I-card ??
 

Is IHRA using I-CARD this year ??
It's a shame NHRA turned their back on it ! I would think a sponsor would step up and cover the costs involved to run it at least at National events. Like Jeg's or Summit,Lucas, Coca Cola or someone.
But there are a lot like mine just gathering dust in a drawer.....:-)

Re:How's your housekeeping???
 

Maybe you need to dust around there, John....

Re: How's your housekeeping???
 

I know your garage is SPOTLESS !!
Did you ever find those parts you "lost" on your workbench ?? :-)
More than a little dust there !!

Re: I-card ??
 

x2, I got to use mine a grand total of 1 race! I had hoped this wasnt a dead issue. If no one from iCard is going to pursue it, I would like to formally request a partial refund. I bought mine at Memphis national event and used it on that saturday. It makes me feel like someone knew this was on the horizon and all they did was collect my money.

Wade O

Re: I-card ??
 

It costs nothing? Who's going to set it up and babysit it? And work on it when it goes down?

While I agree it would be nice to have it operating again, in the interest of fairness you really should have disclosed that you bought all of the remaining hardware from Icard a while back.

I'm sure that getting the system going again would make some racers happy, but not nearly as much as you so you could get rid of that dead inventory.

Posted for the promotion of full disclosure and all that.

Re: I-card ??
 

Pretty much the entire history of the thing as far as I'm concerned. There was no possible way for it to make money the way it was set up, and yet people were still promoting and selling the systems.

Not to hijack the thread, but I was at the Mecum auction in Indy last weekend. It was an unbelievable collection of lightweights, musclecars, and bunch of interesting stuff. You would have enjoyed yourself.

Re: I-card ??
 

I believe quite often the Summit FastFriends guys have done the connection at some tracks and monitored the equipment.Other than that apprently the only other thing is an antenna.
Summit could make a lot of people happy by taking it over.

Re: I-card ??
 

Don, I believe that Dan is one of the reporters for Summit's DRC. And we all love those results don't we?

Re: I-card ??
 

I know other car racing series use it ,even the local gokart track uses it.And I think some Sporty Car series use it...
Sponsoring the I-Card wouln't cost much and would get a lot of attention for the sponsor.
COME ON JEG'S ....STEP UP TO THE PLATE !! :-)

Re: I-card ??
 

You mean just because they did not have an ongoing revenue stream after they sold everyone the boxes?

Jim

Re: I-card ??
 

Bingo!

While I don't hold an MBA and didn't stay in a Holiday Inn last night, in my humble opinion I don't think even Bernie Madoff could have made THAT plan work.

Re: I-card ??
 

Interesting. I don't ever remember you helpng Jeff Foster any of the many times I watched him try to get the system working. For instance, did you set up the system at Brainerd? Since it's fairly close to your home base, I guess it is a track that you go to.

Had that actually happened, things might not be what they are today.

So I assume you're willing to give your work away, in the same manner as you want the I card to be free to all racers? C'mon, Don.

So are you volunteering to maintain the system for all the Full Throttle and Lucas races?

Don, I remember when you showed up on CompuServe one day wanting to know all about data acquisition and record keeping. You even emailed me asking me for help in how the Pro classes handled things.

I'm not about to play "Mine's bigger than yours" with you on the Internet but rest assured that there are a bunch of people who know my history and reputation. I'm very comfortable when I think of who they are and not at all bothered that you are clueless.

Re: I-card ??
 

Yes, I occasionally I still help out at DRC and do a race here and there. But to be crystal clear, I am here on my own and each message I post is entirely personal. I am not even an employee, let alone a spokesman.

Ken, forgive me if my reply might strike you in the wrong way. I just wanted to make sure there was no confusion about where I'm coming from.

And thanks for reading the DRC bylines!

Re: I-card ??
 

No problemo Dan. I've been around the block a time or two.

Re: I-card ??
 

Ok Dan...... I'm going to ask this question.... please go easy on me.....
WHAT'S WAS WRONG WITH I-CARD?..... i sorta thought it was "great"
I believe everybody that used it "loved it".... (that's what I've been told by others).

