Track day at Autobahn CC

[CIR-Reed]

I would like to put an idea on the table and see what the response is.

Brian (Dopp) and myself would like to set up a track day next summer where groups of karts, bikes, and cars could share the track time (not the track itself). We would like to host it at Autobahn Country Club on the south course. It would be 6 or more 20 minute sessions per group. The cost would be between $150 and $225 per vehicle depending on what the track rental rate ends up being.

The concept of the event is that a bunch of people would get the chance to experience a cool new track that a lot of them probably haven't driven before. It would also be a fun day for people to experience different things. The example I was thinking of was that Matt Palmieri could drive his kart and Vince could bring his mini or something and have fun with that.

We would most likely limit the entry to 20 vehicles per run group which would keep the track from being too busy. I should clarify that I am NOT thinking about setting this event up for any sort of personal or financial gain. I spend as much time as I can at various tracks all summer long as is. I personally would love to set up this event just to have a fun day at the track with a lot of the CIR crew as well as Brian and some of his friends.

Now the bad news:
It would have to be on a weekday, probably a Tuesday or Wednesday because those are the lowest price days each week (and we are trying to keep it as cheap as possible). Also, we couldn't get a weekend day even if we wanted to because there already isn't any availability on the weekends.

The questions I need to answer are:

1. Is there enough interest in this for Brian and I to invest our time setting it up.
2. Does the rotational format sound good to everybody here?
3. Will the CIR crew all bring out their RM1's and shifters and things?
4. Will Stefan be faster than Phil?
5. Will Phil be faster than Stefan?
6. If Phil, Stefan, Matt, and Marty all take turns in the same kart who would be the quickest?
7. Will Peter J. finally spend some freakin time at Autobahn! (poor guy is always working)
8. Will Rick have an Exige by then so I can show him how its done with a lowely Elise?

What does everybody think about this? Input is always good.

Feel free to respond here or mail me.

Rbartuska@chicagoindoorracing.com

Lastly

I just wanted to use this one

:hide:

[Rick]

Interested. If I'm in town that weekend, I'm in!

Answers:

1. I am guessing yes
2. Need more explanation
3. Yes
4. Yes
5. Yes
6. Depends on the kart.
7. Yeah, what is up with that?
8. That all depends on if I have sold my M3 by then.

Question: Can we bump pass? :D

[Martin Lenick]

"I would like to put an idea on the table and see what the response is."

This must be done.

With one month advanced notice I'll commit my share of the costs.

"The questions I need to answer are:

1. Is there enough interest in this for Brian and I to invest our time setting it up.
2. Does the rotational format sound good to everybody here?
3. Will the CIR crew all bring out their RM1's and shifters and things?
4. Will Stefan be faster than Phil?
5. Will Phil be faster than Stefan?
6. If Phil, Stefan, Matt, and Marty all take turns in the same kart who would be the quickest?
7. Will Peter J. finally spend some freakin time at Autobahn! (poor guy is always working)
8. Will Rick have an Exige by then so I can show him how its done with a lowely Elise?"

2. Fine 3. Vintage Birel plus current kart 4. yes 5. no 6. I'll be faster in any foreign kart. That's a 4-way challenge: who does better in the other guy's kart relative to anyone else in a kart foreign to them 7. I hope

[MPIGP - Phillip Gordon]

I'm in.

Answers

1. Yes
2. Yes (never mind Rick...too much sun in FL...give him a couple days he'll get it)
3. Yes
4. Hell No
5. Hell Yes
6. That depends on venue....ACC Phil CIR Stephan...Martin don't stand a chance at either
7. I'm counting on it
8. I'll let Rick answer that one

[ssracing10]

Count me in...... :4:

1. Yes
2. Yes
3. Yes
4. Come on guys do I need to answer that??? :P
5. No :D
6. Just wait and see
7. I hope.
8. I'd love to see you two battle it out :4:

[Rick]

I'll be the bookmaker for this event. All wagers can be made with me. :D

[MPIGP - Phillip Gordon]

[I'll be the bookmaker for this event. All wagers can be made with me.]

I never let anyone that drives a faster car than me hold my money :D

[4. Come on guys do I need to answer that???
5. No]

You sure about that Stefan? cause if you are sure maybe I'll change my answers.....not :diablotin:

[vpalmieri]

Matt and I are in. Depending on advance notice a weekday in the summer would not be a problem. I might even be able to scrape together something in addition to the Mini. This is a great way to expand on the base of racing interest that is centered at CIR. I think that if we got the word out to companies that would like to market to racing enthusiasts we might even be able to pick up a little sponsorship money (e.g. tire company).

Vince

[Rick]

I think CIR and Master's Pro Series would be some good sponsor candidates. :D

[MPIGP - Phillip Gordon]

[I think CIR and Master's Pro Series would be some good sponsor candidates.]

Yes, we could use some sponsors, well at least the Masters Pro Series could. That is what you meant right Rick? :yes:

[CIR-Reed]

So it sounds like the I should start looking into this further. I will see what the pricing is and what dates are available for the summer.

