Author Topic: 2013 SpeedWeek Kudos and Critiques  (Read 49482 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline jimwebb

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 76
    • Nuts Racing Home
Re: 2013 SpeedWeek Kudos and Critiques
« Reply #15 on: August 22, 2013, 09:12:01 PM »
Okay, we've killed the porta-potty issue. Anyone of the other 500 lurkers want to address bitch #1, the FM broadcast?
PLEASE bring back Glen!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I don't care if he dies on the mic. He is the best, knows the classes and can keep pace with four courses. Even though i could never hear it in my head due to helmet and stuff, I could always hear it in my head: "Take it to Impound"
The Big Red Truck From Texas
Chock Full O' Nuts
Record Holder AA/PP A/PP B/PP C/PP D/PP (Oops, Larry got this one!) E/PP

Offline hotrod

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1231
    • Black Horse photo
Re: 2013 SpeedWeek Kudos and Critiques
« Reply #16 on: August 22, 2013, 09:23:21 PM »
Ok I will chip in a thought here, the incident with the #77 streamliner shows that is absolutely essential that folks need to know when cars are leaving the starting line. Some of these cars are so quick and quiet if you don't have advance notice that they are on the course, you could get caught flat footed if they do something unexpected.

The rule never turn your back on a race car under power applies here, and the only way you can do that is if you know they are on the course.

Offline manta22

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 4137
  • What, me worry?
Re: 2013 SpeedWeek Kudos and Critiques
« Reply #17 on: August 22, 2013, 09:26:10 PM »
Jim;

"P.s. I know you've herded potties for a long time, and I respect your work."

I guess that makes Jon the "Potty Wrangler"  :-P

Regards, Neil  Tucson, AZ
 

 
 
 
Regards, Neil  Tucson, AZ

Offline Glen

  • Global Moderator
  • Hero Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 7024
  • SCTA/BNI timer 1983 to 2004, Retired,. Crew on Tur
Re: 2013 SpeedWeek Kudos and Critiques
« Reply #18 on: August 22, 2013, 09:42:29 PM »
Okay, we've killed the porta-potty issue. Anyone of the other 500 lurkers want to address bitch #1, the FM broadcast?
PLEASE bring back Glen!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I don't care if he dies on the mic. He is the best, knows the classes and can keep pace with four courses. Even though i could never hear it in my head due to helmet and stuff, I could always hear it in my head: "Take it to Impound"

Jim and others as you know I have no say in what SCTA/BNI does. However for those at the WOS I will be the CB announcer, I consider this an honor to be asked. I am also a crew member on the Vesco teams and will be helping Rick prior to the WOS. I am so hoping to announce take it to impound to all who qualify and back it up. I am there for the racers. :cheers:
Glen
Crew on Turbinator II

South West, Utah

Offline jimwebb

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 76
    • Nuts Racing Home
Re: 2013 SpeedWeek Kudos and Critiques
« Reply #19 on: August 22, 2013, 10:28:42 PM »
Glen,
I have had many a time where you announced, "take it to impound" and if you ever wanted to send such a VM to my voice mail, I'd treasure it forever. in fact, at this meet Doug told me on the starting line to take this thing to impound and far from it for me to deny the starter! Too bad it blew up later in impound!
VM nine 7 nine 849-three 201. Anytime Glen, anytime............!!!!!
The Big Red Truck From Texas
Chock Full O' Nuts
Record Holder AA/PP A/PP B/PP C/PP D/PP (Oops, Larry got this one!) E/PP

Offline Tman

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 3672
Re: 2013 SpeedWeek Kudos and Critiques
« Reply #20 on: August 22, 2013, 10:41:47 PM »
Jim, I am part of the yblock Guy #416 Team and have been running on your D record for 3 years. We would love to meet you guys and serve you some tainted beef some day so as to help our efforts! :-D

Really, I would love to meet you guys. Trent :cheers:

Offline Roadster943

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 218
Re: 2013 SpeedWeek Kudos and Critiques
« Reply #21 on: August 22, 2013, 10:45:11 PM »
     I tried a few times to listen to the FM broadcast. The last time they ticked me off enough that that I will never listen again. They offer nothing for the racers or experienced spectators and give new folks all kinds of bad, false, and just plain wrong info.   Bring Glen back.
Land Speed Racing, The sheer joy of spending every dime you've got racing for nothing but glory. David Freiburger

Offline desotoman

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 2815
Re: 2013 SpeedWeek Kudos and Critiques
« Reply #22 on: August 23, 2013, 12:27:50 AM »
One thing that I hope does not happen to LSR is the commercialization of it. I don't go to NHRA events anymore because NHRA sold their soul to the sponsors, and it is no longer about the racers but about Advertizing. I did not mind the announcers occasionally saying "Go buy some Sunglasses down at so and so's stand, or go buy some food from such and such, but I don't want to be bombarded with constant none stop advertising like NHRA.

I would like to hear more about the teams and the cars, after all this is amateur racing and the SCTA has done well in the past with out big money sponsors.

Tom G.
I love the USA. How much longer will we be a free nation?

Asking questions is one's only way of getting answers.

The rational person lets verified facts form or modify his opinion.  The ideologue ignores verified facts which don't fit his preconceived opinions.

Offline sirstude

  • Jr. Member
  • **
  • Posts: 42
Re: 2013 SpeedWeek Kudos and Critiques
« Reply #23 on: August 23, 2013, 08:05:02 AM »
Slim,

One more porta potty comment.  I was last down in 2010 and WOW what an improvement when I got here this year.  That year things were overflowing and not serviced, and the trash bins were overflowing with no pickup.  You and all your helpers have done a GREAT job!!  Hooley was one of those that got a personal potty, but with all the walking I visited several others around the pits.

Thanks again.
Doug
Doug Strong

Hooley (974) lets me work on his car.

Offline Seldom Seen Slim

  • Nancy and me and the pit bike
  • Administrator
  • Hero Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 13158
  • Nancy -- 201.913 mph record on a production ZX15!
    • Nancy and Jon's personal website.
Re: 2013 SpeedWeek Kudos and Critiques
« Reply #24 on: August 23, 2013, 09:55:46 AM »
I guess the subject isn't quite done yet -- the toilet subject, that is.  Back in '10 (I think it was '10) we realised that the vendor for the toilets (United Waste) still wasn't doing the job as well as we'd like, so when we put out the bids we specified some new requirements -- including having the units serviced twice a day on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.  Those are the days with the largest attendance - and therefore the highest amount of use of the toilets.  Honey Buckets was more interested in doing business with us than was United -- so they got the nod.  That's the main reason you haven't found overflowing units since then.  But HB is also pretty good on giving us feedback after the event - which units were used heavily and needed the most attention, which units were hardly used at all -- so maybe instead of a group of three in that location we could put two - and use that one other in someplace that was busier.  And so on.

It's a pleasure to work with Trevor and the others from Honey Buckets, and since I know he reads this Forum now and then -- I expect he'll see what you folks are saying.

Enough for now -- back to engraving beer steins and pub glasses for the local Blues Festival next weekend.
Jon E. Wennerberg
 a/k/a Seldom Seen Slim
 Skandia, Michigan
 (that's way up north)
2 Club member x2
Owner of landracing.com

Offline jimmy six

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 2785
Re: 2013 SpeedWeek Kudos and Critiques
« Reply #25 on: August 23, 2013, 10:32:40 AM »
For all the years years I listened to Ron C. at the staring line (s) I thought he did a pretty good job. I have know idea what happened but he seems to have forgotten everything but what he did growing up.

Without him or someone else at the the starting line to give them whose coming up I suppose it's just tougher. If they hear the the car/bike numbers Jim Jensen or other starters give the tower that's all they know is a number if they are even listening. Since we had a portable radio on in out pits rarely did we know anything but a number. Once they start gabbing to themselves over some trivial BS all was lost. On one of our rums after starting the car and sending it off I went over to hear a radio at the starting line and listened to a Rick Gold Commercial for 5 minutes and never heard the time. AA/BG Modified running 230. Guess we were not as important.

To use up time other than BS it seems they could recap all 4 courses once in a while . Maybe they should also get copies of the runslips at least it has the class and speed.

