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This started off as a response to the Rally Lifestyle topic, but it grew sufficiently to warrant its own thread.
The marketing guy. As I wade through the many posts on this (previous) topic, I see lots of references to Kurt as "the marketing guy." He was hired in as the marketing guy, but that's no longer his job. We now have Garret Mudd, whom many of us met at the NorPac convention, whose job is to market all of the SCCA, not just our brightest hope sector ("rally." )
Garret's background is racing related with a strong understanding of marketing (operator of Lime Rock) and I have confidence that he's going to be able to do what has proven problematic for his many predecessors, and yes, I've written to Steve Johnson to express my cautious optimism about having Garret performing those duties.
Rally America. We also are fortunate to have Rally America step up with their own cash and hard work to handle things that our series needs. While I personally feel that they're filling a void that should not have existed in the first place, I'm happy to see them address the challenges of our sport.
Travel distances. As for Daphne's distances, I applaud her for compiling this. We've unfortunately seen in the past that we're told one thing, then given another (or, more usually, nothing). Hopefully if the powers that be are made aware of the problems we face, the situation can be righted and future communications will be improved.
SpecialStage and Kurt. As for Kurt responding to this forum, even though it really is the de facto place for our sport, I remind you that he used to post information here and on most cases was personally blasted at every opportunity. I am one who, after several years of optimism, have voiced strong criticism of some decisions and actions taken by our leadership. It's important to stress, however, that my objections and concerns are not with the person but the actions. I still believe that everyone at the helm is doing what they think is best for the sport. While many of us disagree, it's unfair to assume that the actions are deliberately sinister or purposely intended to rile up the membership. While--in my opinion--the PRD hasn't been able to meet the widely disparate needs of the members, it's not for lack of passion for the sport or compassion for the players. Kurt is not a bad guy, even though it's possible he's no longer the right guy for the job. On the other hand, maybe we just don't really understand what the job is.
Manufacturers. A related comment, if only tangential: I'm delighted to see people from Subaru and Hyundai monitoring and responding to our posts. We NEED the manufacturers as partners--the key is that we add them to our package, not get displaced by them. In my opinion, they have no interest in displacing the common racer. Instead, the manufacturers have as strong a vested interest in growing the sport as any privateer or hobby racer, and have as strong a desire to see us happy as competitors in a healthy, vital series.
Summary. I had not intended to write this long, nor this strongly, but I stand by my words. I fervently desire to see our sport grow, for competitors AND manufacturers, for the doers and the watchers, for the club and its members. It's the codriver's code that you keep on getting back in the car even after getting sick, so I'm not ready to give up yet. The people at the top, including the Pres, the PRB, the MC, the PRD, the BoD, and the office staff, all have difficult assignments to complete if our common goal of "moving our sport forward" is to be achieved. I still hope that we'll be able to make it happen. I still stand ready to help.
[hr]
[p align=right]John Dillon
John @ WidgetRacing.com
www.WidgetRacing.com
The marketing guy. As I wade through the many posts on this (previous) topic, I see lots of references to Kurt as "the marketing guy." He was hired in as the marketing guy, but that's no longer his job. We now have Garret Mudd, whom many of us met at the NorPac convention, whose job is to market all of the SCCA, not just our brightest hope sector ("rally." )
Garret's background is racing related with a strong understanding of marketing (operator of Lime Rock) and I have confidence that he's going to be able to do what has proven problematic for his many predecessors, and yes, I've written to Steve Johnson to express my cautious optimism about having Garret performing those duties.
Rally America. We also are fortunate to have Rally America step up with their own cash and hard work to handle things that our series needs. While I personally feel that they're filling a void that should not have existed in the first place, I'm happy to see them address the challenges of our sport.
Travel distances. As for Daphne's distances, I applaud her for compiling this. We've unfortunately seen in the past that we're told one thing, then given another (or, more usually, nothing). Hopefully if the powers that be are made aware of the problems we face, the situation can be righted and future communications will be improved.
SpecialStage and Kurt. As for Kurt responding to this forum, even though it really is the de facto place for our sport, I remind you that he used to post information here and on most cases was personally blasted at every opportunity. I am one who, after several years of optimism, have voiced strong criticism of some decisions and actions taken by our leadership. It's important to stress, however, that my objections and concerns are not with the person but the actions. I still believe that everyone at the helm is doing what they think is best for the sport. While many of us disagree, it's unfair to assume that the actions are deliberately sinister or purposely intended to rile up the membership. While--in my opinion--the PRD hasn't been able to meet the widely disparate needs of the members, it's not for lack of passion for the sport or compassion for the players. Kurt is not a bad guy, even though it's possible he's no longer the right guy for the job. On the other hand, maybe we just don't really understand what the job is.
Manufacturers. A related comment, if only tangential: I'm delighted to see people from Subaru and Hyundai monitoring and responding to our posts. We NEED the manufacturers as partners--the key is that we add them to our package, not get displaced by them. In my opinion, they have no interest in displacing the common racer. Instead, the manufacturers have as strong a vested interest in growing the sport as any privateer or hobby racer, and have as strong a desire to see us happy as competitors in a healthy, vital series.
Summary. I had not intended to write this long, nor this strongly, but I stand by my words. I fervently desire to see our sport grow, for competitors AND manufacturers, for the doers and the watchers, for the club and its members. It's the codriver's code that you keep on getting back in the car even after getting sick, so I'm not ready to give up yet. The people at the top, including the Pres, the PRB, the MC, the PRD, the BoD, and the office staff, all have difficult assignments to complete if our common goal of "moving our sport forward" is to be achieved. I still hope that we'll be able to make it happen. I still stand ready to help.
[hr]
[p align=right]John Dillon
John @ WidgetRacing.com
www.WidgetRacing.com
