Race City to stay open!

[aliencurv]

Re: Race City to stay open!

IMO even with a 5 year extension it will be hard for Race City management to invest in long term growth, 5 years is not very long for a business. If I owned it I wouldn't do any major upgrades with only maybe 3 or 4 years after the construction is finished for my revenue to pay them off.

that's true, but like it's history.. it's been extended over and over. each time, with no upgrades. no changes to public relations. little incentive for new comers. and absolutely zero programs to encourage young kids to attend.

if this extension is true, then it has to be done right. this is the third/fourth time around. race city needs to buckle down and play it right.

my suggestions won't even cost much more then the upgrades. involvement and publicity can be done by introducing events such as show'n'shines.

no matter where we are now with our vehicles... we were all young and enthusiastic about racing/modifying/girls/stereos/etc... at a young age, we drove our little cars waiting for a street race. wanted people to recognize our stereos, wheels or body kits. fact is, you and i don't really care about those things anymore (don't deny that you never looked at a modified car years ago and said "Sweet").

All race city needs to do is recognize that these kids will be their customers in 2, 3, 4, 5 years... and to do that they need a method of getting those kids to interact with the ppl like us who have built/bought fast cars and (hopefully) understand safety.

introducing a show'n'shine on friday secret street nights is a safe and cheap method of getting their future customers out to the track for a $2 fee. meanwhine, they have a large crowd and some of those kids will cough up the difference to race once in a while.

it doesn't take much to get kids out of the tim hortons parking lots to an actual track.

from what i understand, this is 5 years to prove that they can do it.. and to prove there will be customers.

sure, race city closes down and the city police see a cash flow increase of speeding and "Stunting" tickets. but if that's what matters to them, then i see a disgrace in their politics. because with the increase of speeding and street racing, will be an increase in deaths and injuries.

if those in charge can sleep knowing they will be affecting families then they don't belong in that position.

what we need is someone to recognize this! and to stop f*cking around. period.

[longsock]

Re: Race City to stay open!

that's true, but like it's history.. it's been extended over and over. each time, with no upgrades. no changes to public relations. little incentive for new comers. and absolutely zero programs to encourage young kids to attend.

if this extension is true, then it has to be done right. this is the third/fourth time around. race city needs to buckle down and play it right.

my suggestions won't even cost much more then the upgrades. involvement and publicity can be done by introducing events such as show'n'shines.

no matter where we are now with our vehicles... we were all young and enthusiastic about racing/modifying/girls/stereos/etc... at a young age, we drove our little cars waiting for a street race. wanted people to recognize our stereos, wheels or body kits. fact is, you and i don't really care about those things anymore (don't deny that you never looked at a modified car years ago and said "Sweet").

All race city needs to do is recognize that these kids will be their customers in 2, 3, 4, 5 years... and to do that they need a method of getting those kids to interact with the ppl like us who have built/bought fast cars and (hopefully) understand safety.

introducing a show'n'shine on friday secret street nights is a safe and cheap method of getting their future customers out to the track for a $2 fee. meanwhine, they have a large crowd and some of those kids will cough up the difference to race once in a while.

it doesn't take much to get kids out of the tim hortons parking lots to an actual track.

from what i understand, this is 5 years to prove that they can do it.. and to prove there will be customers.

sure, race city closes down and the city police see a cash flow increase of speeding and "Stunting" tickets. but if that's what matters to them, then i see a disgrace in their politics. because with the increase of speeding and street racing, will be an increase in deaths and injuries.

if those in charge can sleep knowing they will be affecting families then they don't belong in that position.

what we need is someone to recognize this! and to stop f*cking around. period.

amen to that

[Stonewall]

Re: Race City to stay open!

Bronco needs to go, he has gone from Hero to Zero in an amazingly short time. He and the rest of the city counsel (say all but maybe 2 of them) are driving this city into the ground faster then a ricer on NOS.

[Benjamin]

Re: Race City to stay open!

