I'm going to have to agree with Morgan on this one. Promoters are screwed from all directions. With the drivers and crews half are griping if the rules aren't strictly enforced and tech isn't done religiously if their car is 100% by the rules and they are getting their butt handed to them every week. As soon as they try to enforce the rules or put new rules in place the other half start to scream. Half want affordable, equally matched cars and the rest want to be able to buy a victory. One half of the fans want to see "headliners only" and voice this opinion LOUDLY, the other half want to see the "main event" but also enjoy watching their friend\neighbor\relative run a "support series" (a term that chaps my backside to begin with but that is another soap box). Half the crowd wants to be done by 8PM, the other half want a late night of racing and hanging out. Even track prep (which I am yet to see a promoter in a water truck or tractor) gets them ripped apart, and if a mistake is made in the first prep or the track degrades over the night GOD FORBID they get the equipment out and try to fix the problem because then everyone gripes about the "tractor show", but at the same time raise a stink if the track conditions provide for less than perfect feature races. There is no way for the promoter to win. You couldn't pay me enough to do that job and constantly be under fire from someone and to see my best intentions constantly ripped apart in a public forum because they can't please all of the people all of the time. Look back through some old posts and you will see promoters painted as anything from inept morons to near criminals with no consideration that they DO have the best interests of the fans and drivers in mind but at the same time have to run a PROFITABLE business and are human and therefore NOT PERFECT. I'm not saying that there is no room for improvement and CONSTRUCTIVE criticism, after all everything can be improved but the level of open hostility towards how every track is discussed by one party or another is off-putting to me as a driver so I can't imagine how it feels to the promoters. For a community of like minded individuals and race fans there sure is a lot of negativity thrown around here on a regular basis if things aren't 110% up to someone's standards. Discourse and differing opinions are all a part of life, but why can't we all just get along? Lets be thankful that promoters are willing to take on this thankless job and do what they think is best for their track, be thankful that drivers are willing to show up to the tracks and make the sacrifices they do to put on an entertaining show for the fans and help the promoter reach their financial needs regardless of what class they can afford to run or what type of car they prefer to drive, and be thankful for the fans that show up so us drivers have a reason to do what we do and to help put money in the promoter's pocket (remember, like it or not racing is a business). We are all in this together and it takes all 3 parts to make racing work. Seems to me we should be banding together in a more productive way to make sure racing survives in these uncertain times rather than driving a larger wedge between all parties involved.
PS- You had better believe I am going to blame the promoter at WRP when it is too hot to even put on my helmet without working up a sweat this weekend though!
