What the hell are they thinking???

[RossJaffe]

I just heard that Todd Snyder, Randy Buck, and Don Harple were released by Skip Barber today. Seems like Skippy is losing some of its best assets.

Skippy has also canceled the Western Series this year and is folding it into the Southern Series (as a "Winter Series"), with only one race at Laguna Seca this winter.

Before I jump to the obvious conclusions, I would ask CEO Culver to get on this Forum and explain to us loyal Skippy customers what the hell he is thinking!

[GregS]

Originally Posted by RossJaffe

I just heard that Todd Snyder, Randy Buck, and Don Harple were released by Skip Barber today. Seems like Skippy is losing some of its best assets.

Skippy has also canceled the Western Series this year and is folding it into the Southern Series (as a "Winter Series"), with only one race at Laguna Seca this winter.

Before I jump to the obvious conclusions, I would ask CEO Culver to get on this Forum and explain to us loyal Skippy customers what the hell he is thinking!

Hi Ross,

Tis a sad day indeed.

I was already aware that we will only have 1 race at LS this winter and was hoping they bump that to at least 2. I need my tarpey fix Also its nice to be able to travel for only one hour.
I have to say that with the small turn outs, this wasnt a shock to me. SB needs to do more to bring in the west coast drivers/racers. I hope they can run events where cali drives are doing DE's so that more people can learn about SB racing. I think it would be a great recruiting tool.

The loss of talent is shocking and concerning to me. I hope we dont lose any more key staff members. I am aware that another key person is resigning and that is a heavy loss as well.
I would expect that the additional work load will fall onto those whom are left and that is asking a lot of an already depleted staff. I know that those whom are left will do all that they can, but this is certainly concerning.

I want to thank Randy, Todd and Don for all that each have done for me over the last 3 years.

Greg

[cdh]

Originally Posted by RossJaffe

I just heard that Todd Snyder, Randy Buck, and Don Harple were released by Skip Barber today. Seems like Skippy is losing some of its best assets. Before I jump to the obvious conclusions, I would ask CEO Culver to get on this Forum and explain to us loyal Skippy customers what the hell he is thinking!

Hear Hear!

Originally Posted by GregS

I want to thank Randy, Todd and Don for all that each have done for me over the last 3 years.

Hear Hear! Also a forlorn farewell to one of their best, brightest assets, dear Kerry!!! (although I understand, and my hat is off to her for her conviction)
Such losses...

[Tireman]

Originally Posted by cdh

........! Also a forlorn farewell to one of their best, brightest assets, dear Kerry!!! (although I understand, and my hat is off to her for her conviction)

What ???? What happened to Kerry ?

Viz

[GregS]

Originally Posted by Tireman

What ???? What happened to Kerry ?

Viz

She resigned.

[Tireman]

Geeez. Now I understand Doug's comment, and I presume she did so due to the other "layoffs". I'll tip my hat to her as well, a classy lady.

This is all very screwed up. The "Customer Advisory Counsil" may not be fully active right now, but it would behoove Mr. Culver to spend some time with us both online and at LRP. Convey some of his business plans and thoughts to his customers before they move on to other venues.

Viz

[LimeRockRacer]

What losses for all of us! Thanks guys and Kerry for all that you contributed to our racing success and pleasure over all the many years you dedicated to SBRS and us the customers.

Seems like you don't get more business when you retreat from a geographic area. The West Coast will produce even less customer base now. I don't think that is the goal they had in mind.

The face and now the body of this organization has changed so very dramatically these last two years. Wow, will it survive?

[racer54iscool]

WOW! I'm sure there will be more news in the near future!

[Slowhands]

What losses for all of us! Thanks guys and Kerry for all that you contributed to our racing success and pleasure over all the many years you dedicated to SBRS and us the customers.

Well said Chris. The nature of the Skip Barber experience depends so much on the people involved-- the staff, instructors, mechanics, and fellow drivers--all whom we have grown fond of, many of them have become the closest friends we have. They are good people who care about our experience more so than I've felt in many other arenas. It's tough to see them go.

[OLDMAN]

Is bankruptcy hiding around the next corner?

