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Who feels race reports and pics are important?


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#51 Mike K

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Posted 17 November 2016 - 02:53 PM

In response to some of the above questions and some of my own thoughts and musings about race reporting:
  • No one has the responsibility unless they are being paid. As of this time, it’s a volunteer position.
  • Generating revenue, growth or volume of entries is not the responsibility of the person volunteering to do race reports. Typically they do not even get credit or gratitude for doing the job. Not sure you could even correlate the numbers to compare race reporting to entries over time, nor do I think it is worthwhile to do so or holds any value other than bragging rights to something that can’t be proved.
  • Everything, at all races never gets covered, even by the best correspondent.
  • Big race or small, it’s still up to a volunteer to do the job in most all instances.
  • I am amazed of the demanding attitude of people across the USA and in other countries that pretty much demand print, blog, and videos of races that they will never attend and raceways that they will never set foot into.
I enjoy seeing photos and results as much as anyone. When I started back into slot racing in the '90s I was a constant student of what was published in Slot Car Bulletin... even though it came out months after the races finished! No internet or videos online then. I paid for the privilege of those reports though the purchase of SCB.
 
Kudos to those who do the job! I, for one, appreciate your efforts and will never criticize your work.
 
There is nothing better that seeing your results in print, especially if you make a podium shot.
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#52 Mark Wampler

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Posted 17 November 2016 - 02:56 PM

Servants with humble hearts won't brag on themselves, but someone should do it. Read between the lines and this thread would most likely not exist if Duran was given the proper recognition he deserves. These excuses I'm reading are laughable. Its a slight and an offense to probably the world's best.


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#53 John Streisguth

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Posted 17 November 2016 - 03:12 PM

AFAIK, Duran has always been held in high esteem by everyone who races against him the the Fall Brawl these past few years. I have certainly found him to be a great competitor but also very easy-going, which I have found to be quite uncommon (most times the top competitors are very intense).

 

To say that a lack of pictures and a report of the Thursday evening classes is an offense to his abilities is what's laughable. I seriously doubt he races to see his name on a race report, but instead for his own personal satisfaction.


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"Whatever..."

#54 Mark Wampler

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Posted 17 November 2016 - 03:12 PM

Yeah, Mike, we're a little spoiled, right? I pitch in at my local track too and I'm not going to go over point by point all that I'm doing. I dig slot cars and do what I can to promote our hobby. Passion doesn't require recognition but if I want to promote someone or something, I'm going to do it.


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#55 Paul5097

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Posted 17 November 2016 - 03:24 PM

Well lets see, every monthly Retro race, which are two events are featured with what I just mentioned. Not only is your car and tech sheet visible to everyone, but each main racers are visible as a group shot. Three concours winning cars are shot. Each main podium winners are also featured along with qualifying and race standings of each race main. I haven't seen that anywhere else on a regular monthly basis but as I said, I'm biased. Case closed.
 
Well, not quite. A Main podium cars are taken in at least three separate pics. Top and bottom of chassis and one to include body. Happens every month. That's a lot of work.
 
Oh I forgot, there is a typical tech table shot, mostly horsing around, one or more pics each for F1 and Can-Am. I'm bound to forget something else.

 
I used to do this every month, along with teching the cars and trying to help the races and racers moving along. That is in addition to trying to get my stuff ready to race. I rather enjoyed posting pictures and results until a few local racers and a couple of people that had never set foot in our track began to complain that I was not doing it right. Or they wanted to see a better picture of their car on Slotblog.
 
I asked for volunteers from the complainers but not one offered to help. So, now I will post if I can find the time. If not, no post and no pictures. So keep complaining until reports become a thing of the past!
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#56 DOCinCanton

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Posted 17 November 2016 - 03:25 PM

Maybe I am too simple minded or naïve, but I think that the non-coverage of Duran's victories was not intentional. I have never seen Duran race, but I think that everybody knows he is an awesome racer.

 

Now for my personal point of view: I have been publishing the Florida My Series race reports and driver points for about three years. I do it as a volunteer. But I race also, and it is very difficult to get a lot of info for each race to report on other than the race result printout. Sometimes I forget to take my 15-year old camera.

