David M, Darrell, and anyone else in the know:

Just read the following on the NASA forums for the Rocky Mountain 2008 schedule, posted by Dave Balingit, the RM director for NASA:

The post is located here on this thread

Is there some bad blood between NASA and HPR? I was really looking forward to running HPR as a part of the NASA season (assuming I am still in Colorado at that time)

Dave

 

while i certainly don't know of any politics between NASA and HPR, the thread on the NASA board seems to be looking for HPR dates for August, September, and October.

Viewing the HPR Calendar, its pretty clear those dates are already booked by other events, except the last weekend in october 2008

http://www.highplainsraceway.com/events.html

now, i don't know if NASA was punted early on, or just didn't get its requests for time in, or didn't have a priority for a new track. but, as it stands right now its certainly clear that HPR isn't sitting on a ton of dates and refuses to give one to NASA

 

I'm not exactly in the know on anything, but I have been attending MCCA meetings. Last night I had a small history lesson about CMC, CAMA and MCCA from the MCCA and CMC point of view. I still would like to hear the history of CMC from someone on CAMA. CAMA and it's member clubs have a history together and it is that history that is enabling HPR to be built.

I know the history lesson won't answer what is going on with CAMA and scheduled dates, but it isn't anything against NASA. Any Non-member clubs are in the same boat as NASA and dates at HPR.

Back to NASA, we all know when HPR is built '08 will be a shortened season. I'm not even sure the first scheduled z club event will happen. The member clubs will have first choice on dates. If there are any open dates, then CAMA will open it up for non member clubs. The miata club donated at least $5K knowing that they would not have a guaranteed date or dates. I am pretty sure any club that donated would probably be the first on the list for any open dates.

In the business plan, CAMA calls for the member clubs to decrease their "traditional" 2nd creek schedules by one weekend. It is those weekend dates that theoretically would be open for test&tune and non member club events. That also takes into account any other new tracks going online. No matter how nice a track is, it is always nice to have another venue to go to.

HPR business plan pdf

After reading the posts on the NASA thread, there was one that points out that HPR is hurting for money. So far with the CAMA starting capital ($850K) along with $370k raised from individual members, we have a very good start since the fund raising began in July and this has been done only with mailings sent to each club member. The loan documents have been made up and are in the final stages of being approved to submit to individual investors for the $1.4 mil needed from loans. The minimum amount donated by club members is $500K, if more is donated then the better ammenities we can get. That is why the HPR site has a target of $1 mil from member and commercial advertising donations.

Once the USR (site plan--use by special review application) has been approved then I am sure there will be another surge in individual and commercial advertising donations.

Again, I seriously doubt it is anything personal against NASA. All other non member clubs are probably going through the same thing. With a shortened season there aren't even any guarantees the member clubs will have the dates requested.

I think this would make a great discussion over a couple of beers or three sometime soon. Pick a time and a place and I would be more than happy to explain the history of CMC and CAMA and why there are only the member clubs involved so far. At least of my understanding from listening to other people in the know from the beginning. It is a very interesting story.

**edit**

dave, check your pm's.

 

Thanks for the explanation. Not knowing any of the details, all I know is what I read here and on the NASA forums site. Given that both the people I know from RM NASA are a great bunch of people, AND the folks I know here are as well, I wanted to ask if anyone knew anything.

Dave

 

Wish I could shed more light than what Darrell has already laid out. Most of what I've heard about HPR and NASA is rumor and innuendo. Let's leave it at that for now and hoist a few (root) beers later...