Here is the thread about the BPG nats. Rants and raves.. what ya liked, what ya didn't like. Here's my LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONG list.
My impressions of the BPG Nationals:
First off, I had a great time. My girlfriend and I really enjoyed our time there and we’re very happy we got to see so many old friends and met many new ones. To me, that is the most important part of these events. So long as the great people come to these events, the good times will roll with the even the worst of shows.
The good news is, this isn’t the worst of shows. As a matter of fact, it was, in my opinion, a very decent event. Especially considering this is the first one. As with many nationals, I came away with my thoughts of what was really good and what could use improvement. Before I go into my rant and rave list, let me say that my overall impression of this event was very positive. I don’t want that to be confused with less then favorable comments I make.
The venue—
The track: The actual track itself was a bit funny. The uphill burnout, downhill racing and uphill climb past the 1000ft. mark was a little odd. I didn’t race my car so I can’t comment on what this was like for the driver. The facilities were adequate. Not the best I’ve seen, not the worse I’ve seen. The grounds were well kept and the layout seemed to work well.
The area around the track and hotel: The distance from our hotel (Microtel) and the track was a bit long, but not too far. Obviously there’s nothing that can be done about that. The area around the hotel was decent. Pretty much everything needed was within a short driving or even walking distance. Good call. My impressions of the Microtel itself will be posted on a separate thread. I personally like the rural setting. Very relaxed atmosphere. The police didn’t seem to be very bothersome with our hotel parking lot seminar: “How to do a burnout 101”. J Joe Midolo failed this course in his Tahoe.
The racing—
As stated before, I was not running a car so I can’t really comment on how the racing went. With the rain problems delaying and postponing the schedule, it seemed the organizers did a good job of getting back on track. I find that with the vendor set up time that was given, drivers should have been allowed to prepare as well during this time. Might have also been a good time get the tech situation straight.
The show—
Here’s where my criticism will scream!! I enjoyed the show. There were some very nice cars there. The red wagon with the flames was really pretty. I love the way the flames were done on that car. My problem really comes with the layout of the car show classes. It was very clear and obvious that there was very little to no thought put into the arranging of classes. There were many classes for the V8 cars, which seemed to cover almost everybody. But the four classes for the turbo cars was pathetic. Turbo Regal, Turbo Regal modified, GNX and GNX modified??? First off, I don’t recall seeing ANY GNXs there so that eliminates two classes right there. Only two classes for the decent Turbo Regal turnout was really poorly done. Many people mentioned to me that this event was really geared towards the V8 crowd and perhaps they were unfamiliar with the show classes for the Turbo Regal cars. This could have easily been cured by consulting with a few of the many knowledgeable members of the V6 clubs. Also the argument of the organizers may not have been sure of the Turbo Regal turnout is pretty weak. I feel there had been more V6 classes, more people might have come and participated. I hope this will be fixed next year.
Value—
The prices didn’t seem unreasonable for the show as a spectator. I’m glad to see the prices didn’t climb steadily each day. Hotels in the area seemed to be reasonably priced. There was even a discount for car shows participants. I was glad to see that especially with the price I saw posted outside of the hotel. J Gas prices were pretty good. Food prices weren’t bad.
Overall—
The long and short of things. I’m very happy with the show. There’s room for improvement, but after seeing how good of a job they did with this first show, I’m confident that next years event will be a class act. I plan on doing this again next year. Hope to see y’all there.
My impressions of the BPG Nationals:
First off, I had a great time. My girlfriend and I really enjoyed our time there and we’re very happy we got to see so many old friends and met many new ones. To me, that is the most important part of these events. So long as the great people come to these events, the good times will roll with the even the worst of shows.
The good news is, this isn’t the worst of shows. As a matter of fact, it was, in my opinion, a very decent event. Especially considering this is the first one. As with many nationals, I came away with my thoughts of what was really good and what could use improvement. Before I go into my rant and rave list, let me say that my overall impression of this event was very positive. I don’t want that to be confused with less then favorable comments I make.
The venue—
The track: The actual track itself was a bit funny. The uphill burnout, downhill racing and uphill climb past the 1000ft. mark was a little odd. I didn’t race my car so I can’t comment on what this was like for the driver. The facilities were adequate. Not the best I’ve seen, not the worse I’ve seen. The grounds were well kept and the layout seemed to work well.
The area around the track and hotel: The distance from our hotel (Microtel) and the track was a bit long, but not too far. Obviously there’s nothing that can be done about that. The area around the hotel was decent. Pretty much everything needed was within a short driving or even walking distance. Good call. My impressions of the Microtel itself will be posted on a separate thread. I personally like the rural setting. Very relaxed atmosphere. The police didn’t seem to be very bothersome with our hotel parking lot seminar: “How to do a burnout 101”. J Joe Midolo failed this course in his Tahoe.
The racing—
As stated before, I was not running a car so I can’t really comment on how the racing went. With the rain problems delaying and postponing the schedule, it seemed the organizers did a good job of getting back on track. I find that with the vendor set up time that was given, drivers should have been allowed to prepare as well during this time. Might have also been a good time get the tech situation straight.
The show—
Here’s where my criticism will scream!! I enjoyed the show. There were some very nice cars there. The red wagon with the flames was really pretty. I love the way the flames were done on that car. My problem really comes with the layout of the car show classes. It was very clear and obvious that there was very little to no thought put into the arranging of classes. There were many classes for the V8 cars, which seemed to cover almost everybody. But the four classes for the turbo cars was pathetic. Turbo Regal, Turbo Regal modified, GNX and GNX modified??? First off, I don’t recall seeing ANY GNXs there so that eliminates two classes right there. Only two classes for the decent Turbo Regal turnout was really poorly done. Many people mentioned to me that this event was really geared towards the V8 crowd and perhaps they were unfamiliar with the show classes for the Turbo Regal cars. This could have easily been cured by consulting with a few of the many knowledgeable members of the V6 clubs. Also the argument of the organizers may not have been sure of the Turbo Regal turnout is pretty weak. I feel there had been more V6 classes, more people might have come and participated. I hope this will be fixed next year.
Value—
The prices didn’t seem unreasonable for the show as a spectator. I’m glad to see the prices didn’t climb steadily each day. Hotels in the area seemed to be reasonably priced. There was even a discount for car shows participants. I was glad to see that especially with the price I saw posted outside of the hotel. J Gas prices were pretty good. Food prices weren’t bad.
Overall—
The long and short of things. I’m very happy with the show. There’s room for improvement, but after seeing how good of a job they did with this first show, I’m confident that next years event will be a class act. I plan on doing this again next year. Hope to see y’all there.
