Clay Turner
01-26-2006, 04:29 PM
I had a phone call today with the managing director of operational planning for ISC, the new owners of PPIR; I can only hope that our foot is in the door enough to keep it open just a crack. Below is the text of a letter I sent to him today; I'll keep you posted as I have more news.
Thanks, and I'll be happy to speak with any of you offline for further details.
-------------------------
Andrew Gurtin
Managing Director of Operational Planning and Integration
International Speedway Corporation
Dear Andrew,
Thank you for your phone call today. I have a much clearer understanding of ISC’s position regarding PPIR, and your goals for the Denver market. I also appreciate your acknowledgment of the points I made regarding the importance of the PPIR parking lot to the future of hundreds of SCCA Solo participants in the Continental Divide Region (CDR).
I’d like to follow up to reiterate a few points:
We’re inquiring about the lot, not the track. We stage SCCA Solo events in parking lots and airfields; we have no interest in access to the track itself. Large expanses of median- and light pole-free asphalt are very hard to come by, and PPIR has one of the best (and few).
We understand your desire to ensure that PPIR is not used in anyway that competes with ISC interests elsewhere. SCCA Solo (autocross) is, by definition in the SCCA Solo Rulebook, a non-spectator sport; the saying goes that “at NASCAR, the fans know all the drivers; at SCCA, the drivers know all the fans.”
Neither would our rental of the PPIR lot affect the rental income of some future ISC facility in Denver; The Colorado region of SCCA (Denver area) conducts their events at Denver International Airport. If SCCA CDR loses access to venues in southern Colorado, then it’s highly unlikely that we would move operations to an ISC venue in another region.
We appreciate the logistics of operating events at PPIR. We have operated at PPIR for several years; we carry our own insurance, which will indemnify ISC. We know how to protect our insurance, and we’ve not had a claim in the 7 years I have been associated with the club. We’re good neighbors, and we take care of the venues that we rent, requiring only access; We furnish our own EMT personnel, portajohns, and food service when necessary. We pick up after ourselves, lock the doors and turn out the lights when we leave. We have even contributed labor and funds to the maintenance of venues important to the club,
when necessary.
If there are other logistical issues associated with our staging events at the PPIR lot, we would welcome the opportunity to discuss how we bring the resources of the SCCA to bear to resolve them.
Cross us off your “competitor” list and put us on your “partner” list. SCCA Solo is the most grassroots of motor sports. We are the entry level for motor sports for hundreds of enthusiasts in Southern Colorado alone. Last year, over 700 drivers attended SCCA Solo events in our summer series.
I’m certain that ISC appreciates how participation in non-competing motor sports will only fuel enthusiasm for any ISC brand of motor sports.
SCCA Solo maintains effective communications with its hundreds of members in Colorado; we are able to swiftly disseminate information to our members and garner support for events other than our own. Surely ISC would benefit from a strong relationship with a healthy, effective group of highly motivated enthusiasts less than an hour away from your venue.
SCCA also provides trained volunteers in the areas of corner working, safety, registration, hospitality, operations and logistics to support professional events like the Centrix Financial Grand Prix in Denver. It’s highly likely that future events at an ISC venue will rely on local SCCA-trained volunteers in a similar fashion.
SCCA Solo needs PPIR to thrive in this region. Access to venues is the key challenge to Solo programs nationwide. With the loss of PPIR, SCCA CDR has one remaining venue at which to stage events: that venue is in a neighborhood with strict sound controls, and a third of that lot has been sold for the construction of a hotel and two restaurants.
I’m sure you can see how one unforeseen event could end access to our remaining site, and possibly end our season prematurely, or perhaps permanently. Obviously, ISC would not benefit from that scenario.
Don’t throw the RX-8 out with the bathwater. Or the BMW, or the Corvette, or the 350Z. A blanket policy barring all motor sports activity at PPIR may seem to serve ISC interests by eliminating competition; However, I hope you can see how such a policy will restrict non-competing enthusiast events and discourage participation in motor sport activities that will ultimately benefit ISC.
I’ll finish with a personal example: I have a 13-year-old son who began autocrossing a Briggs kart last season. He has plenty of other activities competing for his attention: If he has to get up at 4am and drive to Denver to compete, I’m certain that he’ll make other choices.
The question we pose to ISC is this: in 10 years, when your track may be open in Denver, would you rather be marketing to a 23-year-old karting enthusiast, or a 23-year-old lacrosse player?
Thank you for your time. I hope that this can be the beginning of a conversation, not the end; I also encourage you to share this letter with others within ISC who may impact your decision. I welcome any input or feedback from you as we pursue our mutual interests.
