The great site search

[StevenMosley]

Here is a list of current and pssible sites. Please add input.

1. Midway
Pros: proven, local
Cons: small and we share it with a baseball team

2. St Cloud
Pros: Road course style track, paddocking room, secure
Cons: In Saint Cloud, expensive rent

3. Hennipen Tech
Pros: ?
Cons: small, and we have to do a lot of political work to get back there

4. Dakota Tech
Pros: Road course style track, close by, paddocking area, secure
Cons: Can't use it

5. Polaris in Oseola, Wisconsin
Pros: ?
Cons: ?, it is in Oseola, WI

6. Saint Paul All Right Parking Site
Pros: Fresh Pavement, Room for Paddocking, Secured area, long section of pavement, Lot is always empty, Management is interested in our proposal, Site is in an Industrail area under a major freeway and next to a railway.
Cons: Light pools, no bathrooms, what city permits are required

7. Old Met Center parking lot
Pros: Huge
Cons: Who can we contact?

8. Excelsior Henderson
Pros: Empty lot
Cons: it is kind of a long drive

9. 3M in Maplewood
Pros: Large and local,
Cons: Do we have any contacts?

[Dennis G.]

I THOUGHT I had heard that we WERE going to be able to use Dakota Co. Vo-tech next year....? Did I mis-understand someone?

Also, although I know this isn't "our" site, it's COM's, but had anyone heard if we'll EVER be able to use the Air Nat'l. Guard apron again?

Have we totally given up on events at either Raceway or Elko? Admittedly, I wouldn't want to have EVERY event at an oval, but maybe once a year is certainly ok....

[chuck b]

IMHO, a road style course is not a 'pro' for a regular autocross site. It is fun on occasion, but I much prefer a higher speed area where the consequences for a royal screwup is minor or zero.
My recent spinout in Adam's CRX while in Iowa made me appreciate the extra territory for runout, and i would not have pushed it nearly as far or found out the car's limits nearly as fast had i been on a road style course. i'm also one of those that found the barb wire fence at dakota county site- this was when i was new to how poorly cold race tires performed. i was fortunate that the damage was minor. I can show you the car's wounds anytime.
all in all, let's secure that st paul site as a primary locale.

[washburn]

1) Great for schools and small events. Keep good relationship and use a few times in the season.
2) No opinion - never been there.
3) Too small really, but good for schools.
4) I agree with Chuck on this one. It *is* fun, run events if we can, but not as a points event IMO.
5) I'm working on a name for who to contact. Will advise.
6) This one sounds great. Anyone talked to them yet, or do we need a volunteer?
7) Has possibilities. Best way is to find out who was using it before. If not, we need a hound-dog to track down the proper authority. Who owns the land...the City? Someone want to get married to this one?
8) Don't know. Randy says a little small.
9) I have had conversation with them, and know who to submit a request to. My company is actually doing a partnership at the PRI show this year with 3M. I will discuss it with them further, but MMM has lots-o-red tape. (Get it?......Red Tape.....3M.......) I will continue to follow on this, and will report as it develops.

Side note: The Hudson Dog Track, at first thought to be a prime site candidate, is getting swallowed by residential housing. Political difficulties aside, it looks tough for this site based on that alone.

I think three things need to happen:
1) Maintain relationships with existing sites.
2) Assign (oops!...volunteer) a person to contact All Righ lot and make the deal.
3) Assign (volunteer) a person to snoop out and contact old Met Center.
4) (I know, I said three!) Event comittee keep making an occasional effort on all the rest.

The opinion of someone who can't really help much from here.