OLDMAN

[Moxie]

The answer to Chris's question -- will SBRS survive -- is pretty much in our hands. We're the customers and the company's fate rests on our wallets. As much affection and respect as we have for Todd, Randy, Don and the others -- at least those of us who have been loyal SBRS participants for a while -- are we going to walk away because of this decision?

If we want to race, what are our alternatives? SBRS is still the premier racing school in the US (though I would welcome a dissenting POV from anyone who has experience elsewhere). Join private clubs like Monticello and buy our own racecars? Aside from the cost, that's the antithesis of SBRS's arrive-&-drive appeal. Cobble together alternative racing events? Possibly, but I don't see that approach holding the group together over the long term.

The new customers (seemingly all of whom come with private coaching, sponsorship & karting trophies) don't have any ties to long term SBRS staff.

I'm still going to show up at LRP next month and race. I'll be paying close attention to how things are run and we'll see whether SBRS still has what it takes to keep me coming back.

[cdh]

WTF Lee? No one here has said anything about walking away from SB...Mr Radical

Most are wondering if it will survive, and we're sorry to see our friends go, that's all.

Glad you are racing some SB again, I would if I could.

[horace11091]

What a bad day!

[WatertownNewbie]

Originally Posted by Tireman

The "Customer Advisory Counsil" may not be fully active right now, but it would behoove Mr. Culver to spend some time with us both online and at LRP.

One of the best things done in 2010 was forming that advisory group. One of the worst was ignoring the advice.

[Jimal Temus]

Originally Posted by WatertownNewbie

One of the best things done in 2010 was forming that advisory group. One of the worst was ignoring the advice.

If one doesn't like the answers to the questions they're asking the obvious thing to do is ignore the answers.

[ML Peter Ludwig]

Here you go. I'm sure Mr. Culver does not mind....

Attention All Instructors:
 
Skip Barber Racing School, LLC has restructured  its organization from its current “matrix” organizational structure to a traditional functional structure with three primary groups: Sales and Marketing, to be led by Director, Sales and Marketing, Operations to be led by Chief Operating Officer and Finance & Employee Services to be led by VP Finance. The three groups will report to Chairman and Chief Executive Office, as will Legal.
 
Sales and Marketing – Led by Kyle Morham
Sales and Marketing will be responsible for Demand Creation and Revenue Generation. Functions in the business that drive revenue will fall into this group, including marketing, branding, public relations, retail sales including Schools and Race Series, business to business sales, corporate, sponsorship, OE and customer service.
 
Operations – Led by Kevin Seidl
Operations will be responsible for demand fulfillment, asset utilization and support and fulfillment of all company operations. This Includes logistics, scheduling, travel, instructors, assets and fleet management for all programs including Schools, Race Series, Corporate and OE, and tracks and facilities.
 
Finance – Led by Jimmy Widjaja
Finance will be responsible for resource allocation, cash management, financial reporting, planning and budgeting, administrative support and support services.
 
This structure was designed to
1)    Simplify and focus the business
2)    Increase agility and efficiency
3)    To be more responsive to the customer and improve customer satisfaction
4)    Grow revenue and net profit margin
 
 
 
Management Changes:
The Organization change requires unfortunately the removal of the management positions related to the matrix structure. Thus the VP Competition, VP Schools and the Chief Instructor positions have been eliminated.  Todd Snyder, Randy Buck and Don Harple have left the Company. Each has served the Company for various lengths of time and we appreciated their dedication.
 
We will hold an instructor conference call on Friday 7/29/11 at Noon to answer any questions. The call in number will be
866-456-7879, Pin 745240.
 
 

[Jimal Temus]

I don't know where to begin, and since I'm sure I'm still under some sort of gag order, I won't.

[GregS]

Originally Posted by ML Peter Ludwig

Here you go. I'm sure Mr. Culver does not mind....

nicely done

[LimeRockRacer]

Originally Posted by Moxie

The answer to Chris's question -- will SBRS survive -- is pretty much in our hands. We're the customers and the company's fate rests on our wallets. As much affection and respect as we have for Todd, Randy, Don and the others -- at least those of us who have been loyal SBRS participants for a while -- are we going to walk away because of this .