4 courses 2 timing makes the CB for speeds probably unmanageble I would guess.

One last thing I'm sure they felt they needed to be talking all the time. Hey it's radio that's what is expected. LSR in not a radio friendly anything.

PS: the owner of the pit I was in told me to turn off the radio on Wednesday as he was sick of listening to them..........

 
First GMC 6 powered Fuel roadster over 200, with 2 red hats. Pit crew for Patrick Tone's Super Stock #49 Camaro

Offline Seldom Seen Slim

  • Nancy and me and the pit bike
  • Administrator
  • Hero Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 13158
  • Nancy -- 201.913 mph record on a production ZX15!
    • Nancy and Jon's personal website.
Re: 2013 SpeedWeek Kudos and Critiques
« Reply #26 on: August 23, 2013, 11:31:10 AM »
"I'm sure they felt they needed to be talking all the time. Hey it's radio that's what is expected."

As a former commercial radio announcer I was taught to minimise the amount of dead air - the times when nothing was being transmitted.  That might be one reason Harold does his best to keep some chatter going.  Ron sure used to have dead air lots of times -- bu his microphones were on the CB radio's speaker and sometimes picked up ambient (engine) noise, too.

For LSR - well, JD, you've got a very valid point when you say that LSR is NOT radio-friendly.  I've described it to many friends as "  mmMMMZZZZOOOOM!!!MMnnn" followed by about two minutes of dead silence and then another "zoom", and so on.  It's boring if you don't know how land speed racing is run.  And those two minutes are what today's announcers are trying to fill.

But -- how 'bout having a microphone or two set to pick up sounds from the race course, or maybe the course and the line, and maybe one in the pits, too?  Those ambient/background sounds not only are a vital part of our racing -- but they're able to show the casual listener that no, the signal is not dead - there's just nothing to talk about for the moment.  Heck - even the sound of a generator or two in the pits (or how about the one by the announcer's trailer?) is part of racing -- and would be proof that the radio is working.
Jon E. Wennerberg
 a/k/a Seldom Seen Slim
 Skandia, Michigan
 (that's way up north)
2 Club member x2
Owner of landracing.com

Offline lsrjunkie

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 922
Re: 2013 SpeedWeek Kudos and Critiques
« Reply #27 on: August 23, 2013, 11:54:02 AM »
I thought the event was overall pretty good. I agree with the gripes about the announcing. I was at world finals a couple years ago and it was real nice knowing the number of the car and the speed. There were several times this year that I was watching for one car in particular and didn't know it was running till I saw it go by.

Honey Buckets were very well maintained! We camped at the Bend, and even those were serviced well.

The one thing I haven't seen mentioned yet was the food on the salt. It was outstanding!!! Those ham and egg breakfast sandwiches were fantastic! I forget the name of the food vendor by the pits, but I believe it was "Red Flame" or something along those lines. Any way they get a big thumbs up from this guy.

Only bad part about this year was the fact that my car was still in a garage in Colorado and not on the salt with me!
Maybe there is no Heaven. Or maybe this is all pure gibberish. The product of a demented hill billy who has found a way to live out where the winds blow. To sleep late, have fun, drink whiskey, and drive fast on empty streets with nothing in mind except falling in love or getting arrested.    H.S. Thompson

Offline mtkawboy

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 489
Re: 2013 SpeedWeek Kudos and Critiques
« Reply #28 on: August 23, 2013, 12:14:23 PM »
I can recall before Slim took over the porta potties by the end of the week were bad. Those babies were full to the brim and then some. In short they were nasty and anyone who needed to sitdown was in a jam requiring a squat over the top or holding things in. Slim has made a 1000% improvement since he took over and he has my thanks. Im sure the woman who have their own facilities  are happy about it too even more so. A lot of people could use a little practice with their aim too

Offline USFRAMONTE

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 688
Re: 2013 SpeedWeek Kudos and Critiques
« Reply #29 on: August 23, 2013, 12:18:26 PM »
We are going to put signs in the Honey Buckets at WOS that say...."We aim to please, would you aim too please?"