Sebring Audi Corral update:
03-03-2007, 06:07 AM
#1
AudiWorld Super User
Thread Starter
Sebring Audi Corral update:
Sorry for the long post, but a lot is going on a time is running out.
As you may know, AoA took our corral away from us without telling us and without our permission. But we have gotten beyond that, and AoA wants to host a great corral and make it better than any other car corral at Sebring. AoA is stepping up the amenities:
-Usual large hospitality tent
-Wood floor in the hospitality tent
-Air conditioned bathrooms
-Food/drinks on Friday and Saturday
-Gift bags for everyone (Audi flag, Audi hat, lanyard, etc)
-24 Hour security
-And other nice touches.
But this all comes at a cost. The corral that the club has provided for everyone in past years has been free, and has always been very successful. This year, Audi wants to charge money for each person...probably around $75 each. This is a lot of money, but if you look at all that you will get, it is a pretty good deal. It just was a better deal in the past to having fewer amenities and not haing to pay. And at the end of the day, the $75 doesn't even come close to covering the costs of the corral. For those of you who do not know, the corral last year cost in excess of $25,000. This year I would venture to guess that the cost is upwards of $35,000.
How the tickets will work:
The corral will have a flat fee per person, with no race ticket packages included. So you can go buy your tickets and parking passes directly from Sebring, and only worry about buying the corral pass. We don't know how AoA is going to sell these corral passes. Since they are so late in the game, I think they may just end up selling them at the corral entrance when you pull up. They might be able to set up an online store in the next few days to sell the tickets in advance and then you would just pick up your corral passes at will call. I am still waiting to hear how AoA will do this...
Although we are all very disappointed in how this has played out this year, I want to ask you all to please come out and pay the $75 to join us in the corral. The ONLY way for us to make sure this corral doesn't turn into a formal snob corral is for all of us to come out and party like we always do. I'll be bringing about 9 cases of beer to share with everyone, and I expect to see the same antics and have a great time. We shall overcome with alcohol and golf carts.
The good news is that AoA has asked Andy Sattler to organize the corral and manage it. Andy does not work for Audi, but his company is contracted with Audi to manage the VIP corrals/hospitality areas for Audi at all the races. Andy is an old friend of the club and a great guy. He has known us since '01, and has always given us free swag to give away to our club members. I am helping Andy with this project, and although he has a huge challenge to pull this together so quickly, he can do it and we'll do everything we can to help him.
AND, here is some more good news: George Osmun, Robin and I have been working on T-shirts for the corral. They will have the R8 Sports car and R10 racecar on the back, and our club logo/revo logo as well. It should be a very cool shirt, and we will probably try and sell them for maybe $5 or $10 as a club fundraiser. So bring cash for club corral shirts!
Thank you all for the many offers of help that you have offered me in the past couple of weeks. I will need your help with manning a Club table in the corral, so if you would like to volunteer to sit at a table for a period of 2-3 hours (while drinking beer and partying it up), drop me an email. I need a club table to sell shirts, pass out club brochures, and just be a club point person.
I'll keep you all updated; thank you all, and see you in 2 weeks!!!!!!!!!
As you may know, AoA took our corral away from us without telling us and without our permission. But we have gotten beyond that, and AoA wants to host a great corral and make it better than any other car corral at Sebring. AoA is stepping up the amenities:
-Usual large hospitality tent
-Wood floor in the hospitality tent
-Air conditioned bathrooms
-Food/drinks on Friday and Saturday
-Gift bags for everyone (Audi flag, Audi hat, lanyard, etc)
-24 Hour security
-And other nice touches.
But this all comes at a cost. The corral that the club has provided for everyone in past years has been free, and has always been very successful. This year, Audi wants to charge money for each person...probably around $75 each. This is a lot of money, but if you look at all that you will get, it is a pretty good deal. It just was a better deal in the past to having fewer amenities and not haing to pay. And at the end of the day, the $75 doesn't even come close to covering the costs of the corral. For those of you who do not know, the corral last year cost in excess of $25,000. This year I would venture to guess that the cost is upwards of $35,000.
How the tickets will work:
The corral will have a flat fee per person, with no race ticket packages included. So you can go buy your tickets and parking passes directly from Sebring, and only worry about buying the corral pass. We don't know how AoA is going to sell these corral passes. Since they are so late in the game, I think they may just end up selling them at the corral entrance when you pull up. They might be able to set up an online store in the next few days to sell the tickets in advance and then you would just pick up your corral passes at will call. I am still waiting to hear how AoA will do this...
