The Decline of PCA Club Racing
#286
Rennlist Member
Join Date: Apr 2017
Location: The Swamps of Jersey/WGI/VIR...
Posts: 6,758
Received 1,849 Likes
on
1,228 Posts
You mean you have $hitty taste in music as well?
I remember enjoying a meal and some drinks with him outside in Winchester, VA and there was a guy with a guitar playing songs and the whole time Spencer kept yelling "hey now!" which is some hippy dippy Grateful Dead slang to play one of their $hitty songs.
Thankfully the guy did not oblige.
I remember enjoying a meal and some drinks with him outside in Winchester, VA and there was a guy with a guitar playing songs and the whole time Spencer kept yelling "hey now!" which is some hippy dippy Grateful Dead slang to play one of their $hitty songs.
Thankfully the guy did not oblige.
Hippy dippy slang? Really.
And I have chitty taste in music? Wow…
#287
Drifting
I’m at Lightning this weekend with my home region NNJR. Everyone here is having a freaking blast. Drivers, students, instructors, guests, EVERYONE.
This is PCA at its finest and why I love it so much.
It may be the cars, but to me, it’s mostly the people. Yes, THE cars and THE people. Can’t think of anywhere else I’d rather be right now and I can’t think of anyone else I’d rather be with.
I just can’t see how this sucks (because it doesn’t). This is the club I fell in love with and the region that got it all started for me to begin with.
It doesn’t suck. It never does.
PCA, The PCA, makes no difference to me.
I love this chit!!!
This is PCA at its finest and why I love it so much.
It may be the cars, but to me, it’s mostly the people. Yes, THE cars and THE people. Can’t think of anywhere else I’d rather be right now and I can’t think of anyone else I’d rather be with.
I just can’t see how this sucks (because it doesn’t). This is the club I fell in love with and the region that got it all started for me to begin with.
It doesn’t suck. It never does.
PCA, The PCA, makes no difference to me.
I love this chit!!!
There are general rules that are definitely imperfect and unnecessary too that sap some enjoyment just from added hoops. One would be requiring instructors to have a mechanical inspection done at a specific approved shop for hundreds of dollars before it can be run at a HPDE. Sorry, that is a dumb rule. 1) I can tech my own car just fine and I am sure most instructors are qualified on experience to know what is ok and what is a death trap 2) it's 2 years old with 5000 on the odometer so not a death trap. 3) I work at a VAG shop where half of us road race and we work on a good chunk of the road race cars in the region, but it can't be done at my shop? Yaaaa, rules lawyering FTL. And there are ways around it because the other PCA region I instruct with allows instructors to self tech.
#288
Rennlist Member
Join Date: Apr 2017
Location: The Swamps of Jersey/WGI/VIR...
Posts: 6,758
Received 1,849 Likes
on
1,228 Posts
It sucks as soon as you have an encounter with some grumpy soul sucking no friends guy in authority whos hung up on something that truly doesn't matter and pulls the enjoyment out of it. Given enough people and enough time there will always be one of those guys that exists in an organization.
There are general rules that are definitely imperfect and unnecessary too that sap some enjoyment just from added hoops. One would be requiring instructors to have a mechanical inspection done at a specific approved shop for hundreds of dollars before it can be run at a HPDE. Sorry, that is a dumb rule. 1) I can tech my own car just fine and I am sure most instructors are qualified on experience to know what is ok and what is a death trap 2) it's 2 years old with 5000 on the odometer so not a death trap. 3) I work at a VAG shop where half of us road race and we work on a good chunk of the road race cars in the region, but it can't be done at my shop? Yaaaa, rules lawyering FTL. And there are ways around it because the other PCA region I instruct with allows instructors to self tech.
There are general rules that are definitely imperfect and unnecessary too that sap some enjoyment just from added hoops. One would be requiring instructors to have a mechanical inspection done at a specific approved shop for hundreds of dollars before it can be run at a HPDE. Sorry, that is a dumb rule. 1) I can tech my own car just fine and I am sure most instructors are qualified on experience to know what is ok and what is a death trap 2) it's 2 years old with 5000 on the odometer so not a death trap. 3) I work at a VAG shop where half of us road race and we work on a good chunk of the road race cars in the region, but it can't be done at my shop? Yaaaa, rules lawyering FTL. And there are ways around it because the other PCA region I instruct with allows instructors to self tech.
Never seen that at a PCA DE.
Instructors always self tech or peer tech. Never the tech line.
#289
WRONGLY ACCUSED!
Rennlist Member
Rennlist Member
It sucks as soon as you have an encounter with some grumpy soul sucking no friends guy in authority whos hung up on something that truly doesn't matter and pulls the enjoyment out of it. Given enough people and enough time there will always be one of those guys that exists in an organization.
#290
Rennlist Member
Join Date: Apr 2017
Location: The Swamps of Jersey/WGI/VIR...
Posts: 6,758
Received 1,849 Likes
on
1,228 Posts
And just so you know, I defend your region the same way I defend PCA leadership as a group.
Just so you know….
OK, 5 minutes to checker. Gotta get ready…..
#291
WRONGLY ACCUSED!
Rennlist Member
Rennlist Member
Just so you know, people say the same thing about CVR leadership, at least as far as the racetrack events go. You know the rep your region has, yes?
And just so you know, I defend your region the same way I defend PCA leadership as a group.
Just so you know….
OK, 5 minutes to checker. Gotta get ready…..
And just so you know, I defend your region the same way I defend PCA leadership as a group.
Just so you know….
