One Open Letter & One Challenge to Aaron re: Laguna Seca 3/12-13 (Threads Merged)

[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

[Dom Bastien]

Aaron:

Since October 2003, I have done 16 race week-ends. I have some perspective.

Here are the facts:
1. Skip Barber is a unique product and organization;
2. The tracks are great—famous venues, challenging, diverse
3. The racing is great—top notch older guys and hot shot kids for us plodders to race against;
4. The instructors are outstanding. They provide unbelievably discerning and focused feed-back; each brings a unique personal style to the feed-back guaranteeing that eventually you’ll get it; and they will improve your driving [as one who has progressed from totally inept to reasonably competent driving, I can vouch for that.] And they are great fun.
5. The management of the race week-ends is generally excellent. Yes, we get the occasional annoying glitch or delay, but the show always goes on. Everyone gets their full track time, no matter what [where else do you get that?]
6. The mechanics are another great bunch. Unbelievably dedicated, but also a pleasure on the pit lane, always looking to help you as you fumble getting ready in the car.
7. The sporting managers of the series are dedicated to providing a safe and fun experience, even when the odds are against them. Latest case in point: Last week-end at Laguna we were delayed by 3 hours because of the fog. Todd and Randy came up with the idea to fill the time with special programs. Nick Harvey ran, I am told, a fabulous presentation on car set-up. And at the same time on the autocross, Jim “just-the-facts-m’am” Clark, John Mefford and Nick Kunewalder ran a first class car control clinic. I did the autocross for 40 minutes. What a blast and fantastic learning from these guys. Laetetia Mayes and Terry Locke also had their first taste of a skippy car on the auto-cross and had a ball.
8. And the whole thing is unbelievable fun, almost sinful. The interaction with the instructors and the drivers is very special. I have made friends. The announcements of Nick-Mr-Chicken-from-Tuscaloosa; the hugs of Kelly; Courtney’s charming manner; the antics of Sid; etc, etc, all of these and many other little skippy tidbits make a Skip Barber race week-end the very special occasion it is.
9. Skip Barber racing is great learning and it is great fun. And it is, in the very special and expensive world of auto racing, an excellent value.

So, tell me Aaron, why is it that a large number of people walked away from Laguna pissed off? And why is it that attendance is definitely not what it should be?

Aaron, a piece of advice. Stop counting and manipulating your beans. Get away from your ivory tower in your nebulous sky. Talk to and LISTEN to your customers—the current ones and the former ones. Talk to and LISTEN to your outstanding and dedicated employees. Talk to and LISTEN to people with racing in their blood. Listen, probe, get the facts, probe some more: why, when, how, and then take actions that have connections with the facts. There is still time.

Sincerely, Dom Bastien

[5&counting]

Here is a note I sent Aaron after his response to you guys... Sprague, I applaud your Post but I do not agree with everything. BUT input is important and thanks to Sy... and this great web page it is here for all to see.


Aaron,

Just my take on things. I do not agree with the Post on the Team Juicy Web Page. Blown shocks happen...... bad rod ends are just that bad rods ends. We are driving race cars and beating the shit out of them lap after lap. (Laguna with the big drain off ditches... YUCK) Unfortunately for the Skip Barber Race Series most of drivers never get a chance to understand race cars and how most race cars have to be nut and bolted after every session. Your Skippy cars, be them old as dirt ...(yes they get rebuilt) go for an entire day before they get nut and bolted. This is a testament to the mechanics and the parts you purchase. (Softer tires would make this tougher).

If we have to shut down for 30-40 minutes to nut and bolt the cars then so be it. The Pro Cars did it all the Time. They do it on Go-Karts after 10 laps.... and so on.

I was not at Laguna, I do not care about lunch in any fashion and I know why the Western Series does not go anywhere else. Laguna is the biggest draw regardless of some of great tracks on the Left Coast.

But I know one thing. You have a great group of guys and gals. They work hard for you and your partners (be the estranged or not). They love what they do and will hopefully keep doing it.

Keep the restless people in check and continue to evolve your product.

Dom Bastion's letter was more my style.... Beat you up and make you realize that your staff has good ideas and you should listen to them plus your listen to your racers. You cater to racers that have no hair between their legs to old guys that should have their regular drivers license revoked. When you cater to such a diverse customer base it is difficult to make everyone happy.

I do not know why there were a lot of people unhappy at Laguna!. But a letter to you says there were and I applaud you responding in such a quick manner... you may have skirted the issue a little too much for me but at least you responded quickly. At Sebring we had to shut down for a nut and bolt check and no one cared, maybe at Laguna it was more then that.

Good luck and If I can help I will be more then happy to assist you in your endeavor.

Which leads me to my next point. I never want to pay to Race at Skip Barber EVER AGAIN. This comes at a good time since I am now unemployed. You should let me come and race for the pure entertainment value and the lasting impression I leave on the weekend participants.

Best of Luck, and do not think less of me for my grammer. It is better then Sids!

Matt Franc

[Splank]

An Update:

Both Aaron and Todd were nice enough to give me a call regarding my letter of heated observations. In both cases we talked at great length and I honestly feel that my concerns were being heard. They went to great lengths to elaborate on what they saw as the immediate and general problems as well as the fixes that were, if not already in place, being implemented as we spoke. Both of their calls were greatly appreciated.

