We were able to secure a new venue for an event on May 11, the Airdrie Airpark. We are fortunate enough to have this first event at a new venue. This will count towards the series championship but the best of 7 rule still remains.
Registration is now open to everyone at the following link:
https://www.motorsportreg.com/events/sasc-airdrie-solo-event-1-air-park-southern-alberta-solosport-club-615319
Since the primary tenant at the Airdrie Airpark is the flying club, and they primarily fly out on Saturday mornings, we cannot get access to the runway till 10:00am, and must be completely off the runway by 6:30pm. This has caused us to have to compress/change our schedule, reduce our entry cap to 60 people, and then increase fees slightly. We feel comfortable that we should be able at 6 runs with this large of a group, and wanted to plan for contingency as it is a new site.
The schedule and fees (also in the link above) are as follows:
Daily ItineraryAirdrie Air Park
10:00am – Gates Open, drive to and park in PITS as shown on map below (20km/hr speed limit on runway)
10:45am – Gates Close, no entry after this time (Gate is electronically locked and not manned full time during event, gate exit on request only)
11:00am - On-Site Mandatory Check-In (with timing vehicle) & Vehicle Tech Inspection Close
11:00am – Course open for walking/Guided Course Walk (aka Rookie Course Walk)/Group 1 cars may move to grid
11:40am – Mandatory Drivers Meeting - Group 1 cars must be in grid with all equipment needed to run/Group 1 Workers ready to work after meeting.
12:00pm - First car out, start of timed runs
5:30pm – Timed Runs Must Finish, Takedown & Cleanup
6:30pm – Everything must be off-site, Runway Now Active
NOTE: Anyone that has not checked in with the timing vehicle prior to 11:00am will not be allowed to run that day, no exceptions. Online registration is different from the on-site check-in with the workers in the timing vehicle.
Airdrie Air Park Fees• $90 – Members Online Payment (cutoff is 60hrs before event starts)
• $110– Members Late Sign Up Fee (cutoff is 18hrs before event starts)
• $110 – Non-Members Online Payment (cutoff is 60hrs before event starts)
• $130 – Non-Members Late Sign Up Fee (cutoff is 18hrs before event starts)
While I understand this cost is higher than we usually have for events. This has been a reality we have faced in our search for venues closer to the City of Calgary. The costs for this venue are higher, and our time window shorter, forcing us to have a lower cap for entrants as well.
If you compare this with Fort Macleod, you will save a considerable amount of time and probably $50 in gas to get there and back. We will be reviewing how this event went after it is completed to review changes for the future. The site owner may also need to do the same.
Additional Notes about Airdrie Airpark Site:
- This is a new site for our club, some of the timing and logistics will be flexible in the day, but we cannot enter the runway until 10:00am and must vacate it completely by 6:30pm. We appreciate everyone's effort to help this event run as smooth and as quickly as possible. This time restraint is the reasoning behind the 60 vehicle cap
- Due to the configuration of the site and security, the gate will only be manned for the start of the day and the end of the day. If you need to leave the site for any reason it may be done by request. This will be discussed at the drivers meeting once we have finalized run groups.
- There will be no lunch break, the only breaks will be between heats depending on group orientation. Please make sure to bring food with you for the day, try your best to eat prior to the start of the event and eat between running/working, again depending on group configuration.
- The site configuration is similar to Fort MacLeod that there may not be free access between pit and grids based on course design, please make sure you have everything with you at your car when you bring it to grid, it will take a long time to walk back to the pits to get anything
- The portable washrooms will be at the north end of the runway, and we will be at the south, please keep this in mind throughout the day. We are reviewing PIT location to make this more convenient
- Finally, please respect the site speed limit and show respect for the property as it is an active runway (which is shut down for our event).
Map of the site areas: