Quote:
Originally Posted by Stevensville Mike
I can remember back in the mid-90s when Hartford Speedway reopened as a dirt track. They actually had a curfew - 2300 hours I believe. Along with that was a local noise ordinance that had to be obeyed.
Now these guys knew that going in but continued to impinge on both. Bad blood between them and the city was made. It actually got to a point where a town council woman took a decibel meter to the track, marked off the proper distance, and measured the noise. This incident led to even worse things when the owner approached her and her young teenage son, who was actually holding the meter, and a physical confrontation occurred. But that is not the point. The point is, as noted above, if you do not play by the local rules, you will not be playing much longer. If mufflers are what it takes, by all means get mufflers on the cars.
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There are all kinds of stories of tracks with HARD curfews. From fines that doubled every time the curfew was exceeded to stories of the promoter being hauled away in a police vehicle.
For every track that does not have a hard curfew enforced by the local authorities, you should have a soft curfew that you enforce yourself. You should also run the track as if you were about to face a $1,000 fine if the races are not over by your curfew.
Finally, when it comes to mufflers, we should ask our friends out west. I always wear earplugs when I go to the races. I was at Ventura and the cars were about to push off for the first time. I put my earplugs in like I normally would and the person next to me gave me a strange look. I had never heard such a quiet race car in my life. I soon took out my earplugs and could actually hear the entire PA system during the race.