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Given the high cost of fuel (about $4.60 a gallon here in Seattle for premium) I'm wondering if that will make a substantial dent in the number of folks going to Nationals this year or not? Are folks going to not come or will you just figure that an extra $200 or $300 to drive is a small amount given how much money we poor into this sport and just live with it?

Personally I'm going to look at doing a fly-n-drive if at all possible but even given that isn't cheap either at least it has the advantage of fewer days off of work. What are others doing? If you are going how high would gas have to be before you didn't go?

I will go to natls no matter what the price, well $10 might be pushing it , but I will consider skipping the Pro Finale - as well as any further Pros this year - to compensate for the extra cost.

And I think I will pass on the garage at HPT this year.  

 

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Jason Isley
2005-2006-2007-2008 B Stock National Champion

Towing the rig to Kansas at today's diesel price of about $5 a gallon will run me about $1000 round trip. That's a set of tires for my B Mod, or 5 really good semi-local events.

 
This will be my first nationals so I have no way of knowing if that is justified or not. Right now it's the only way to see where the car and I stand. It would make it a LOT easier to justify if I was certain that the Nationals site was above and beyond the quality of some of our NE Division's sites. It's not.

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Joe Gonzalez
1979 Legrand DSR- B Mod
Gilbertsville, NY

Nope.  Just another expense.  Whatever it is, that's what I pay.

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Patrick Washburn
STU Evo - SOLD!
<----- 2009 - Regain the coveted Tri Pod Trophy for the Hiedi's

Howdy,

Alan Dahl:

Given the high cost of fuel (about $4.60 a gallon here in Seattle for premium) I'm wondering if that will make a substantial dent in the number of folks going to Nationals this year or not? Are folks going to not come or will you just figure that an extra $200 or $300 to drive is a small amount given how much money we poor into this sport and just live with it?

For me, I was on the fence about whether to go or not anyway, and the fuel price was one of the things that pushed me off the fence and into the "don't go" yard.

Other things were that my wife can't come (she's a professor) but can next year (sabbatical) and I don't really like spending the money to go two years in a row.  Plus, I want to get a shifter kart and the nationals budget is about half what I'm looking to spend to get into one (and that's without including tires).

If autoxing were super important to me like it used to be, none of that would have stopped me, but now that I'm a little more "take it or leave it" about national events, its enough to make me decide not to go.

 

Mark

The price of fuel probably won’t keep us from nationals, but it has been the great de-motivator for getting the Orange Vette’s winter work done.  (I guess that was winter and spring work )

We will not running nearly as much as we use to. It helps that we missed the first half of the season “not working on the car.”  But looking back, that was when fuel was cheap!  

We will be running only two non-local events just so we can go to the Pro Finale.  I kind of figure it this way.  We will be traveling only about a third of what we have done in most years, and fuel is 3 times what it was in those years that we traveled a lot.  Net, our fuel budget is going to be about the same.  But not nearly the same amount of fun for the $$, but more sleep and more vacation days for other things. (yes, there are things other than autox)  We are going to events that have really good surfaces (except for nationals) and have a history of good events; Quality over Quantity.

Looking back, last year when fuel was $3ish a gallon, we started cutting back because of pump pain, what we would do for $3 a gallon for diesel today.  Looking forward we may have that $10 a gallon; there may not be a pro series, a national tour, a nationals to go to. (yes I am accused of being a glass half empty person)  No need to go silly and max out the fuel cards (any more than they already are) but these may be the good ole days.  Enjoy and live in the moment.

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Su Brude

163 XP - Orange '04 Corvette

Gas isn't keeping me away this year, and likely won't until it costs over $7 per gallon. My rig gets 12mpg with a loaded open trailer but I have a fairly short tow from Houston to Topeka. When towing cost more than that, I'll do the same as OrangeVette, stick to local quality events with an emphasis on surface, competition, then size within about a four hour tow. Between San Antonio, Dallas and Houston there's a lot of events.

I had planned on taking this year off to build a new car, but a torn ACL has slowed progress. 

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Aut tace aut loquere meliora silentio.

It isn't keeping me away either.  I am more picky about which events I will travel to.   No more going to a crappy event just for the fun of it.

Nancy told us that National entries on June 1 were ahead of last years pace.  Not sure if that means anything or not...

DaveW

 

47CP:

It isn't keeping me away either.  I am more picky about which events I will travel to.   No more going to a crappy event just for the fun of it.

Nancy told us that National entries on June 1 were ahead of last years pace.  Not sure if that means anything or not...

DaveW

 

Haha that's probably mainly because the Winnipeg club (yea way up in Canada eh!) has like 18 people signed up already, last year we only had two people.

