I don't get it, someone car to explain?

Jon, Gene, youse guys.
Jon puts it as well as I could except I'll add this cause I've heard it from people about the ORIGINAL Subject:
When VOLUNTEERS see the semis, and when the 40 foot motorhomes arrive and the platoons of obviously extremely well finances mechanics and hangers on roll out the cars which everybody brags cost 100-150 grand, and when they see MOUNTAINS of 200 buck a pop tires being used a few miles then pitched, in short when they see operations burning up a hundred thousand dollars or more in a weekend,
he knows there's money around.
Then he sees 1200 dollar entries, say $48,000 for a 40 car field, he has the feeling that there's money being thrown around.

Now he may not know why--and it may not be important why---that Subaru USA is willing to spend so much money to kick and stomp a bunch of "normal guys" ---as far as any of you guys might be considered normal!---, but one thing he is keenly aware of:
The million dollar publicity stunts AKA SRTUSA would not have a venue to go and show their dominance were there not a battalion of unpaid schmucks like him doing all the crap needed to run an event.

It's only human to look and compare, and our theoretical schmuck looks at the huge "operations" and it's not surprising that some are beginning to think (exactly as some supposed grouches said 15-20 years ago), "Daaaayum, them Sooobierooo guys oughtter be able to cover my gas and some grub cause if I don't block that junction then day's not gonna be able to run this here event---and they obviously have a lot of dough to splash around, so howzabout some gas and grub money?"

And I have to agree with him.

---

John Vanlandingham
Sleezattle, WA, USA

Vive le Prole-le-ralliat

www.rallyrace.net/jvab
CALL +1 206 431-9696
Remember! Pacific Standard Time
is 3 hours behind Eastern Standard Time.

How is the cost of a venue's insurance determined? Is it whether it is a coef. 1, or 2 and the longer the rally the higher the insurance?

John, your writing style cracks me up....sometimes you're so bold and blatant, other times, you're very subtle.

At first I thought it was a typo....

Quote

semis

semis....PLURAL. absolutely.

---

Jon Burke - KI6LSW
Blog: http://psgrallywrx.blogspot.com/



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/06/2008 12:10PM by Jon Burke.

gpbullock Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> How is the cost of a venue's insurance determined?
> Is it whether it is a coef. 1, or 2 and the longer
> the rally the higher the insurance?

HA! this one I actually know the answer to. Well, at least for NASA.

its based on the TYPE of event, which dictates the safety requirements, and thus, the overall cost.

for NASA, it goes RallyX, Rally Sprint, Stage Rally.

what's nice....its it only a one time fee per event. so for the 2 day rallyX event I'm running, it costs the same as if I was just running it for just a day.

dunno about RA. it would be interesting to compare prices between sanctioning bodies.

---

Jon Burke - KI6LSW
Blog: http://psgrallywrx.blogspot.com/

I agree. I'd be happy running a long one day event, with fewer long stages. I like Jemba, and recce is nice when you can do it...but this isn't and will never be the WRC! In order to keep rally let's drop recce, and drop notes, and most of the other fluff.

We're all talking about it...it's not just the cost of a rally. It's the combined cost of gas, time off work, hotels, entry fees, safety gear, and parts to try to be competitive.

Doo Wops sounds like a deal! Sandblast is a great Rally, as are a bunch of others. Problem is, I can't keep a rally car for just one cool event per year. The whole thing needs to be something I can rationalize while taking care of a wife and kids and planning for the future. If one event costs me $5000 driving an xratty or volvo (and more with an open classer) then sorry...I'm out, and that's going to kill the great events as well as the less great events.

frumby Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> We're all talking about it...it's not just the
> cost of a rally. It's the combined cost of gas,
> time off work, hotels, entry fees, safety gear,
> and parts to try to be competitive.

i work as a waiter and mainly work weekends and nights and dont get paid time off. that means that i can typically add about 300+ in lost wages to go work at a rally.

do i think i should be paid to work the rally? no.

however, maybe some gas coupons for a discount off some gas at a local to the rally gas station would be nice.

Greg Donovan Wrote:

>
> i work as a waiter and mainly work weekends and
> nights and dont get paid time off. that means
> that i can typically add about 300+ in lost wages
> to go work at a rally.
>
> do i think i should be paid to work the rally?
> no.
>
> however, maybe some gas coupons for a discount off
> some gas at a local to the rally gas station would
> be nice.



That really would be nice. I really don't like the idea of paying voluteers, after all, I'm getting something out of it too.

I do think that more volunteers should be trained ahead of time if it can be managed. It gets tiring when those of us who know how to run ATC/Start/Finish always get stuck working those things and never get to road block and watch. I always ask for at least one day of road blocking and that the other day(s) you can do with me as you will. But there's never enough time or enough experiences voluteers to properly train new volunteers on the more important worker areas.

This year, I ended up with a decent compromise, I worked flying finish all three days.

Oh, and I will say this too, that I did not like working only one stage on Saturday at Oregon Trail this year. I drove all the way out there and only got to see the cars go by once.

Same graduated structure for Rally America.

