THE LINE (a Speed Ventures chronicle)

Vol. 1, No. 1 - Aaron Bitterman

TABLE OF CONTENTS

- SV Introduces the "SPEED VENTURES DRIVERS' LADDER" to Keep Track of the

Best Drivers in California, Nevada, Arizona, and Oregon!! Get on the Ladder

Now!

- "Free" WATER & LUNCH Now Included at SV Events!

- SV Institutes New Run Group "Policy" and Registration System

- SV Virtually ELIMINATES YELLOW run group from Schedule to Make Way for

Growing Number of Intermediate Drivers

- SV Announces New Performance Driving Orientation Program for First-Time

Drivers

- SV Seeks Deputy Chief Driving Instructors for SOS! Program

- SV Almost SOLD OUT of Ugly Green and Ugly Yellow T-shirts!

- Announcing a New Easy Way to get on the SV Instructor List

- STREETS OF WILLOW REGISTRATION OPEN

- REGISTRATION OPEN for 4-DAY THUNDERHILL EVENT

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** FEATURE STORY **

INTRODUCING THE SPEED VENTURES DRIVERS' LADDER

Speed Ventures is proud to announce the Speed Ventures Drivers' Ladder

which tracks the best drivers in California, Nevada, Arizona, Oregon, and

anyone else who cares or dares to step up to the challenge. The Ladder is

much like the tennis ladder at your neighborhood country club. At the top

is the best driver, at the bottom is the worst driver on the ladder. The

Ladder will be posted on the front page of speedventures.net so you can see

who the best drivers are. Sure there may be better drivers out there who

aren't on the ladder, but who cares!

Here are the rules:

1. To participate you must challenge a driver who is already on the Ladder

and who, naturally, is higher up the Ladder than you are. You can challenge

the next driver up, or the driver at the top of the Ladder if you'd like to

move straight to the top, or anyone in between.

2. If more than one driver is challenging a given driver, the Challenger who

is higher up the Ladder gets to compete against the challengee first.

3. The Challengee is not required to accept more than one challenge per

Speed Ventures event, though he/she may elect to accept more than one

per event if he/she so chooses.

4. Challenges must take place at a Speed Ventures event.

5. A Challengee can miss two events without accepting a challenge from the same driver. If the Challengee misses two events for which an individual

Challenger has formally lodged a challenge, the Challengee will be bumped

out of his/her spot by the Challenger. The Challengee can only lose one

spot on the Ladder per 2 events. On the occasion of the 3rd event that the

Challengee has missed and been challenged by a given individual, he will be

bumped one spot by the Challenger and another Challenger can begin logging

challenges against him/her beginning with that event.

6. It is up to the Challengee to choose which car will be used for the

head-to-head competition: his car, the Challengers car (if and only if the

Challenger agrees to this), or a Donor Car.

7. The Challenger is entitled to two full run sessions in the Challenge Car.

More run sessions can be used if the Challengee agrees. The Challengee is

entitled to as many run sessions as the Challenger on the day of the

competition, but no more.

8. Weight correction will be used to even the total weight of the car (go

fatties!).

9. Any car that is safe to run on a track can be used, it is the

Challengee's choice.

10. The rate paid to the owner of the car to be used in the competition will

be a fixed amount per 25-30 minute run session. Therefore, if a Challengee

decides to use his car, the Challenger will have to pay this fixed amount to

the Challengee. If the Challenger and Challengee agree to use the

Challenger's car, vice versa. If neither party wants to use their car, nor

any other car available, they can elect to use a Donor Car (Aaron

Bitterman's Spec Miata will generally be available, but any car may be used)

to compete with, in which case the per run session fee will be paid to Aaron

or whoever else if necessary. The Challengers and Challengees do not HAVE

to charge each other if they don't want to, no money need change hands.

11. To begin, Aaron Bitterman will be placed at the top of the Ladder, for

obvious reasons. The first person to email [email protected] with a

challenge will be given the right to challenge Aaron at the next SV event

(Nov. 12). The second person to email [email protected] will be next

in line. In the event that the first Challenger does not sign up within 5

days of the event (and of course actually show up), the next person in line

will be given the opportunity. If Aaron already has a challenger to compete

against at an event, any two drivers may challenge each other in order to

gain positions on the Ladder. Drivers on the Ladder get precedence to

challenge someone on the Ladder over drivers who are not on the Ladder.

12. If a Challengee receives a challenge from a driver higher up the ladder

than someone from whom they have already accepted a challenge before 5 days

of the event, the higher positioned challenger gets precedence.

13. The amt. paid to the Challengee or other person donating a car for a

challenge, will be $90/session, unless otherwise mutually agreed upon by the

two competitors (it could be more, less, or free if both agree).

14. Drivers and donors must decide on other damage/reimbursement/risk

details individually - this will not be detailed in the rules.

I'm not in the mood to think of any more rules, so I'm stopping there. The

rules of the Speed Ventures Ladder are subject to change at any time.

Bring it on!!

"FREE" LUNCH & WATER NOW INCLUDED AT ALL SV EVENTS

All future SV events will include buckets of ice filled with "free",

refreshing, and ice-cold water. Water makes up 90% of your body mass and

covers 2/3rds of the Earth's surface, but that doesn't mean you've got

enough of it. Independent laboratory tests have confirmed that 90% of all

SV drivers are moderately to severely dehydrated and that 2/3rds of all

off-track exursions could have been prevented if SV drivers had been less

dehydrated or less stupid. Which are you?

So, sign up, show up, and drink up, because water is now "free". So's

lunch.

NEW APPROACH TO RUN GROUPS ADOPTED!!!

Speed Ventures will now be taking signups for its events based on run

groups. Once a run group (RED, BLUE, or WHITE - for details on YELLOW, see

following article) is filled up, no more signups will be taken for that run

group. Drivers will either have to skip the event or sign up for the next

slower run group, assuming there is room in that group. This is being done

in an effort to make sure that our events are not overcrowded. Open track

is of the utmost importance to SV drivers, so we are taking steps to ensure

that open track time is available at every event.

This new way of doing things does not mean that SV will not let people run

extra run sessions in other run groups. We will allow this based on car

counts as usual. However, from now on, wrist bands will be checked and

required to match up unless a given car# or Driver's name has been cleared

by Aaron or John with the Starter. We are going to begin strictly

controlling those who are on track. Again, this doesn't mean you won't get

6 hours of track time if the groups thin out, it just means that you will

not be allowed on track in any session but your own without permission.

Please help us follow this new protocol and do not attempt to drive in any

session but your own unless you are given permission.

From now on, when signing up for an event, please select your preferred run

group. If you are not going to be allowed in that run group for whatever

reason you will be notified ASAP so that you can decide whether or not you

want to attend that event. If you do not know what run group you belong in,

read the descriptions of the run groups provided on the registration page.

I hope everyone sees this as a Quality Control measure. John and I did not

join the Nazi party, we are just trying to protect our customers, mostly in

the WHITE Group, who feel their groups are too crowded, while other groups

appear to be much thinner.

BYE BYE YELLOW GROUP???

You wish. No, we're keeping the YELLOW group, but we're changing the

format. From now on, SV will provide nearly 2.5 hours *scheduled* time (you

may get much more!) at a typical 9 hour event to the RED, BLUE, and WHITE

groups. Our events will be much more focused on the advanced an

intermediate drivers in terms of the amount of TIME ON TRACK. The YELLOW

group will get 1 hour on track and much more than that in Classroom time.

Because the Yellow group has historically been a combined first-timer,

novice, and slower intermediate group the speeds and experience levels are

greatly mismatched. As a result most slower-intermediate drivers, and many

novices, opted to be in the WHITE run group. This led to crowding in the

WHITE group. From now on, first timers will be required to participate in

our School of Speed/YELLOW group/Performance Driving Orientation Program

which involves a mix of classroom and on-track learning. Novices who have

attended other track events may choose to participate in this program or

not.

