NO Subaru Challenge for 2008?

Saw this on Nasioc...

I'm sure Randy did his best to try to keep this program going.... Definately disapointed however

 

March 22nd, 2008

We are in the process of planning the 2008 Subaru Challenge event schedule. No event dates have been finalized at this time, however, Subaru of America is currently evaluating the cost vs. benefit of hosting these types of Customer Appreciation events. Please contact Subaru and let them know you support the Subaru Challenge event format.



Since 2002 when the first Subaru Challenge event was held in Ocala, FL, the SubaruChallenge.com website has provided an easy to remember, centralized location for Subaru customers to find information on the Subaru Challenge format of customer-appreciation events. We have now assisted in the promotion of twenty-three (23) customer-appreciation events hosted by several different Subaru of America Regions and dealerships across the United States. These events have welcomed over 2,240 participants and countless spectators since the Subaru Challenge idea came about. Last year the Subaru Challenge website logged over 1 million visitors to its web pages.



We would like to thank everyone for their continued support.



For 2008 we are hoping to continue the Subaru Challenge style of cust

 

thats what i read ^

 

Read the thread in Nasioc.... it's been cancelled.....

http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1476761

My first post was a email that a poster got back from SOA when he wrote in about the challenge....

 

I hate to head this! I had an awesome time last year and was really hoping
to return in 08!

Maybe if there is enough noise...SOA will reconsider

 

Well that just sucks!
I have a theory though, could it have to do with warranty denied by Subaru but the owner says they put on this event so....

 

Hate this isn't happening but at the same time glad I won't see a gazillion posts about it as well.

 

Awesome thanks for that ultra-supportive post!

 

I haven't heard of anybody having their warranty denied due to attending the Subaru Challenge....

 

Look what I just got:

Nice generic response.....

 

There are always local ARSCCA autocross events that you guys can attend and compete against each other. If you wanted to do some sort of WRXatl challenge points series with each other, I could facilitate keeping track of the results and stuff, as I help run the timing and scoring for the club.

 

We ought to turn one of the regional events into our own Subaru challenge. Just get everyone to attend one and dominate all other makes and models in numbers

 

I said I'm sad that it isn't happening but the gazillion post whoring post in threads that had NOTHING to do with the Subaru Challenge just about made me leave WRXAtlanta for good.

 

If you are going to bash anything bash whomever is post whoring (cough cough Brian) not the event. No reason to be a negative nelly...

 

Who's warranty are we talking about here?

edit: I think i know that answer already.

 

Did it really upset you that much? Do you want a tissue? Seriously. :thumbsdow

As one of the fellow post-whores, I can say, it was all in good fun. Honestly, it was sad to see a community full of "enthusiasts" want nothing to with a customer "appreciation" event. Therefore, desperate measures were taken to make sure we got the minimum number of folks signed up, so the rest of us "enthusiasts" got to have some fun with our cars.

 

unday sunda suday! :rofl:

 

3/30 Turner field.... be there or be .... i dunno

This past weekend was the first weekend in 9 weeks that I have not autoxed

 

You know what....I could care less but when people like you and BrianGT go whoring out threads that were asking technical questions and NOT A DAMN thing about any type of competition, it became irritable. I urge ANYONE to push events but do so in your own thread that is about something along the lines of the event being pushed. I can't remember but there was 3-4 threads where someone had an issue with something leaking or something not working properly. Then when I or someone else chimed in thoughts and answers and fixes pertaining to the OP's problem someone had to go and and say "Hey! Have you signed up for the Subaru Challenge?" WTF does that have to do with a problem/technical issue? That's what the Off-Topic and more importantly the Events section is for!

To be bluntly honest, I was seriously thinking HARD about doing so as it was a great time to get with other Subie guys and have a blast. That post-whoring made it so where I had no desire to go spend time with people that seemingly were full of themselves. I've never met many of you and I'm sure you guys are EXCELLENT and are great people to hang with but sometimes when you get pushy and stuff you turn others away.

Sorry if you guys don't agree but it gets tiresome to have email replies to posts that you thought was trying to help an individual when it was just someone post whoring.


AGAIN I AM ALL FOR THE EVENTS. It's what makes the community. But there's a better way to approach it.

 

I was trying to drum up support the event not have a re-hash of who or what is getting post whored.

 

And I applaud you for that Mere. You are doing in a thread specifically about that and not randomly everywhere

Sorry if I ticked anyone off and I'll shut up from here on about last years threads.

 

I post whored more on random threads than Clay did, so I have no issue taking the blame for your angst. That being said, I have absolutely no regrets for post whoring the event last year, and it was getting closer and closer to the deadline, and we were low on sign ups. It was extremely disappointing when it was canceled the previous year due the the lack of sign-ups. The event worked out extremely well IMO. The majority of the people that I talked to had expressed great joy from the event and said that they would try to come out this year for it also.

As for e-mail replies, just disable them if it bugs you. I find that I can only use them on small forums.

--
Brian

 

That's great that your post-whoring worked Brian. Honestly you had a Subaru Challenge thingy in your sig and a helpful reply would have been better and at the same time your sig would have done the job. Again that's water under the bridge and I really don't care.

As far as the email replies I like leaving it on so I could keep track of posts.

 

Yeah, no worries. I have decided not to spam autoX events any more. I figure that if people want to show up, they will. For the last event, out of 278 entrants, we had 17 Subarus, which was more than the average event last year.