---

RichardM

Greg Donovan Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> i work as a waiter and mainly work weekends and
> nights and dont get paid time off. that means
> that i can typically add about 300+ in lost wages
> to go work at a rally.
>
> do i think i should be paid to work the rally?
> no.
>
> however, maybe some gas coupons for a discount off
> some gas at a local to the rally gas station would
> be nice.

I agree. Workers need to feel welcomed and appreciated. A little goes a long way for sure. I worked a couple of events in the PNW (Doo Wops in 2000) and being made to feel like you're part of the team is important.

Much less fluff (every $100 bucks is a hotel room or 300 miles towing), much longer stages (less workers), less total days (reduced time off work, vacation time, food and lodging).

frumby Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Greg Donovan Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > i work as a waiter and mainly work weekends
> and
> > nights and dont get paid time off. that
> means
> > that i can typically add about 300+ in lost
> wages
> > to go work at a rally.
> >
> > do i think i should be paid to work the
> rally?
> > no.
> >
> > however, maybe some gas coupons for a
> discount off
> > some gas at a local to the rally gas station
> would
> > be nice.
>
> I agree. Workers need to feel welcomed and
> appreciated. A little goes a long way for sure.
> I worked a couple of events in the PNW (Doo Wops
> in 2000) and being made to feel like you're part
> of the team is important.
>
> Much less fluff (every $100 bucks is a hotel room
> or 300 miles towing), much longer stages (less
> workers), less total days (reduced time off work,
> vacation time, food and lodging).
>
Sounds like you oughtter be stinking about moving back to the PNW, it may become, Dog willing, the last bastion of No+frills rallying.

---

John Vanlandingham
Sleezattle, WA, USA

Vive le Prole-le-ralliat

www.rallyrace.net/jvab
CALL +1 206 431-9696
Remember! Pacific Standard Time
is 3 hours behind Eastern Standard Time.

When I worked Cog I got like 6 free beers at each part of the event, 2 beers at registration, 2 at the Parc Expose, and 2 at the Parc Ferme/awards party. They also gave me a shirt and a packed lunch.

I vote for no frills to competitors and frills to workers. If you think of volunteer hours per mile, short stages are a total waste of time.

---

Grant Hughes

NoCoast Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> When I worked Cog I got like 6 free beers at each
> part of the event, 2 beers at registration, 2 at
> the Parc Expose, and 2 at the Parc Ferme/awards
> party. They also gave me a shirt and a packed
> lunch.
>
> I vote for no frills to competitors and frills to
> workers. If you think of volunteer hours per
> mile, short stages are a total waste of time.
>

JVL...would love to, but it's not in the cards for a while at least...I aint got no job in PNW...I got a job here!

I agree Grant!

frumby Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> NoCoast Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > When I worked Cog I got like 6 free beers at
> each
> > part of the event, 2 beers at registration, 2
> at
> > the Parc Expose, and 2 at the Parc
> Ferme/awards
> > party. They also gave me a shirt and a
> packed
> > lunch.
> >
> > I vote for no frills to competitors and
> frills to
> > workers. If you think of volunteer hours
> per
> > mile, short stages are a total waste of
> time.
> >
>
> JVL...would love to, but it's not in the cards for
> a while at least...I aint got no job in PNW...I
> got a job here!
>

I hear UPS is hiring.
>
>

---

John Vanlandingham
Sleezattle, WA, USA

Vive le Prole-le-ralliat

www.rallyrace.net/jvab
CALL +1 206 431-9696
Remember! Pacific Standard Time
is 3 hours behind Eastern Standard Time.

Richard Miller Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> This may be an outgrowth of what is happening in
> racing. NASA (the race side, not the rally side)
> pays corner workers here in Texas. So does PCA,
> the BMW club and some others. As a consequence, it
> is harder to get corner workers at SCCA events.
> But local regions are now providing gas cards for
> working and SCCA is offering reduced renewal fees
> for those who work events. I am afraid this may
> become another expense we have to consider.
>
> RichardM

Don't forget the vintage guys. I've been getting gas cards from the vintage race people. I'm working a NASA race this weekend. Money goes to gas to get to Ojibwe. I'll also do a PCA race in a couple of weeks that gives me a per diem,buys a room and pays mileage to and from the track. Nothing like a semi full of GT3R Porsches to ratchet up a feeling of those guys ought to pay me to do this.
NASA, PCA, BMW,and the vintage groups (unlike SCCA) didn't develop a base of workers. Their members are too busy competing to staff the event. The SCCA people used to be those who were too financially challenged to compete.Most were biding time to get the funds to compete. Financial challenges are much less existent among BMW and Porsche owners.
On the other hand, at those events, one gets treated as hired help- a cut below the competitors- and their friends. Rallies, even without the pay are better as you're part of the family. Competitors are much more aware that the event will not happen without people.

---

Bruce Beauvais
Too many SAABs to count

WOW! JV...You're in the airlines hiring loop almost like me! Yup...word on the street is UPS is hiring pilots. They're a pretty good company to work for and they pay very well. That would be awesome to get hired by them.