Gas is a factor in the trip, it's more expensive then the entry fee and hotel for the peru tour. but for nationals? then that's not the factor. i agree with 47CP just cut down the outta town events that are not all that important

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Bridesmaid Racing
2008 SCCA Nationals DS Runner-Up
2008 Kansas City NT DS Runner-Up
2008 Milwaukee NT DS Runner-Up
2007 SCCA Nationals DS Runner-Up
2007 Milwaukee NT DS Runner-Up
2006 ASN Nationals DS Runner-Up

I'll still go.  I'm driving a relatively fuel efficient miata to and from events though.  If I were in a class that required a tow rig, I don't know that I'd be going to many events at all.  The cost of fuel did enter into my classing decision.  There's something to be said for classes for streetable cars.

 

I'll be flying and driving for a 2nd year in a row.  And while I've never had to tow a vehicle up there.  I don't think the gas prices would ever be a factor for me making nats.

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Jeremy Foley
2001 Subaru 2.5RS Retired G-Stock Autocross Beast
2003 Evo 8 Modded Daily Driver
2004 RX-8 Current Borrowed B-Stock Killer

President
Team if you can't beat them-Join them!

Gonzo_BMod:

Towing the rig to Kansas at today's diesel price of about $5 a gallon will run me about $1000 round trip. That's a set of tires for my B Mod, or 5 really good semi-local events.

This will be my first nationals so I have no way of knowing if that is justified or not. Right now it's the only way to see where the car and I stand. It would make it a LOT easier to justify if I was certain that the Nationals site was above and beyond the quality of some of our NE Division's sites. It's not.

 

From what I've read about the HPT site, you'd be wasting your hard-earned money and time on this place, especially as it's your first Nat's. Save some $$ and wait for a better surface. I wouldn't play in that miniature sandlot if gas was half what it is.

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James Plotkin
'05 FSP Echo

Everyone is a bit rough on HPT.  People pull plenty of G's on that surface and it will probably get better with age similar to what some other asphalt lots have done.  Additionally, it is smooth.  Yes, it does have "offline" sand issues, but hopefully that improves this year. 

The reason to go, however, is that it is Nationals and if you like to compete against the best, you show up.

aansorge:

The reason to go, however, is that it is Nationals and if you like to compete against the best, you show up.

I bolded the important parts of that sentence. . .

DaveW

..dp

I'm just making sacrifices in other area's to cover the fuel costs.  An easy sacrifice is keeping my current tow vehicle for another year.  I don't really need a new truck and keeping vehicles a year longer really cuts down on costs in the long run.  With the cost of everything going up, it's hard to justify having a new truck payment when the current truck has already taken all the deprecation it's going to take (11 years old).

 

I probably won't make it to nationals this year simply becuase I'm starting a new job soon and won't have any vacation time built up yet.   

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Phil K.
2002 Camaro SS, #68 ESP

The surface at HPT is actually less of an issue to me than the size of the lot.

Back on topic, fuel is expensive, and I just bought a house, but I'm going.  It's nats.  I wouldn't miss it.  It's just way too much fun.

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John Vitamvas
'04 Z06
'00 Boxster S (For Sale)

John V:

The surface at HPT is actually less of an issue to me than the size of the lot.

 Agree that the lot size is the biggest deterent, I'm leaning against going for that reason.  If I do go the price of gas will influence what car/class to compete in.  STS2 miata or HS MINI that I can actually drive to the event are on the table, FSP car towed on a heavy old trailer behind a heavy old truck is off. 

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Once you go Mac, you never go back!

I'm still going, wouldn't miss it!  But it's easier to say that now.  I purchased the MR2, a car I can drive to Nationals with a tire trailer if necessary at 24 MPG versus towing my Elise in an enclosed trailer at 6 MPG.  I will save $1100 in gas at today's prices.  If I had to take the trailer, I probably would have had to sleep on it too.  And give up other stuff, including a lot of the tours/pros I'm doing. 

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Jer
1993 MR2 #196 ES
2005 Lotus Elise (retired)
1999 Dodge 4X4 tow vehicle
1993 Miata (just tired)
1987 Corolla Lemons car
1984 Citation Lemons car

I noticed tha atcovan hasn't been to HPT but would never attend becouse what he has read. If you don't want to show up at nats and run against the best, then don't, but no matter where it is the surface is the same for everyone.

P.S. You are missing out on a heck of a good time and a very cheap week of enjoyment. You can attend atleast 3 banquets for 100 bucks plus compete in the premier autocross event in the world. Welllllllllllll worth the money.    

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Ron Williams

Multi-time national champion---ship trophy winner