While we have been pretty quiet for the last 30 days in the 336 Forum, the new managing staff has been hard at work behind the scenes!
In this months update, I am happy to say that registrations for the 336 Parker Enduro are NOW OPEN! In a first for west coast boat racing we will have ONLINE REGISTRATION! That's right! No more showing up on race day, wondering which pit is yours, and long lines at the registration table! No more filling out paper work on a fold out table, when all you want to do is settle in and get your head in the game to win. By that I mean everything will be filled out BEFORE you get to the race course! Even the single event APBA membership forms will be filled out for you by the 336 staff ahead of time. Pit assignments and race packets will be mailed out ahead of time. The only thing you will need to do when you arrive is show a picture ID and sign the liability release and be on your way. The streamlining of this process is not only convenient for the racers, but is reflective of our efforts on a lot of fronts to make everything surrounding the Enduro more efficient.
As said in the rules there is a 50.00 discount for Early Registration, and it comes with two complimentary event shirts! Click here to start the registration process!
www.motorsportreg.com/events/parker-enduro-blue-water-resort-casino-riverdavesplace-apba-926081
That brings us to the second announcement. Someone asked in the forums why the pit stop times had been changed from 10 minutes to 15 minutes. One of the major assets of this race is also one of the largest liabilities, it's the spectators. The Spectators at all the races in this location are faced with a next to impossible challenge. That's to get from the Parking lot area down to where the action is without breaking any of the "rules." Ironically enough in my experience most of the spectators didn't know there was rules to begin with (I know I sure didn't before I took over the race). The fact is to be in the pits, you have to follow race rules like, No Smoking, No Alcohol, and the ever irritating "No Open Toed Shoes." This has been handled ridiculously in my opinion in the past, where by which the staff is informing spectators that are in violation of those rules, that they simply can't be here. Which then puts them in the position of having to walk back through the same area they just came from, frustrated, and feeling like they got their hand slapped. It's just bad business all the way around.
I took my concerns to Dave Rankin, and Dave has come up with a plan that I think the Racers and Spectators alike are going to absolutely LOVE. It's simply to make the beach side of what was the pits south of the entrance road a spectator area. Now people can bring their EZ Up's out, and get beach side seats to one of the greatest boat races in the world. We feel that this will increase spectator numbers, and it will also open up a world of opportunities for the race and racers itself! We will remove the old "out ramp" and use the ramp in the marina as the out ramp. This removes that long idle period in front of the Cantina that throws large wakes onto the race course. It allows us more room to open up more pits if needed on that side. It allows for teams that are trailering a larger area to fall in line. There's also some obvious points that it is also a larger ramp that isn't dirt, which removes the need for 4x4 two vehicles and potentials for teams to get stuck on the ramp. The extra 5 minutes should be plenty of tow time to go from the out ramp, up and around and back down to the pits safely, and relieve a lot of the congestion, and potential dangers with Spectators.
written by RiverDave
