Has it occurred to you how lucky we are to have men and women who are CRAZY enough to run a racetrack? The hours are long, the resistance is constant, the return on investment (if any), appears to be small. The success of the business is based on factors like sudden Florida rainstorms, internet trolls, hostile competitors, unfriendly lease terms, the stranglehold of insurance, unfavorable weather forecasts, and the list goes on and on.
In my two year experiment in racing club management, I never ceased to be amazed at the capacity and enthusiasm that competitors showed in damaging their own organization, and to cloud their own racing future. It cost me a ton of attention from my livelihood, diminished my enjoyment of the sport that has been my life-long passion, and played a role in ending a long marriage. Looking back, I should not have done it. Yet, so many choose to stay on then job.
Race track managers are crazy!
I know that I am thankful for these crazy people, because I can unload my car and have a great time. Someone else is keeping the gates open, and I can live it up as a result.
They are not equally effective, but I am thankful that Rex Guy, Robert Hart, Gary LaPlante, Robert Yoho, Ann Young, Jamie Haase, Bubba Clem, Denny Meyer and so many others put the time and effort in.
What would I do without them? iRacing is not real, RC cars are toys, and drifting looks silly. I don’t like drowning in mud, I get seasick, so a boat is out of the question. Nope, I am going to race as long as I am able, and as long as there is a steady supply of crazy people to provide a track.