 

So for any racing group, be thankful that someone takes the initiative to write up a report, get pictures, and publish the race on Slotblog.


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#57 Mark Wampler

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Posted 17 November 2016 - 03:29 PM

If you want to get down to it, slot racing is a lot like Sunday morning church. Two hundred congregants may show up, but it's the hard-working staff of 10 that keeps the doors open, babysit the bratty kids, puts up with complaints of all kinds, and then maybe have the Sunday goer toss a buck in the collection plate.


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#58 Cheater

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Posted 17 November 2016 - 03:52 PM

No one has the responsibility unless they are being paid. As of this time, it’s a volunteer position.


I'm going to disagree with you a bit here, Mike, and let me go outside of the inbred world of slot racing to make my point.

I've become more and more involved in 1:1 collector car events in the last couple of years and have often agreed to serve on the committees who put on such events, as was the case for this year's Tigers East/Alpines East 35th annual East Coast United 35 event.

At the event's first organizational meeting, the committee chairman listed the tasks that needed to be performed and each one in attendance was delegated a particular task, with their concurrence of course. I agreed it was to be my responsibility to put on the parking lot slalom for United 35. And no, I was not paid in any way and purchased some of the items we needed for the slalom at my own expense (even had to pay to attend the event; our budget was that tight). But because I agreed to do it, it was my responsibility not to disappoint the roughly 35 owners who paid to enter their cars in the slalom event on Sunday morning.

That's the way it has always been in the volunteer activities in which I've been involved: Scouting, marching band parent, church choir member, etc. If you are asked and you agree, say, to man the concession stand stand at one football game each month, it is indeed your responsibility whether there is compensation involved or not.

The guys doing the race reports and pictures haven't, by and large, been asked to take on those tasks. They assume them on their own volition because they feel it is important, to further the hobby they enjoy and perhaps even love.

 

I won't say any more, but I think at the big races the folks running the show should make it a priority to ask people to take on those tasks, to delegate them to make sure they get accomplished. It's happened to me, i.e. a race promoter has requested I come to post race results and to take pics. And, yes, there is sometimes a bit of compensation, never money (so far) but often housing and few meals.

BTW, although Noose, Bill, and Bryan have carried the flag far beyond what he started, I wonder if anyone recalls just who first began posting top, bottom, and body pics of all the cars at the early Retro races. As far as I know, that had never been done before in the history of the hobby: every car entered at a race event photographed for all to view. If I could just recall the guy's name...


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#59 Cheater

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Posted 17 November 2016 - 03:56 PM

... babysit the bratty kids...


As an aside, I've never seen the paid staff man (or woman) the nursery at any church I've been involved in. It's always members who volunteer to do so. And yes, it usually happens because volunteers are sought out to take on that task.

Gregory Wells

Never forget that first place goes to the racer with the MOST laps, not the racer with the FASTEST lap


#60 MSwiss

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Posted 17 November 2016 - 04:45 PM

BTW, although Noose, Bill, and Bryan have carried the flag far beyond what he started, I wonder if anyone recalls just who first began posting top, bottom, and body pics of all the cars at the early Retro races. As far as I know, that had never been done before in the history of the hobby: every car entered at a race event photographed for all to view. If I could just recall the guy's name...


Some quick detective work came up with this LINK.

I'll add you were behind the first live video broadcast of a Retro race, Sano 3, IIRC.

Sometimes I think, like in the case of the recent model train thread, guys are unduly harsh on you.


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#61 Cheater

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Posted 17 November 2016 - 04:49 PM

Well, being married for 38 years tends to help develop a thick skin... LOL!
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Gregory Wells

Never forget that first place goes to the racer with the MOST laps, not the racer with the FASTEST lap


#62 Matt Sheldon

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Posted 17 November 2016 - 04:50 PM

Keith Tanaka has always been a top ranked poster as well!


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#63 Tim Neja

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Posted 17 November 2016 - 04:56 PM

Wow - I'm just happy we have some guys that are wiling to take the time and effort to put up reports with pictures. The pictures add a ton to the report. A report without is nearly useless - but thank you to all the guys that do and have taken the time to do them!! it's the only way our little hobby shares its information and because of the internet - it's worldwide!!!

Thank you!!!