Although we are all very disappointed in how this has played out this year, I want to ask you all to please come out and pay the $75 to join us in the corral. The ONLY way for us to make sure this corral doesn't turn into a formal snob corral is for all of us to come out and party like we always do. I'll be bringing about 9 cases of beer to share with everyone, and I expect to see the same antics and have a great time. We shall overcome with alcohol and golf carts.
The good news is that AoA has asked Andy Sattler to organize the corral and manage it. Andy does not work for Audi, but his company is contracted with Audi to manage the VIP corrals/hospitality areas for Audi at all the races. Andy is an old friend of the club and a great guy. He has known us since '01, and has always given us free swag to give away to our club members. I am helping Andy with this project, and although he has a huge challenge to pull this together so quickly, he can do it and we'll do everything we can to help him.
AND, here is some more good news: George Osmun, Robin and I have been working on T-shirts for the corral. They will have the R8 Sports car and R10 racecar on the back, and our club logo/revo logo as well. It should be a very cool shirt, and we will probably try and sell them for maybe $5 or $10 as a club fundraiser. So bring cash for club corral shirts!
Thank you all for the many offers of help that you have offered me in the past couple of weeks. I will need your help with manning a Club table in the corral, so if you would like to volunteer to sit at a table for a period of 2-3 hours (while drinking beer and partying it up), drop me an email. I need a club table to sell shirts, pass out club brochures, and just be a club point person.
I'll keep you all updated; thank you all, and see you in 2 weeks!!!!!!!!!
03-03-2007, 08:05 AM
#2
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Thx! Will we still be able to get past gate by just saying "We're going to the Audi corral"?
And paying ten bucks, or whatever it is, for general parking. Right? And race ticket(s), of course.
BTW thanks for all your efforts. I'm sure my g/f and I will appreciate the air conditioned potties & other improvements. Adding $150 to our budget, tho, takes us almost halfway to the price of two grandstand tickets. We also were thinking about the Grand Prix in St. Pete at the end of the month (it includes ALMS this year), but with the new cost, we might have to decide between the two. Right now I still plan to attend the corral because it's been a guaranteed good time, thanks largely to you! I just hope AoA's new "from the top down" approach proves to be as enjoyable as the "from the grassroots up" approach of the club in past years.
BTW thanks for all your efforts. I'm sure my g/f and I will appreciate the air conditioned potties & other improvements. Adding $150 to our budget, tho, takes us almost halfway to the price of two grandstand tickets. We also were thinking about the Grand Prix in St. Pete at the end of the month (it includes ALMS this year), but with the new cost, we might have to decide between the two. Right now I still plan to attend the corral because it's been a guaranteed good time, thanks largely to you! I just hope AoA's new "from the top down" approach proves to be as enjoyable as the "from the grassroots up" approach of the club in past years.
03-03-2007, 09:25 AM
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Yup (edit)
But since you think it's silly ....
I bought the RS6 after coming into some money. I'm still fine for assets but as a retiree, income is limited -- and spending even more so after absorbing a doubling of property taxes and homeowners insurance plus a near doubling of condo fees since 04, when Charley roared through here. In SE Michigan, I'm trying to sell or rent a house in a market worse than Florida; it's been empty for months.
I'm not pleading poverty but like many others in Florida, I've been hit with some sizeable expenses accompanied by no increase in income. The recreational budget is ripe for a reduction, not a hike.
Pricey cars don't alway mean owners have big income. Besides, some RS6s are priced in the 40s now. Does that make me rich?
Finally, to wrap up my pissy rant, I didn't say I wasn't coming to the corral because of the expense. It's been too much fun to miss! But a FL dealer said a few weeks ago there would be a "small fee," and going from zero to $75 doesn't seem small to me. Maybe I'm just a cheapskate, but at less than $100 each including the corral, Sebring was cheap thrills. I'll miss that aspect.
I bought the RS6 after coming into some money. I'm still fine for assets but as a retiree, income is limited -- and spending even more so after absorbing a doubling of property taxes and homeowners insurance plus a near doubling of condo fees since 04, when Charley roared through here. In SE Michigan, I'm trying to sell or rent a house in a market worse than Florida; it's been empty for months.
I'm not pleading poverty but like many others in Florida, I've been hit with some sizeable expenses accompanied by no increase in income. The recreational budget is ripe for a reduction, not a hike.
Pricey cars don't alway mean owners have big income. Besides, some RS6s are priced in the 40s now. Does that make me rich?
Finally, to wrap up my pissy rant, I didn't say I wasn't coming to the corral because of the expense. It's been too much fun to miss! But a FL dealer said a few weeks ago there would be a "small fee," and going from zero to $75 doesn't seem small to me. Maybe I'm just a cheapskate, but at less than $100 each including the corral, Sebring was cheap thrills. I'll miss that aspect.
