Quote Originally Posted by John Orchard View Post
All - I would like to add just a few points of consideration that went into this schedule that made this a tough one to pull together.

Couple of keys:
  • We're very lucky to have TWS at all this year. As it turns out Walter was able to get three dates for 2017. Without TWS, we would more than likely have a 9 round season.

    Maybe I'm dumb but where is this 3rd TWS round? From what I'm seeing there are 2 rounds there.. Don't know why they couldn't be split between BBE & ULE....
  • Over the past several years, NOLA has been in the month of June which was a little bit less expensive, but at the 'cost' of almost guaranteed rain which has impacted every event to a degree each year. We've targeted NOLA as the long term March replacement for TWS and it was available this year and we felt that it was a good strategic move.

    While I am not fond of going to NOLA... I understood why we are going there.. and your reason for the early date is appreciated... my complaint is the schedule of back to back ULE at the farthest points.. and it's not just me in OK.. I'm certain folks in west Texas are finding it a hard pill to swallow.. Sprint racers are going to go wherever and what ever the schedule is.. so this is focused primarily on the endurance series crowd.. If going to NOLA is the thing the club wants.. or needs..fine but to make the ULE crowd do a back to back to these particular tracks seems a bit much.
    I would think a BBE at Houston in February and then the ULE at NOLA would be much more fair.. Split the dates at TWS and you end up with both series doing a back to back stint at tracks a little more centrally located... ULE gets a bit of time at TWS(which we may not get to again)...and the BBE folks would get a breather instead of 3 rounds in a row...

  • The early season races run the risk of being very cold with poor track conditions. Holding those early rounds at our southern most tracks gives us the best chance for the best weather.

    I get that.. but I don't believe that has anything to do with scheduling what series would go to these meets..
  • The board overwhelmingly responded to the requests from the ULWE participants to hold an event at NOLA. NOLA is also the best Championship Endurance track....it will be a loss for the CE series this year, but Walter has always advocated moving things around year over year to ensure that all aspects of the CMRA have the same opportunity to the degree possible.

    I completely understand and agree with this... my only issue is the scheduling of the ULE to Houston and then NOLA back to back... financially it is a burden..more than it should be..
    I dig the old "racing is expensive" adage... we all know this is true.. but again.. the ULE is supposed to be the "affordable" series.. this schedule takes that away..


There are other considerations as well, but this comes to mind for now - hope that helps the perspective some.
I am not knowing what all those "other considerations"are.. and can only go by what is in front of me... so if there is some kind of reasoning that makes it imperative that the ULE series must run these early meets back to back..so be it.. but I would love to know what those reasons could be..
And yes I am not pointing fingers..I do appreciate the Boards and Walters work...I just think the schedule as it is is not the most effective way..IMHO