OK, 5 minutes to checker. Gotta get ready…..
Unlike PCA national, we saw that perhaps there was a problem, and addressed it.
Some important changes we have made over the years -
1. No longer an adherence to spending a certain amount of track days in a certain run group in order to gain a promotion.
2. As a result, while promotions still must be earned, it can happen much faster based on the driver's skill.
3. We have a separate green student paddock complete with donuts and coffee. This facilitates more interactions between students and instructors, as well as more experienced drivers. It also breeds camaraderie among the new students.
4. Starting this year we allow marques other than Porsche at all of our events, while in the past that was limited to our WGI events only.
..
You have attended our driver's meeting - we don't take ourselves seriously.
We are serious about keeping safe. We are serious about teaching people how to drive. We are equally safe about having fun.
One of my main roles as the assistant track chair is dispute resolution. In my several years in this position I have never had one argument because I listen to what people have to say and speak to everyone with respect. Whenever there is a misunderstanding, or tempers get out of hand, my approach is to get everyone calm and back to having fun. That's why we are here - to have fun.
I wish PCA national had this approach, but sadly, they do not.
As disappointed as I am with PCA national, I am even more proud of CVR's leadership and ethos.
#292
Rennlist Member
Join Date: Apr 2017
Location: The Swamps of Jersey/WGI/VIR...
Posts: 6,758
Received 1,849 Likes
on
1,228 Posts
I'm part of CVR leadership so the rep is wrong. Maybe it was that way years ago but CVR is now firmly focused on the "customer experience."
Unlike PCA national, we saw that perhaps there was a problem, and addressed it.
Some important changes we have made over the years -
1. No longer an adherence to spending a certain amount of track days in a certain run group in order to gain a promotion.
2. As a result, while promotions still must be earned, it can happen much faster based on the driver's skill.
3. We have a separate green student paddock complete with donuts and coffee. This facilitates more interactions between students and instructors, as well as more experienced drivers. It also breeds camaraderie among the new students.
4. Starting this year we allow marques other than Porsche at all of our events, while in the past that was limited to our WGI events only.
..
You have attended our driver's meeting - we don't take ourselves seriously.
We are serious about keeping safe. We are serious about teaching people how to drive. We are equally safe about having fun.
One of my main roles as the assistant track chair is dispute resolution. In my several years in this position I have never had one argument because I listen to what people have to say and speak to everyone with respect. Whenever there is a misunderstanding, or tempers get out of hand, my approach is to get everyone calm and back to having fun. That's why we are here - to have fun.
I wish PCA national had this approach, but sadly, they do not.
As disappointed as I am with PCA national, I am even more proud of CVR's leadership and ethos.
Unlike PCA national, we saw that perhaps there was a problem, and addressed it.
Some important changes we have made over the years -
1. No longer an adherence to spending a certain amount of track days in a certain run group in order to gain a promotion.
2. As a result, while promotions still must be earned, it can happen much faster based on the driver's skill.
3. We have a separate green student paddock complete with donuts and coffee. This facilitates more interactions between students and instructors, as well as more experienced drivers. It also breeds camaraderie among the new students.
4. Starting this year we allow marques other than Porsche at all of our events, while in the past that was limited to our WGI events only.
..
You have attended our driver's meeting - we don't take ourselves seriously.
We are serious about keeping safe. We are serious about teaching people how to drive. We are equally safe about having fun.
One of my main roles as the assistant track chair is dispute resolution. In my several years in this position I have never had one argument because I listen to what people have to say and speak to everyone with respect. Whenever there is a misunderstanding, or tempers get out of hand, my approach is to get everyone calm and back to having fun. That's why we are here - to have fun.
I wish PCA national had this approach, but sadly, they do not.
As disappointed as I am with PCA national, I am even more proud of CVR's leadership and ethos.
I personally never had an issue with CVR but I’ve also never had an issue with PCA except for one personal thing that happened years ago, but that was personal, not PCA.
You make valid points, but IMHO, so does PCA.
The way you talk about them bothers me the same way people talk about CVR bothers me n
#293
WRONGLY ACCUSED!
Rennlist Member
Rennlist Member
Glad to hear all that, and I love running with you guys, but that reputation always follows you. I know what CVR is and the changes y’all made to fix it, but that rep is there. Is it fair today, no, but that’s the rep CVR has, and I defend you guys to folks the same way I defend PCA.
I personally never had an issue with CVR but I’ve also never had an issue with PCA except for one personal thing that happened years ago, but that was personal, not PCA.
You make valid points, but IMHO, so does PCA.
The way you talk about them bothers me the same way people talk about CVR bothers me n
I personally never had an issue with CVR but I’ve also never had an issue with PCA except for one personal thing that happened years ago, but that was personal, not PCA.
You make valid points, but IMHO, so does PCA.
The way you talk about them bothers me the same way people talk about CVR bothers me n
PCA national has zero self-awareness and doubles down on stupid.
#294
Rennlist Member
Join Date: Apr 2017
Location: The Swamps of Jersey/WGI/VIR...
Posts: 6,758
Received 1,849 Likes
on
1,228 Posts
#296
Rennlist Member
#297
Rennlist Member
Join Date: Apr 2017
Location: The Swamps of Jersey/WGI/VIR...
Posts: 6,758
Received 1,849 Likes
on
1,228 Posts
#298
Rennlist Member
Join Date: Apr 2017
Location: The Swamps of Jersey/WGI/VIR...
Posts: 6,758
Received 1,849 Likes
on
1,228 Posts