So you want organize a Victoria Motor Sports event?

If you are interested in becoming the organizer for an event hosted by the VMSC you have come to the right page. Here is some basic information and guidelines that you should consider in your course design and perhaps the overall approach to helping to run an event.

1)  It is important to let the current Competition Director know as soon as possible that you are interested.  This will enable you to find out if there is someone inline to be the event organizer for the event you are interested in running.  If there isn't someone organizing the event, you should be good to go.

2)  Safety is our main concern when hosting events and it is the job of the organizer to layout a course that follows all the safety design rules and is still fun to drive.  There are guidelines for all aspects of course design available but if the designer keeps safety in mind when designing a track layout, these will be followed without too much of an issue.  (sample rules can be found in Section 2.1 and 2.2 of the SCCA 2006 Solo Rules.)

3)  Since we are normally limited with the amount of time we have to run an event, the course layout should ideally enable 2 cars on the course at a time.  This restricts how much a car can loop back on itself in a run and can make things slightly more challenging for the designer.

4)  Placement of the Start and Finish lines are also very important since the timing gear if wired and therefore has a limited range of placement.  The starters table also must have a clear line of sight of the start and finish areas for safety reasons.

5)  Number the work stations on the diagram so workers know where they are going for their work rotation.

5.a)  A blank track template is available here for downloading as well as a sample track design from an event.

6)  Provide a copy of the track design to the Competition Director for their approval.  It is not uncommon to have to make some small adjustments to a design, this is fairly normal.  Once it has been approved it is the Competition Director's job to make copies of the track layout to hand out at the event as well as forward on to the webmaster for posting on the clubs web page.

6)  Once at the track, it is your responsibility to layout the track and ensure that there are people doing all the jobs to make the event a success.  These jobs include track cleanup and layout, registration, technical inspection , and timing.  This is where it comes in handy to be nice to people as you will need several volunteers to make it all happen.  People are normally more than willing to help if you ask them, so, ask them.

7)  Once the event registration has closed and the track layout is complete you should call a drivers meeting.  The drivers meeting covers some safety information about the event as well as to provide some basic information about the course and the event.  This is also where the guidelines are discussed on the run format for the day and any outstanding issues from the last event. 

8)  The last thing to do is hop in your car (if you are driving the event) and have some fun.  When you are not running, you should think of your role during the event as a safety proponent.  Trust me, you will not feel very well if anyone gets injured while at your event so keep an eye out for things that could be improved or pointed out to the club Executives.

9) Above all, be safe and have fun!!!