Au contrare, it is quite obvious that the success or failure of this series is not in our hands. I for one have been an active participant for over a decade and have continued to pay the freight. In my tenure I have seen the customer experience decline continuously. It has not been because the instructors, mechanics and support staff have not put in their best efforts. They have all been great. And it is not because loyal customers like me have stopped spending in the series. The spiral this series is in is both economics and poor business acumen at the top. The decision to let your top three racing exeperienced and long term management team go in the fashion it was done is just another indicator of the problems that exist and is one of a long list of boners. Perhaps this one just went over the top.

When faced with a challenging economic model and poor results a business should look to it's customers and to it's key staff to tell them the harsh reality of why they are there and management must face the brutal facts and take responsibility and not white wash, ignore what is being said by those who care most. It must embrace the brutal facts and
develop a sound game plan that takes notice of what it's customers and key staff are saying if it has any chance of
surviving and becoming successful again. It should not place blame and make scapegoats of those telling you the truth.


Lee, the bottom line is we all have choices of where we spend our money and there will always be alternative ways to experience racing such as the one you have found out west racing radicals. SBRS has been a wonderful experience and I still see staff making every effort to make our experience a good one. The failure of this company will not be because it did not have quality staff and caring paying customers. It will be because it burned through them.

Racing in other venues does not have to be as expensive as you think and there are great people at all levels. I for one will mourn the day we don't have SBRS to experience and enjoy with all our friends we have come to respect, enjoy and race with.

[GregS]

Originally Posted by LimeRockRacer

Au contrare,....

(snip snip)

It should not place blame and make scapegoats of those telling you the truth.

Lee, the bottom line is we all have choices of where we spend our money and there will always be alternative ways to experience racing such as the one you have found out west racing radicals. SBRS has been a wonderful experience and I still see staff making every effort to make our experience a good one. The failure of this company will not be because it did not have quality staff and caring paying customers.

It will be because it burned through them.

I for one will mourn the day we don't have SBRS to experience and enjoy with all our friends we have come to respect, enjoy and race with.

Well said!

[PT Cruiser]

It's been awhile since I've done a Skippy event, so I'm not up on the details of what has been happening.

From the outside, however, it sure looks like Todd, Randy, and Don had a fundamental disagrement with the head honchos about the future direction of the company, and were let go as a result. Otherwise, re-org or no, I'm sure the organization could have found a way to keep these three long-term and very talented employees on board, albiet in new positions.

This is complete speculation on my part, but I'm wondering if the issue at hand was whether Skip Barber continues to have an open wheel program. Given the low overall race series enrollments, thanks to the poor economy, it must be a huge financial strain on the organization to run two separate fleets of cars. And given the Mazda tie, I doubt that the company has the option of shutting down the MX-5 program. And yet, the open wheel program is such a deep part of the company's DNA, it is hard to imagine Skip Barber surviving without it. Unfortunately, with the lousy economy dragging on and on and on, it wouldn't surprise me if the organization is facing difficult --make that impossibly difficult-- decisions of this sort. if not whether or not to eliminate one fleet of cars, then some other equally gut wrenching choice.

Regardless, I'm really, really sorry to see Todd, Randy, and Don go. Irespective of the great job they did for Skip Barber over the years, they are all truly decent people, and will be sorely missed. I wish them well in their future endeavors.

[WatertownNewbie]

Originally Posted by PT Cruiser

This is complete speculation on my part, but I'm wondering if the issue at hand was whether Skip Barber continues to have an open wheel program. Given the low overall race series enrollments, thanks to the poor economy, it must be a huge financial strain on the organization to run two separate fleets of cars. ....

About three or so years ago I wondered whether the open-wheel cars would be phased out and we would see a weekend with three or four MX-5 groups and one open-wheel group. At first it seemed like that might happen, especially since (notwithstanding the Mazda name on the car) the open-wheels still have Dodge engines, which are not being supplied by Mazda (duh) whereas the MX-5 cars -- and perhaps more importantly replacement parts -- are readily available from Mazda.