As a result, the slowest run group, now WHITE, will not include any first

timers, thereby making it more appealing and faster for intermediate drivers

of slower cars. SV will now have two intermediate groups, WHITE and BLUE at

future events. First timers will benefit from a more controlled and gradual

orientation to track driving, rather than our, now famous, "swim with the

sharks" approach to introducing newbies.

THE SCHOOL OF SPEED (the new YELLOW GROUP)

The School of Speed (SOS!) will now include, as mentioned in the article

above, more classroom time, after-session downloads, ride-alongs,

drive-alongs, ducks in a row, and a certification or "signing off" for WHITE

group participation at a future event. Many of the details have yet to be

worked out, but please tell all your newbie friends and family that they no

longer have to be afraid of making Speed Ventures their choice for their

first-ever track event (despite the fact that it's acronym is SOS!). Each

SOS! signup will get safety and performance driving instruction in the

classroom and on the track. They will get ride-alongs with instructors,

ducks in a row, in-car help, and solo sessions. For more information,

contact [email protected].

DEPUTY CHIEF DRIVING INSTRUCTORS NEEDED

SV is looking for Chief Driving Instructors to manage the SOS! program at

events. We will provide a $120 credit for 3-4 hours of work. The Chief

Instructor on a given day will be able to run on their own in a BLUE or RED

session as well. If you are interested in helping out in this way, please

email [email protected].

SV T-SHIRT UPDATE

Those of you who have been waiting for the day when you could once again

buy a White SV t-shirt, or any SV t-shirt for that matter that wasn't

butt-ugly, can think about sleeping easy once again. That's right, we are

ALMOST sold out of our unattractive Kelly Green and offensive Dying Sun

Yellow t-shirts. While the green shirts brought back fond memories of green

grass spraypaint during times of drought for some of you, and the yellow

elicited thoughts about Armageddon for others, we nonetheless decided not

to offer these colors ever again.

Thank you for your support.

A NEW EASY WAY TO GET ON OUR INSTRUCTOR LIST!

SV is always seeking help from it's experienced drivers who are qualified

to be instructors. As most of you know, we provide $30/day/student for

this. SV is pleased to announce a new easy feature that enables you to get

on our instructor list with the click of a button: just create a new email,

enter [email protected] in the TO field, type your name in the message

body and write "I'd like to be on your instructor list." Then click send.

It's that easy.

STREETS REGISTRATION OPEN - Friday, November 12

Need I say more? No, but I will anyway. Because of our new run group

policies, this event will allow only 15 RED group drivers, 18 BLUE, and 18

WHITE. If we fill any of these groups you will have to run in the next

slowest group down or join us again next time, which would make me very sad

. The YELLOW group/School of Speed is open to an unlimited number of

registrants.

In addition, WE HAVE NOT DECIDED WHICH DIRECTION TO RUN YET, so if you are

signed up, please go to our website to vote for your preferred direction

asap.

SPEED VENTURES ANNOUNCES 4-day THUNDERHILL EVENT!!!!

We are pleased to announce that registration is open for our 4-day

Thanksgiving Weekend Thunderhill Raceway Park Event. For those of you who

are as excited as I am about this event, the schedule will be:

-- Thursday, November 25: Eat Turkey with Your Family (8am to 5pm)

-- Friday, November 26: Digest Turkey in Front of T.V. with Your Family

(8am-5pm)

-- Friday, November 26: Drive to Willows, California (5pm-?pm)

-- Saturday, November 27: Drive your fat ass as fast as possible all day

long

-- Sunday, November 28: (same as above)

The good news is that the first two days of this 4-day event are free and

you don't even need to leave your house. We look forward to seeing you at

Thunderhill.

Until next time....stay on line.

Aaron Bitterman

Speed Ventures

[email protected]

323-461-4795