 

why dont you sign up?!?!?!?!?!:rofl:

 

I am signed up...
http://www.dlbracing.com/clubs/drivers.aspx?EventID=3301

 

Oh ok. :lol:

 

Most blown out of proportion post of the month. Lol, seems like everyone is on edge around here

 

It used to puzzle me, but I have just accepted it. We have a whole lot of people in Atlanta with Subarus, but for whatever reason, they don't like autocross like they do in other areas of the country. Atlanta also has one of the larger autocross regions in the country, but not many people drive Subarus for autocross here. If you want to autocross, don't let the lack of a SC stop you [flamebait]You also might realize that there are a lot of other cars out there that are [better|faster|cheaper|more fun|understeer less] for autocross than Subarus[/flamebait]

I wouldn't call it a lack of enthusiasts, as originally thought, but it is just a different kind of enthusiast. If a new Nopi super event sign-up opened up, I would imagine it a whole lot more people would instantly sign up for that then would sign up for a new Subaru Challenge.

 

It went well beyond that point and that is when I got annoyed with it. I am sad there won't be a Suby Challenge as that would most likely be the only Auto X I do each year.

Maybe we can have a WRXAtlanta Suby Challenge this year. Screw SOA, we can do it on our own.

 

I don't understand where Nasioc was in helping fill the Suby Challenge last year. We were well over half if not 2/3 of the registrations. Are all the SE Nasioc guys on here?

 

Well, I don't know about Florida, but Maryland is usually about 50% non-Subaru owners whoring it up in Subaru rides while most of the "regular autocrossers" are at the ProSolo Finale. The last three years, the Subaru Challenge up here has been the same weekend as the ProSolo Finale, or the weekend after Nationals, so many of the hardcore "fast" people aren't around. I know that my boyfriend (not a Subaru owner) has whored a ride the last two years -- and this past year, he won the Challenge in a mildly prepped SM STi. Brian Garfield, Greg Olsen, and a slew of others that are Nationals trophy-winners and near-Champions also usually show up... and of course, none of them actually own Subarus, nor do they even compete in one during the year.

Yeah, my first two Subaru Challenges (Atlanta 2004, Maggie Valley 2005), I didn't own a Subaru, but I at least was a regular competitor in one (Billy Brooks's STS Impreza RS, Keith Casey's STX WRX, Joel Fehrman's STi, among others). This past year, I did own one, though my competition vehicle wasn't the car I owned. And I came to Atlanta because I enjoy the camaraderie in the SE more so than around here, where there are a bunch of primadonnas.

I hope SOA changes their minds about this. I was going to write them about another situation anyway, so it looks like I have a lot to talk to them about.

 

Hate to rain on that parade but.... You will need:
Equipment (Cones, Timers, etc)
A lot
A lot rental
Lot insurance (you usually need to get this from a larger body like SCCA or NASA)
Experienced core workers such as timers, saftey stewards and tech workers...
the list goes on and on

 

I've been to the gainesville event twice... you get the club from Jacksonville (Jacksonville Mod Squad); you'll get people from the local club in Orlando; you'll get alot of people from Pastelito in Miami.... They actually do a team competition of Pastelito versus JMS (Pastelito has won every year If I remember correctly). I've been their token ladies class driver ;P

 

Here (ATL-GA area) we just have different kind of enthusiast. Most of the WRX/STi/RS guys that was seeing had their cars more suited for drag or road course use. They either know what autox is and laugh, or I tell them what it is and they laugh. In NC there is a good core of SUBARU autoxers, but those numbers are low, around 8~10 people. most of the time all of them make it to all 3 of the regional challenges...well, except the TX one.

OMG S2k C6 Civic Si Mustang Camaro BBQ TOmmi!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Me, 2pt5RS, Karen....thats it really. I'm only active on nasioc for the technical discussion. Honestly, NASIOC does contribute quite a bit, but for our area (ATL-GA) its really dry of users. They are all here except for a small handful.

If there is enough interest, we could do some on our own.

Talk to Rankins. He practically invented the SUBARU Challenge. This was back in 2000~2001. He was running it with CCR during a normal autox. aka not a separate course, just more the a normal number of subarus and there was a special pax value.

With the help of Team Solo and support from the local subaru community, it could be profitable for your club while allowing the enthusiast an outlet for competition and a beginning into the sport.

 

I don't want to sound like a negative nelly but we do get 200 people attending our regular points events in Atlanta.... I'm burned out from our first two events! While I'm sure AR would be willing to help, we'd need more volunteering from non Team Solo people as well...

 

Indeed. But what i was saying is that nasioc/wrxatl double membership is really low. Plus, most of the nasioc guys that were there were not from the GA area. Most from NC, TN, FL and elsewhere. Plus most of those guys autox regularly and attend national events.

Then it wont happen, which I figured. We might get 50 entrants. It would be more of a test and tune at that point. That works out to like $140~$150 per person.

However, that could mean everyone gets 16 or so runs.

 

Maybe we should call it the Subaru Time Attack! Or Subaru Gymkhana! Seriously, why is it that the Time Attack stuff (really just a time trial) or "gymkhana" (still, just an autocross) gets rave reviews from the JDM-y0! crowd, but they turn their noses up at "autocross"? Is it the SCCA connotation?

 

the rules are too complex. I have to agree.