Then we arrived at Lime Rock in June 2011 to find only one rather meager group of MX-5 cars and a bunch of rabid open-wheel drivers (as before). I agree that the open-wheel Skippy car is part of the company's DNA.

On a side note -- but really I have been thinking about this for a while -- what I see leaving the weekend picture is the driver who used to be mid-pack or slightly below. After three weekends this summer it is clear to me that the times that used to put a driver in the middle of the pack are now sufficient only to be in the last couple of places on the grid. There is not the depth of diversity that there once was. If a golf course wanted to run tournaments and gradually found itself in a position of having only A-flight golfers instead of B-flight and C-flight and so forth, it would soon find itself without enough golfers to sustain the tournaments. It occurs to me that part of the company's efforts should be to attract -- and retain -- a lot of drivers who are not podium potential but who are in reality the bread-and-butter of the open-wheel program.

[cdh]

Originally Posted by Attention All Instructors:

Todd Snyder, Randy Buck and Don Harple have left the Company. Each has served the Company for various lengths of time and we appreciated their dedication.

no gag order here, although I did gag when I read it...

[Slowhands]

Originally Posted by LimeRockRacer

When faced with a challenging economic model and poor results a business should look to it's customers and to it's key staff to tell them the harsh reality of why they are there and management must face the brutal facts and take responsibility and not white wash, ignore what is being said by those who care most. It must embrace the brutal facts and
develop a sound game plan that takes notice of what it's customers and key staff are saying if it has any chance of
surviving and becoming successful again. It should not place blame and make scapegoats of those telling you the truth.

Sun Tzu could not have put it more lucidly and simply.

[Merlin]

I heard that SBRS recently booked a few corporate racing school events at LRP for later this year. Perhaps senior management is pursuing a strategy to expand these corporate sales to balance the volatility they have seen with sales to individual drivers like us. That would be a reasonable business decision and would partially explain the new organization structure mentioned earlier.

[LimeRockRacer]

Originally Posted by WatertownNewbie

On a side note -- but really I have been thinking about this for a while -- what I see leaving the weekend picture is the driver who used to be mid-pack or slightly below. After three weekends this summer it is clear to me that the times that used to put a driver in the middle of the pack are now sufficient only to be in the last couple of places on the grid. There is not the depth of diversity that there once was. If a golf course wanted to run tournaments and gradually found itself in a position of having only A-flight golfers instead of B-flight and C-flight and so forth, it would soon find itself without enough golfers to sustain the tournaments. It occurs to me that part of the company's efforts should be to attract -- and retain -- a lot of drivers who are not podium potential but who are in reality the bread-and-butter of the open-wheel program.

Ted, all good points. I think the economic situation both globally and the increased costs of the weekends is what is in play here. The have been fewer customers able to enter new and fewer that can afford to do a handful of weekends. So what we have is a stable of people that can afford to do more weekends and therefore get more seat time and have lowered their times. i understand what you mean. If you look we have far less drivers per weekend than we had even 3 or 4 years ago....

[LimeRockRacer]

Originally Posted by Slowhands

Sun Tzu could not have put it more lucidly and simply.

Thank you but apparently it is not that simple!

[LimeRockRacer]

Originally Posted by cdh

no gag order here, although I did gag when I read it...

[RossJaffe]

Skippy has been pursuing corporate events for a while now, and the guys let go were actively involved in those programs, so increasing corporate programs doesn't really explain the management changes nor the loss of the Western Series, which is clearly due to declining participation.

Rather than us speculate on the reasons behind recent actions and create any more rumors, what we really need is for the CEO, Mike Culver, to communicate with existing customers and his remaining staff about what changes he is making and why he is making them.

Having been involved over the years with a number of companies that are struggling and on the edge of viability, I have found that being open about the problems and being clear with staff, customers, and creditors about the plans to address problems and to achieve key milestones is really important to keeping everyone engaged and motivated. Uncertainty promotes speculation and fear, whereas clear statements about the issues, what is known and not known, and what has to be done to achieve success usually gives people comfort and greater faith in the organization. Team members, customers, suppliers, and often creditors will hang in through tough situations if they feel they understand the situation and believe the CEO and the board are being straight with them.