:D


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#64 Cheater

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Posted 17 November 2016 - 04:59 PM

Yes, Matt, I should definitely have mentioned Keith Tanaka as well.


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Gregory Wells

Never forget that first place goes to the racer with the MOST laps, not the racer with the FASTEST lap


#65 Mike K

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Posted 17 November 2016 - 05:12 PM

AFAIK, Duran has always been held in high esteem by everyone who races against him the the Fall Brawl these past few years. I have certainly found him to be a great competitor but also very easy-going, which I have found to be quite uncommon (most times the top competitors are very intense).

 

To say that a lack of pictures and a report of the Thursday evening classes is an offense to his abilities is what's laughable. I seriously doubt he races to see his name on a race report, but instead for his own personal satisfaction.

 

John-

 

You have a good snapshot of Duran. There's no one who wants to see him win more than me, especially on the highest levels. I've raced with him and learned from him since he was 10 or 11 years old. Always in good temperament and great form... and... there's no one who gets greater pleasure of seeing him and his car on the podium because I have the pleasure knowing him personally and also the privilege of painting some of his cars!


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So much DRAMA for such small cars....
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#66 Cheater

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Posted 17 November 2016 - 05:17 PM

I raced with Duran as far back as the early 2000s and he and his father Henry are as nice as they come in this little hobby. Super people; wish the hobby had more like them.

 

At the time, Duran was just about the quietest guy I'd ever met... LOL.

No one will believe it, but I used to actually finish ahead of Duran fairly regularly, something that would never, ever happen today.


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#67 tonyp

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Posted 17 November 2016 - 05:23 PM

I don't believe it. LOL.


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#68 Cheater

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Posted 17 November 2016 - 05:24 PM

Well, it was a long time ago. LOL.

 

You know how it is, the older I get the faster I was...


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Gregory Wells

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#69 Dominator

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Posted 17 November 2016 - 06:32 PM

For Premier events I think it would be great if the hosting raceway could take pictures of the podiums finishers with top/bottom pics of the top three A Main or overall cars.

As far as a reports we are fortunate at the Premier events to have guys like Noose, Keith, and Bryan to have create these for us.

As for myself, at NERR I take pictures of all the racers cars (body and bottom of chassis) at tech. This is in addition to the top three in each class raced for that day and the podium finishers. The pictures are uploaded from my phone to Google photos (with captions) and I post the race report along with updated points on Slotblog with a link on Facebook. The race report is nothing fancy but shows the podium winners in each main, concours, and chassis pics of the top three in each class. This usually takes me about three hours to complete.

Some ask me why I take all the photos, calculate points, and write report. The reason is because I care and I choose to do it.


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#70 Cheater

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Posted 17 November 2016 - 06:37 PM

Dominic,

 

I want to emphasize that the raceway owners and staff need not have to do this themselves. If you ask people to help, most will agree to do so.


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#71 Dominator

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Posted 17 November 2016 - 06:57 PM

Totally agree, Greg.


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#72 Mark Wampler

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Posted 17 November 2016 - 07:43 PM

I raced with Duran as far back as the early 2000s and he and his father Henry are as nice as they come in this little hobby. Super people; wish the hobby had more like them.

 

At the time, Duran was just about the quietest guy I'd ever met... LOL.

No one will believe it, but I used to actually finish ahead of Duran fairly regularly, something that would never, ever happen today.

 

I met Duran around 2004 back in the SoCal USRA era when Foster's was a circuit track for the org. Duran would drop in with Johnathan Forsyth and battle it out. It was between those two for the win.


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#73 Noose

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Posted 17 November 2016 - 09:08 PM

Mark, I am sure Duran knows I meant no disrespect to him not having the photos.

But when you step up to the plate and do what I, Bryan, Keith, Dom, Grant, and others do to get the news out to those that don't attend a race then you and all others can claim you have a right to complain.

What's worse is when all of this reporting in expected instantly. People do have lives outside of slot racing.


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#74 Matt Sheldon

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Posted 17 November 2016 - 09:43 PM

People do have lives outside of slot racing.

 

Talk like this is going to get this thread locked up!


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#75 Cheater

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Posted 17 November 2016 - 10:04 PM

Not in my opinion and my opinion actually matters here, unlike in most other places. LOL...


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