Thread: Recon trip today

Went to Atlanta Motorsports PArk today and checked on some hotels. Will have full details within the week, but here are some on track pics from today. I went out for a lap with Jeremy (track founder) driving the Panda, me riding shotgun. It was the best commercial I have ever been a part of:



















We did two laps and by the end of the first lap he stopped his track description/sales pitch for a second to say "This car is setup really nice" at which point I get an even bigger grin inside my helmet

Wow Joe that track looks like a blast to drive on.

Very nice Joe.

Thanks for taking the time out to set this all up. Very nice!

Sweet!

Your the man joe!! Def can't wait to see this place in person! Looks like a lot of fun

So how will a 500 whp Sentra react on this course?

LOL

Looks purty, but I thought it was a no-go due to cost?

We have a few options that will make this work.

Well then I'm all for it. Do we all have to sell a nut?

All inclusive (track rental, corner workers, pit control, fire & rescue teams, etc) cost for the day is $8000 and insurance thru their carrier is $977.90, lets call it $9000 for ease of calculations. Those of us who do track days know we usually pay upwards of $250 for a day running with strangers, and it's often closer to $300. To break even, 40 people at $225 is $9000. I have no doubts we can hit this number.

Our challenge is the deposit, which is $3000. It is due with our signed contract, a copy of which I received for review this morning. A second payment of $3000 is due on or before April 17th. Final payment is due on or before June 5, 2013. (BTW, if anyone is good in legalese please contact me and I will forward a copy of the 11 page document for review.) I read thru it and it looks pretty standard to me. As of today, we have first right of refusal for Thursday June 6, 2013. We have a handshake agreement for 30 days, after which no deposit from us opens this day back up on their calender.

My proposal would be this:
1) Let everyone know that we are putting a soft cap at 50 entries (arbitrary number to start, work with me here. We can make this number whatever we want, but run groups should be no more than 20 cars based on recommendations of the staff and a few friends that have run)
2) Offer an early bird discount of $200 available to the first 25 entries. I would think most of our regulars would probably take this choice, especially knowing it is helping us fund the event. This would only be available thru December 31, 2012 or 25 entries, whichever comes first. We can always be lighten up and allow as many as pay thru December 31 later if we choose.
3) Effective Jan 1st, cost will be $225 per entry.
4) If all spots are not taken by April 1st, we open it up to the public. We will sell these off quickly to locals as there is a lot of buzz around Atlanta regarding this track, and every open day there has been $250 or more. I already have friends who will want to join as soon as I give them an OK.

I am ready to put my money where my mouth is and have $500 to pay for my spot and an extra spot today.

There is no entry fee for spectators or visitors, so everyone is still welcome to attend the track day and ride.

I also made contact with a Comfort Suites hotel that is 37 miles from the track, 39 miles from the dragstrip, and 32 miles to downtown Atlanta. Looks like a rate of $89, but we may be able to get a $79 rate with enough rooms booked early. I am waiting to get a firm proposal from them.