanks to Tony Chavez paying my entry fee under the auspices of my running interference on Peeper for him.
I broke the promises I made to my wife/CPA about not running a rally until the previous event was paid off (a situation that would have been MUCH worse without assistance from Bressem, Thompson, Holter, Donsion, Barfoot, Dillon and Chavez) but I did not shirk the obligation I held for organizing the Hallett RallySprints even though the last thing I wanted to do after LSPR was spend off-duty hours on a tractor/setting up and tearing down that event.
You'll further notice that except for that RallySprint 30 miles from home I entered NO ClubRallys even though I typically enjoy running them more than the Pro events. In other words, no time, energies nor monies were spent last season "for fun." Given their sanctioning you'll understand that the only reason I'd have been tempted to do Laughlin in 2001 would have been for fun and I simply didn't have enough money, time nor energy to do Laughlin for no better reason than that.
BTW - our lack of 2002 appearances is because I'm still paying off bills from last season.
>We've only done Laughlin once, last year. But it is
>a great event with wonderful roads. If you miss this one,
>you are missing a lot. Blow off some other event (no
>suggestions given herein) and go to Laughlin.
I know it's a great event and one very much like those I learned to rally on. When I have the disposable funds, time and energies to do so, or a sponsor who wants to pay for me and/or the car to be there appears, then you better believe I'll enter and run no matter who is sanctioning the event. Like I said, there isn't a rally in the world I wouldn't love to run.
>My $0.02,
No comment ...
But maybe you can tell me how a car that Saddam Hussein surely could have scored a program with is languishing in my garage? That one has me truly bumfuzzled.
Halley ...
http://www.realautosport.com
You could also try and make money by charging people to be your co-driver.
