im just wondering who you think its better nopi or nhra? cause i know NHRA is big but i think nopi is getting bigger,i see more people and cars at nopi than nhra.

 

BOth are a quality series, depends on what you are looking for in an event. NOPI tends to be alittle more relaxed with all sorts of fun things going on, while NHRA is backed by big corporates. For exposure both NDRA and NHRA offer lots.

 

BOTH ARE FUN EVENTS

 

The main issue that makes NOPI not as attractive for us is that there are no races west of Texas... Southern California is a must have destination for bringing out potential & current sponsors, friends, & family...

With NHRA we get 3 races within reasonable driving distance to the LA area... don't get me wrong we love racing on the east coast, but you need some diversity, if NOPI were to add 2-3 races out this way it would be something to look at...

Just my 2 cents...

 

Hey Jerry, You and I have talked about this before. The sponsors that we deal with want to be in front of lots of fans. To this date we have not had a crowd large enough on the west coast to satisfy the sponsors. So as I said before, we have to go were the fans show up. We do understand the importance of the California based market, but they do not really support any drag racing series with a strong fan base. In Va. we had 27,000 paid attendance, I bet the Pomona race and the 2 Fontana races did not have that total combined. I truely believe that with 4 series running that market last year that we diluted the market and everyone lost interest. There have been races in Cali., Arizona, and Colo. this year that have had poor attendance in markets that have been previously strong markets for compact drag racing.
So as You can see, just like other proffesional sports, if there is no crowd draw or community support for an event, they generally will not return. We are open to ideas at the NDRA, so please do not think thet we will never return to the west coast or that we do not care for the racers and fans out there. We love drag racing and it's fans, but poor attendance at any sanctioning bodies races will be the death of the sport. We need the fans to turn out in record numbers no matter whose event they decide to attend.


Just a quick side note. NDRA MD. this past weekend. 57 Pro racers, over 150 street class guys, over 230 show cars, 7 new world records, and over 18,000 fans to witness all that goes on at a NDRA event. Thank You for your support.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by sold9secteg &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Just a quick side note. NDRA MD. this past weekend. 57 Pro racers, over 150 street class guys, over 230 show cars, 7 new world records, and over 18,000 fans to witness all that goes on at a NDRA event. Thank You for your support.</TD></TR></TABLE>

You would have had more if HIN wasn't in Philly that weekend.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by 1fstEP3 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

You would have had more if HIN wasn't in Philly that weekend.</TD></TR></TABLE>

I personally think having a HIN in the same town as a race would be very helpful to attendance. At the same time my personal opinion is the Show Car circuit (at least here in FL) is getting like California drag racing.....every other week we have HIN / Import Revolutoin / Fast and Furious Show / Funk Master Flex .....how many different shows can you go to and expect to not see the same cars ? If it where 1-2 times a year I would be much more inclined to check them out, now I just don't bother going to any of them.

 

HIN did take away from the spectators but i think that is still a good turn out at the race. It would be awesome if NOPI could get a race some how some way at Englishtown. But i think it is impossible because englishtown is a NHRA sponsored track, correct me if im wrong.

 

Don't forget Nopi has more big shocker and trumpet sightings then any other series.

John
Titanmotorsports.com

 

We do have more shocker sightings than anyone. Maybe it is because we now have a shocker habitat at our events. We are giving them a place to grow, so they will be able to go from the few that there were to the thousands they will soon have.

Yes HIN was near us once again, who knows if it really effects our attendance or not?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by naturalvx &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I personally think having a HIN in the same town as a race would be very helpful to attendance.</TD></TR></TABLE>

From a marketing stand that does not make sense. Races are meant to draw spectators who are there to watch the races as well as the shows. That is why NOPI has so many spectators versus NHRA.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by 1fstEP3 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

From a marketing stand that does not make sense. Races are meant to draw spectators who are there to watch the races as well as the shows. That is why NOPI has so many spectators versus NHRA. </TD></TR></TABLE>

Yes but from a marketing standpoint having an event to attend that is mutual when one isn't going on is a plus. The HIN people would come to town to attend the show, be looking for something to do during the day and head to check out the races....

