Ironman National - VIP sections gone wild

JerseyFresh
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8/23/2015 5:48pm
Misleading thread title gets an F. No fighting or tits, wtf man?
plowboy
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8/23/2015 6:29pm
Just got back home from Crawfordsville. The 12 hour drive was a bit of a pain but if you go fast enough it's exciting. As to the OP's comments...I do see his points but IMO this is the best facility/track I've ever been to (including Europe). True, it's not wide open like Thundervalley or GH or Hangtown but the massive trees made for real comfort. More portapots then I've ever seen and scattered all over. They have tunnels everywhere for getting to every side of the track pretty quickly. I chatted with the owners on my way out...just to say thanks for a great venue. I did mention the lack of food vendors and trash cans. They said 2 huge vendors cancelled at the last minute. Couldn't find decent replacements. They honestly just didn't count on the amount of trash the crowd would generate. Both would be remedied next year. Parking was easy in/out but I got there early. And I dare anyone to find fault with the soil or track layout. It's not that "golf course" we've all dreamed about but pretty damn Silly close. Bonus for me...I got to chat with Roger for a bit and finally caught GuyB without a camera stuck to his face. He's not nearly as bad as you guys said.Silly
McSpeed
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8/23/2015 7:07pm
plowboy wrote:
Just got back home from Crawfordsville. The 12 hour drive was a bit of a pain but if you go fast enough it's exciting. As to...
Just got back home from Crawfordsville. The 12 hour drive was a bit of a pain but if you go fast enough it's exciting. As to the OP's comments...I do see his points but IMO this is the best facility/track I've ever been to (including Europe). True, it's not wide open like Thundervalley or GH or Hangtown but the massive trees made for real comfort. More portapots then I've ever seen and scattered all over. They have tunnels everywhere for getting to every side of the track pretty quickly. I chatted with the owners on my way out...just to say thanks for a great venue. I did mention the lack of food vendors and trash cans. They said 2 huge vendors cancelled at the last minute. Couldn't find decent replacements. They honestly just didn't count on the amount of trash the crowd would generate. Both would be remedied next year. Parking was easy in/out but I got there early. And I dare anyone to find fault with the soil or track layout. It's not that "golf course" we've all dreamed about but pretty damn Silly close. Bonus for me...I got to chat with Roger for a bit and finally caught GuyB without a camera stuck to his face. He's not nearly as bad as you guys said.Silly
Your right the track and soil was awesome. No doubt about the owners commitment to have a great track. Just didn't get the food situation and not sure I buy the explanation but it is worth one more try.
DC
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8/23/2015 7:14pm Edited Date/Time 8/23/2015 7:15pm
Two food vendors (seven total stands) cancelled on Friday morning and left everyone scrambling. Local Jimmy Johns and of course Frank's New York Pizzeria stepped up as best they could.
And OP is right, we need to work on overall planning and give fans more access to all viewing areas. 2016 started on the drive home today and all of this feedback is useful, thanks for coming and giving it a look and I hope you enjoyed the weekend.
DC
MX Sports

The Shop

plowboy
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8/23/2015 7:20pm
DC wrote:
Two food vendors (seven total stands) cancelled on Friday morning and left everyone scrambling. Local Jimmy Johns and of course Frank's New York Pizzeria stepped up...
Two food vendors (seven total stands) cancelled on Friday morning and left everyone scrambling. Local Jimmy Johns and of course Frank's New York Pizzeria stepped up as best they could.
And OP is right, we need to work on overall planning and give fans more access to all viewing areas. 2016 started on the drive home today and all of this feedback is useful, thanks for coming and giving it a look and I hope you enjoyed the weekend.
DC
MX Sports
Great season and a grand slam finale DC. Appreciate what you do to drive the juggernaut.
8/23/2015 7:29pm Edited Date/Time 8/23/2015 7:31pm
Sandberm wrote:
So what did it cost you to be in there?
I had the VIP tickets for Hangtown and they were $400.

I'll NEVER go to another MX race without buying the VIP section !!!
I've been to Glen Helen for almost every national, never even thought about buying a $400 ticket
Myke
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8/23/2015 7:37pm
Misleading thread title gets an F. No fighting or tits, wtf man?
I agree!

TV coverage was great!
cable
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8/23/2015 8:02pm
DC, That legends race was awesome! The 25/1 finale was awesome! The whole year was great! can we get the diesel to retire so its not so boring at the end of the 450.. Smile
Im going to indiana next year!
GuyB
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8/23/2015 8:13pm
Warpig wrote:
Sorry, criticism ahead. The Ironman track is great. It has lots of good obstacles, lots of lines, looks great on TV. Its got lots of upside...
Sorry, criticism ahead.

The Ironman track is great. It has lots of good obstacles, lots of lines, looks great on TV. Its got lots of upside. Nobody in his right mind is going to call it a great spectator track though. No matter where you are 75% of the track is out of view, its one of the worst National tracks for seeing lots of the race in person.

It is what it is, its a great track for racing so you accept it and look for the best spot. I Had a good spot last year on top of the cliff near the uphill triple. This year its got a semi parked there with t shirts sales, bike displays and vip seating tent. Last year 500 people were watching the race from a spot where this year they were selling T shirts.. this is the most ridiculous thing I have seen in a long time.

Add that insult to the "holeshot club" that had about 12 people in it. The "private booth" at the top of Godzilla. The gigantic Lucas Oil VIP tent and the whole bottom infield the Red Bull had roped off for about 20 people I saw in there. It is out of control.

You guys have gone from taking a few good areas to taking *all* the best viewing areas. Regular fans were left with the crap. Red Bud isn't like this, Unadilla isnt like this. They have VIP areas but not monopolizing every good spot.

Just an FYI, getting clipped on one account isn't an invitation to sign up a new one.
newmann
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8/23/2015 8:23pm
GuyB wrote:
Just an FYI, getting clipped on one account isn't an invitation to sign up a new one.
Doesn't seem to phase all the others.
GuyB
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8/23/2015 8:25pm
All what others?
oshow
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8/23/2015 8:41pm
Warpig wrote:
Sorry, criticism ahead. The Ironman track is great. It has lots of good obstacles, lots of lines, looks great on TV. Its got lots of upside...
Sorry, criticism ahead.

The Ironman track is great. It has lots of good obstacles, lots of lines, looks great on TV. Its got lots of upside. Nobody in his right mind is going to call it a great spectator track though. No matter where you are 75% of the track is out of view, its one of the worst National tracks for seeing lots of the race in person.

It is what it is, its a great track for racing so you accept it and look for the best spot. I Had a good spot last year on top of the cliff near the uphill triple. This year its got a semi parked there with t shirts sales, bike displays and vip seating tent. Last year 500 people were watching the race from a spot where this year they were selling T shirts.. this is the most ridiculous thing I have seen in a long time.

Add that insult to the "holeshot club" that had about 12 people in it. The "private booth" at the top of Godzilla. The gigantic Lucas Oil VIP tent and the whole bottom infield the Red Bull had roped off for about 20 people I saw in there. It is out of control.

You guys have gone from taking a few good areas to taking *all* the best viewing areas. Regular fans were left with the crap. Red Bud isn't like this, Unadilla isnt like this. They have VIP areas but not monopolizing every good spot.

It won't take long to change, if all this is true. It will be a watch it on TV track no matter how close you live.
GIwasB4
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8/23/2015 8:44pm
GuyB wrote:
All what others?
Ouch.
500guy
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8/23/2015 8:54pm
GuyB wrote:
All what others?
Seems like it happens a lot, People get clipped and jump right back in with a New user name.

GuyB
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8/23/2015 8:56pm
GuyB wrote:
All what others?
500guy wrote:
Seems like it happens a lot, People get clipped and jump right back in with a New user name.

And when I find them I clip the new accounts.
friday10
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8/23/2015 9:05pm
Hangtown was the same way. They take up large areas in prime spots and then have very few people in the area. Also, at Hangtown they...
Hangtown was the same way. They take up large areas in prime spots and then have very few people in the area. Also, at Hangtown they did not have enough food vendors and ran out of food EVERYWHERE before the last moto. It was a joke. Glen Helen is way better and I'll never go back to Hangtown to watch. To the idiot that said just buy VIP. Be reasonable, families can't afford to buy everyone a VIP ticket, that is just foolish.
Imho, Glen helen is no better compared to years past. They don't want you too close to the track in many spots, bad for TV.
DC
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8/24/2015 3:35am
"Imho, Glen helen is no better compared to years past. They don't want you too close to the track in many spots, bad for TV."

No, it'd because they don't you want so close that you might get by a bike cartwheeling off one of the hills or big jumps. There also has to be full medical access on either side of the track (which is impossible in some cases but we try to work around it).. You're still closer at a motocross race than any baseball field, football stadium or NASCAR race that I can think of it, except for Daytona with the very high and thick safety fences...

There's a balance and we do our best to find it, and we will be working on overhead shots from every round this off-season to see where we can make it a better but keep it safe.

