A story I heard from a first time fan this week.

[Wild Bill Kelso]

In the past few years we all sit down at the keyboard and type away what could be driving fans away; especially new one's. I heard a story from a new fan and her two kids that seriously blew me away a bit. It was her experience with buying tickets and pit passes for the weekend.

Her story starts late Friday with trying to buy two adult and one child general admission/pit pass combo. With no line it took 25 minutes to get the tickets and the part I think was just an unneeded extra step is that you have to go to another booth to get you pit pass armband (which the person at the first booth failed to inform said first timer) They walk all the way to the pit gate only to be turned around because they didn't have armbands.

Now at any multi-day motorsports event I have EVER attended you buy a pit pass which includes general admission. Talk about an unneeded expense for crying out loud. Printing several thousand tickets that you redeem for an armband that costs less than a printed ticket. And those those tickets can only be redeemed at one pit entrance in the entire venue.

From the time they parked until they finally got into the pit gate it was an hour and a half and they missed the Unlimited Gold Race. That's on Friday with no line! Now repeat this process three times, and you can see how ridiculous and wasteful the event is, and this is just at the gate getting tickets. I think some of the folks off RARA need to leave the bubble and go to some other motorsports events and see how they do it.

[Race 29]

Re: A story I heard from a first time fan this week.

I have to agree. Although I thought it was great that so many new fans were attending the races this year, I did run into a few of the people working there that certainly did not like the new fans. One comment that was told directly to me was "They ask too many questions". I observed a man at the pit pass booth asking about pit areas they were allowed to go into. When it was my turn to turn my ticket in for a pit pass, I said how great it was that new people were attending, that's when I got the comment. And this was early Wednesday morning! Not everyone working there had that attitude, most were great, but there were a few that did. The event would have a better chance of surviving if the powers that be would weed those folks out!

Race 29

[Leo]

Re: A story I heard from a first time fan this week.

My issue was with parking passes.
I spent a lot of time trying to track one down and nobody knew how. I went to will-call, who sent me to another window at the ticket booth, who then returned me to will call... I went to the RARA office in the F-1 hanger, they sent me to will call again.
The only info anyone had was that I could buy them on the event day or, starting Wednesday, a season pass at the lot. They could not tell me which lots on the map were available, etc. Total CF.
I walked miles between pit gate 1 and the ticket booth trying to straiten it out. Finally gave up and went to other sources to get what I needed.
In past years Mt. Anderson is closed for parking starting Wednesday. This year they never closed it? I could have avoided the hassle (we come in at gate 1 before 6 a.m.) and expense.
It just seemed to me that many of the people had not been given much information (except the ramp security, who had a list of k-rail rules), bad organization.
That said, I had nothing but good experiences with every individual I dealt with. All of them were cheery and polite and doing the best they could to be helpful, except a couple of ramp security guys.

[Fence Sence]

Re: A story I heard from a first time fan this week.

They need a lot more organization with the personnel. I've been through that run around. I get all my tickets before hand and I have my secret parking spot so I'm covered but to anyone new coming, it's as Leo said, a complete CF. Almost everyone is super nice. I have run into a few total DBs though. The last one was last year. I had a parking pass for a certain lot and no one knew where it was. I pulled into the lot I thought it was supposed to be according to the map on the website. I pulled in and said to the attendant that the Internet shows that this was supposed to be it but the signs don't match the web site. The answer I got was, "Well, this ain't the Internet so you have to leave." It's hard to express on a keyboard the attitude this guy had but he basically told me to F off. I had never come across anyone at the NCAR with such a chitty attitude. I know it's rare but, it does happen.

[omalley1537]

Re: A story I heard from a first time fan this week.

I bought all my tickets online via the airrace.org site (pit, general admission, chairman's tent). For reasons unknown to me, the pit tickets alone have to be exchanged for a wrist band at the booth by the pit entrance. I knew this from past experience (although it's ridiculous). However, when passing through the main gates on Fri I thought it looked like you could do the exchange just outside the main gate. The guy there said no, and assured me that no exchange was needed. I countered with what the ticket said and my experience and he repeated that it wasn't necessary.

Fast forward to the pit entrance. They tell me "you need a wristband over there" (pit booth). I said thanks, and politely started to suggest that they call up the booth at the main gate and let them know they were providing bad info, to avoid confusion for them and us. Not only did he give off a "don't care" attitude, but he actually went back to his conversation with the other pit gate worker while I was in mid sentence. Terrible customer service.

I realize that many of us diehards will come no matter what, but what about the folks like WBK described? The people who know little or nothing but are curious, and/or trying to take the kids to something cool? These are the future health of the sport. If they find a closed arrogant persona to be the norm they won't be back. In this day of the Internet, neither will 1000 of their friends...

[ignomini]

Re: A story I heard from a first time fan this week.

You used to be able to exchange your week's worth of prepurchased pit wristbands with a single all week wristband. Not this year. For us box seat folks, we're paying for the week's worth of everything. Why not a single wristband? Nope, separate tickets and wrist bands for everything.

