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FlyingWrenchGT1
Still Learning to Type
Joined: 01/10/2008
USA
37 Posts |
 Posted - 02/06/2010 : 14:15:45
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It may have been less obtrusive if the logo decal still had SCCA as the most prominent at the top, then the Saferacer logo in the center, and National Racing Series in the fine print at the bottom. If we were asked to submit a design, thats the way it wouldv'e been. The main thing I'm sensing here, is the lack of trust by the members in what's going on, and lack of information from SCCA lends to the speculation that they're trying to hide someting. I have no problem with Saferacer, and applaud their efforts, But its a shame the benefits couldn't be filtered down so everyone got some piece of the action (instead of just National class winners) ..........SC |
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Tambourine
Needs a Life!!!
Joined: 10/16/2003
USA
240 Posts |
Posted - 02/08/2010 : 09:20:31
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| All good post's, I too believe sponsorship of anykind is beneficial to the club. I simply asked a question of who's paying for all the new decal's? Also, I feel that it's the clubs duty to be open and tell the members the amounts and details of any sponsorship agreement. I'm not suggesting that anyone other than our directors, officers and manamgement decide how those funds are used. That is their responsibility. |
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Dave Patten
Needs a Life!!!
Joined: 06/15/2003
USA
751 Posts |
Posted - 02/08/2010 : 14:38:37
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While I do have an interest (more of a curiosity) in knowing the full details of the Saferacer deal, I understand why not disclosing all the details has importance.
If the Saferacer deal was out of touch with true market value (I DO NOT know this to be true) what benefit would it be to disclose it as such? That would establish a “market price” for this type of sponsorship with SCCA. If it was low, chances are no one in the future would ever offer more. If it was over the top, then it could drive away future sponsors as being too rich to even consider.
Let’s face it, this is the first sponsorship deal of this type that I can remember and it came at the 11th hour for the 2010 season. There is nothing to say that the deal wasn’t the greatest one ever negotiated or a real giveaway. At this point I consider anything as a step in the right direction and hopefully the Saferacer deal is something to build on for the future.
Maybe it will inspire other sponsors to support SCCA Club Racing in more innovative ways.
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Edited by - Dave Patten on 02/08/2010 14:39:38 |
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Brian Holtz
Still Learning to Type
Joined: 07/02/2007
48 Posts |
Posted - 02/09/2010 : 07:41:33
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quote:
Originally posted by Tambourine
I simply asked a question of who's paying for all the new decal's?
Ron,
I'm willing to bet it is Saferacer, but nobody here will know the answer. Why don't you call or email Eric Prill and find out?
Brian |
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dave gomberg
Ready to Write a Book
Joined: 12/16/2007
USA
55 Posts |
Posted - 02/09/2010 : 13:25:47
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It was announced at the Convention that there would be no charge for the first set of decals (meaning SafeRacer is paying for them).
Dave |
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jer
Needs a Life!!!
Joined: 12/26/2006
USA
259 Posts |
Posted - 02/09/2010 : 14:39:48
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I don't necessarily agree that disclosure of details would either drive away or set a fixed price for future sponsorships. Everything in marketing is negotiated. But that isn't the issue. The issue for me is that all the conversation about the benefits derived from the sponsorship are just so much rhetoric. Just what are these benefits? For all I know, SafeRacer could be putting 35 million dollars into the program (ok, I do know that is not the case). But if those megabucks were spent on initiatives that afforded no tangible benefit to the National drivers who are the vehicle for the program, then just what is being accomplished? As I've said, just tell me about reduced entry fees, appearance money, new tracks under construction, free race cars....whatever!
Jerry |
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RicBus
Forum Hermit
Joined: 12/19/2003
USA
170 Posts |
Posted - 02/12/2010 : 09:21:34
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I reluctantly post, as I have much respect for many here who seem to have very strong opinions on this subject, but I feel compelled to provide a little basis for comparison.
Please check out the rules for running in BMW club racing. You are required to run a bunch of mandatory sponsor stickers. Some quite large (Tire Rack windshield sticker at one time).
Check out the rules for NASA. Many sponsor stickers required here.
Pull up the rules for Grand AM. You will see the list of sponsor stickers that must be applied to the car and in very specific places. But even more so, you should see all the patches that I am required to sew on my drivers suit, and there are even mandatory sponsor patches that your crew must wear! And if you don’t, there are both financial and on-track penalties. And I’m not even mentioning the list of parts that you are required to run on your car as that is an entirely different subject.
I can’t find any issues from the competitors with running these stickers in the forums of these other organizations. As far as I can tell, none of them report to their membership as to how the sponsorship funds are used or as to the amounts of the contracts.
Just though we could all benefit from a wider viewpoint.
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Ric
GT3-350Z #30
Northeast Division |
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scaryterry85
Forum Hermit
Joined: 02/02/2007
USA
122 Posts |
Posted - 02/12/2010 : 14:50:55
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Ric - good points - and I like you have a great deal of respect for those comenting on this forum and so this post is not to take sides or fan flames. In another post I commented on this SafeRacer deal in that what stood out to me was not the deal itself - but the manner in which the deal was decided on and on how many times the BoD appears to act without regard to "member input" (after all this is a club and we all pay dues). That said - it is not so much about the deal - but that the deal appeared to be "rushed" and that begs the questions "why was it so rushed" and "was it a good deal for the membership"??
