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THE RACERS EDGE

SO YOU WANNA BUILD A RACE TRACK?

There are many challenges faced by builders of new racing facilities, most of who fail badly in the pre-planning necessary to accomplish such a project. Here is a suggested “check list” for prospective track builders:

1. Avoid premature announcement –
In your planning, run silent, run deep. Avoid any public announcements or leaks until you have done your homework covered in this list.

2. Be sure your legal ducks are in a row –
Hire or consult with an attorney, You won’t get off the ground without legal help or advice. Your lawyer should check out property purchases/agreements/leases, determine zoning restrictions, environmental status (wetlands, preserves, etc.) to be sure there will be no surprises later.

3. Do an economic impact prospectus –
This will assist predicting the tax revenues, employment, admissions, prize money, vendor spending, refreshment sales, sponsorships and other income and economic impact the project will have on the community. Use figures from similar operations around the country. Get professional help on the report.

4. Have a presentation for local government that details your plans –
This should be designed from the standpoint of being a good neighbor, responsible citizen of the community and contributor to the economy of the area. Use the figures from your economic impact prospectus. Point out that the track will expand the local tax base and help stabilize personal taxes. Concentrate on good, clean, low-cost family entertainment as your product. Play down fast races and roaring machines. If you expect noise to be an issue, beat the complaints to the punch: point out that events will be scheduled only on weekends and that actual racing time (under green flag conditions) is actually minimal. Volunteer a curfew (no events will start after 8:00 PM, for instance). Point out any devices that will be required to restrict noise. Your presentation can be on video tape, slides, or in a notebook, but should include a handout or summary folder for each commissioner or council person. Many individual tracks have also produced economic impact studies and/or presentations on their racing.

5. Politick –
Somebody in your group will know some local politicians. Invite them to lunch, tell them that you need their wise counsel, swear them to secrecy, then outline your plans briefly and ask their opinion on how to proceed (even if you already know). Then, have everyone in the group work on the “influentials” they know in the area and community. Ask for their support when the project is announced. Get your lawyer inv9olved – he/she will know many area influentials. Join the local Chamber of Commerce as soon as the project is announced. Elicit their support to establish relations in the community.

6. Work with the neighborhood –
If you have many residences within a half mile of your site, you’re probably in trouble, and almost sure to be challenged. Make the best of it; put the best salesperson in your group to work in the neighborhood. The salesperson should visit every residence in the potential “complaint” area, and tell the occupants he/she would like to get acquainted, explain your plans and answer their questions. Listen to their concerns and let them know you want to be a good neighbor. Take along your presentation or folder. If any of the residents are identifiable as racing fans, see them first and enlist their help in contacting neighbors or identifying possible hard cases. If there are 20 or 30 residences nearby, try to make them your allies by offering them family passes to come out and see what it’s all about. Try a few season passes on the tough nuts. DON’T do a mailing to these people, no matter how good you think it is – it just gives the “anti’s” a reason to organize and agitate.

7. Hold a press conference –
when you’re ready to announce the project (after you have done all of the above). Have a video and a press kit, and all of your economic projections (on charts, if you can), as well as positive information about racing, and a general release on the project. An architect-type rendering of the project is also helpful. Schedule the conference when reporters from all media can attend. Invite them by letter, then follow up by phone. Pick a nice location and serve light refreshments. Dress in business wear. Before the conference, make a list of all possible questions about the project (including the tough ones), and have answers ready. Present everyone who attends with a press card. Invite the all to a “press preview day” before the track opens.

8. After you’ve gone public, be prepared for the hard part: the challenges. –
Go into city or county meetings prepared, with all of the above materials. Keep a positive attitude, and avoid shouting confrontations with opponents at all costs. Muster as many supporters of the project as you can, and ask them to be prepared to be reasoned and calm in any statements that they make. A petition from supporters in the area can help. Most important, you need an articulate spokesperson that can make your case strongly, such as your lawyer. And your lawyer should research this with other lawyers who have appeared on behalf of tracks.

There are no guarantees, of course. Even if you follow all of the above to the letter, don’t underestimate the power of opponents to paint a very negative picture and present a strong case against you—and elected officials are very sensitive to that kind of pressure, economic impact to the contrary. Some very well presented projects have been shot down by the complaints of the few.

Article Courtesy of: Racing Promotion Monthly. RPM can be reached at 920-294-0830.

RACING WITH TECHNOLOGY
By Bob Chiras

Karting has begun to mature as have other race series. The old methods are fading into the sunset and the new methods are all based on acquisition and analysis of information.

Karts go faster today because we have learned to capture and analyze what is happening during practice and during the race. We can map the route of the kart, we can look at acceleration and deceleration, and we can even watch the position of the throttle and the brake. We can observe tire temperatures while the kart is operating on the track, and we can have all of the engine performance data in relation to the kart position on the track reported to the crew chief at the end of each run.