Ross

[Michael Culver]

Originally Posted by ML Peter Ludwig

Here you go. I'm sure Mr. Culver does not mind....

Attention All Instructors:

Skip Barber Racing School, LLC has restructured its organization from its current “matrix” organizational structure to a traditional functional structure with three primary groups: Sales and Marketing, to be led by Director, Sales and Marketing, Operations to be led by Chief Operating Officer and Finance & Employee Services to be led by VP Finance. The three groups will report to Chairman and Chief Executive Office, as will Legal.

Sales and Marketing – Led by Kyle Morham
Sales and Marketing will be responsible for Demand Creation and Revenue Generation. Functions in the business that drive revenue will fall into this group, including marketing, branding, public relations, retail sales including Schools and Race Series, business to business sales, corporate, sponsorship, OE and customer service.

Operations – Led by Kevin Seidl
Operations will be responsible for demand fulfillment, asset utilization and support and fulfillment of all company operations. This Includes logistics, scheduling, travel, instructors, assets and fleet management for all programs including Schools, Race Series, Corporate and OE, and tracks and facilities.

Finance – Led by Jimmy Widjaja
Finance will be responsible for resource allocation, cash management, financial reporting, planning and budgeting, administrative support and support services.

This structure was designed to
1) Simplify and focus the business
2) Increase agility and efficiency
3) To be more responsive to the customer and improve customer satisfaction
4) Grow revenue and net profit margin



Management Changes:
The Organization change requires unfortunately the removal of the management positions related to the matrix structure. Thus the VP Competition, VP Schools and the Chief Instructor positions have been eliminated. Todd Snyder, Randy Buck and Don Harple have left the Company. Each has served the Company for various lengths of time and we appreciated their dedication.

We will hold an instructor conference call on Friday 7/29/11 at Noon to answer any questions. The call in number will be
866-456-7879, Pin 745240.

Thanks for posting this notice Peter.
All are invited to participate in todays (Friday July 29) call.
Please invite any cutomers not on skippy fourms.
The call is at Noon EDT 866-456-7879 PIN 745240

[GregS]

Originally Posted by Michael Culver

Thanks for posting this notice Peter.
All are invited to participate in todays (Friday July 29) call.
Please invite any cutomers not on skippy fourms.
The call is at Noon EDT 866-456-7879 PIN 745240

Thanks for inviting us all to the call and look forward to the changes we discussed.

Let us know the timing and number of the next call so we can post it here as well.

[sydude]

I guess I missed today's call - I just saw Michael's post now. Anyone have an audio copy of the call?

[Slowhands]

Originally Posted by sydude

I guess I missed today's call - I just saw Michael's post now. Anyone have an audio copy of the call?

check your email

[boyracer]

I couldn't have said it better myself-Team Backmarker-Laguna Hills California- The only thing I would add is that there should be more of an incentive for racing school participants to sign up for their initial race weekend- say 30% off- Here's hoping that the "TBD" venue is somewhere in California.-Boyracer

[Redneck]

On the vote for where to hold the March Race, IMHO, it should be based on where the largest turnout of Racers will be.... If we can get 10 Racers at Laguna, 20 Racers at Roebling Road, 30 at Road Atlanta, 40 at XXX, then Race should be held at XXX. Maybe do a Pre-sale and refund if "your choice" is not selected.
Reminds me of the story on Phoenix vote to ban smoking in the bars...and research showed that only 15% of those voting ever went to bars or planned to go to bars. AND of those 15%... 87% voted to retain smoking in bars. Not sure if the Phoenix Story is true, but the point is that those people involved should make the decision!!!

Maybe the vote should be based on signing up for the venue (A sign up, pay, and if a different venue is chosen, then payment is returned).
I am an ardent Skip Barber person and my first choice of location is Barber Mororsports, followed by Course of Americas in Savannah, followed by Roebling Road near Savannah, followed by Sebring... BUT I should not have a vote because I am NOT racing the weekend !!!

BTW... IMHO is In My Humble Opinion.

[Mopar92]

Harsha. Zenned the call...