I'm a person who gives the benefit of the doubt and banks, sometimes too heavily, on a person's word. I came away from the conversations feeling that both Todd and Aaron's dedication to keeping the Skip Barber Series the best one running and not resting on past laurels. was every bit as important to them as it was to me as a driver.

While nothing can be fixed over night, I feel that, for me, a door of communication has been opened and that's half the battle. I fully intend to hold them to their word and have every faith that they will. But as Mark Twain said, "Fear the man with time and a barrel of ink."

S

[MJAmok]

5& says "Aaron responded"... where?

BTW.. without taking a side either way, 5& should recognize what happened in LS. This wasn't a random failure here and there. We all recognize that as racing. There were literally more cars that were undrivable... as determined by Skippy staff... than drivable. There were fewer than 10 working cars. Friday sessions were cut short. We could not start the first session on Saturday until after 12p.

Everyone agrees... the staff worked its collective ass off to get us going. The question is, was it avoidable? Hey, shit happens, but we shouldn't be helping it along!

I will take a side on lunch.... it was fine!

[5&counting]

MJA,

MJA, Aaron sent out an email last night to what I thought was sent to everyone.

I might not have been there in person but my spies are everywhere. My facts may be a tick off due to all the sunshine that falls on the heads of the left coast people and the booze they consume but we all agree Aaron has to keep working and not rest till the company is so busy that there is a legit waiting list to get into a weekend. Maybe one day I can help him succeed with this.

Over and out... F1 on late tonight need a nap and some booze!

[dalyduo]

Here is the E-mail from Aaron,

To Race Series Customers:

Our top priority as a company is to put the best quality product on the track
for our customers. We have invested millions of dollars over the past year to
build new cars, hire more mechanics and implement new systems to upgrade our
operation and provide a great racing experience for you. I hope you all agree
that we have made significant progress toward our goal of continuously improving
every aspect of our company.

As some of you may be aware, this past race weekend at Laguna Seca did not meet
our expectations. We had several mechanical problems related primarily to rod
end failures that disrupted activities at the track. We have already identified
and completely resolved the issue. Please rest assured that we will be fully
prepared to run smooth operations at our Southern Series Final at Daytona and
our Western Series Final at Laguna Seca next month.

I want to thank those of you who take the time to contact me directly to express
your concerns and offer ideas. We continue to greatly value input - positive
and negative - from our customers. We can only get better with your feedback
so please keep sharing your thoughts and feel free to contact me any time.

Best Regards,
Aaron Hollander

p.s. Despite the weather down here at the Sebring 12 Hour, we are starting off
our National Championship with a great group of drivers and terrific competition.
Look for results on our site.

[sydude]

Dear Aaron & Co. -

Management needs to clearly understand that it's not acceptable under any circumstance to compromise the safety of its customers. Parts shouldn't be sourced from vendors that are not vetted, completely reliable and known, no matter how attractive the price. New designs, new vendors, and even new production batches must be thoroughly inspected and tested before you let your customers loose on them.

No matter how much improvement we've seen in regards to how Skippy is run since last summer's 'Dear Skip Barber' episode, it's just too easy for management (any company's, not just Skippy's) to become complacent about safety and succumb to the temptation of increased profits.

I say this because I know it happened last year, and I saw one incident that was a whisker away from disaster. You need to do everything possible to make sure something like that doesn't happen again. If you can't make the kind of profit you need AND provide safe race cars, then charge more. If you can't charge more, then shut down. But don't you dare put your customers into your race cars if you've made any compromises in safety.

Personally, I think you guys did a stellar job a couple of weeks ago at a huge Sebring weekend, so it's a surprise to hear what happened at Laguna. I have no idea what really happened there, and I have no idea if you are at fault in any way. I just think it's a really good idea that we should help keep you guys on your toes. If not, you might end up on your asses, and that's not good for anyone, is it?

S.

[John Greist]

Bless you Matt. Clear vision from a great distance.

John

[Dom Bastien]

Aaron’s letter was not quite on the mark. Aaron’s call to me was not particularly productive either. Too vague. Too defensive. It’s always best to give specific and forthright information. In this case: [1] Why was the rod end supplier changed? [2] What testing and QC/QA procedures were applied to the new rod end supplier and why did they fail to detect a problem? [3] What measures has SBRS implemented to avoid repetition of this problem? [As a crasher with an extensive data base of bills, I would even ask: why did the cost of a rod end go from $60 in 2003 to $112 in 2004? But I have my own definitive answer to that question: stop crashing!]

I understand that Aaron will be at Daytona and Laguna. Let’s get from him a feeling of warmth and comfort that the lesson has been learned and let’s move on; the reservoir of good will towards Skip Barber is still very much full. I for one will be at Daytona with my son Marc, and at Laguna for the finale, and I have signed up for the whole eastern series and assorted activities.

[dalyduo]

Dom,
You ask the right questions in the spirit of improving both the racing and the company.

My only objection is your user title that still says: Member Lacking Imagination. You are far from that title so please change it!

Might I suggest. Member alternately viewing and showing tailpipe, tailpipe, tailpipe... :-)

[Dom Bastien]

Pat:
Excellent and clever idea! But I couldn't possibly use it. Wouldn't it show a lack of imagination?

[MJAmok]

I'd vote for...

The Dominator

[dalyduo]

I like Michael's suggestion, but your point is well taken Dom.
We look forward to your own unique imaginative user title with great anticipation! :-)