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by naturalvx &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Yes but from a marketing standpoint having an event to attend that is mutual when one isn't going on is a plus. The HIN people would come to town to attend the show, be looking for something to do during the day and head to check out the races....</TD></TR></TABLE>

I do see your point, however the theory you are trying to convey does not make as much sense when the events we are refering to are NOPI and HIN, since NOPI does have the HIN aspect within their program. I would take that into account if we were speaking of a sanctioning body that is more geared toward racing only. That is why promotors tend to schedule events when there aren't any conflicting ones. All of this is hypothetical though, but I'm sure you see my reasoning. NOPI doesn't count; they will draw a crowd regardless.

 

Glenn - I know we have talked about it... and I understand those points... like I said that was just my rant... and all of you are right.... the dilution of the race market out here is tough to deal with... hopefully with less and less races being held out this way from other organizers it will bring back a hunger for it... only time will tell.

But with proper marketing / advertising out here a huge event can be had... if done at the right place... maybe Nopi should do an event in Palmdale... i know the elevation sucks but it is one of the closest tracks to LA... not much different to Atco in condition (except elevation,wind, & dust )...

 

Jerry, we had a big race in Palmdale 2 years ago. Alot of the pros said they would not go back to that track, due to the wind and track conditions on the top end(sand). So we tried a new track last year, and it was just not there. So like you said, we will just have to cut the events back out there and wait and see.

I need some new shoes.

 

NOPI has shown to bring more attendance, and also that 16 car field in Maryland was good to see.

My only complaint is there was one round on Sunday which was really short. By the time we had the car back from scale and fuel check, we had what seemed like 20 minutes to make the next round. Any minor problem could have kept us from running. Thankfully there wasnt any problems and we went on to set some records and win.

perhaps you guys could do the qualifyers on Saturday for the pro 4cyl class or any of the classes which seem like they'll have enough cars?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Jay Dirt &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

perhaps you guys could do the qualifyers on Saturday for the pro 4cyl class or any of the classes which seem like they'll have enough cars?</TD></TR></TABLE>

i like an idea like this, between the semifinals and finals of turbo 4 was a very quick turnaround time seeing as how you ran the street classes after the pro classes all day until the finals when we ran before the pro classes so we basically got back to the pits with the car and immediately had to get into the lanes to get ready for the next round

 

I think that both the NHRA and NOPI offer something unique for sponsors. I don't think that any one organization can offer what every sponsor is looking for. NHRA has more experience when it comes to drag racing which means that they are in touch a little bit more with what drag racers need. NOPI makes up for a lot of this by being more open minded and willing to take feedback from the racers and trying to cater to them. Where NHRA has experience, NOPI is trying (and doing a good job) to learn. NHRA basically gives the racers what they need already and they are trying to catch up with NOPI in the lifestyle scene and the car show etc. I don't know jack **** about the car show scene so it's not really fair for me to comment on how either of these organizations are doing with that. From an outside perspective the NOPI car show is bigger in sheer volume so I guess they are doing a better job. As for the lifestyle segment, NOPI wins this because they are open to try new things and let the fans guide the direction of the lifestyle segment of the show. NHRA, I think, is too traditional and has the lifestyle segment of the races to structured and are not willing to change and adapt to the needs of the fans. Again, I am no expert on this so this is just my opinion.

As a racer seeking sponsorship I think that both organizations offer different fans to sponsors and I think it is important for sponsors to be involved with both fan bases. I, personally, will continue to go to the races that attract a large number of fans. If there is a race at a market that I now won't be crowded I won't be there. It's not worth the time, effort and money for me to race in front of a few fans. The only race that we have been to this year that we won't go to again next year is Cordova, all the other races that we have attended so far have been awesome. The races that we did not go to this year so far has been Fontana and Colorado and both of them were poor so we made the right decision on those.

We are more interested in creating fans for our team right now so that is why we only want to go to events with a lot of fans. I hope that everyone does well and is successful but there is a lot of negative politics going on and to me there is just no time for anything like that. To everyone that works in the racing industry and is interested in dedicating their time to hurt people rather than dedicate that time to help the sport I hope that you all disappear because that is bullshit. There are not enough people involved in the sport yet for your personal politics to decide who should be and who shouldn't be a part of the sport. I have an idea that maybe you should all think about if that is you "MAYBE YOU SHOULDN'T BE A PART OF THIS SPORT." There is enough room for everybody and there is enough opportunity for all of us to get a piece of the pie.

