Is anyone else following the GTS Challenge drama that is playing out?
09-30-2008, 02:54 PM
#1
NASA Racer
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Is anyone else following the GTS Challenge drama that is playing out?
The emails from Mark Barr are incredible. WTF is going on at NASA????
09-30-2008, 03:15 PM
#3
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Please do tell more...
09-30-2008, 03:35 PM
#6
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Huh? Explain please.
09-30-2008, 03:40 PM
#7
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Veloce, you don't have me blocked do you?
cross post
I hate to say it boys, but the powers that be at NASA have effectively screwed the pooch on a great series.
Although NASA did nothing to promote GTS other than give the series a place to run, GTS had grown exponentially over the last 3 or 4 years and was one of the largest run groups all year in the Great Lakes region. All thanks to the dedicated and hard work of the racers themselves and the series director. This was truly a grassroots effort.
However, to its apparent detriment, GTS became too profitable for NASA to overlook any longer. A telling event occurred this year when GTS obtained a series sponsor for the season, NASA threatened GTS's ability to run with NASA sanctioned events unless the sponsor paid NASA a sizable sum (more than it was preparing to give GTS). Obviously, the deal fell through much to the detriment of the racers in GTS and the sponsor for that matter.
NASA moved the NASA Nationals to Utah. There are very small to non-existent GTS fields west of the Mississippi. The GTS Nationals had the largest or close to the largest field of competitors this year at Mid-Ohio. If I recall correctly, there were over 50 cars running GTS. Based on the feedback I heard, there may have been one or two cars traveling from east of the Mississippi to race at Miller next year. The consensus was, why go that far to race guys we could race here for a lot less. Many, myself included, would have gone if there were GTS Challenge cars on the west coast to race against. The largest field in CA last year was 5.
NASA got wind of a sizable number of GTS racers indicating they are not going and planning to have a GTS "nationals" weekend elsewhere.
Many of the long-time GTS racers privy to the goings on, felt that NASA was overstepping its bounds and quite frankly had lost its way. Extorting sponsor money and moving the nationals without warning or input from GTS really set the stage for what has become a very ugly situation.
Today, NASA proclaimed that the director resigned and have taken over the series. How they can claim an interest in the name, rules, etc remains to be seen and I was hopeful that cooler heads would prevail.l It is unfortunate that greed and the quest for profit has so polluted NASA they forgot what the organization was supposed to be about, THE RACERS.
Not sure where this leaves the legitimate GTS Challenge. For those interested, I am sure there will be posts on the official GTS Challenge web forum at http://gtschallenge.oli.us/index.php
Hopefully, GTS will hook up with another series and continue to exist in its current form. If so, my biggest complaint against GTS was that NASA's recent schedules did not provide much in the way of decent track time over the course of a weekend will be addressed positively. As NASA grew, it became more about money and less about racing.
Good news for PCA and BMWCCA if you ask me.
cross post
I hate to say it boys, but the powers that be at NASA have effectively screwed the pooch on a great series.
Although NASA did nothing to promote GTS other than give the series a place to run, GTS had grown exponentially over the last 3 or 4 years and was one of the largest run groups all year in the Great Lakes region. All thanks to the dedicated and hard work of the racers themselves and the series director. This was truly a grassroots effort.
However, to its apparent detriment, GTS became too profitable for NASA to overlook any longer. A telling event occurred this year when GTS obtained a series sponsor for the season, NASA threatened GTS's ability to run with NASA sanctioned events unless the sponsor paid NASA a sizable sum (more than it was preparing to give GTS). Obviously, the deal fell through much to the detriment of the racers in GTS and the sponsor for that matter.
NASA moved the NASA Nationals to Utah. There are very small to non-existent GTS fields west of the Mississippi. The GTS Nationals had the largest or close to the largest field of competitors this year at Mid-Ohio. If I recall correctly, there were over 50 cars running GTS. Based on the feedback I heard, there may have been one or two cars traveling from east of the Mississippi to race at Miller next year. The consensus was, why go that far to race guys we could race here for a lot less. Many, myself included, would have gone if there were GTS Challenge cars on the west coast to race against. The largest field in CA last year was 5.
NASA got wind of a sizable number of GTS racers indicating they are not going and planning to have a GTS "nationals" weekend elsewhere.
Many of the long-time GTS racers privy to the goings on, felt that NASA was overstepping its bounds and quite frankly had lost its way. Extorting sponsor money and moving the nationals without warning or input from GTS really set the stage for what has become a very ugly situation.