With all of this data, the need for driver feedback changes. The issue now becomes one of: can we get the driver comfortable enough with the package to get the most out of the kart? We can’t help you with what a driver needs but we can help with an understanding o technology. Let’s get everyone comfortable in understanding what is possible then review how to make the best use of technology – the technology available to you.

Technology products are grouped into four categories:

GROUP ONE
Products with instantaneous feedback – no memory:
a. Hand-held tire pressure gauges
b. Tachometers and temperature gauges without memory
c. Durometers
d. Pyrometers
e. Simple scales

GROUP TWO
Products with instantaneous feedback – high limit memory and selectable recorded points:
a. Tachometers and temperature gauges
b. Tire pressure gauges
c. Scales
d. Front-end Alignment gauges
e. Timers

GROUP THREE
Products which record one or two data points for a period of time:
a. The DT-41K from Digatron. This item captures RPMs and MPH for playback on the Digatron instrument mounted on a kart.
b. The RLV Pitview, which displays recorded data on the Digatron instrument.

(Note: The Digatron DT-41K records data for a much longer period of time than the RLV device. Digatron can exceed 60 minutes of recording while the RLV device is limited to 10 minutes.)

GROUP FOUR
Products which record numerous data points for a period of time:
a. PI Research can record RPMs, MPH, head temperature, cylinder head temp, throttle position, tire temperature and a host of other digital or analog inputs depending on how many sensors the racer wishes to mount on the kart. In addition to the sensors, the basic device records acceleration/deceleration and the “G” forces in the corners, and it maps the track. The real data storage is done on a PC as the PI Research instrument downloads its data to the PC after each outing on the track.

b. Stack from the United Kingdom is reported to have a similar capability but with less channels available for doing analog and digital data collection. The reason for not being exact with the Stack data is that I never actually had a unit to try at the track.

Group One and Group Two are must-have instruments to have at all levels of racing. If you are a new racer and do not want these instruments or feel you can’t afford them, try to locate someone who has experience with them to act as a mentor so you can learn why these are the most critical tools for a successful race program.

Racers using Group Three and Group Four instruments will need even more time to learn the advantage of these gauges. Most dealers will be more than happy to assist racers with set-up and usage.

As products increase in data storage capacity and in complexity, the price increases as well. Your purchase should never be based on price. It should be based upon need and the ability to gain and/or share information with others.

TO THE KART SHOP OR DEALER:
If customers are part of a large group of racers, then recommend purchases across the group to get a well-balanced technology profile for the group, as shared data and comparative data is very viable for decision-making when setting up karts.

If you’re dealing with a single customer, then make recommendations, which will provide the fastest return to the racer. A set of timers, a highly accurate tire pressure gauge, a pyrometer and if the customer can afford the investment, a set of scales. If the customer cannot afford scales, the sell a set-up session and get the kart balanced so the customer has a starting point. Customers can learn a tremendous amount about their race karts by using the basic tools and being diligent about their data recordings. Every change will show up on one of the tools that you have sold. Your job is to help with the data analysis so that you can direct the progress of the racer’s current endeavors and direct the progress to each new level.

Do not forget that the more you teach and the more you preach, the more you sell. Do not hold back data – tell all of your expected high and low limits for every measurement. Let the karter determine which level is appropriate for his/her need. Do not be surprised if customers show up with results beyond either end of the desired range. It is your job to help them and to sell them the necessary products and tools to get them into the acceptable ranges.

This will also make you invaluable to customers. They will soon realize that they cannot get advice necessary from mail order and you will have a growing local customer base. To keep them coming back, give them the expert set-up sheet. Have a customer record the following:

SET-UP SHEET
Motor Type:
Driver Sprocket Size:
Rear Sprocket Size:
Tire Circumference – Front:
Tire Circumference – Rear:
Tire Pressure (All Four Tires) Cold:
Tire Pressure (All Four Tires) Hot:
Ambient Air Temperature:
Relative Humidity:
Barometric Pressure:
Air Density:
Tire Temperatures (Cold)
Tire Temperatures (Hot)
Note: Measure tire temperatures at each edge and in center.
Track Temperature:
Total Kart Width (Front):
Total Kart Width (Rear):
Front Width from Spindle Bolt to Spindle Bolt:
Rear Width from Bearing Cassette to Bearing Cassette:
Lap Times from Each Outing:
Details of the Changes Made Before Each Outing:

With this date collected, you have done several things. First, you have the karter hunting for data. He or she has to ask other karters how to get information necessary to complete the form. Your karter will now observe that other karters also collect data.

The second largest step is that you have the karter keeping track of changes and hopefully not making so many that the karter cannot tell you which one or if any are having a positive or negative impact.

Third, you can see if the karter is paying attention to how you are advising the karter to adjust the kart to improve performance.

The fourth benefit is that you see a large variety of lap times and you can determine if the issue is with driving experience versus the equipment.

About the author: Bob Chiras is a marketing manager for Sun Microsystems and is deeply versed in the use of computer-based technologies to assist racing. Bob developed the analytical methodology, which is applied by the All Kart racing team.
He can be reached at (630) 432-4766.

END

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