As a result of this I took advantage of some face time with Jeff Dahnert at the SE Division Banquet last week. Jeff has proven himself to me to be a straight forward and honest guy that has the best interests of the membership and the well being of the club in his mind (I think back to conversations he and I had and actions he took around the TA and spec tire rule last year) - anyhow he sat for almost 2 hours talking about the direction of the club and the Safe Racer deal. Before you ask – NO – I do not know the specifics of the deal – I don’t want to know and don’t need to know. But what I did want to know is how much research and thought went into it and why was it rushed down to the wire. After all – I told him an announcement (in my opinion) like this would have better been announced in a comprehensive plan laid out to the members BEFORE it magically appeared in the new GCR. He agreed, and explained it was a timing issue with legal stuff being ironed out to make the deal happen – however out of this I made the suggestion that there are a lot of really smart business folks in SCCA that are members as well as some real smart marketing minds and I made the suggestion in an effort to better understand, communicate and create strategic plans for the club – the BoD needed far more member input than what they currently collect. I suggested that the BoD conduct “think tanks” with a number of members from across all regions to work with them and give input on matters a few times a year in order to build a more conducive conduit of communication and understanding between the membership and the national office.
So all in all – albeit rushed – any monies coming into SCCA in form of financial support for club racing should be embraced by the members, as over-all this is the best place to race (again in my opinion) – and as such I am working with Jeff to try and figure out if my new company H2O Overdrive can get involved in providing additional sponsorship to the National Club racing Series, because I do believe in the direction and the club. I expressed my concern with the “opening up” of the Run-Offs to just anyone with no regard to qualification requirements and that I believe if there are classes that are oversubscribed then those classes should be able to “invite” more than the top 10 – using a percentage system where any class with huge numbers can have a larger invitation list – but that the qualification requirements should be left intact so as to keep the prestige in the Run-Offs. This is where I would like to see it go – and would like to support with some sponsorship from H2O Overdrive.
Look at it as a change in our series decal (like Ric points out) and focus on how we can bring new members and racers into the SCCA – as I for one feel like we have to help make the club a more “user friendly” and inviting place to race, we need to build some better communication between the membership and the national office and know that the BoD hears our voices when they make decisions that impact our club - so we can get back to the fun of racing.
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kgrammer
Administrator
Joined: 11/03/2009
USA
65 Posts |
Posted - 02/12/2010 : 21:50:37
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| What is the current SCCA membership count? |
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Ken Grammer
Dan River Grand Prix
ken@danrivergp.com |
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ToddBenne
Needs a Life!!!
Joined: 12/22/2004
USA
463 Posts |
Posted - 02/12/2010 : 22:08:53
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I saw mentioned some place that I cannot recall right now it was 45k.
Double check that though. |
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jer
Needs a Life!!!
Joined: 12/26/2006
USA
259 Posts |
Posted - 02/13/2010 : 00:24:28
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Ric,
Please let me keep the record straight. I certainly welcome anyone who wants to support our racing. But we should keep this "apples to apples." Now, I have driven in pro series' that required patches and decals as apparently does Grand Am. But guess what? We got money! What a concept! The sponsor contributed money, and race finishers got money! A clear cause/effect relationship. I have lots of room on my car for decals, and I have no sponsor conflicts (unless Patron Tequila comes on board), although some drivers may have some issues. Maybe I'm just not a sufficiently spiritual person, but this ethereal, mystical, unnamed benefit we're supposedly deriving doesn't cut it for me. With all the verbiage that's been devoted to this forum, I have yet to hear what benefit, other than some product awards to a handful of class winners, will inure to us dues-paying members. If someone knows what benefit I can expect to realize for the $175 I just sent to Topeka for my CLUB MEMBERSHIP as a direct consequnce of the National series sponsorship (it apparently hasn't reduced dues), please tell me so I can stop posting in this thread. I don't know how to type, and this is a painful exercise for me! Or, as an alternative, how about you all send me $175 to join the Jerry Lustig club, I'll send you Luna Sueno decals to put on your cars, I'll sponsor the regional series, send some winners some coupons for a bit of Blanco, and you can tell everyone how great it is that there's a sponsor to help the regional program. Anyone know how many regional drivers there are? A few thousand? Lemme see, multiply a few thousand by $175 and.....yeah, that'll work for me!  |
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Jeff Bailey
Needs a Life!!!
Joined: 10/18/2007
USA
265 Posts |
Posted - 02/13/2010 : 09:59:20
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You all have it WRONG....
The SCCA is not really a club, it is a business hiding behind a not-for-profit organizational tax structure.
Oh crap...an black Suburban with tinted windows just pulled up in front of my house. It has a blacked out SCCA decal on the back bumper....
Oh double crap...another black Surburban with tinted windows just pulled up behind the first arriving truck. Humm..it has a license plate that reads "TAXMAN"
Oh triple crap...now there is a black helicopter hovering overhead with a light skinned black man looking out the window....Hey, he kinda looks like Obama.....
To be continued.....
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Edited by - Jeff Bailey on 02/13/2010 10:00:17 |
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ToddBenne
Needs a Life!!!
Joined: 12/22/2004
USA
463 Posts |
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Doublexxl240z
Still Learning to Type
Joined: 11/13/2007
38 Posts |
Posted - 02/13/2010 : 17:11:31
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Jeff, Was it a blacked out Saferacer SCCA sticker or the old kind?? Then we will know if its a national or regional helicopter. You need to know who is out there. |
Chris Leone
240Z GT2 in progress
Silence is golden, Duct tape is silver!! |
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ToddBenne
Needs a Life!!!
Joined: 12/22/2004
USA
463 Posts |
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SafeRacer Sponsorship