What I really think people need to do is take a look at who our fans are and see if you can really relate to them. I know that there are a lot of people that make decisions that are so far out of touch with what the fans want because they are just from a different generation and they just don't get it. I can't blame them for not understanding what the fans want but if they want to do what's best for their employers they should realize that maybe they need to concentrate on other things. I'm in my 30's so I realize that I'm older than most of the fans but at least I can open my eyes and see what the fans react positively to and what the act negatively to.

-Paisley

 

I think one of the main reasons that these idiots in california dont attend many drag racing events is because of what these morons refer to as "rice".. To them, if the car doesnt have "mugen,spoon,etc..." then they dont like it. And when it comes down to a organization like "nopi" throwing a race/ car show they automatically think "apc,neon and wings west" and for that one reason i believe is why they dont go.

Kids in cali are like herds(sp?) of sheep, they play follow the leader and what ever super street says, goes. If some hard core "jdm" guy that everyone bitch in cali looks up to said " lets go to the drag race nopi is throwing" you could bet your *** there will be 20,000+ people (which has also been proven by the latest drifting craze)

Nopi is hitting it big in the east coast because most people in the east havent caught on to this JDM **** and most are just hardcore fans of the sport and not the sheep. I give props to nopi for holding **** down..

If you need proof, just think about it..For exmaple, the day that steph went 9.99 or 9.98 or whatever it was that he ran to be the first fwd in the 9's, i remember looking back at the stands from the track and thnking "holly **** thats allot of people"..Back then, it was all about widebody's and **** like that..But when the JDM bug hit, everyone turned road race and only the truley hardcore drag racers stuck around to make it what it is today.. now palmdale's lucky if the first set of bleachers get filled, let alone 2-3 of em.

So i hope that all made sense... Nopi is good because of a better atmosphere, and i give it up to NHRA for better races/ faster cars..

Chris

p.s. Nopi, remember this..When picking girls for the bikini contest and the jello wrestling, quality is ALWAYS better than quantity cause some of those girls doing those two events are straight UGLY

 

Thanks Chris, we will try on the girls. As far as racers go, George, Ara, Lisa, Jojo, Gary G, Brent, Paulie, Vinnie, Kenny, John Sheperd, Leslie, Eric, Scott M, Mike Crawford, Tirso, Matt S. Craig. So who fast are we missing outside of Papadakis and GM?

Lets not forget we also have had 5 street cars go 9's this year (turbo 4 class)

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by sold9secteg &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Thanks Chris, we will try on the girls. As far as racers go, George, Ara, Lisa, Jojo, Gary G, Brent, Paulie, Vinnie, Kenny, John Sheperd, Leslie, Eric, Scott M, Mike Crawford, Tirso, Matt S. Craig. So who fast are we missing outside of Papadakis and GM?

Lets not forget we also have had 5 street cars go 9's this year (turbo 4 class)</TD></TR></TABLE>

But see glenn, thats this year..It wasnt the case most of last year..I mean dont get me wrong, you guys put on better races compared to nhra , but i am nhra biased because they have local events that i (a non racer) can attend within budget..But thats not your fault, thats cali people's fault (mostly so.cal) and even though you guys get more or even the same amount of fans that nhra gets, nhra can still afford to come out here due to the big *** budget they have.

Plus you guys put more of a emphasis on the street class compared to NHRA..keep on doing what you guys are doing, im sure you guys will be back in cali one day...

Chris

p.s. you guys are missing lookofsky..

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Agent P.I.M.P &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Kids in cali are like herds(sp?) of sheep, they play follow the leader...</TD></TR></TABLE>

You make some good points, but maybe you also need to look at it from the other side. Cali is where the whole import drag scene started. It's where it grew, and there is still a hell of a lot of support for import speed there. If you're not getting the crowds, maybe it's because you are doing something wrong. After all, if you accept that the kids are sheep, and will go where pointed, then you ALSO have to accept the responsibility for not pointing them towards you.

Part of the problem, IMHO, is that too often Import drag racing events aren't presented in a way that appeals to the Cali fans. Just from the latest events I've seen, import drags have taken on the "beer drinkin' redneck" atmosphere that alienates the Cali kids.