Today, NASA proclaimed that the director resigned and have taken over the series. How they can claim an interest in the name, rules, etc remains to be seen and I was hopeful that cooler heads would prevail.l It is unfortunate that greed and the quest for profit has so polluted NASA they forgot what the organization was supposed to be about, THE RACERS.
Not sure where this leaves the legitimate GTS Challenge. For those interested, I am sure there will be posts on the official GTS Challenge web forum at http://gtschallenge.oli.us/index.php
Hopefully, GTS will hook up with another series and continue to exist in its current form. If so, my biggest complaint against GTS was that NASA's recent schedules did not provide much in the way of decent track time over the course of a weekend will be addressed positively. As NASA grew, it became more about money and less about racing.
Good news for PCA and BMWCCA if you ask me.
Last edited by John H; 09-30-2008 at 06:38 PM. Reason: east and west are opposites
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09-30-2008, 03:55 PM
#10
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Sorry, John, I missed your other post. No, I have no one blocked!
Sounds like a ****ty situation.
As I always say, human nature is great..........except for the humans.
Sounds like a ****ty situation.
As I always say, human nature is great..........except for the humans.
09-30-2008, 04:01 PM
#11
Race Director
Well,
The only thing I have to say is that NASA moving Nationals to Utah had nothing to do with GTS. It has everything to do with supporting west coast racers. It has always been a financial stretch to get guys from Califorina, Arizona and even Colorado out to Ohio. For some it can be 3 days towing each way. This is a cost some can incur, but leaves out many with smaller budgets.
So bringing Nationals west is great idea to bring these racers back excited about Nationals. I know I am pumped up and will be mentally structuring my entire 2009 season around Nationals. I also expect to bring up a larger group of 944 racers from Arizona and also would like to see many other Arizona racers that never had the time or money to go to Ohio.
Now this certianly has impact on GTS, but GTS was in fact probably a reason to NOT move Nationals. Still NASA figures it will work out and 2009 numbers will tell the tail. The good news for east coast guys is Nationals will be back to Ohio in 2011 and 2012. I like the idea of alternating east and west locations assuming it can bring the number of cars to sustain the event.
The only thing I have to say is that NASA moving Nationals to Utah had nothing to do with GTS. It has everything to do with supporting west coast racers. It has always been a financial stretch to get guys from Califorina, Arizona and even Colorado out to Ohio. For some it can be 3 days towing each way. This is a cost some can incur, but leaves out many with smaller budgets.
So bringing Nationals west is great idea to bring these racers back excited about Nationals. I know I am pumped up and will be mentally structuring my entire 2009 season around Nationals. I also expect to bring up a larger group of 944 racers from Arizona and also would like to see many other Arizona racers that never had the time or money to go to Ohio.
Now this certianly has impact on GTS, but GTS was in fact probably a reason to NOT move Nationals. Still NASA figures it will work out and 2009 numbers will tell the tail. The good news for east coast guys is Nationals will be back to Ohio in 2011 and 2012. I like the idea of alternating east and west locations assuming it can bring the number of cars to sustain the event.
09-30-2008, 04:08 PM
#12
NASA Racer
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sorry to drop the bomb and run but others have filled in. There have been a number of semi to completely panicky emails from Mark Barr the national director flooding our inboxes. Toby posted the link with some of the info: http://www.gtschallenge.com/
Seems like it's getting pretty darn ugly. Shame too.
Seems like it's getting pretty darn ugly. Shame too.
09-30-2008, 04:12 PM
#13
I see no problem with alternating the championships from coast to coast to get more exposure and provide more opportunity, but when you have a series that is mostly East coast, work with them, dont try to strong-arm them. It sounds like they are trying to take over something that they dont own. Who is next, 944 cup?
09-30-2008, 04:47 PM
#15
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I see no problem with alternating the championships from coast to coast to get more exposure and provide more opportunity, but when you have a series that is mostly East coast, work with them, dont try to strong-arm them. It sounds like they are trying to take over something that they dont own. Who is next, 944 cup?
NASA got their panties in a twist most recently over the fact GTS racers had basically obtained a new venue to hold the "GTS Nationals". The name going around was the GTS Challenge Oktoberfest and yes it was/is going to be held east of the Mississippi.
I will be interested to hear if 944Cup and Spec E30 are getting the same treatment. I heard neither had plans to travel to Utah. It's more than just the Nationals though. NASA was an alliance of different series. They are now extorting the series directors to sell their series to NASA, or else become like Mark Barr.