[dalyduo]

Clever idea Redneck... smart too.

Mopar92...

[PT Cruiser]

I missed the call as well.

Was there any information beyond what was in the memo that Peter Ludwig posted? If so, could someone provide a quick summary, or direct me to a post with such a summary?

Thanks.

[chsutherland]

I race in the land of JP. I suggest you all do the same!

8hrs of track time at Road America for the double cat national. Raced with ArmsUp at a PCA event a few times. 911's, spec miata's, formula continental, vintage jags, porsches, shelbys, mclarens, sprint cars....anything.

SBRS worked b/c of the folks at the track, whom have on a regular basis been treated like total crap. This should come as no surprise. Vote with your dollar.

Come and race comrades.

Love

Citizen Craig (rube from Kansas not haavard)

ps a mysterious man from the south, recently sat on the pole for the Kohler International at Road America, in a '67 McLaren M6A with a time of 2:12.1. I haven't often seen counter steering in Billy Mitchell.....onboard video is soooo sweet. Two dimensional time, and the constraints there in, did not give me the opportunity to interview said man as i am grounded here in this time.

[tom goodhart]

I've been away from an internet connection for a week only to return to this staggering news.

"Todd Snyder, Randy Buck and Don Harple have left the Company"

How can Skip Barber expect to run a race series without this talent and their history of the series, its drivers, its equipment. Without Todd, Randy, Don, Kerry, Jason Holehouse, Kelly D, etc...... this series simply won't be the same. Many of us who have done the series for 10 plus years return year after year for the experience with the people as well as the racing, and these were great people to spend time with. In watching Randy Buck run a National Series drivers meeting you knew he was the heart and soul of that series. What a loss.

Like Chris said, "What losses for all of us! Thanks guys and Kerry for all that you contributed to our racing success and pleasure over all the many years you dedicated to SBRS and us the customers."

[ML Peter Ludwig]

Originally Posted by tom goodhart

I've been away from an internet connection for a week only to return to this staggering news.

"Todd Snyder, Randy Buck and Don Harple have left the Company"

How can Skip Barber expect to run a race series without this talent and their history of the series, its drivers, its equipment. Without Todd, Randy, Don, Kerry, Jason Holehouse, Kelly D, etc...... this series simply won't be the same. Many of us who have done the series for 10 plus years return year after year for the experience with the people as well as the racing, and these were great people to spend time with. In watching Randy Buck run a National Series drivers meeting you knew he was the heart and soul of that series. What a loss.

Like Chris said, "What losses for all of us! Thanks guys and Kerry for all that you contributed to our racing success and pleasure over all the many years you dedicated to SBRS and us the customers."

Very well put!!! I for one didn't continue coming around to win races, for me it was more about being around a great group of people that became my friends, the ones that inspired me with their dedication and passion for the sport of racing. Certainly SBR is a business but it is a family buisness and not a corporation, a buisness where relationships and feeling of connection between staff and customers means everything and keeps the flame alive. Throw away the wicks and the flame simply is not there anymore...

[boyracer]

If your ability to drive a race car were matched by your powers of articulation, then Skip Barber would be counting another World Champion among its alumni; I can only reiterate what you have written so well, the people that SBR have lost- to paraphrase a certain recent ad- "PRICELESS"

[chsutherland]

I am sure most of the instructors whom were "let go" or "not scheduled" would be HAPPY to private coach any of you anywhere. I see Jim Pace on a regular basis. I may be incorrect, but I think he was their only LeMans entrant, their only 12hr Sebring winner, their only 24hr Daytona multiple winner....support your instructor. I do.

JP once told me, that if I didn't want to race with SBRS to basically get lost. eventually he came around. Had no choice. The world isn't that scary outside of SBRS. Might be surprised who you see. Duck gave me some lessons at a PCA event. Imagine that, a older, loyal SBRS guy told not to come back. Glad Road America and PCA made good use of a good guy and fellow Kansan. Rubes might I add, not east coast Ivy League dudes.

