Me on my soapbox please read

[h-bot]

From: supamkilla_REMOVE_781558_THIS_@yahoo.com


In case you guys dont know i am 20 years old, im
turning 21 in 3 weeks on march 23... i guess back in the
day i was kind of a wild teenager, but i learned my
lessons ive straightened my life out, i havn't drank/done
anything stupid for 5 years now and dont even plan on
doing so even after im 21. i have no tickets, ive never
been arrested, i go to church. my friends are the same
way, good kids, working jobs, paying our way through
college, trying to be successfull.
i have hobbies, and
drag racing is one of them

The only thing that
i am guilty of is going to street races.. not rush
hour stuck in traffic weaving though lanes endangering
many people but well thought out (if there is such a
thing) racing in remote areas with usually nothing
around to hit or damage. and when my car is ready, ill
probably end up racing out there myself. call it/me stupid
but thats what you get when you take away someones
options

you see i live in new york.. long island to be exact,
there is a track about an hour from my house, in
southhampton new york. on most sunday afternoons, (weather
permitting) you can go and pay $40 to participate in test and
tune day sounds good right.

whats the problem?
the track is closing.. 2002 will be its last season,
apparantly the town thinks that opening a 55 and over
retirement facility will be a better use of the tracks 66
acres. Mr. Skip Heaney, the southhampton supervisor had
this to say: "A drag strip, is an idea whose time has
come and gone"

The track has been open since
1952, and will close after its 50th anniversary year.
However its not the first track long island has lost.. in
1998 bridgehampton race circuit closed due to noise
complaints and town restrictions, its now a golf course..
well at least the retirees will have something to do
now.

what the hell do they expect, they ticket kids for
racing when the've got no where else to go.. are these
trouble makers.. some are but most arent.
they
stereotype us as potheads and thugs. you ask kids who race
where there money goes... they dont buy drugs... they
cant afford them! all my money is in my vega.. the 327
that blew up... and the 350 i am
building.

people just dont get it... im only writing this because
maybe someone out there understands or remembers being
young and feeling this way.

maybe they are
right.. maybe racing is just a thing of the past... maybe
i should just sell my car... i could buy a lot of
weed with that much money...

thanks for
listening
amen.. or something like that

-jeff


[This is message #33556 by user supamkilla on Yahoo! Club GM HBODY: http://clubs.yahoo.com/clubs/gmhbody ]

[h-bot]

From: manytreesca_REMOVE_633588_THIS_@yahoo.com


Jeff, I can relate to you. I am 36, and when I
was
growing up we did not have any choice as the track had
closed long before I was able to drive.
But, it has
reopened since then and is doing well.
The city I live
in now doen't have a drag strip
either. The only
thing that is close is an 1/8 mile, not open every
weekend as it is run by volunteers. So I may have to
revert back to my old
habits when my car is finished.
I hate to do it but !!!! anyways I am sorry for
your loss, good luck with so called, progress. John


[This is message #33559 by user manytreesca on Yahoo! Club GM HBODY: http://clubs.yahoo.com/clubs/gmhbody ]

[h-bot]

From: erik_norway_REMOVE_326653_THIS_@yahoo.com


Glad you fixed your life.

I totaly agree
with your reason here we have 1 Real drag stripp in
the wholde contry and 3 racing tracts we are getting
one more now afther 5 years of strugeling.

Er
end up racing in the streets because the tracks are
spread far and wide and costs a lot to yous when we got
to use them.

Remember as long as there have
been cars there have been som kind of street
racing...

Just try to do the street racing the safe
way.

And keep telling the politicans you need a drag
stripp to stop the street racing.

Erik
Oslo /
Norway


[This is message #33561 by user erik_norway on Yahoo! Club GM HBODY: http://clubs.yahoo.com/clubs/gmhbody ]

[h-bot]

From: monza95_REMOVE_439320_THIS_@yahoo.com


Hi,
Here in my state in Australia, we only
have one track (about an hours drive away) It is only
open 2 wednesday nights per month for street
cars.
The track is not that good so top fuelers etc haven't
been able to run on it for the last 5 years.
By the
end of the year there is meant to be the new track
finished which should be good .

