Northeast Speedway
Racing Association

NSRA News April 15, 2005

Editors Note: By Tim Mathewson

Back in the fall of 1997 I got the bright idea that the eastern speedway community needed a way to keep up on the happenings in the area and also of speedway elsewhere in the US and the world. After publishing a single issue of "East Coast Speedway News" it was apparent that I was in over my head. Enter Ian C. Blair, a displaced California speedway fan living in Long Island NY. Ian just happened to work in the publishing industry and was willing to take what I had started and run with it. After several years of publishing the well-received quarterly newsletter, Ian decided enough was enough. Speedway politics had become a problem and in general, there was little support for ECSN from within the sport it was trying to serve.

Fast forward to 2005; there still exists a need for a printed, land-mailed source of Speedway Motorcycle Racing info to keep enthusiasts informed. Though the internet has been around to for a while many in the speedway community are still not comfortable or active online. Make no mistake; speedway in the US lives by the internet. But for those who do not participate online I hope that NSRA News can be a source of information for as long as the speedway community needs.

’05 ECSS Expands to 8 rounds:

The East Cast Speedway Series will add two more rounds for 2005. Organized by the NSRA in 2003 the series is intended to enhance cooperation between speedway promotions in the eastern US and Canada. Since its inception the series has added at least one new venue per year. In ’04 rounds were added at Jolly Rogers Motorsports Park in East Lempster, NH and at Paris Ontario Canada. For ’05 there will be an additional round at Paris as well as the opening round being held at Conway SC.

’05 ECSS Schedule:

• R1. 5/20 Conway, SC;
• R2. 5/21 Red Springs, NC;
• R3. 7/2 St Alex Quebec, Canada;
• R4. 7/16 East Lempster, NH;
• R5. 7/ 23 Welland Ontario, Canada;
• R6. 8/13 Paris, Ontario;
• R7. 9/ 4 Paris, Ontario;
• R8. 9/24 Harpursville, NY.

For more detailed info log onto www.NSRAonline.com or call the NSRA Speedway Hotline at (607) 687-3458.

Local Schedules:

At the time that this newsletter is being published, there are still no definite NY speedway schedules except the September 24 SDR event. There are reports that negotiations are ongoing for someone to lease APE from Jason Bonsignore with an expected opening date of Memorial Day weekend. However, a lease is not in place at this time. There is still no word on a schedule for Champion Speedway in Owego though. Please Call JBR Racing at 585.723.9746 with an questions.

NSRA Needs You:

The NSRA is looking for riders, staff, fans, supporters and above all participating members. Since 2000 the NSRA has attempted to offer the speedway community some additional directions to help insure the future of the sport on the east coast. By staging events at non-speedway venues, initiating the ECSS and doing preseason promotional work, we have opened doors that can keep the sport growing. Unfortunately, active membership in the club has dwindled from 45 in ’00 to 15 in ’05. We need your support!

There are many ways to participate in NSRA activities with or without making a membership commitment to the group. We can always use a couple extra bodies on our road trips to help flag, score, or take video or photos. We are specifically looking for a NSRA media person(s) to help video and photograph our road trips. This could be a professional in those fields or a student looking for a project to showcase their talents. While we can’t pay our helpers, we do provide transportation to and from the events, make sure they have a place to sleep and enough to eat. In return you get to see what speedway can be like in new places with other promotions. If you would like to experience the ECSS up close and personal, this is your chance! Look at the ECSS schedule and see if you can help out on one of out trips. You won’t regret it!

NSRA Membership Benefits:

The NSRA has attempted to build in value for 2005 members. While membership has never been required to attend NSRA meetings or participate in NSRA events, this year membership will save you money wherever possible. We have always tried to keep costs of our road events manageable for riders have never charged a sign up fee. This season, Members will get FREE SIGNUP at NSRA run events (Conway, Red Springs, East Lepmster, SDR) while non-members will be required to pay a nominal fee. Our first road trip of the season will have two events in two nights. At $25 sign-up for each event you can quickly see that a $50 NSRA membership is quite a deal. Add to that discounted travel expenses and bike-delivery charges for members, you can see members will save money on the first trip of the season. We are also working on discounted admission where possible but nothing definite has been set up yet. We have always given everyone the best deal we could. We will continue to do the same this season. The choice is yours. You can pay us now or pay us at sign up. Either way, membership is still not required.

Fundraising:

For 2005 the NSRA will be publishing an ECSS yearbook featuring reports and photos from the ’04 ECSS. The yearbook, once published will be free to Sponsors and available at a nominal cost at every ECSS round and via www.nsraonline.com. The purpose of the yearbook is to showcase our sponsors and to provide additional publicity for series venues and riders. We will feature rider profiles and lots of series photos. Of course, we hope that advertising sold will also give an added financial benefit to the NSRA. It is our hope to eventually be able to build the ECSS point fund up and possibly supplement the local purses of ECSS rounds. It all depends on how many yearbook adds we can sell.

The NSRA is also looking for donated items that we can sell on Ebay. Have some stuff laying around that you really don’t want but think it is too good to throw away? Donate it to the NSRA and we can us it to insure the future of speedway in the area. All donations will get you an free NSRA teeshirt.

Getting the most out of your sponsorship $$:

Sponsorship should sometime be considered a dirty word. It implies the person providing the money really doesn’t expect a return on their investment. The NSRA is working hard to give our "marketing partners" value for every dollar they give us. As a non-profit organization, we don’t have a lot of operating expenses above and beyond our actual event expenses. That being said, the more money we raise the more we can put back into the sport. Right now, several NSRA members fund most club projects. With increased marketing activities such as free event programs, the ECSS yearbook and preseason PR displays we can offer our marketing partners greater value than a simple billboard at the local track. We offer our partners exposure to a variety of motorsports/powersports enthusiasts over a wide geographical area through the ECSS. The NSRA wants the opportunity to serve those who support the speedway community. For information on marketing packages, contact us.

Speedway Express ready for action:

For those of you who don’t already know, last summer the NSRA invested in a 66-passenger school bus with the plans of converting it into an RV/Race hauler. We are happy to announce that the conversion is nearing completion! We hope that by our first trip in May, that we will have everything finished including full kitchen and bath with sleeping/seating for 15 passengers. The interior layout also has space for hauling bikes behind the rear wheel wells or adding additional seating and bunks if needed. The "Express" will be available for members and non-members on a space available basis. If you are a fan that would like to tag along on the road, feel free to give us a call and we will see if we have room.

Support the businesses that support speedway:

Let’s face it Speedway doesn’t have a whole lot to offer its supporters other than exposing their business to our fans and riders. That is what makes it so important for everyone involved in the sport to support those who support speedway whenever possible. Need tires for your car? Looking for a better deal on home heating oil? Need machine work done on your auto, recreational or industrial engine? Need to buy a last minute gift for that special someone? Look no further than the event program for your local speedway venue. Make sure you tell them you where you found their name and that you appreciate them supporting your favorite motorsport.

Speedway Riders wanted:

It seems like the usual cycle of speedway in NY being revived only for rider participation to dwindle several years down the line is once again repeating itself. We are looking for riders of all ages and experience levels, especially YOUNG riders. If are or know someone that has had enough of the MX grind, give speedway a try. If you are someone who has a child that needs some hobbies but just isn’t into the "stick and ball" sports but you don’t want to sink a ton of $$ into that racing cars, give speedway a try. The NSRA has both full size and junior speedway bikes available for anyone to try in the hopes that we can entice some new riders onto the track without them having to invest first. Just give us a call and we will set up a test session at one of the local tracks.

Other sources of Speedway Info:

www.speedwaybikes.com   www.squaredealriders.com   www.jbrspeedway.com

Cycle News (714.751.7433) Motorcyclists Post, 11 Haven Lane Huntington, CT 06484

For more information on NSRA activities or to comment on the content of this newsletter, please write us at NSRA PO Box 634 Owego NY, 13827 or call 607.687.3458

Thank for reading!