DC
MX Sports
Indy mxer
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8/24/2015 4:00am
We went last year to the mudfest. So this year was even more of a bonus for us. We took another couple with us. For my friends wife this was her first outdoor national and she loved it. She kept saying it was so cool to get so close to the action. (she's only been to SX)
Her and my wife wanted to be in the first turn for every start.

The track and weather were awesome. The soil there is perfect, imo.
I can't comment on the food situation since we were in the WPS/Fly hospitality tent. But it sounds like a couple vendors bailed at the last minute. The trash can situation is very easy to correct and I'm sure they'll fix it.
I agree about all the crap setup by the Lucas oil vip tent. It did take up too much of the prime viewing area.

I'm sure next year will be even better. Since we only live about 90 minutes south of the track it's great to have a race so close. It looked like they had a big crowd and hopefully it keeps getting better. My brother is friends with the owner and he's truly a great guy.

Nice job DC and crew!!
motomike137
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Fenton, MI, USA
8/24/2015 4:06am
DC wrote:
"Imho, Glen helen is no better compared to years past. They don't want you too close to the track in many spots, bad for TV." No...
"Imho, Glen helen is no better compared to years past. They don't want you too close to the track in many spots, bad for TV."

No, it'd because they don't you want so close that you might get by a bike cartwheeling off one of the hills or big jumps. There also has to be full medical access on either side of the track (which is impossible in some cases but we try to work around it).. You're still closer at a motocross race than any baseball field, football stadium or NASCAR race that I can think of it, except for Daytona with the very high and thick safety fences...

There's a balance and we do our best to find it, and we will be working on overhead shots from every round this off-season to see where we can make it a better but keep it safe.

DC
MX Sports
DC, thanks very much for everything you do relative to our beloved outdoor MX and thanks very much for being accessible and paying attention to us and the things we have to say. This sport is truly unlike any other and It seems to be in the hands of somebody who truly has a passion and gives a damn! The series this year was fantastic in every way, it had unbelievable highs and the heartbreak of defeat. I cannot wait to see what 2016 has in store for us!

Mike
Team Ideal
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8/24/2015 5:11am
DC wrote:
Two food vendors (seven total stands) cancelled on Friday morning and left everyone scrambling. Local Jimmy Johns and of course Frank's New York Pizzeria stepped up...
Two food vendors (seven total stands) cancelled on Friday morning and left everyone scrambling. Local Jimmy Johns and of course Frank's New York Pizzeria stepped up as best they could.
And OP is right, we need to work on overall planning and give fans more access to all viewing areas. 2016 started on the drive home today and all of this feedback is useful, thanks for coming and giving it a look and I hope you enjoyed the weekend.
DC
MX Sports
the OP has a point, lack of viewing from the best spots from last year were gone. glad it's on your radar. all the guys we talked to really liked the track changes so great job there. the track was awesome, losing the best viewing spots not so much and sucks for the food vendors to bail at the last minute, on the other hand the beer tents/stands were quick to get through. personally I think making it the last round was a solid move, hope it's there to stay.
MudPup545
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8/24/2015 5:24am
Red Bud offers two VIP sections. A family of four would cost me $480 or $620. This does NOT include event tickets. Sorry, I'll just sit with the others in steerage class and watch the top of the riders helmets go by because even that view is blocked by banners.
8/24/2015 5:43am Edited Date/Time 8/24/2015 6:01am
500guy wrote:
Sounds like you need to buy a VIP ticket if it bothers you so bad. Always love it when people sign up just to bitch. Like...
Sounds like you need to buy a VIP ticket if it bothers you so bad. Always love it when people sign up just to bitch.

Like the clown complaining about Dungey not liking his stalking him.
Can't agree with that.


You can set up t shirt trucks in areas that don't provide a good viewing of the track.


If the riders aren't getting paid, atleast make the experience the best you can for the spectator.

And he's got validity in his argument. If 500 people were watching from where the new t shirt truck and vip tents sit....then move the vip and t shirt trucks.

Clearly it will be better next year as DC explained.
jmx411
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Leesville, SC, USA
8/24/2015 6:03am
I wasn't able to attend but did have family. They thought the track was amazing. Their only complaints was food vendors which DC explained why that was a problem.

The other complaint was not being able to see the whole track, which the only other nationals we have been to is Steel City, High Point and Budds Creek and they have the best viewing of any tracks on the schedule.

Overall they said they will attend this event on a yearly basis.
8/24/2015 7:39am
Warpig wrote:
Sorry, criticism ahead. The Ironman track is great. It has lots of good obstacles, lots of lines, looks great on TV. Its got lots of upside...
Sorry, criticism ahead.

The Ironman track is great. It has lots of good obstacles, lots of lines, looks great on TV. Its got lots of upside. Nobody in his right mind is going to call it a great spectator track though. No matter where you are 75% of the track is out of view, its one of the worst National tracks for seeing lots of the race in person.

It is what it is, its a great track for racing so you accept it and look for the best spot. I Had a good spot last year on top of the cliff near the uphill triple. This year its got a semi parked there with t shirts sales, bike displays and vip seating tent. Last year 500 people were watching the race from a spot where this year they were selling T shirts.. this is the most ridiculous thing I have seen in a long time.

Add that insult to the "holeshot club" that had about 12 people in it. The "private booth" at the top of Godzilla. The gigantic Lucas Oil VIP tent and the whole bottom infield the Red Bull had roped off for about 20 people I saw in there. It is out of control.

You guys have gone from taking a few good areas to taking *all* the best viewing areas. Regular fans were left with the crap. Red Bud isn't like this, Unadilla isnt like this. They have VIP areas but not monopolizing every good spot.

Hey WarPig,
I didn't read all of the other comments, so sorry if this was already repeated....we said the same thing about some of the VIP and Hospitality tents that were setup at the Millville National. Two big tents setup in some pretty prime spots at Spring Creek and just like you said at Ironman.....not that many people underneath them. I read someone saying you need to buy a VIP deal and stop complaining about it. Okay, sure.....that might be something to look at for future nationals. I honestly have no idea what is costs or if its even available to the general public. To me if they are not full of people....#1 people are not willing to pay #2 its not available to everyone. But I could be just talking out of my ass, but I see what you are talking about. I know 2 years ago they had a couple sets of bleachers set up at Bob's Corner at Millville....which was a pretty nice spot to watch at least part of the motos from. Now this year, the bleachers have been removed and a tent with hardly anybody under it taking up about the same space. So I get you frustrations on trying to find a good spot to watch and having a rig/tent placed in a good spot.
jmx411
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Leesville, SC, USA
8/24/2015 7:50am
Warpig wrote:
Sorry, criticism ahead. The Ironman track is great. It has lots of good obstacles, lots of lines, looks great on TV. Its got lots of upside...
Sorry, criticism ahead.

The Ironman track is great. It has lots of good obstacles, lots of lines, looks great on TV. Its got lots of upside. Nobody in his right mind is going to call it a great spectator track though. No matter where you are 75% of the track is out of view, its one of the worst National tracks for seeing lots of the race in person.

It is what it is, its a great track for racing so you accept it and look for the best spot. I Had a good spot last year on top of the cliff near the uphill triple. This year its got a semi parked there with t shirts sales, bike displays and vip seating tent. Last year 500 people were watching the race from a spot where this year they were selling T shirts.. this is the most ridiculous thing I have seen in a long time.

Add that insult to the "holeshot club" that had about 12 people in it. The "private booth" at the top of Godzilla. The gigantic Lucas Oil VIP tent and the whole bottom infield the Red Bull had roped off for about 20 people I saw in there. It is out of control.

You guys have gone from taking a few good areas to taking *all* the best viewing areas. Regular fans were left with the crap. Red Bud isn't like this, Unadilla isnt like this. They have VIP areas but not monopolizing every good spot.

TalkinMoto wrote:
Hey WarPig, I didn't read all of the other comments, so sorry if this was already repeated....we said the same thing about some of the VIP...
Hey WarPig,
I didn't read all of the other comments, so sorry if this was already repeated....we said the same thing about some of the VIP and Hospitality tents that were setup at the Millville National. Two big tents setup in some pretty prime spots at Spring Creek and just like you said at Ironman.....not that many people underneath them. I read someone saying you need to buy a VIP deal and stop complaining about it. Okay, sure.....that might be something to look at for future nationals. I honestly have no idea what is costs or if its even available to the general public. To me if they are not full of people....#1 people are not willing to pay #2 its not available to everyone. But I could be just talking out of my ass, but I see what you are talking about. I know 2 years ago they had a couple sets of bleachers set up at Bob's Corner at Millville....which was a pretty nice spot to watch at least part of the motos from. Now this year, the bleachers have been removed and a tent with hardly anybody under it taking up about the same space. So I get you frustrations on trying to find a good spot to watch and having a rig/tent placed in a good spot.
IMO VIP is worth the money with all the food and drinks and can handle during the race. What DC and MX Sports need to do is have a map or layout of where the VIP tents will be months before the race so that people can see if its worth it to buy and sit there. It will also let people buying a "regular" ticket know that the best viewing spot will be taken up.

