[Dave Polichena]

I got lucky, I renewed on Monday

that license is good for 2 years

[PONTIAC DUDE]

Originally Posted by bad69bird

Raising my licensing fees $60 pisses me off. I get a magazine once a week, sometimes twice a week that I don't even read but once in a blue moon. How about this...put the magazine out once a month and save a ton on paper, printing, and postage fees! Or better yet let us pay a different licensing fee without the subscription.

Ok rant done.

Years ago you could get licensed without having to buy the rag. I did it all the time. They now MAKE you buy the rag (added to the cost) along with the license.

[bad69bird]

Yeah it's BULLCHIT!!!

[taff2]

Ha! You guys have got it easy! Over here we pay £40 ($80) for a race license and a minimum of £150 ($300) to enter each race event,and there's no prize money worth talking about,not even in the top ranks. Chassis certs are about £80($160) if I remember right. For a test n tune meeting at my sportsman friendly local track I pay £25($50) entry fee and £35($70) to run both days. I refuse to run at the 'other' ,bigger track, every racer HAS to pay a £25($50) fee for electric hook up for your camper/trailer, even if you don't need/want it ,as there is supposedly a health and safety ban on generators,just another way of scamming money out of the racers more like. Oh yeah, pump fuel is £4 ($8) a gallon and race fuel,say C12 ,is around £15($30) a gallon, frightening isn't it! Attendances are going to be down this year I suspect as our economy is is the same **** as yours is.

[ventura7211]

Originally Posted by TinjunTribe

If TV money is down, and they start losing at the track too.........the show won't go on for too long.

Its been a while, but the last I knew NHRA pays for air time and coverage of their events on ESPN. Keep that in mind the next time a women's div II basketball game runs over and they move qualifying to 3am EST.

While on the TV subject, they (ESPN/NHRA) need to find another venue for Paul Page. Bret Kepner would be a suitable replacement, he's doing a great job for ADRL.

Originally Posted by bad69bird

Raising my licensing fees $60 pisses me off. I get a magazine once a week, sometimes twice a week that I don't even read but once in a blue moon. How about this...put the magazine out once a month and save a ton on paper, printing, and postage fees! Or better yet let us pay a different licensing fee without the subscription.

Ok rant done.

I blew some money once on a National Dragster from the newsstand, I figured the pages of ads would be useful, my mistake, lol. I would read more of them if they were like FSC or Race Pages, free at the local speedshops, lol.

Reading this, I realize how little it effects me. All the tracks/events in my area are outlaw or "rentals" @ sanctioned tracks. I still built and equipped the car to the SFI specs for the ET it can run (actually above the SFI specs). The cost to race is $15 TNT every Saturday, I think its $25 for street, $35 entry for foot brake, and $45 entry for electronics every other Sunday for bracket racing. Heads up is $25-75 entry for the "money races" that pay from $500-$5000, there is usually one going on every week at a track within reasonable driving distance.

I'm kind of surprised no one has mentioned NHRA is a non-profit, unless that has changed recently.....

[BVR421]

Originally Posted by ventura7211

I'm kind of surprised no one has mentioned NHRA is a non-profit, unless that has changed recently.....

It is unless you have an office in Glendale

[screamingchief]

Saw this posted over @ YB.com,it's a letter that IHRA is sending out to all their licensed racers.

yellowbullet.com/forum/showthread

To: All IHRA Sportsman Racers



Dear Members:



Since the recent announcement of NHRA raising fees, my phone and e-mail have been going crazy. Evidentially the "internet experts" that populate the message boards have suggested that IHRA will be following suit with price increases to sportsman racers. This is based on the assumption that IHRA does everything NHRA does.



Any sportsman racer who has actually done a burnout at an IHRA event knows we have our own ideas and philosophies on how sportsman racing is to be conducted. This is not a knock on NHRA, it is simply a realization that we handle sportsman racing differently. As an IHRA member you know that, and I would assume you are a member because you enjoy the opportunities and programs IHRA offers sportsman racers. Unfortunately, this bad information is put out by sportsmen who don't actually race with us on a national or divisional level. Normally, we wouldn't even respond to such nonsense, but these are not normal times. Everyone is sensitive to the economic environment right now so I wanted you to hear this from the source.



We are not....have no plans to....and have not even discussed raising fees to sportsman racers. We are in the same position as the rest of the world when it comes to the need to increase the bottom line, but we have been able to reduce spending internally rather than going to the customer to create additional cash flow. In fact, we have been talking a lot about how to reduce costs for racers and spectators, create more value and develop our entertainment offering for both racers and fans. We just finished a national event in Baton Rouge where we added a dash for cash program for the competitors as well as cooked 4,000lbs of crawfish for the racer party. The Spring Nationals at Rockingham in a few weeks just had the dash for cash racing programs added, a sportsman wheelie contest and we booked a southern rock band for a Saturday night racer party. We are trying to give you more for your racing dollar and create ways for you to compete on the pro am and national level without spending your way into financial ruin.



The IHRA staff members have been working on a variety of different ways to reduce costs in their areas of responsibility and have done a great job so far. We have had to make tough decisions to not take as many staff to events. Everyone is pulling double duty somewhere, we're negotiating better deals with suppliers and travel arrangements are tighter than ever. The bottom line is that we certainly need your support at Summit Pro Am and Nitro Jam Nationals events, but we are not going to put extra financial burden on those that continue to compete on these levels.



IHRA will continue to work on adding programs that create value for you. The double Summit Pro Am weekends, the Champion Systems Sportsman Nationals events and the Tournament Of Champions Sportsman World Championship program are just a few ways we've been able to accomplish these goals.



I hope that puts your mind at ease. We look forward to seeing you at an IHRA event this year....and let's have some fun!



Best Regards,





Skooter Peaco

Vice President
END

Seems IHRA wanted to nip any rumors in the bud,I like the way those guys are operating!

[Jagtec1]

Wish I had an IHRA track to race at. I don't even know where the closest one is. Looks like MIR and Beaver Springs. Both are over 3 hours away.

[cgeise]

The NHRA says there loosing money on the "sportsman" racer -- well if you factor the 15,000 in pay out to the Alcohal class's with a total of 12 to 20 racers a race -AND THEY DONT PAY TO GET IN -- thas B.S. -- All the othe class,s are subsidising them - and dont tell me that are the "show" that brings in fans - at last weeks div race at Vegas - the stands were empty - period - The NHRA has a monopoly - at least in the west - and they are going to take advantage of it -

[Old Goat Racer]

[
While on the TV subject, they (ESPN/NHRA) need to find another venue for Paul Page. Bret Kepner would be a suitable replacement, he's doing a great job for ADRL.


Totally agree about paul page, send him to girls sports. Bret Kepner would be an awesome announcer, just get him away from Gateway !

[hungry69bird]

Originally Posted by Jack Ferris

I know our local track here in Salt Lake moved to IHRA after being an NHRA track for over a decade. The track folks wouldn't tell anybody the exact reasoning behind the decision to move but I think one could figure it out. I can see the economy effecting racer entries as a large majority of the sportman class racers do this out of pocket. As for the spectators Im sure the "fun money" is now used as living money. NHRA is trying to force the racers to make up for the declining revenue. If they had any intelligence they would realize if they chase away the racers, they have no cars. No cars means no spectators. And from there it all goes away.

hey jack...thats great to hear...i think ihra is alot more lenient and easy going...especially on cars a bit slower..

im gonna make it up there this year...car is running very strong...