[Splank]

Hello Aaron,

My name is Sprague Theobald and I'm a Western Series driver. I went through my Three Day with Skip Barber in 1994 and went on to race the full Western series that year. I took a few years off, raced Formula Mazda and came back to Skippy last year. I'm currently finishing up the 2005 Western Series season.

I'm writing for several reasons. One being that I feel Skip Barber to be the best School Race Series going and am proud to be associated with a series that has such a well respected reputation. Yet it's this very reputation and it's future that causes me to write.

In the last year or so I have watched the steady decline of the Western Series and am now at a point where I find I need to let you know that Skip Barber is on the brink of losing a lot of drivers. A lot. The reasons are varied and all came into play during this past race weekend at Laguna. The way the weekend unfolded was, from a customer stand point, completely unacceptable. If it wasn't for the tremendous efforts, patience and diligence of every single Skip Barber employee there, from Randy, to the instructors, to the testers, to the mechanics, to timing and scoring, you would have lost a lot of drivers. These people are some of the finest folks I've associated with and you should know their dedication.

This weekend, almost from the start there were more drivers than cars because the cars were unsafe. The cars were unsafe because the quality in the parts being bought has drastically declined. This is something we drivers have watched all year. We can see and feel the difference in the cars and are becoming more and more concerned every time we step into one. We are not as concerned about spinning or sliding off the track as were are for our own personal safety. Throughout the weekend we all heard about the one tester who had a shock blow (which also happened to me) in Turn 9. It's by the grace of God he didn't end up in the emergency room. The testers were in the very unenviable position of refusing to let customers in the cars due to safety issues. In my last race I sat for 25 minutes on the grid while testers scrambled to find a car safe enough for one driver to actually race. On every level this is completely unacceptable.

In the past Skip Barber has been kind enough to supply lunch for us. It's a very magnanimous gesture and greatly appreciated. But if this weekend is any indication of things to come I strongly suggest that you notify us to bring our own. This weekend the concession stand supplied our lunch and the food they were putting out was inedible. The second day when we were given our lunch vouchers, we went to the concession stand only to find it closed. No lunch. None of us had time to run to the local 7-11 to get snacks. Drivers racing unsafe cars on empty stomachs is something I truly hope Skip Barber never learns about.

Part of what has drawn me to the Skip Barber Western Series in the past is the fact that, like the Southern Series and Mid West Series, you were able to travel to many venues and experience and learn new race environments, without having to make a large travel commitment. This year due to money and poor planning, the Western Series went to two tracks, and there we had to race combined with drivers with another series. To us drivers this means only one thing, that CT is trying to save money. With at least twenty great tracks here on the West coast, this was, again, completely unacceptable. I personally had to skip Sebring which forced me to double up this past weekend. Doing four qualifying and four races in one weekend is something I never wish to experience again.

Please know that this email is not from just one very dissatisfied customer. Although I'm not officially speaking for any other driver I convey what we drivers feel to be reasons enough to start looking into other race series for next season. I know of five drivers, including myself, who are going to look into the Jim Russell Race Series next year. It has also been brought to our attention that several of your instructors and mechanics are considering employment elsewhere.

Aaron, I've been connected to Skip Barber for almost ten years now. I care very deeply and passionately about the series. I consider those I race with, am instructed by and communicate in CT via email, my family. I am also very passionate about racing. I speak for several of us when I say that if things don't start improving very quickly, we're all going to have to face the heart breaking decision of seeking other means to enjoy a sport we love. But perhaps what would be more devastating than our leaving would be the further decline if not reputation and ultimate existence of the Skip Barber Western Series.

I welcome and look forward to any discussion you might want to have regarding my feelings and thoughts.

Thanks Aaron,

Sprague Theobald