Best regards,
Clay Turner
Solo Chairman
Continental Divide Region, Sports Car Club of America
719.338.3434
cc: Gary Pitts
Howard Duncan
SCCA Continental Divide Region membership
SCCA Colorado Region membership
Thanks, and I'll be happy to speak with any of you offline for further details.
-------------------------
Andrew Gurtin
Managing Director of Operational Planning and Integration
International Speedway Corporation
Dear Andrew,
Thank you for your phone call today. I have a much clearer understanding of ISC’s position regarding PPIR, and your goals for the Denver market. I also appreciate your acknowledgment of the points I made regarding the importance of the PPIR parking lot to the future of hundreds of SCCA Solo participants in the Continental Divide Region (CDR).
I’d like to follow up to reiterate a few points:
We’re inquiring about the lot, not the track. We stage SCCA Solo events in parking lots and airfields; we have no interest in access to the track itself. Large expanses of median- and light pole-free asphalt are very hard to come by, and PPIR has one of the best (and few).
We understand your desire to ensure that PPIR is not used in anyway that competes with ISC interests elsewhere. SCCA Solo (autocross) is, by definition in the SCCA Solo Rulebook, a non-spectator sport; the saying goes that “at NASCAR, the fans know all the drivers; at SCCA, the drivers know all the fans.”
Neither would our rental of the PPIR lot affect the rental income of some future ISC facility in Denver; The Colorado region of SCCA (Denver area) conducts their events at Denver International Airport. If SCCA CDR loses access to venues in southern Colorado, then it’s highly unlikely that we would move operations to an ISC venue in another region.
We appreciate the logistics of operating events at PPIR. We have operated at PPIR for several years; we carry our own insurance, which will indemnify ISC. We know how to protect our insurance, and we’ve not had a claim in the 7 years I have been associated with the club. We’re good neighbors, and we take care of the venues that we rent, requiring only access; We furnish our own EMT personnel, portajohns, and food service when necessary. We pick up after ourselves, lock the doors and turn out the lights when we leave. We have even contributed labor and funds to the maintenance of venues important to the club,
when necessary.
If there are other logistical issues associated with our staging events at the PPIR lot, we would welcome the opportunity to discuss how we bring the resources of the SCCA to bear to resolve them.
Cross us off your “competitor” list and put us on your “partner” list. SCCA Solo is the most grassroots of motor sports. We are the entry level for motor sports for hundreds of enthusiasts in Southern Colorado alone. Last year, over 700 drivers attended SCCA Solo events in our summer series.
I’m certain that ISC appreciates how participation in non-competing motor sports will only fuel enthusiasm for any ISC brand of motor sports.
SCCA Solo maintains effective communications with its hundreds of members in Colorado; we are able to swiftly disseminate information to our members and garner support for events other than our own. Surely ISC would benefit from a strong relationship with a healthy, effective group of highly motivated enthusiasts less than an hour away from your venue.
SCCA also provides trained volunteers in the areas of corner working, safety, registration, hospitality, operations and logistics to support professional events like the Centrix Financial Grand Prix in Denver. It’s highly likely that future events at an ISC venue will rely on local SCCA-trained volunteers in a similar fashion.
SCCA Solo needs PPIR to thrive in this region. Access to venues is the key challenge to Solo programs nationwide. With the loss of PPIR, SCCA CDR has one remaining venue at which to stage events: that venue is in a neighborhood with strict sound controls, and a third of that lot has been sold for the construction of a hotel and two restaurants.
I’m sure you can see how one unforeseen event could end access to our remaining site, and possibly end our season prematurely, or perhaps permanently. Obviously, ISC would not benefit from that scenario.
Don’t throw the RX-8 out with the bathwater. Or the BMW, or the Corvette, or the 350Z. A blanket policy barring all motor sports activity at PPIR may seem to serve ISC interests by eliminating competition; However, I hope you can see how such a policy will restrict non-competing enthusiast events and discourage participation in motor sport activities that will ultimately benefit ISC.
I’ll finish with a personal example: I have a 13-year-old son who began autocrossing a Briggs kart last season. He has plenty of other activities competing for his attention: If he has to get up at 4am and drive to Denver to compete, I’m certain that he’ll make other choices.
The question we pose to ISC is this: in 10 years, when your track may be open in Denver, would you rather be marketing to a 23-year-old karting enthusiast, or a 23-year-old lacrosse player?
Thank you for your time. I hope that this can be the beginning of a conversation, not the end; I also encourage you to share this letter with others within ISC who may impact your decision. I welcome any input or feedback from you as we pursue our mutual interests.
Best regards,
Clay Turner
Solo Chairman
Continental Divide Region, Sports Car Club of America
719.338.3434
cc: Gary Pitts
Howard Duncan
SCCA Continental Divide Region membership
SCCA Colorado Region membership