If they keep
closing down the tracks like you say, there will be
nowhere local for people to drag so the closest and
easiest place is the street which makes it
illegal.

Maybe they don't understand that if they keep the
tracks open it takes a percentage of racing off the
street and to a well facilitated track.

I wish
there was more than 1 drag strip in my
state.

Anyway that's a shame to hear about another strip
closing.

From Monza95


[This is message #33563 by user monza95 on Yahoo! Club GM HBODY: http://clubs.yahoo.com/clubs/gmhbody ]

[h-bot]

From: jbracerx_REMOVE_680328_THIS_@yahoo.com


Dude! Been there, done that!! And being from So
Cal I can relate to the fact of stooopid Politions
thinking that street racing will go away if you turn your
back on it! and the fact that the tracks just seem to
disapear over night. we have been lucky as of late and
someone with brains is in office and they are letting
tracks open up, Good Luck and remember to Fly low and
avoid the radar LOL,Joe


[This is message #33564 by user jbracerx on Yahoo! Club GM HBODY: http://clubs.yahoo.com/clubs/gmhbody ]

[h-bot]

From: vegatex_REMOVE_762643_THIS_@yahoo.com


Jeff,

We have similar problems in Abilene.
Been trying to get a track built, but too many NIMBY's
(not-in-my-back-yard). One thing the local racing community has been
doing is working with the local airport to have a few
races a year there. Don't know if post 9/11 security
would prevent it (the Feds are running everything,and
have some really stupid rules) but maybe you and your
buddies could form a local racing association and
approach one of the smaller General Aviation airport
managers about letting your association set up a few races
a year. Just a thought.

Good luck,
Dave


[This is message #33566 by user vegatex on Yahoo! Club GM HBODY: http://clubs.yahoo.com/clubs/gmhbody ]

[h-bot]

From: vegadad_REMOVE_615553_THIS_@yahoo.com


Sounds Bizzar Jeff, but when you're 21 you can
help vote those kinds of folks out of office. Yea, I
know..too litle too late, point being there are other's out
there who could vote this down now. Start a grassroots
movement to get the track kept open, maybe as some kind of
landmark or something.
john b. (in Virginia)


[This is message #33580 by user vegadad on Yahoo! Club GM HBODY: http://clubs.yahoo.com/clubs/gmhbody ]

[h-bot]

From: pfjk36322_REMOVE_804538_THIS_@yahoo.com


Jeff,you and your friends are some of the
good-guys of Gen-Y.I read about Bridgehampton closing.It
was a driver's track,especially w/ the sand blown
track surface.Some of the most awesome V8's roared
there during the days of the original Can-Am
series.
Southhampton had some record setting hot rods in the 60's
and70's.Sorry to hear it going the way of lotta tracks all over
the country.Real Estate is location,location,ad
nauseum.Ontario Sweedway in Cal was a duplicate of Indy,closed
down,and the track is still there,infield building being
used for a pre-school,I think.Riverside(very historic)
in Cal was closed due to housing development
nearby.
I think that we have all done some stoopid stuff
when we were younger,maybe even in the not too recent
past.LOL.Street Racing is dangerous,no doubt.Maybe if you get the
ear of a local journalist,and express your needs and
concerns in a logical way,you can help turn this
around.
I read some right coast car mags that described
some big money street races in the late 70's and early
80's($5000+) in Brooklynn and New Jersey.And the aftermath of
one of these 140 MPH street bombs colliding w/ a
taxi.
Hang in there,man,keep the faith.
Frank


[This is message #33595 by user pfjk36322 on Yahoo! Club GM HBODY: http://clubs.yahoo.com/clubs/gmhbody ]