Alderman Ric McIver

Only one I can see staying around, everybody else should be looking for new employment asap.
This is how this racecity argument is going to go if it happens anything like Toronto. Close down the track, we see a spike in racing related crashes/deaths/injuries, then a call to open something like racecity again to keep the speed off the road and on a track. The other thing they might think of is a stupid law to take your license and car for a week and say it is street racing when that majority of people pulled over drive suv's and minivans.
Honestly even the health care related costs for the injuries would amount to way more then a cheap lease for the track.

[Pshrynk]

Re: Race City to stay open!

As much as I want a track in Calgary -- this is like putting a 97 year old on life support -- they are gonna buy the farm -- it's just a question of when.

If a track is financially viable, then the private market will do it, regardless of public support/funding. I hate to say it but maybe a track in Calgary is just not financially practicable?

[aliencurv]

Re: Race City to stay open!

As much as I want a track in Calgary -- this is like putting a 97 year old on life support -- they are gonna buy the farm -- it's just a question of when.

If a track is financially viable, then the private market will do it, regardless of public support/funding. I hate to say it but maybe a track in Calgary is just not financially practicable?

you're only providing pessimism. even if it was a private business, it wouldn't last with your perspective. simply turn around and provide suggestions to help race city stay open. they'd like to hear them.

[bonfire]

Re: Race City to stay open!

They need to market it better, host more events. Have more track days, not just secret streets on the drag. But something on the track as well. I would much rather play with my golf on a track than in a straight line. But the track is just so haggard and beat.

[Pshrynk]

Re: Race City to stay open!

you're only providing pessimism. even if it was a private business, it wouldn't last with your perspective. simply turn around and provide suggestions to help race city stay open. they'd like to hear them.

I am a realist, not a pessimist.

Race City has been hearing suggestions for quite a long time and apparently not heeding any of them.

[BaggedGLI]

Re: Race City to stay open!

If they want to have more income....

STOCK THE FREAKING VENDING MACHINES!!!!!
and maybe consider having hotdogs/burgers for sale there, and not just at the potential "last ever secret street"

They need to get a loop going, start with a little and get people out, people spend a little more, they get a little more kinda deal.

Secret Street Memberships?

[VWSM]

Re: Race City to stay open!

Poor Management..

[aliencurv]

Re: Race City to stay open!

I am a realist, not a pessimist.

there's a difference?

[Pshrynk]

Re: Race City to stay open!

there's a difference?

The difference is logic and critical thinking.

Similar to how realism is different than pie in the sky optimism.

[liquid]

Re: Race City to stay open!

It would be interesting to get a group of investors together and do this thing properly. By that I mean run it as a true business - look for innovative revenue creating ideas, and make RaceCity a "go-to destination" for anyone in this city who loves motorsport. I look at a place like the soccer centre, and how that place is packed with people who love soccer..... even if they aren't playing.

- Have regular Show&Shines.
- Run proper vendors for food & drinks (ie: Saddledome style).
- Have local automotive vendors setup booths and info sessions at Race-City during events.
- Sell Merchandise.
- Run more driving class events.

In order to be succesfull, it needs to be the first place that comes to mind when people think "motorsport" in Calgary.....

[Pshrynk]

Re: Race City to stay open!

^^^

Exactly -- and cater to all of the different facets and groups involved in motorsport -- with the money and high end cars in Cowtown -- how can it NOT be successful?!?!?!?

[RSS]

Re: Race City to stay open!

If you where going to be kicked out of your building in the near future by the gov't would you be willing to put in the extra money to spruce things up when it can be torn down in the next couple years before you can recoup your investment?

Also the road course has made money the last couple years it was the oval that was losing money due to a contract signed with the oval guys a couple years ago something to do with portions of tickets sold etc.

Also the racing season is very short in Alberta compared to a lot of places that can draw many more months worth of income out of there track. These new tracks like Calabogie in Ontario and Miller Motorsport park down in the US charge $10 000/day + and can do so because of the population they draw on can cover that amount because hundreds of cars show up everybody pays there $500 and gets a very small amount of track time over a weekend. Meanwhile here in Alberta we have maybe 200 entrants so to cover the same cost would have to pay mucho money.

Selling a couple extra tickets at secret street isn't going to put much of a dent in overall costs as secret streets doesn't really make to much for the track in general.