SAAC-46 National Convention, Sonoma Raceway, CA

[shelbydoug]

I'm in the glidepath of LaGuardia in Queens. I'm 25 miles away. Depending on the routing we hear the planes throttle up or down. Sometimes that's almost like thunder out of nowhere?


I'm 150 yards off of the Sprain Parkway. We have no sound barriers and there is a straitaway that I can clearly tell you how many rpm's the crazy bikes are turning.

After returning from VIR and Pocono, my sons said, it's as lound here as at the track?

It doesn't bother me until they start backfiring. I suppose blown up mufflers don't matter as you can walk along the parkway and pick up shrapnel. I'm not sure what that's about? I think it's just Royal A ss ho les who haven't got a clue on how to tune their death rockets?

I's like a 2 mile straightaway. The NYS Troopers don't even pursue. They can't keep up at over 180mph. The bikes are at 14-15 thousand rpms in top gear. (With no helmets as well). One biker lost control and wound up 300 feet into the lake.



You only get legal action by the billionaires that have bought in and want to control everything for their own purposes. Maybe bankrupt the track and the airport and get the property for pennies on the dollar and put up some sort of a gated ar15 community for cranky shut ins?

A lot of the track owners are border line crack pots as well. Ask Kopec about Lime Rock.



There is always going to be BS around these facilities. There always has been. "Same as it everwas". Don't try to fix something that can't be fixed is the advice i give myself.

If the neighbors didn't like the noise, they shouldn't have bought that close to the track. Two tracks that I can think of VIR and Pocono seem to be ok with the locals. Milleville probably as well?

I hear more here from the planes and bikes, a lot more, then I hear at the gates at those tracks.

[427heaven]

 Being a left coaster the birth place of racing and performance activities, I have seen the closures of many racing venues because of the skyrocketing land values. I have raced motorcycles and cars since the 1970s and and have witnessed one by one the closing of these tracks. Most tracks were located in some remote location when they were built but the influx of people to the state where the sidewalks are paved of gold as the old timers referred to it have caved in to urban sprawl. These remote very scenic locations are where the people with some coin want to be. OCIR... ESCAPE COUNTRY... SADDLEBACK PARK... CARLSBAD... LIONS... SAN FERNANDO... I dont have enough fingers and toes to count them all but the message was clear. The land was worth hundreds of millions of dollars a few thousand dollars for some small race doesnt justify keeping the doors open!

[shelbydoug]

Being a left coaster the birth place of racing and performance activities, I have seen the closures of many racing venues because of the skyrocketing land values. I have raced motorcycles and cars since the 1970s and and have witnessed one by one the closing of these tracks. Most tracks were located in some remote location when they were built but the influx of people to the state where the sidewalks are paved of gold as the old timers referred to it have caved in to urban sprawl. These remote very scenic locations are where the people with some coin want to be. OCIR... ESCAPE COUNTRY... SADDLEBACK PARK... CARLSBAD... LIONS... SAN FERNANDO... I dont have enough fingers and toes to count them all but the message was clear. The land was worth hundreds of millions of dollars a few thousand dollars for some small race doesnt justify keeping the doors open!

Bridgehampton here on Long Island fits right into your description. The place was notorious for sand flees and you needed to get de-loused when you went home.

That part of LI was know for potato farms. Carl Yastremski was from out there. Probably hit potatoes fungo as a kid?

That part of the"island" was kinda remote. Now all the "oil tycoons" bought up the place for exclusivity and privacy. They don't even drive there. They have their own private "heli-pads".


The billionaires should just stick to living on their own manmade islands. No one wants to have them around. It's like Trump Towers on fifth. You can't even walk past it now without getting stopped and frisked by the NYPD and Secret Service? Who need's that? Bah-humbug!

[Don Johnston]

It is what is happening to California Speedway going from a large 2 mile D oval track and road course to a much smaller venue so the owners can develop the extra acreage.

https://racingnews.co/2020/09/08/auto-club-speedway-to-be-converted-to-1-2-mile-short-track-construction-plan-photo/

Sad.