Seems to be the consensus that:

Phil thinks he is faster than Stefan.
Stefan thinks he is faster than fill.
If they are driving a kart from the days of early man Marty will be the fastest.

The elise is in the garage right now getting coil overs, sticky rubber and a bit more power. You better have the exige ready in time Rick.

[Rick]

The elise is in the garage right now getting coil overs, sticky rubber and a bit more power. You better have the exige ready in time Rick.

"a bit more power" ... exactly how much more power are we talking about? I've been reading about those ridiculous turbo kits that put out 400+HP.

Phil thinks he is faster than Stefan.
Stefan thinks he is faster than fill.
If they are driving a kart from the days of early man Marty will be the fastest.

I think everyone is forgetting about someone named Dave Mickelson.

[Adam Andrea]

Originally posted by rick@Dec 15 2006, 12:43 PM
"a bit more power" ... exactly how much more power are we talking about? I've been reading about those ridiculous turbo kits that put out 400+HP.

I saw a supercharged one (~300HP) at Concorso Italiano in Monterey last year. Those things are crazy fast with that much power. I can't imagine 400hp.

[CIR-Reed]

I was only talking about probably 15-20 horspower so an output of probably 210 horsepower.

I am much more excited about the better suspension than the power.

[peterjank]

Count me in! I will fire my marketing director if he schedules me out of town whatever day you decide to set this up.

I'll plan on bringing my RM-1 and a car to be decided later.

[MPIGP - Phillip Gordon]

[I'll plan on bringing my RM-1 and a car to be decided later.]

Will we be allowed to run the karts on the big track? Peter you will need a different gear set for the RM1 if they allow the karts on the big track.

What is everyone else bringing?

[CIR-Reed]

I haven't gotten a hold of Mark Basso yet. He is apparently out of town. So far it looks like we cannot run the karts on the big track. They will cut is a deal if we rent the south course and the kart track on the same day however. Which would mean we could have 20 karts on the kart track and you guys could get a TON of track time. We would then run bikes and cars on the big track. Would everyone still be interested with this arrangement? I have had a lot of people express interest in this event. Next week I will be out of town but after that I will try and nail down some of the details and see how it looks.

[MPIGP - Phillip Gordon]

I would probably still be interested.

If Mark won't allow the karts on the big track, I'll let you guys know when we are going to Grattan and you can bring them up there. I'm not sure how many of you would be willing to make the drive to MI but it would be worth it. I planned on having just cars and karts but if there is enough interest, I could request adding bikes.

[ssracing10]

Im up for the kart track at Autobahn.

[Mike Stephenson]

Sounds good to me. I'll be bringing a car.

[peterjank]

I'm still in for both tracks.

[Rick]

Originally posted by CIR-Reed@Dec 16 2006, 05:42 PM
I was only talking about probably 15-20 horspower so an output of probably 210 horsepower.

I am much more excited about the better suspension than the power.
2752


210 puts it right up there with the Exige S. That's a substantial difference. How are you gaining power?

What kind of suspension? Ohlins?

[Rick]

I think I will focus on driving the car. :4: So no kart track for me. I want to spend all day learning from Reed! :thumb1:

[CIR-Reed]

Ok, so here's the deal. I talked to Mark today and they are definitely not going to allow karts on the larger track. They will however give us a discount if we have a member setting the event up. So we would be renting for a full day the kart track and the south course.

So with:
Track rental
workers
ambulance for each track
insurance
fire truck


The break even point would be $225 per person if we have 60 people total. Ideally we would get 20 bikes, 20 cars, and 20 karts. and that would mean a TON of track time for everybody. We would need to figure out if $225 is a good price for everybody or if we want to make the event larger and drop the price like $25. Personally I think it would be worth paying a premium to have it be hard capped at 60 people and have it be all people we know and can have fun with. If we made it larger we could end up with bone heads on the track with us (other than myself).

I asked for a Wednesday during the summer and the dates I was given were July 18th and 25th. They are currently both blocked off for me. I need to let Mark know in the next couple weeks if I want one and which one I want. He will then workout a contract with me and require a 25% deposit.

So the way it will work is we will need 16 people to commit and put money down on the deposit and then it will be invite only for the remaining people until 60 days before the event (to prevent said bone heads from entering). Any remaining spots that aren't filled 60 days out Brian and I will try and recruit whoever we can.

Step 1: We need to decide which date works better for us
Step 2: I need to get probably 20 confirmed and paid entries so I can make the deposit.
Step 3: We need to make sure the spots are all filled or it will become the responsiblity of ALL of us to cover the difference.
Step 4: Rick will need to obtain a large roll of money, one of those fun hats, and a green felt table to organize the gambling for the day.
Step 5: Have fun.

