[Winona Online Democracy]
The idea of an occasional drag strip in Winona is very appealing to me, however, I fear that it would be a lot more complicated than simply reserving a piece of the runway and setting up some portable timing equipment.
While it would draw a rowdy car crowd to the area, I think it would also help to mitigate potential street racing in Winona. As much as it may not seem to be a problem, I do hear of quite a few people that go off into more obscure areas of town for the drag race, often on public roads that are in no way safe for the individuals racing or potential bystanders.
Some people may argue that the temporarily increased population of speed hungry racers would cause a higher level of disturbance in town, as with the earlier comment about showing off their exhaust systems. Contrarily, I think most people are respectful enough, with enough concern for safety, that they would be willing to be patient and wait for the legal and official drag races, so long as it is cheap and efficient. I think that if people are coming to town for the drag races, they would spend most of their time either racing or spectating, and would not really cause much trouble outside of that area.
I think it might be necessary to have things be a bit more formal also. For instance, are you going to let cars that can reach speeds in excess of 120 miles per hour in the quarter mile use the track? At more official tracks, you will have safety requirements for cars that are capable of certain performance levels.
Regardless of whether these regulations would be put in place, you would have to deal with some sort of insurance also. Although it would be safe for the most part, having potentially untrustworthy cars traveling at high speeds in a limited area always has some risks, with liability for these consequences being a concern.
In any case, great idea, and I would love to see it become a reality. As a 20 year old college student, and lifelong resident of Winona, I know that I would support it, as well as many respectable people that I know.
Christopher Popp
"John N. Finn" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
[Winona Online Democracy]
----- Original Message -----
From: "Palmer, Lyelle" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
While I personally am not interested in racing on a drag strip,
...... would draw a large number of young persons from a
100-mile radius. .... a huge proportion of young people have
an interest in cars and speed.
Example: A regular "Second Saturday" of every month would
put the event on the calender for 4-5 months of the year.
A car-theme flea market as well as other interesting attactions
might expand interest and demand. .... The sounds generated
at the airport would not impact residential areas.
----- Response -----
If we want to attract the motorsports crowd, I suppose an
airport drag strip would be preferable to competition off-road
mud bogging in Aghaming Park. But is it smart to encourage
t he youngsters' obsession with oil dependent pursuits when
it's pretty certain that the global peak of oil production will
occur in their lifetime?
While there are no homes next to the airport (high-end ones,
anyway) the drag strip participants and spectators are sure
to be tearing around town showing off their 'performance'
exhaust systems. Otherwise, as you pointed out, it seems
like a low cost attraction to startup and maintain.
John N. Finn
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