Help Decide MOCO's Home Track for 2014

[THE Phen]

Yesterday the MOCO team got together to plan the 2014 corral season. We're looking for input from YOU!

Since Mid Ohio was nixed from the schedule, we're looking for a new "home track" to have our Ohio meeps invade and to keep the big fun event from the past alive. Please vote on the poll on this thread and help us out. Also, please give your feedback on your vote so that we can discuss and make a decision.

The options are:

Watkins Glen (New York) - June 27-29
Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (outside of Toronto) - July 12-13
Road America (Wisconsin) - August 8-10
VIR (Virginia) - August 23-24


I'll post my experience at each park as well as my opinons of pros and cons below, just as some ideas for those who haven't been to these places.

 

[THE Phen]

Watkins Glen - roughly a 5 hour drive from Akron/Cleveland area. In the middle of the Finger Lakes Wine Country with beautiful scenery, great food, and a quaint downtown area very close to the track.

Track is very open from a spectator standpoint. Corrals here have worked well in the past. Great parade laps in the past. Sahlen's Hot Dogs everywhere! 6hr race, so lots of opportunities to check out other vantage points during the race.

 

[thejeans]

can we refuse to make a home track in order to "voice" our displeasure as a group tracks got nixed??

personally, i think there should be some sort of demonstation that loyal fans that have followed series like this are getting screwed and should "stand up" and voice that displeasure instead of blindly following to make a different track a home track. Maybe im alone in that thought but thats just my (2cents) so take it for what its worth

 

[THE Phen]

Canadian Tire Motorsport Park - Roughly a 6 hour drive from Akron / Cleveland area. 1 hour from downtown Toronto. Track is located in a very rural area and hotels near the track are not easily found. Very historic track with many great viewing areas. Working with Mazda of Canada on this corral, and they bring quite the crowd and experience. Great people to meet.

Parade laps in the past, dealership support and new car showcases, awesome food at the track, Canadian experience.

 

[THE Phen]

Road America - roughly 8 hour drive from Akron / Cleveland area. Smaller cities not far away. Breweries and restaurants aplenty.

Legendary, and the longest track on the circuit. No shortage of viewing areas. Existing corral is well attended and a lot of fun, including a DJ and light show after the race (no joke). Lots of rotary owners. Great people.

No parade laps in the past. Not crazy hot

 

[princess peach]

I say Watkins

 

[THE Phen]

VIR - 8 hour drive from Akron / Cleveland. Fun drive once you're roughly an hour from the track. Hotels within 30 minutes of the track. Great restaurants within an hour of the track.

Huge corral attendance in the past. 2nd only to Mid Ohio in size. Lots of vantage points around the track. Open paddock area that doesn't need stupid wrist bands. Freedom Autosport's home track. Great food at the track, not crazy priced. Southern belles aplenty.

 

[WillD]

Having only been to 2 of the 4... Watkins/VIR my choices are between those 2 and Watkins has a much better surrounding area.

 

[THE Phen]

can we refuse to make a home track in order to "voice" our displeasure as a group tracks got nixed??

personally, i think there should be some sort of demonstation that loyal fans that have followed series like this are getting screwed and should "stand up" and voice that displeasure instead of blindly following to make a different track a home track. Maybe im alone in that thought but thats just my (2cents) so take it for what its worth

I see your point for sure. Only downside to that is that if we more or less boycott, there may not be as much support for what we do the following year.

 

[WillD]

Yeah I'm with Phen that is going to do more harm than good. The fact of the matter that the fans didn't play a huge part in the selection of the tracks anyways. As long as the track had good attendance it was in consideration, after money, promoters, previous contracts, TV, and other factors made the decision ultimately.

Honestly, with Mid-Ohio getting the NASCAR Nationwide race contract, it was almost predictable that they wouldn't be on the calendar for TUSCR.

 

[Perro del Sol]

VIR - 8 hour drive from Akron / Cleveland. Fun drive once you're roughly an hour from the track. Hotels within 30 minutes of the track. Great restaurants within an hour of the track. I can say with a certain amount confidence, we'll be back "Home" in 2015. Going forward, MOCO has developed an outstanding relationship with the above tracks and they ate always reaching out to us and always accomodate our requests. So, please help us out, so we can move our resources to the track that you guys choose.

Huge corral attendance in the past. 2nd only to Mid Ohio in size. Lots of vantage points around the track. Open paddock area that doesn't need stupid wrist bands. Freedom Autosport's home track. Great food at the track, not crazy priced. Southern belles aplenty.

You forgot the Pizza and it is the birthplace of Tom' s most famous off the wall comment ever, " Vallejo Bitches"!

As far as a boycott, we were not happy with Mid-Ohio being left off the schedule. IMSA has certain contractual obligations that it must meet and so does Mid-Ohio.

 

[njaremka]

i vote for The Glenn, just because they are close enough for a quick drive, and the wife can stay with friends while i'm at the races

 

[hat1018]

I cast my vote for WGI. It's the closest and still in Merika, lol. It really sucks that there are no chain type hotels close to WGI.

FWIW we are making plans to attend VIR and WGI. We will see how it goes.

 

[njaremka]

I cast my vote for WGI. It's the closest and still in Merika, lol. It really sucks that there are no chain type hotels close to WGI.

FWIW we are making plans to attend VIR and WGI. We will see how it goes.

there are, but you have to drive a little bit - maybe 30-45 minutes away in Geneva or Seneca Falls / Waterloo.

 

[Cleverfrog]

I cast my vote for Road America since it's very central USA since not all of MOCO is in eastern ohio. NY is almost 9 hours for me

 

[Perro del Sol]

Lauri and I will be working on lodging at all of our events. We are asking each track to offer "camping packages" for Mazda owners. We will keep you guys in the loop.

 

[WillD]

One thing to note with the VIR race... The prototype class will be absent. Only PC (Prototype Challenge) and the GT classes will be racing there. (And of course whatever support races ...)

The other 3 proposed "home tracks" will feature all of the TUSCC classes.

 

[THE Phen]

Thanks for throwing that out there, Will!

 

[hat1018]

I forgot about the tracks that only get half of the classes on their race weekend. Such bulls***!

 

[THE Phen]

I forgot about the tracks that only get half of the classes on their race weekend. Such bulls***!

Agreed, but it also makes sense at some of them. Granted, if they keep putting off finalizing the rules, and increasing budgets all around... who knows how many cars will be left.