[Race 29]

Re: A story I heard from a first time fan this week.

All of these are sad and hopefully isolated incidences. I know some of the RARA folks view if not post on AAFO and don't look at us as a bunch of complainers. I hope they take this as constructive criticism. We all want the event to flourish and hopefully this will help them to make a few things better. I think everyone here agrees that 99% of the people associated with the event were great to deal with. That's certainly one of the reasons why I go every year, and don't mind spending lots of money! Like many of you, Reno is factored into my yearly budget!

Race 29

[AAFO_WSagar]

Re: A story I heard from a first time fan this week.

All of these are sad and hopefully isolated incidences. I know some of the RARA folks view if not post on AAFO and don't look at us as a bunch of complainers. I hope they take this as constructive criticism. We all want the event to flourish and hopefully this will help them to make a few things better. I think everyone here agrees that 99% of the people associated with the event were great to deal with. That's certainly one of the reasons why I go every year, and don't mind spending lots of money! Like many of you, Reno is factored into my yearly budget!

Race 29

Thanks for saying that! I don't like to step on you guys, god knows, I've let myself get out of control and criticized the management of the ONE-OF-A-KIND event in the ENTIRE WORLD... We can all say what we want, and I totally think constructive criticism would likely be welcomed, along with any great suggestions you can come up with.

I do hate to see us let the world see inside as much as we do with these sorts of threads... Maybe we should take them down the "hard core warbird" section where anyone allowed to read and post there has to be approved prior to access.

Then from there, you guys could have some sort of coordination of what you suggest to RARA and we don't slap them in the face with them fully knowing that the whole world can SEE our discussions..

I think this is probably a very good idea... and think I will probably peruse the threads posted over the past few days that I have not read closely and move the critical stuff there.. Let's present a public face of this is a GREAT WELL RUN EVENT SOMETHING YOU WANT TO GO TO!

If you want membership to that forum, I think the request process is pretty easy.

[Wild Bill Kelso]

Re: A story I heard from a first time fan this week.

Thanks for saying that! I don't like to step on you guys, god knows, I've let myself get out of control and criticized the management of the ONE-OF-A-KIND event in the ENTIRE WORLD... We can all say what we want, and I totally think constructive criticism would likely be welcomed, along with any great suggestions you can come up with.

I do hate to see us let the world see inside as much as we do with these sorts of threads... Maybe we should take them down the "hard core warbird" section where anyone allowed to read and post there has to be approved prior to access.

Then from there, you guys could have some sort of coordination of what you suggest to RARA and we don't slap them in the face with them fully knowing that the whole world can SEE our discussions..

I think this is probably a very good idea... and think I will probably peruse the threads posted over the past few days that I have not read closely and move the critical stuff there.. Let's present a public face of this is a GREAT WELL RUN EVENT SOMETHING YOU WANT TO GO TO!

If you want membership to that forum, I think the request process is pretty easy.

At this point I think it needs to be a bit in their face. Maybe if they returned a phone call or an email we could pretend that they were listening.

[JMS]

Re: A story I heard from a first time fan this week.

At this point I think it needs to be a bit in their face. Maybe if they returned a phone call or an email we could pretend that they were listening.

I can certainly feel for the person in this situation and wonder why they can't get their stuff together. On the other hand might i suggest that there is new management and for the most part the whole operation is run by volunteers and some issues are going to fall through the cracks. I'd like everything perfect, but given the event is one time a year perfection is a pretty tall order.

That being said I've often wondered why there isn't a dialog between RARA and the message board. A comment or two from RARA would go a long way in knowing that the fan base is valued.

[AAFO_WSagar]

Re: A story I heard from a first time fan this week.

That being said I've often wondered why there isn't a dialog between RARA and the message board. A comment or two from RARA would go a long way in knowing that the fan base is valued.

Actually, there used to be a very effective "underground network" between myself and the former administration. I usually was informed prior to announcements so that I could help get the word out, when they wanted it out. Unfortunately, I have not developed that level of communication with the current folks in charge.

I'm pretty sure they RARA feel they are doing the best job they can... given that large numbers of the "old guard" who once ran things in the background, I'm sure some details are going to get past the current administration.

My job, my mission with this site, has always been to help my old "home town" and one of its premier annual events. I grew up down there, rode bikes (motor and pedal) around the desert around Stead... Barely missed going to the first event as a "kid at the airport fence".. That "job" was a hell of a lot easier when RARA considered me and the site an ally.. not sure they feel that way currently.

Ad revenue this year was the worst ever! I've relied on you guys to help keep the site going. Senior Citizen/fixed income, small pension and smaller SS benefits.. I made as much of a contribution to the economy of the races by paying for everything I could, bought all my food there, donated $250. to RARA...

We're all about promoting this sport! And by that, I mean ALL of you as well.. even when you are "in their face"... I understand that you are doing it for the long term health of the event.