Another problem is representation.... by this I mean a celebrity that west coasters can identify with. I don't think there was really been one since Saruwatari mattered. I mean, who have you got with a lot of face time right now? Rado? Kubo?

Bottom line, you're right. West Coast attendance has been weak, but I don't think it's because of a lack of interest. They're just waiting for someone to do things "right".

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by sold9secteg &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">over 150 street class guys</TD></TR></TABLE>

You did remember to count me, right..

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by RevenantAE &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

You make some good points, but maybe you also need to look at it from the other side. Cali is where the whole import drag scene started. It's where it grew, and there is still a hell of a lot of support for import speed there. If you're not getting the crowds, maybe it's because you are doing something wrong. After all, if you accept that the kids are sheep, and will go where pointed, then you ALSO have to accept the responsibility for not pointing them towards you.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Import "honda" scene started in cali, but yes your right it did, it grew here and then it spread, but i dont think its getting as much support as it did in the past, because most of the people that started this are gone from the scene now with the exception of a few. Yes NHRA AND NDRA are doing something wrong, obviously by attendance numbers, but unless they incorporate a drag race/drift event/ jdm car show all in one, then it will continue to remain the same. Point them towards drag racing how? Pay off super street and ff squad to start drag racing and covering drag races? Talk mugen into building a drag car?

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by RevenantAE &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">
Part of the problem, IMHO, is that too often Import drag racing events aren't presented in a way that appeals to the Cali fans. Just from the latest events I've seen, import drags have taken on the "beer drinkin' redneck" atmosphere that alienates the Cali kids. </TD></TR></TABLE>

I personally havent seen the beer drinking redneck atmosphere at a race so i cant comment on that, but yes they do need to do more to appeal to the masses, start advertising more ( get booths at drifting events, car shows) would help allot.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by RevenantAE &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">
Another problem is representation.... by this I mean a celebrity that west coasters can identify with. I don't think there was really been one since Saruwatari mattered. I mean, who have you got with a lot of face time right now? Rado? Kubo?

Bottom line, you're right. West Coast attendance has been weak, but I don't think it's because of a lack of interest. They're just waiting for someone to do things "right".</TD></TR></TABLE>

Put papdakis,kubo,jojo,bergenholtz...and the lost continues, the west coast has some of the biggest names in drag racing, they just needed to be marketed properly..

Chris

p.s. hey glenn, if you guys ever do a race out here again, and your doing a car show along with it, get together with ken miyoshi and import showoff and stay away from autofest, import showoff would appeal more to cali people than extreme autofest would

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Agent P.I.M.P &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">unless they incorporate a drag race/drift event/ jdm car show all in one, then it will continue to remain the same. Point them towards drag racing how? Pay off super street and ff squad to start drag racing and covering drag races? Talk mugen into building a drag car? </TD></TR></TABLE>
Any and all of the above are certainly options. And probably none of them would hurt.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Agent P.I.M.P &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I personally haven't seen the beer drinking redneck atmosphere at a race so i cant comment on that, but yes they do need to do more to appeal to the masses, start advertising more ( get booths at drifting events, car shows) would help allot.</TD></TR></TABLE>
I wish I could articulate it better, but for a lot of the people I know, the whole cheap ***, aluminum bleacher crap common at most Drag Races just doesn't fly.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Agent P.I.M.P &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Put papdakis,kubo,jojo,bergenholtz...and the lost continues, the west coast has some of the biggest names in drag racing, they just needed to be marketed properly..</TD></TR></TABLE>
Absolutely, but there is still the problem of face time. Bergenholtz is a GREAT example here. I bet if you went around to California's sport compact enthusiasts and asked if they knew who Ed was, the response would be a near universal YES. Now ask em if they know what he looks like. I'm betting there'll be a ***-load of head shaking. Compare that to Saruwatari. Back in the day you almost couldn't pick up an import/compact mag without staring at his mug. I've heard all kinds of things about him, good and bad, but like it or not he WAS a decent figurehead, he had lots of face time and him and that wildly painted RX-7 were a draw.

At any rate, I can always hope. Down here in SD there is precious little drag racing taking place, and with Carlsbad about to go, there'll be even less. Instead of doing something to offer legal drag racing, I'm sure San Diego will just up the penalty for street racing and spectating. They already take your car for either.... I guess they'll up the ante to your bank accounts and first born next.