so did the top 3 in each class lock in there spots for the big show in october????? even tho there was a handful of cars in each class???

all that is guaranteed is a provisional starting spot.

From the perspective of a driver that did show up to race, this show was very disappointing.  I had circled it on my calendar as a must attend event and looked forward to racing against the guys who showed last year like Tremble, Kamrath, Sheppard, Inglis, Baker, Walters, Tiemersma, Baker Jr, Kernan and Bull among others. I spoke with Tony at length about it as we were both shocked at the lack of attendance.  What's the answer?  That's certainly the million dollar question isn't it!  Why don't any cars show up period even for a Saturday night show?  The car count has been decent this season so far from what I understand, but Sunday was my first race of the year at Ptbo.  One of the ideas Tony and I tossed around was the complexity of set-ups run in some of these cars now.  If you are trying to run a soft spring deal with or without bump stops, the cars require numerous small changes in sway bar pre-load, stagger, cross weight, bump hardness and packer height to go around a corner at different tracks.  Maybe the amount of work necessary to get a car to turn at Ptbo vs. Sunset, Barrie, Mosport or Sauble isn't worth jeopordizing a set-up that works well at the racers "regular" track.  Colours is fine as it's the final event of the year and no one has to go back home to race.  More and more pressure is put on people at work every day or paying bills or family time etc etc, leisure time comes at a premium now more than ever and sometimes a day at the race track isn't considered leisure for some.  On a Sunday of a long weekend that the Monday is not a holiday, maybe (or obviously?) some guys just said "F" it!  Maybe the racing community from other tracks has finally had enough and all respect has been lost for the Ptbo ownership?  Ask around and you will hear stories about lots of people that have said they won't be back.  These people are obviously standing their ground.  

I can't blame JP for shortening the race up, it was boring as it was and I was in the car!  As far as $ at the gate, how can he predict that 7 cars are going to show to a race that had 16 last year?  When do you make the decision to drop the door rate and what about the guys that were there when the gates opened at 10:30 when hopes were still high for more cars?  It's just not that simple.  It's a sad deal all around, I have loved and still do love racing at Peterborough but it's just not fun anymore without more cars.

I agree...

Well said and concur that with today's setups and tuning abilities with BBSS, Bump Stops, etc, there are teams that get it and those that don't - let alone the fact, only select teams can afford to upgrade while others can't.

Some teams and chassis experts have commented in the following manner;

a) If you can setup your car to run Barrie, it can run just about anywhere....

b) If you can run at Peterborough, you can run any 1/3 or smaller bull-ring.

A & B only apply if the car runs if it's running a conventional setup - though some have observed and stated that BBSS cars are darned close with only minor adjustments required.

Many that I have talked to and posted on forums have said that any LLM Camaro clip car is pretty much toast if you want to be competitive regardless of track - except Peterborough and even then, only if you run the bottom, which may draw conclusions that you have to a full tube chassis and be able to run at least a 1 - 3/8" bar (if not more) and soft "er" spring than a conventional setup - if you want to pass on the outside.

With more and more teams on a steep learning curve (and dollar investment) in learning new chassis options, I would also agree that for those that are running on the thin red line of dollars and sense, some have simply parked their cars to keep their setup for their home track even if it is compatible with another track such as Peterborough. There's a fear that if they wreck, they'll also have a hard time getting it where it needs to be.

I know of at least 6 teams that have simply parked their cars (haven't sold them) and become disinterested or have other things to do with their money instead of racing. Of those 6 teams, I'd be willing to suggest that 4 of them recognize that to be competitive they would need to spend north of $2,000 in suspension / clip upgrades - if they want to be in the pack. They haven't even loaded the car, let alone learn what's required to run the new configuration(s).

That may not seem like a lot of money (especially in racing terms of what a car costs to build and operate), but I honestly believe, for now, we're not going to see a recovery in car counts at some venues until the economy improves and spare funds are available for those that own the cars.

There's one other reason I think is also playing across the province at all tracks - time consumed to maintain these cars. It's not always just dollars. It takes a LOT of a person's free time to get these cars prepped, setup, loaded and on their way to a race track, let alone crew support availability. How many teams can ask their volunteers to run all three days on a long weekend, drive them self (without pay) to a track all three days who often pay their own way in. Not every crewman / woman is that passionate to be at a track during a beautiful long weekend at a race track. 2 days maybe.... many only happy and able, let alone allowed to volunteer for ONE day and that's it.

I'm not sure if any of the competitive teams are willing to step up and volunteer their chassis expertise or not - I would be willing to host a weekday evening event at the speed shop, have a race car put onto the hoist and then let the 'experts' teach (i.e. past champions, points leaders)  or at least convey what they have learned about updated setups so that teams that want to learn and understand what's involved can learn the new ways its done.

Our shop can easily hold 100+ people. If people are willing to chip in a few bucks, we can order in Pizza and Pop too. I could talk to some of the vendors like AFCO, SS, Pro Shocks, Coleman, Howe, etc, and see if they would be willing to "come" to the shop via Video Conference call - so teams can ask questions.

I realize that It's not much that I can do, but perhaps it's a start to helping teams become more competitive and make decisions on where they should or shouldn't invest time and money into their cars.

Those willing to share their chassis expertise and those interested in attending this kind of get together and would like it to happen - PM me.

Our shop is just south of Orillia on Hwy 11.

I honestly believe the days of "extra" money to spend on race cars are long gone, sluggish economy or not.  It costs a lot to live, especially with kids and those expenses alone can tap you and you still need $ to race. It's no longer a deal of going to the scrap yard and picking up what you need or having a buddy that has an inventory of camaro's, nova's and chevelle's behind the barn at his/parents/friends farm.  You need the $ to pick up the phone and order the 10 1/2" control arm for proper camber gain that was never put on a manufactured street car.  I understand where you're going with it, but I don't buy into your theory about the camaro clip all together Doug, tube ones are still based on camaro geometry.  Should be interesting to see if you get any response on your suggestion about an evening of learning....