Really angers me to see good people, trying to help US live a dream get treated like total crap. Taking time to teach us, while getting paid next to nothing. Too many people from Haaaavard on the corporate end screwed it up. A friend of mine owns a large company, his ceo came to him recently and asked for a big fat raise. He said no, fired him, split his salary up and gave every single employee a bonus. I suggest SBRS do the same! Call it workshare.......

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_HHq6Jbyf7E

Myself and Tom Cochran, another SBRS alum. I believe they told him to get lost as well. He did a fine job all weekend. One spin in 5, but hey happens to the best of us. He races with us a few times a year. Drove his Lotus alllllllll the waaaaaay from NJ. Smoked cigars the whole way I think, and drank mostly Scotch once the day was over. Outstanding guy!

If you don't like BSI, try Long Road Racing. JP works with them too. Tom and Glen do a standup job. I did a test day with them at VIR. Excellent cars. ArmsUp has a 100% pro open wheel racing team. Its amazing. And good folks in the paddock too. I can't afford it, but boy if I could......

Whenever I see Todd Snyder on TV, hustling around in the Mustang, I think SBRS, same when I saw JP in a 911. Too bad they don't get it. The better they do, and other instructors, the better SBRS would've done. Heck they ignored TJR.com for so long. Gag orders?? Come on.

[krs561]

Hi All,

I appreciate the vigor and passion represented in all of your responses.

However there is one aspect nobody has touched on yet- PEOPLE DO NOT HAVE THE MONEY TO GO SKIP BARBER RACING THE WAY THEY USED TO!!!!!!!!!!

We are in an ever worsening economy, that NEVER recovered no matter what the bought and paid for, chronic BS artists on CNBC, MSNBC, CNN and the other channels say.

We have a real unemployment rate of 22-23%, a real inflation rate of 10.6%, a US dollar that is being imploded by design, that has left us with 1 in 7 on on Food Stamps, 1 in 6 on Medicaid. Take a look at your town- how many empty storefronts?, how many houses for sale- and for how long? This week we took another major step to tyranny with the so called 'debt deal' This country borrowed $239 billion on Tuesday- the most money ever-beat the old record of $186 billion 6/30/2009

Point is the changes we have all experienced at Skip Barber are a by product of much larger issues in this country and beyond.

Hang in there everybody!!

[cdh]

Originally Posted by krs561

However there is one aspect nobody has touched on yet- PEOPLE DO NOT HAVE THE MONEY TO GO SKIP BARBER RACING THE WAY THEY USED TO!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks KRS, certainly true for some but not necessarily for the SB market segment:

"The luxury category has posted 10 consecutive months of sales increases compared with the year earlier, even as overall consumer spending on categories like furniture and electronics has been tepid, according to the research service MasterCard Advisors SpendingPulse. In July, the luxury segment had an 11.6 percent increase, the biggest monthly gain in more than a year."

Even Marked Up, Luxury Goods Fly Off Shelves - NYT 08/03/2011



With tonight's AA+ downgrade, who knows how these #'s will change....ack

***

[chsutherland]

Sippel racin last year for Sprint cars, and ArmsUp for SCCA Nationals

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i970XbbqfeA

[Michael Culver]

Good Morning:
Happy to disuss your concerns. The posting on July 29 explains where we are coming from.
Give me a call 860 435 4144.
Michael

[cdh]

Originally Posted by Michael Culver

Good Morning:
Happy to disuss your concerns. The posting on July 29 explains where we are coming from.
Give me a call 860 435 4144.
Michael

Thanks Michael, I deleted the post from Harp32Wil you were responding to as that person appears to be a spammer. I have received no reply to a friendly email I sent, so I must assume this was a (rather devious) spammer.

I will gladly reinstate the posts if this person would like to tell us who they are.

Doug

[7thGear]

Just a note as I read through, harp32wil is not me. I do want to thank everyone for the support and kind words. SB is a great brand and has done much for me as a driver and my career.

I will be in the nieborhood for the LR race weekend, and hope to see you if your there.

Anyone need a private coach? I find myself available.

[cdh]

Originally Posted by 7thGear

Just a note as I read through, harp32wil is not me.

kinda guessed that Harpolini as the IP is served in China...bene, se fosse stato a Roma o Milano che sarebbe una storia diversa