I guess you must lock your rigs up!

[T Hall]

[why do we need insurance and a pit vehicle sticker and the drunk campers don`t[/QUOTE]

Great point. I guess because we pay a lot more than they do for great customer service.

[BKSG1198]

Because NHRA knows that we will pay the $ 10.00 at the gate to get the sticker but, if they charge the "Fans" of the sport it may shy them away from coming to the event and we wouldn't want that.

Kelli Barbato had her bike taken at the National Event at E-Town because they have 2 bikes and a golf cart and NHRA only gave them 1 sticker. Her B/F took the scooter up to the lanes to help out on a friends A/Fuel car and came back and the the scooter was gone. They would not release the bike until she proved that she had a sticker for the bike. She had to "Get Another" sticker from someone and he still would not allow her to leave with the bike until she put it on the bike, but, we have spectators rolling in with Golf Carts, Quads, Mini-Bikes on trailers into National Events not needed a sticker and they can do whatever they want to including harming other spectators.

[SSTHottie1236]

Yeah, they said they were doing all this to help us racer. Seriously, how was my poor boyfriend searching for an hour and a half for my scooter then me having to find a sticker and fight with the Full Throttle official after I had just went .002 red first round HELPFUL?!?!?!?! I think it would be more effective to police golf carts, bikes, and scooters coming in from the spectators. They all need to come through the ticket booth, how hard would it be, seriously?

Kelli
1236 S/ST
1836 S/G

[SSTHottie1236]

Oh yeah and PS: They NEVER asked me for proof of insurance. I had it in my pocket and everything and the NEVER asked!!!! Makes me wonder a little...

[SST 3728]

So here is how it went...up in the lanes for third time trial, next car out for burnout, dad comes and tells me to call home as soon as I get back to the trailer. After the run, do my weather check and call home to find out discover card called the house to ask about some charges to my credit card. Went through the charges and told them that I havent made any charges to the card all in the last few days. They said so you didnt go to Wal-mart in norwalk, oh. Then asked if I had my Credit card in my posession, I just said yea, without checking my wallet, which was in the motorhome. Then it hit me that I better just go check and make sure it is there. As soon as I got my wallet and picked it up it seemed to light and thin. Sure enough Three credit cards and $750 in cash was gone out of my wallet. I started right away and cancelled all of the credit cards. Found out they had put about $700 on my discover card at walmart and kmart, and about $600 on my visa card at different stores in norwalk and sandusky. As I was doing that I had them tell me all of the times of the purchases, amounts, and transaction ID numbers. I called the police and made a police report including all of the information I had gathered. Turns out that the stuff was stolen while I was up in the lanes for the first time trial, because the first charge on the credit card was 12:22pm and I made my first time trial at 11:30am. I had no reason to get anything out of my wallet through out the day, So didnt know anything was wrong until discover card called. All day thursday I was looking for my sunglasses. I had them on that morning and then set them down somewhere and couldnt find them. Wasn't too worried because I was changing the trans in Jenkins SG car, so I was busy with that until the second time trial. Later that night I was still looking for my glasses and Paul Fidler overheard me asking if anyone had seen them, and he went to his trailer and came back with my glasses. I guess the guy pitted next to him gave them to him and thought that they had fallen out of his dually when he got out. They weren't his so he just held onto them. Then Friday morning before first round I was talking to Ed Apple, he was parked right next to the campgrounds, i was telling him to lok eerything up when he goes to the lanes and told him how they stole all of my stuff. He then tells me that thursday after his first time trial he was sitting in his motorhome doing his log book and some random guy opened the door to his motorhome and stated to walk in when he saw ED, The guy then asks, " did you lose these sunglasses." So I'm sure thaose were the sunglasses that came from my motorhome, and he used them as a cover up then ditched them by Fidler's truck. I talked to Both Bader's and they pretty much said, sorry tough luck nothing we can do. I have called the police back everyday since then was no reponse from the deputy or even a return call. They were going to get security video from the stores because they knew pretty much the description of the guy, and was going to bring me a still photo so i could look for the guy. I didnt get a photo and no way to find him when the event is over. I expressed to Bader that it is a bad idea that the camper's are in the same area as racer's. We had this same problem the last few years with campers moving into vacant pit spots on saturday and sunday when racer's that lost have left. Everyone I talked to I told them I had to be a camper, and everyone said well how do you know I caould have been a racer just as easy, then that just makes you even more mad. The same guy who walked into Ed Apple's motorhome had to be the same guy who took my stuff, and If it was a racer i'm sure Ed would have recognized him. I only live about 40 miles from norwalk and like Chris Depascale said, Unless someone can me it right, or even seem to give a crap about the situation i'm going to have a hard time going back.

Alex MIller

[slow dragster]

I agree with Greg. My wife had her number stolen and we recovered all that was spent on it. Took a while and was a hassle but we did get it.
Sucks we need to lock our stuff when we leave. But until things change there it will always happen. We did not go this year but have been in the past. Fortunatley we did not have any issues there.

[Rick Blake]

Sorry to hear you got hit....at commerce for the spring nationals this year three racers that I know of got hit pretty bad also....I hate having to lock my stuff up, but I have started doing so at tracks I'm unfamiliar with

[buzzinhalfdozen]

When me and my brother ran the circuit we only locked up at 2 tracks, in fact we were advised by the tracks staff to do so. Norwalk is my home track and I really hate the idea that I must guard my stuff there it hasn't always been that way but I guess it's a sign of the times. We really need to mix the classes somewhat and need to make freinds with our neighbors so when we're gone from our pits they can keep an eye on things. I guess we need to look out for each other since no one else seems interested in doing it.Joe

[voltdr]

There was a similar incident at the National event in Dallas in 2008 (Texas Motorplex). While in the staging lanes for the first TT, several people near me had their stuff stolen. They found one of the cards was sent via FEDEX to Atlanta and they tried to use it there. About 2 years ago I bought one of those fireproof safes and bolted it to my trailer in the gooseneck with self locking bolts and nuts. It has one of those barrel type keys and I keep the key with me at all times. Seems to work. BTW most of us believed that this was the result of the cleanup crews that empty the trash cans in the area. This happened on day one when the cans were empty but there were plenty of crew around keeping the place clean.

[SST 3728]

Went and looked at the security video from Wal-mart of the guy using my credit card. Really hard to make out with him wearing hat and sunglasses, and of course they use VHS tape so it was top notch quality. Doesn't look like I have any chance of catching him unless someone can ID him.