Southeast Honda Challenge

[grrlie]

I just wanted to put a post out inviting any licensed racers to join us in 2004 for the NASA Southeast Honda Challenge's inaugural season! We don't have a web-site yet so until we do I'm just trying to spread the news.
Schedule:
March 13-14 Nashville Motor Speedway
April 3-4 Carolina Motorsports Park
June 19-20 Road Atlanta
Aug 14-15 Road Atlanta
Sept 25-26 Roebling Road
It should be a great year.
For more info contact me at hondaracer13@hotmail.com.
Sound like fun- but don't have a license yet? Come anyway, cheer us on, and run a HPDE. See http://www.nasa-southeast.com for more info.

[Dave-ROR]

No Florida tracks? weaksauce.

[grrlie]

Hopefully in the future- you have to understand that its not just the SEHC thats new the entire region in new- this is the first year for SE NASA. Jim Pantas - the one who took on starting the new region is based out of NC. I'm not certain but would be willing to bet that the track selections were based on cost, as well as the fact that while the events are still a haul for some - current southeastern NASA racers will no longer HAVE to drive all the way to VA or PA to compete. The selected tracks are in balanced locations across the SE- with the exception of FL-sorry but truth is FL tracks are only convenient to those in FL so I'm not surprised that for the first season they chose to focus on all the other SE states to try to get participation #s up before asking people to drive all the way to FL. (And trust me as someone whos been driving an average of 8-9 hours each way-often more- to every event for the past 2 years I understand the gripe of not having an event in your state- even with SEHC/SE NASA we only have one, the Nashville event.)
Hopefully some FL events will happen next year (2005) but for now I wouldn't call the new SE region's schedule "weak" I mean come on we're running Road Atlanta!

[RealTypeR]

-sorry but truth is FL tracks are only convenient to those in FL

and other state tracks are only convenient for driver home states. I bet you'll get more participants in SE Honda Challenge if you have at least one event in Florida. We got some big bawlers down here.

[grrlie]

-sorry but truth is FL tracks are only convenient to those in FL

and other state tracks are only convenient for driver home states. I bet you'll get more participants in SE Honda Challenge if you have at least one event in Florida. We got some big bawlers down here.

Sorry if you misunderstood me- I'm not disputing that at all!
But my point was that NASA (SE) is not holding any events in FL therefore SEHC isn't. We can't add a track/FL event to the schedule without the sanctioning body having an event there.
If NASA SE were holding an event there- it would be on the SEHC schedule- but being their first season- my guess (as I stated before) is that for logistical reasons they chose to focus on the other SE states for the first year (particularly as the NASA SE officials/workers are based out of NC). (I have no idea how many NASA members there are in FL- that could've been part of it too?)
Nothing against FL- I'd love to see an event there- but there isn't one being run by NASA in 2004 therefore none for SEHC. Sorry- hopefully next year. Maybe contact NASA SE-letting them know the people you know that would be more than happy to run an event there if they had one would help, or get as many people as you can to join NASA SE to show the need to add a FL event.
I'm just the SEHC director- in the grand scheme of scheduling events I have no say so- its up to the sanctioning body officials- our schedule is based on the events they set up.

[Chris N]

South East Honda Challenge?

Isn't there already ECHC??

[grrlie]

Yes- thats the Honda Challenge that started all of the regional series. But with a new region (SE which is separate from VA region) they wanted a HC series as well. We are running a different schedule (with the exceptions of one event with the Mid-West Honda Challenge, and another with ECHC). The goal is for the series to grow- and the SEHC is so that the Honda Challenge as a whole can grow further into the SE. If you look at the 2004 schedules for the ECHC, SEHC, and MWHC you'll see how this rounds out the regions better for anyone living in the Eastern US.

ECHC was missing out on 3 exceptional Southeastern tracks- Road Atlanta, Roebling, and Nashville Super Speedway. The 2004 ECHC schedule is also quite a haul for anyone in the SE - as it is primarily running at Summit Point this year. Regardless we will be at all the events- EC and SE as the schedules do not conflict.

We hope to see some new SE Type R racers at these events.

[JeffS]

No Florida tracks? weaksauce.

There is a NASA FL region. FL racers might have better luck approaching them.

[00TypeR]

i'll have to come check that out. i'm only 30 min away from the nashville speedway.

[grrlie]

No Florida tracks? weaksauce.

There is a NASA FL region. FL racers might have better luck approaching them.

I wasn't aware of their region- but I don't live in FL either...so VERY VALID point. If you FL guys want HC all you need to do is, contact region director, tell them you want HC. I'm sure they'll be more than happy to add the HC "class" to events, thereby "attracting new competitors". Someone (probably whomever requests HC to them) will need to head it up and act as series director. Which mostly consists of trying to get people to attend events, try to get series sponsors, and act as a liason between the HC racers and NASA directors/officials. As there are already series rules published, just follow them, and I'd say for further guidance from the HC perspective contact the ECHC directors as they've been doing this stuff for a while. There also a good chance, that provided you get enough entrants you'll be compensated in free or at least discounted race entries for the trouble.
What would be ultra cool IMO is if you guys got that started, meanwhile as we're trying to boost the rest of the SE, once both your participant #s are up, as well as our #s- try to in the future mesh schedules for a TRUE SE championship series. (With the fact that a certain # of races are dropped from over-all championship points, its totally doable in the future, without either you guys having to constantly travel too far, nor us having to make the trek to FL too many times.) -Danielle