DC if you already do this disregard my comment.
BSmooth13
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8/24/2015 8:13am
jmx411 wrote:
IMO VIP is worth the money with all the food and drinks and can handle during the race. What DC and MX Sports need to do...
IMO VIP is worth the money with all the food and drinks and can handle during the race. What DC and MX Sports need to do is have a map or layout of where the VIP tents will be months before the race so that people can see if its worth it to buy and sit there. It will also let people buying a "regular" ticket know that the best viewing spot will be taken up.

DC if you already do this disregard my comment.
Sandberm - The tickets were about $200 per. I understand how that may well be out of some people's range, and I can definitely understand OP's frustration. For myself and my wife - neither of whom had attended a national before - what was included in the VIP ticket made the choice a no-brainer. Without having ever been to Muddy Creek, the inclusion of parking was crucial, and I was pleasantly surprised at the amount and quality of food that was served for lunch - not to mention the free drinks. One of the guys who was working the area and seemed to be coordinating things was freakin' awesome. Constantly checking in on everyone, walking back and forth with water bottles to make sure everyone was staying cool (was a very warm day), and was just an overall extremely friendly guy. Their was a dispute between a couple of idiots next to us and the staff resolved it quickly. The quality of service and the value of all that was included with the single purchase was exceptional, and I will definitely be purchasing the same tickets for next year's race.

JMX - I don't know how far ahead they publish, but there are maps posted online (should be on races website, I would assume. That was the case for Muddy Creek) that mark the location of the VIP area, among other things. As a first timer to the facility, I relied heavily on this in figuring out where these seats would be before purchasing.

DC - As I mentioned above, they crew who worked the VIP area at Muddy Creek was top-notch. If you happen to scroll through and read this, I wanted you to know that the service and experience they provided is a major reason why my wife and I will be returning to the race next year and purchasing VIP tickets. I also appreciate the response I received to an email prior to the event which helped to clarify a parking question I had. Usually these types of things are ignored, but someone in your crew got back to me within the day. I understand you can't make everyone happy, but I want to point out the extremely positive experience the two of us had at Muddy Creek.
WVUpetro2013
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8/24/2015 12:09pm
As a frequent attendee of high point, I will say they excellent viewing of most of the track.
TG130
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8/24/2015 10:27pm Edited Date/Time 8/24/2015 10:32pm
Hangtown was the same way. They take up large areas in prime spots and then have very few people in the area. Also, at Hangtown they...
Hangtown was the same way. They take up large areas in prime spots and then have very few people in the area. Also, at Hangtown they did not have enough food vendors and ran out of food EVERYWHERE before the last moto. It was a joke. Glen Helen is way better and I'll never go back to Hangtown to watch. To the idiot that said just buy VIP. Be reasonable, families can't afford to buy everyone a VIP ticket, that is just foolish.
Several years back at Hangtown they used to let people park along the track in front of the uphill section just before the oak tree turn. A 100 yard section of prime viewing area rendered useless by a wall of cars that should not have been allowed to park there. I don't know what they were thinking, but they sure weren't being very smart. I'm not complaining about not being able to see the entire track from one spot - that's pretty much impossible at most tracks, just the fact that they would be idiotic enough to waste a good viewing spot to park cars.

As for the food, I always either bring my own or eat a big meal before getting to the track. Most of the food sold at MX races can be classified as toxic waste.
indy_maico
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8/25/2015 4:52am
If you want to see the whole track, then you have to come to Indy for the Supercross April 9, 2016.

I haven't been to an outdoor since the last Troy race. One thing that really struck me after attending nothing but SX here in Indy and MotoGP at the speedway since that last outdoor I attended: how close you get to the action. It is awesome to see these guys at work up close.

Far better than any other motorsport!
Darryl916
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Budds Creek, MD, USA
8/25/2015 7:12am Edited Date/Time 8/25/2015 7:43am
Everyone and their mom wanted the sport to "grow". Now you have it.

Pay up suckers.

I for one liked this sport more when it revolved more around the average folks/ weekend warrior amateur racers. Now there are more super fast guys. More tv coverage. More extortion. And less room for the average guy. Amateur racing numbers are way down unless you are super fast and rich. It's a ton of super fast rich kids now. Live, in person, spectators are down. Ticket prices and live TV are up though.


Oh, yeah, jump sizes are up too. Sport is growing that's for sure, but for who's benefit and at what expense?

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