March 2021 Evening Lead Meeting - 3/31/21

Welcome!

  • Thank you! Thank you! Thank You!
    • The success of this program is all thanks to the work and enthusiasm that you bring to each Track Night event you are a part of. Thank you so much for being a part of the Track Night Team and working so hard to put on incredible events for our participants.
  • Here's where we are going into the 2021 season
    • 151 events on the books, 8 wrapped up with 82% occupancy
    • Great survey results - Everyone had an awesome time, enjoyed the staff, and 99% likely to tell a friend about Track Night.
    • Currently having the best March we've ever had, with sales up 38% over our March 2019 numbers. All thanks to the awesome people putting on these events.

Contact Info

  • Think of Jenny, Courtney & Kathy as your resource team. If you're at an event and have a question, feel free to reach out to any or all of us, and we will do everything we can to help. Feel free to call or text any of us whenever you need to. We're happy to help!
    • Jenny - 785-708-4490
    • Courtney - 512-289-0764
    • Kathy - 860-841-5083 - aka The Jack Track Hotline

New Things

  • Improvements to the registration process
    • rewording a few questions to make sure people know what they're agreeing to (helmets & convertibles)
    • Rolling registration openings -
      • Currently open for events through May. Tomorrow opening events in June. May first open events in July and so on.
    • SCCA membership checked during registration - much better than the previous system. SCCA Members still save $10 on each of their registrations.
  • Updated and improved pre and post-event emails
  • Improvements to TNIA.com
  • Staffing
    • Each event should have at a minimum - Lead, three coaches (one for each group), and an Admin.
      • Depending on the layout and size of the event, some locations may need an additional person or two. Let us know what you need, and we can make a plan.
    • If you have holes or need extra people, let me know. We've got a bunch of people interested in helping out, and I can help you get connected with someone who could be perfect.
  • Monday Calls
    • Start with upcoming events first so people can hop on and hop off if they have other stuff going on. If you can't make the call but have an event that week, check in with Courtney to confirm that you're all set.
  • Evening Calls
    • Once a month we'll get together like this for any important program announcements and important things we've learned in the last month. Will be recorded and notes sent out.
  • Staffing Sheet

Partners

  • Always mention our partners in drivers meetings. Particularly Tire Rack Performance Rewards and the 30% discount on Hagerty on-track insurance for Track Night events.
  • Featured Partners
    • April - Hagerty - HagertyDriversClub2021
    • May - KONI
    • June - Valvoline
    • September - Falken
  • Expect t-shirts or something similar to hand out each month from the featured partners. Make sure we give an extra special plug in our drivers meetings for the featured partners that month

TNIA Shirts & Hats

  • Make sure all of the TNIA staff at events have TNIA shirts. Kim is our point person for supplies and can get shirts sent out with the supplies for the next event there. We can also send hats if they would like one.

Rules & Things

  • Covid Guidelines
    • We will continue to follow the same COVID guidelines that we have been for the time being with the hopes that we can lighten them soon.
  • Drivers Licenses
    • Check drivers licenses at check-in. It is a requirement for everyone driving at Track Night to have a valid (not-expired) license. It doesn't have to be from the state that the event is in. Have them hold it up for you while you validate it, so you can avoid the germs induced by handling 75 licenses in a row.
  • Helmet Certifications
      • https://www.tracknightinamerica.com/pages/2021-current-helmet-certification-labels
      • We will continue to allow SA and M 2005s through the rest of this year. Good idea to remind anyone that shows up with an '05 that they should start looking for a new helmet
      • We have a deal with SPS to offer discounts on RaceQuip helmets. When people register for a Track Night, there's a code in their registration confirmation email to save money on helmets. As low as $155 shipped to your door.
      • NJMP & AMP have more stringent helmet policies. 2015+ VIR no M rated helmets. Check your location's track page, which you can find here, to see if there are any track-specific rules there.
  • Convertibles
      • https://www.tracknightinamerica.com/pages/required-safety-equipment-car
      • Read over our convertible policy as we clarified it a bit with the website update.
      • During registration drivers have to select one of three options, either that they aren't in a convertible, that their convertible has manufacturer documented factory installed rollover protection, or that they have aftermarket rollover protection that meets our standards (is manufactured for track use, not a "style" bar).
      • We don't have to police every convertible that arrives, since they have told us that their convertible meets our requirements, but if you see one that you know doesn't meet the requirements, or that you have a question about, reach out to Kathy/Jack to get clarification.
  • Race Cars
    • Track Night is for streetcars. Drivers can reach out to Jack Track and request a waiver to be allowed to bring a racecar to Track Night. If Jack gives them a waiver, their name will be highlighted in green on the event roster.
    • If someone comes out with a racecar, use your best judgment on whether or not to let them run that night. If you do, let them know that before they bring the car back, they need to get an official waiver from Jack.
    • Who qualifies for a waiver?
      • People who are new to the track, but somehow ended up with a racecar.
      • Occasionally retired racers who no longer race but still want to have track time
  • Electric Vehicles
    • Some tracks do not allow them:
      • Harris Hill
      • GingerMan
      • Blackhawk
      • Charlotte
      • DCTC
      • Eagles Canyon
      • NJMP
      • Palm Beach
    • If you lead an event at one of these tracks, check the entry list a few days before to see if you have any Teslas that missed the memo and let us know if there's anyone we need to shoot an email to to ask if they have something else they can bring.
    • This info will be on the event pages and on the track location page on TNIA.com

Register for an event as a volunteer to see what the check-in process entails

    • You'll see all the questions asked and get an idea of what people have seen when they register. You'll also get the pre and post-event emails and can have an idea of what they see there.
    • Updates to a few questions:
      • Helmet Certifications - They check a box stating they are planning to bring a helmet that meets our certification requirements
      • Convertibles - They select from a drop down that their car is either:
        • Not a convertible
        • A convertible with manufacturer installed roll-over protection
        • A convertible with an aftermarket rollbar that meets the requirements in the TNIA policy

Incident Reports

    • Snap a photo and send it to Jenny the day of. Helpful if someone has track insurance and files a claim the next day. Otherwise, she has to wait for them to arrive in the mail.

Pro Tips

  • Admin questions
    • Feel free to shoot a text or call me, Jenny or Kathy
    • If anything pops up that Jack should know about, drop Jack a line (i.e. credit for someone's car breaking down in lap two of the first session, etc.)
  • Know when you have the track in case the track has made an internal error, and confirm with them when you arrive.
    • You should have the track for four hours starting from the beginning of Novice Paced Laps. I.e. Novice Paced Laps that start at 4:00, mean you should have the track until 8:00.
    • Note that the last group is always scheduled to end 20 minutes before the end of that 4-hour block, meaning that you have an extra 20-minute window of track time to use if you need to in case of weather or incident-related delays.
  • Towing a car that has locked all four wheels
    • Rollback + Forklift
    • Put it on dollies and roll it onto a flatbed