[427heaven]

Correct it used to be called ONTARIO speedway... Closed down and moved a little east to neighboring FONTANA which was once considered the arm pit of the west, or another body orifice. But now even that land is a prime commodity in SO CAL. Penske aint no dummy follow his lead and good things will follow. He owns MICHIGAN SPEEDWAY, INDY, FONTANA SPEEDWAY !

[shelbydoug]

Correct it used to be called ONTARIO speedway... Closed down and moved a little east to neighboring FONTANA which was once considered the arm pit of the west, or another body orifice. But now even that land is a prime commodity in SO CAL. Penske aint no dummy follow his lead and good things will follow. He owns MICHIGAN SPEEDWAY, INDY, FONTANA SPEEDWAY !

Maybe so but as Kopec tells it, he was the one that blocked SAAC from getting Pocono for one of the past conventions. He didn't want our sorry a ss cars on "his" pavement. Some of us remember who our friends are and who isn't.

[98SVT - was 06GT]

There is an interview done when Riverside opened and a question was asked about the expected life of the track. The answer was simple - until the land becomes valuable enough for houses.

Willow Springs is quietly for sale I heard the asking price is around 11 million so it doesn't make good sense as a business.

[98SVT - was 06GT]

Correct it used to be called ONTARIO speedway... Closed down and moved a little east to neighboring FONTANA which was once considered the arm pit of the west, or another body orifice. But now even that land is a prime commodity in SO CAL. Penske aint no dummy follow his lead and good things will follow. He owns MICHIGAN SPEEDWAY, INDY, FONTANA SPEEDWAY !

Fontana is built on an old steel mill. They had to pave the parking area rather than just leave it dirt/gravel due to all the hazardous waste in the soil. Any developer will have to eat those costs. Penske is no dummy he sold 49% of the track for 100% of the funding to build it. He had controlling interest with zero out of pocket.

[oldcanuck]

If you don't like are "nonsense" than stay home!

     Roy

Wow....... I think ?

[gt350hr]

    They've been trying to close Irwindale for at least ten years. Trouble is the soil pollution hasn't  passed the pollution test yet so nothing new can be built there. Fontana was "out in the sticks" and NO bother to anyone until popularity of the track led to hotels and small businesses being built on the area northeast of the track. That led to houses being built and a law suit for "noise pollution". Willow Springs is now being surrounded by homes and as mentioned will probably succumb to the "Dozers" and become houses.
    Enjoy racing while we can and before it is "internet only"
  Randy

[Cobrask8]

Same thing happed to one of the Premier Drag Strips on the East Coast, Englishtown, NJ. Noise, rising real estate, Insurance & the cost of operation, the usual culprits. They still run some events on a small road course.

[CSX 4133]

Correct it used to be called ONTARIO speedway... Closed down and moved a little east to neighboring FONTANA which was once considered the arm pit of the west, or another body orifice. But now even that land is a prime commodity in SO CAL. Penske aint no dummy follow his lead and good things will follow. He owns MICHIGAN SPEEDWAY, INDY, FONTANA SPEEDWAY !

Maybe so but as Kopec tells it, he was the one that blocked SAAC from getting Pocono for one of the past conventions. He didn't want our sorry a ss cars on "his" pavement. Some of us remember who our friends are and who isn't.

Maybe Roger needs to be reminded of his roots in Sportscar racing when he drove some pretty sorry @ss cars himself.

[CobraRGuy]

My car is pretty loud so I am unable to run at Laguna on anything but a high sound day. I've never been harassed at Sears Point for sound however. From what I've heard the sound limits there are, essentially, unenforced.
I'm very stoked about SAAC-46. I've already made my reservation at the Embassy Suites. I attended SAAC-43 but had multiple mechanical and electrical issues which have since been resolved.

[68krrrr]

Every time i try it's been sold out

[gt350hr]

   The drag racing "may" be moved to SATURDAY Stay tuned!!!!

       DIDN'T Happen , NO PROBLEM , back to FRIDAY afternoon. Sound level maximum 105DB will be in effect. 99% will pass with mufflers , those without "could" have a problem , including ME!!!!!!!!!!