[CIR-Reed]

Here is my spreadsheet so far THESE ARE ALL GUESSES NOTHING CONFIRMED SO FAR:

Autobahn Country Club Track Day South Course and Kart Track

Cars Make/Model of Vehicle
1 Peter Jankovskis Something fast and fun
2 Rick Apghetn;etabt Lotus Exige
3 Vince Palmieri Something faster than a Mini
4 Mike Stephenson Something loud
5 Don Civgin Ferrari Stradale (if his dreams come true)
6 Anthony Stewart Miata (I will work on him, he had fun last time)
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20

Bikes
1 Stuart Moore Suzuki GSXR750
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20

Karts
1 Matt Palmieri Tag Kart
2 Stefan Sajic Shifter Kart
3 Martin Lenick Vintage Birel and Something New
4 Phil Gordon Shifter? DD2? One arm behind his back?
5 Peter Jankovskis Tag Kart/DD2
6 Andy Dunne Mini Max
7 Mason Madej Mini Max
8 Andrew Palmer Mini Max
9 Brennan Harrington Mini Max
10 Toby Stewart Mini Max
11 Keith Harris Mini Max
12 Collin Robb Mini Max
13 Cody Powers Mini Max
14 Ian Civgin Tag Kart
15
16
17
18
19
20


As you can see it looks as though the karting will fill up quickly. Brian knows a ton of bike people and should be able to fill that. So lets work out the date and then fill up the list.

[Rick]

Originally posted by CIR-Reed@Jan 4 2007, 10:45 AM
...Personally I think it would be worth paying a premium to have it be hard capped at 60 people and have it be all people we know and can have fun with.* If we made it larger we could end up with bone heads on the track with us (other than myself).

Bonehead question: Can we bump pass? :hide:

Step 4:* Rick will need to obtain a large roll of money, one of those fun hats, and a green felt table to organize the gambling for the day.


Done! I'll just lay off the larger bets to Vegas. Who's bringing the umbrella girls?! Mark?

On a foreign kart with more than 28 HP, and at even weight, and within 30 laps I put my money on .... Martin? Phil? Stefan? hmmm choices. Anyone willing to give me 10:1 on Martin? :diablotin:

[CIR-Reed]

No bump passing

You forgot to vote for youre prefered date.

[CIR-Reed]

Just to start, the 25th works much better for me.

[Rick]

Originally posted by CIR-Reed@Jan 4 2007, 04:31 PM
Just to start, the 25th works much better for me.
2825


+1

[Rick]

Originally posted by CIR-Reed@Jan 4 2007, 04:30 PM
No bump passing2824


Good answer. I was going to rent a Hummer, if you said yes. :D

[peterjank]

Hi Reed,

Either date works fine for me at this point. If the 25th works best for you, I vote for doing it on the 25th.

Let me know when you need the entry fee.

[MPIGP - Phillip Gordon]

Reed

Add 1 more for the 25th.

Question, for $225 do I get to run both my kart and my car? If I have to choose one, put me down for the car. I already know I can beat Martin and Stefan, I want a piece of you and Rick:shooting_smilie2: Just kidding....reason is I really wanted to run on the big track in my kart so if that's not happening, I'll run my car. If we get to run both for the $225, I can still bring my karts and play on the kart track.

[Rick]

It's good to hear that you'll be joining us! I'm really looking forward to this!

[Rick]

Are we going to do this? :grinyes:

[Rick]

bump... what's going on with this? Is this idea dead?

[CIR-Reed]

This is definitely dead. It is just flat out to expensive. I was really only excited about it if the karts, bikes, and cars, could all run on the big track. Having the split people up just doesn't sound as exciting to me. Also, I don't think 20 people will pay $225 each to run on the kart track.

Sorry guys.

[peterjank]

Thanks for giving it a good try Reed.

I wonder what it would cost to rent Blackhawk Farms for a day?

[MPIGP - Phillip Gordon]

Thanks for giving it a good try Reed.

I wonder what it would cost to rent Blackhawk Farms for a day?

I don't know what BFR would charge but I spoke with the guys at Grattan and I can get the track for the day if I bring 20 people at $225 each. When I spoke with them last year I was told we can run cars, bikes and karts as 3 separate run groups. If you guys are interested I can get a confirmed date.

Peter...do you have a contact at BFR to get pricing? I may know someone that does so let me know if you want me to look into it.

[MPIGP - Phillip Gordon]

OK here's the deal: If we want to run bikes there is an additional charge. The reason is, if a car goes off, the track will have to be shut down for clean up as a safety pre-caution for the bikes. With that in mind, I say we keep it to cars and karts only. A two group rotation will also mean less waiting for those that want to maximize their track time.

Another thing, the previously quoted price did not include insurance and flaggers. I guess most clubs have their own insurance but we will need to use theirs. We definitely need to use their flaggers because I don't think anyone wants to give up track time to take turns working corners, and at Grattan corner workers are a must due to all the blind turns. What that all means is, we need a minimum of 25 entries @ $225/person.

Dates avaiable in June: Tuesdays 12th and 19th or Thursdays 7th and 14th.