Ascutney II Length Change

[BugEyeRex]

I will and do respect SCCNH's decision. May I ask again, for clarity sake, why the chairmen of the event have decided to shorten the course and why this is not clarified on any entry form? This yhread is starting to get confusing on how long the course is going to be.

[honda#72]

New idea to make everyone who hates the crown or the top, happy. Finish is at check one. Mike Wilson wins in the GTR with a time of 9.03 seconds because a break out, is yet to be established. I finish with a personal best of 14.86 seconds and the new break out time is 12.53 seconds. What's next a hillclimb at a dragstrip?

[jkale]

... Or, Chris, we run from check 5 to check 7.. Smoothest part of the course.. It'll be like pikes peak... In the way that the rules keep changing..

[DaveEstey]

My suggestion, again, is to email Jeff Barrette. He's the one who has say in this since he's the chair for the event.

He's also likely not reading this or he would have responded.

[sachilles]

My suggestion, again, is to email Jeff Barrette. He's the one who has say in this since he's the chair for the event.

He's also likely not reading this or he would have responded.

done

[mckee]

I stopped running Ascutney 10 years ago because of ground clearance issues beyond the bridge. Like many I actually enjoyed the challenge of trying to drive the Kellison over, or between the bumps, but it was just physically too destructive on the car. In 2006 when I began running the McKee F5000 I sadly discovered I could only run Burke -- and even there it bottomed pretty consistently (no fun in a winged car). The car bottomed out badly at any other NEHA course. Raising the ride height was not an option because of suspension design. I tried raising the car by using larger diameter tires but medical issues interrupted my NEHA participation and caused me to skip this year entirely.

Ascutney's notorious roughness keeps a few otherwise adventurous PHA hill climbers away from that hill. Okemo is also too rough for the PHA folk. The PA hills are more like boulevards and their cars are designed to take advantage of the smoother courses. I agree with those who feel the hill is what it is -- build your car to handle it.

Best to all,

Bob D'Amore

[PRODOG]

Hello All---

On behalf of SCCNH and those organizing the event I appreciate everyone's comments, concerns and suggestions. I will try to answer some of the questions and clarify the plans for our September event. To stay with the terms Kevin Gale created I will use the following terms; short course, traditional course and long course to describe the distance of the event.

The decision to run the short course was not a simple one as we all know change is difficult for most of us to accept, expecially when it impacts so many people who have invested time, money and energy to their hobby/sport. I won't bother with listing the entire thought process that has gone into this decision but some of the more critical factors are; the road condition above the bridge is deteriorating and causes some vehicles/entrants to either not enter the event-damage their vehicles-or run at reduced speeds in that section - by running the short course we minimize further damage to the actual road surface in that section of the hill - we will likely gain additional runs during the weekend which has been a point of contention over the past few years (this is a positive by-product of the decision not a main reason to make the change), it gives us a "new course" to run, there has been a lot of talk about how running to the top would be good as it is different, until we have the proper equipment to do that safely we felt this change would be at least "something different" to try, etc. By the way we also understand that the road surface is the same for everyone and that the crown presents it's own challenges to all entries.

The thought of people running hard to the top after the bridge on the "short course" is not an option as we will be staging cars just above turn 25 for bring downs similar to what is done at Okemo. Cars will finish at the bridge - slowing to reasonable speeds from there to traditional finish and coming down to holding, anyone "racing" up that section will be penalized as they will not only risk themselves but those cars coming down to holding. By doing this we increase the chance of making quicker turnarounds to gain more runs each day (theoretically). We will have a phone at holding with the results being streamed to holding as well, we will also have someone at "traditional finish" to report cars in /out of that area. It is extremely unlikely that we will change the course length during the w/end due to safety concerns of people not having the chance to practice that section of the hill.

We fully understand that there are mixed feelings on this and are not blind to the fact that some people have legitimate concerns. This may be an idea that has a very short life span but we feel that it is worth making the effort and trying it on for size. Believe me that a full analysis will be made during and after the event to determine the success/failure of the event. Hopefully we don't lose any entries as a result and may actually gain a few who would not normally run at this venue. We are truly considering the possibility of running the "long course" in the near future --- again to offer a different twist to the event and an opportunity for new challenges. That decision is yet to be made and as some have pointed out may actually contradict some of our reasons for trying the short course however we are considering all options.

In the end we hope that entrants, workers, organizers and all volunteers have a good time and enjoy themselves. We also understand we can not please everyone (no matter how hard we may try) so there is always some compromise and displeasure which is not our intent. Please remember we are all trying our best to have fun and offer a new challenge for our fellow competitors.

As always we need workers to help at this event - Please reach out to either Jeff Barrett or myself with questions or requests for worker assignments. We will be happy to have your help and should have a great time.

Thanks to all ----

Drew Young

[smokey15]

Drew,

An excellent response to a number of concerns expressed earlier in this thread. Having driven and worked many Ascutney hillclimbs over the years, I understand completly the number of variables that need to be taken into consideration when chairing this event. In fact, I think you and I co-chaired the event a number of years ago when the State Of Vermont wanted us to run the event in November.
Many of the drivers expressing dissatifaction with the decision to shorten the event have never had the educational experience of chairing a hill climb and, being responsible for all of the administrative ramifications. Your response clarified, hopefully, to all our readers why the change was deemed necessary. As a former driver, experiencing both the standard and long courses, I would prefer to go all the way up to the top (long course). Ascutney is a great event and I encourage all participants to accept the current decision, let it go, and focus on the fact that Ascutney II, 2012 will happen.
In addition, I'll be there to work (and to keep an eye on Rob driving my car). As in the past, I have no preference except to be assigned where I can be of most assistance.

Regards,

Smokey

[BugEyeRex]

Thank you Drew for clearing up the questions.

[Phillip]

While i am not an "old soul" of the NEHA world, I have been at this gig for 3 years now, so i suppose i can throw my hat in here.

I completely understand the rationale in trying to run the "short" course, as it pertains to trying to get both new and older racers to the hill. Getting these events to be fiscally possible comes down to entries, and whatever the club can do to increase those is the responsible choice.

That having been said, I just don't have the same interest in running the short course as I do the standard one, and certainly less than the long one, after having seen it this last weekend with MAX BMW. I completely understand the desire to maximize the use of the best pavement we have available, but part of the challenge of the course, aside from memorizing the course itself, is the fairly aggressive line require to drive the top section as smoothly as possible. The Evo is another car here that is pretty low on ground clearance, but if you keep the hammer down, you can keep the front lifted just enough to skim over the bumps en route to the top of the course.

If this is a final call by the club to run the short course in September, then i'll have to think hard on whether or not i'll come. The dip-straight between 28-29, and the uphill shoot between 29 and finish are both killer sections of the course that will be lost. And given the cost and time involved in taking the weekend for this, I think we can all agree, regardless of position on this issue, that losing a part of the course that can be extremely exciting is not necessarily a good thing.