I never thought about the sand issue. I would think that it would only effect the extreme south end of the solo pad. However "Kansas" is Indian for "People of the South Wind", so who knows how far the sand will travel? Good point , Gary. Bill Schmidt (lifetime resident of "People of the South Wind")
>>> [EMAIL PROTECTED] 06/18/06 12:38 AM >>> With all kindness to Roger, Howard, Karen, Kevin, and others who are trying hard to do a good job, this letter from Roger says exactly nothing that warms up my registration form. I do love the part where Roger says: "who knows, there may even be cars running the track while we are there! " According to Gary, the road racers who lose it will shower the Solo pad with sand. Wow, what a feature ! And if they stay outa the sandbox, they will just be a noisy distraction to our course workers trying to hear control on the radios. Chuck >From: "Chuck McAbee" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >Reply-To: [email protected] >To: "F500" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >Subject: [F500] Solo National - Letter from Roger Johnson >Date: Sat, 17 Jun 2006 21:39:11 -0400 > >SCCA Solo Nationals > >It is getting closer to the 2006 Tire Rack SCCA Solo Nationals - which >starting this year will be held at Heartland Park Topeka (HPT) race track. >Because it is a new venue and because it is very different from past Solo >Nationals sites, there seems to be much speculation and many wild claims >flying around the internet and Solo events around the nation. I hope to >address some of these speculations and claims in this article. > >I should probably also mention that Karen Babb and Kevin Youngers, arguably >two of the nation's best Solo course designers, have been assigned as the >Course Designers for the 2006 Solo Nationals. All of us arrived a day prior >to the 2006 SCCA National Convention to visit the site for mapping and >planning purposes. > >The following is taken from some excellent corre*spondence recently >received >from Karen Babb, and I wholly agree with her observations and comments: "I >have never seen this good of a blacktop surface anywhere. Very close to >flat, very smooth. >"The HPT site is logistically completely different from Forbes, >"New-Salina", or "Old-Salina" in that the courses will in essence be >side-by >side with a "buffer zone" between them, making it somewhat conceptually >akin >to a typical Pro Solo layout, but rather larger. >"Yes, the overall square footage available to each course is not what it >was >at Forbes, particularly in compari*son to Forbes-North. However, it must >be >remembered that only a fraction of the Forbes area was actually usable. >Typically layouts had to tiptoe among the land mines, trying to use the >best >(or least bad) of the available surface. Routes were constrained, as were >in >most cases widths and directions. The actual usable square footage was >probably less than 25% of the total area at the North end. The need for >overlap and separation had to be dealt with as the surface allowed. "At HPT >there are no such issues. No grates, poles, peaks, valleys, holes, frost >heaves, snakes, etc. So the course can be routed wherever it needs to as >the >desired elements and separation requirements dictate, not as the sur*face >dictates. This offers considerable freedom in what ele*ments can be used, >how they can be connected, and how they can be oriented, even within the >constraints of needing the Start and Finish on a particular end of the >available area. This type of openness makes possible the use of a variety >of >space-saving methods that can if necessary compensate for a somewhat >smaller >overall area. > >"The route length on my 2003 South course was approximately 3650 feet; >available route lengths in prelimi*nary sketches on the left side of the >HPT >pad have yielded lengths of 3500-4000 feet. It's largely a matter of being >able to make the best use of the available space. Many details (e.g. Grid >locations and ingress/egress points) have yet to be finalized, but it looks >pretty good at this point. >"It should be remembered that a very big complaint year after year from >members at the Town Meeting was about the deteriorating Forbes surface. The >move to HPT was largely driven by this input. It seems counter-productive >for members to assume the worst about getting something they asked for, >even >before they see the actual hands-on results of the change. > >"At this point I'd just ask that people stay tuned and have a little faith >in the event Chairman, the course design*ers, the Nationals event officials >team, and the National Staff to provide a Solo Nationals that won't beat >their car to death, and will offer improvements they can all appreciate. >Yes, it will be different. No, it won't be perfect. Yes, it will evolve. >That's all fine with me." - Karen Babb >I would like to add to her comments that holding the Solo Nationals at a >purpose built race facility, instead of a location designed and meant for >other uses, really makes a positive impression. Everything at the site is >about racing and competition. This means that HPT has erected buildings >designed solely to function for the needs of automotive com*petition. For >example, the scales are permanently mounted and located inside tech/impound >building - out of the weath*er. There are real toilets (flushies!), a >paddock wide public address system, garages for rent, a registration >building/park*ing lot that is on the way in. There is also a beautiful >track >that surrounds the paddock and Solo course area. Who knows - there may even >be cars running the track while we are there! All of this adds greatly to >the overall competitive feeling and gives credibility to what we do. It >only seems fit*ting that the Solo Nationals be held in a purpose built race >facility instead of a parking lot - a place where the Nation's best will >compete for a chance to earn their 2006 Solo National Championships. > >If I may steal a line from Karen's correspondence above, I think it is >worth >repeating: "Yes, it will be different. No, it won't be perfect. Yes, it >will >evolve. That's all fine with me." > >See you at the 2006 Solo Nationals > >Roger H. Johnson (Houston, TX) Solo Nationals Event Chairperson > > > > > > > > > >Chuck McAbee >SEDIV #16 > >The above letter was scaned from Washington DC Region 'Straighpipe" > > >_______________________________________________ >F500 mailing list - [email protected] >To unsubscribe or change options please visit: >http://f500.org/mailman/listinfo/f500 >*** Please, DO NOT send unsubscribe requests to the mailing list! *** _______________________________________________ F500 mailing list - [email protected] To unsubscribe or change options please visit: http://f500.org/mailman/listinfo/f500 *** Please, DO NOT send unsubscribe requests to the mailing list! *** _______________________________________________ F500 mailing list - [email protected] To unsubscribe or change options please visit: http://f500.org/mailman/listinfo/f500 *** Please, DO NOT send unsubscribe requests to the mailing list! ***