I ALSO REALLY APPRECIATE "DRAG RACE CENTRAL" TOO..... and absolutely love it!
I guess I am a "information overload" kind of guy.

tom

Re: I-card ??
 

not to hijack this post but Dan You brought up some really fun times with the orginal Compuserve times i must be getting a little older these days as i relish the past when we all had some major fun with Compuserve.

Re: I-card ??
 

Can one of you "computer literate" guys with experience in the vagaries of NHRA's computer system AT THE TRACK tell me why NHRA doesn't just initiate a "live feed" of the on-site computer system that would (FOR A FEE) give us poor barstuds sitting at home, "live" access to the incremental times, reaction times, speeds and e.t.'s, etc.,. as they happen?

It seems a simple thing to do (but, what do I know???), and they could charge an annual "membership fee"for the service, or sell it on a race-by-race basis; or, whatever they could dream up....

It looks to me to be one of those situations wherein, since it's happening anyway, and would cost virtually NOTHING to allow access to it, that profits from the sales of memberships to the service would be considerable, since there would be no inventory, overhead, or much in the way of maintenance personell (beyond the maintenance personell they already are paying for the satisfactory performance of the extant system.)

It's like there's a bus going to Chicago... how much does it cost the bus company if I climb aboard and ride in one of the empty seats?

I am NOT advocating anything surreptitious; this should be a service that we could BUY for a reasonable price (whatever that is), and would have a few advantages over current setups; specifically, you'd get incremental times for every run, and it would be in real time. I appreciate FAST NEWS as much (or, probably MORE) than the next guy, but I have waited sometimes an hour or more for posting of results that I heard on the online broadcast. I realize that that was most likely not the fault of the Fast News poster, but it happens, nonetheless.

It shouldn't, with this "live feed."

Since they have never done it, there are probably good, legitimate, reasons why.... I just don't know what they are.

It seems that NHRA needs every nickel they can scrape up these days; this would seem to be a way they could make some extra cash....

I know I'd cough up a significant amount of money for such a service. And, I'm POOR!!! :(

Can somebody who understands this stuff a lot better than I do explain why this isn't a viable scenario?


Thanks for any information....

Bill

Re: I-card ??
 

I'll try to avoid spamming the thread and answer all the replies in a single message.

Bill, when you see a delay in the results one of two things may have happened. First, occassionally the software seems to go into limbo and leave the message in our outbox. We think it's been sent but it's still hiding on our computer. Second, even though Larry Sullivan's great program can generate an instant report as soon as the class is finished we always wait until we receive a sheet from the NHRA (or IHRA, etc. as the case may be) before we send the results. We have no way of knowing DQs for tech, centerline, etc otherwise and in any case until the sheet appears we don't have the official results anyhow.

Tom, as I remember you were part of the pioneers on CompuServe also. I'll try and address your question at the end of this message as soon as I get to reminisce a bit.

Don, I have very fond memories of those days also. We discussed, argued, and speculated and it was one of the more enjoyable times I've had online. I think back to the early days when the only results we'd get were when someone (on their own wallet) would attend a race and agree to share what was going on.

For FastNews to get to what it is today, three people were critical. First, Larry Sullivan spent literally thousands of hours developing what is now an amazing, retail grade program. Other people tried reporting but the task is way too intensive to do without a program organizing the data. Second, Ed Dykes had the force of personality to gain acceptance from the sanctioning bodies. His dogged determination brought what we were doing all the way from "fans with laptops" to an accepted and respected news source.

And last, Rick Green jumped in a very uncertain time and managed to pave the way up until now. He filled the shoes of Eddie very well and continued to lead FastNews in the correct direction. His insistence on professionalism and quality turned our group from a ragtag assembly of computer geeks into a service which the maintstream media often turns to for information.

Though Dykes and Sullivan were awarded a Car Craft All Star (how I envy them!) none of the three has gotten the recognition they deserve for the trails they blazed.

Sorry for all those words which really aren't on the subject of the thread. I return to it at the end because it's taken some thought as to what needs to be said.

Good, honest, questions have been raised but I have avoided answering them until now because I DO NOT have first hand informaton as to exactly what took place. I've never published something unless I verified it to my satisfaction; in this case I will break that rule as long as everyone reading this understands that what follows is ONLY WHAT I HAVE BEEN TOLD BY SOURCES CLOSE TO THE SITUATION and may or may not be 100 percent factual.

First, I have the understanding that some confusion still exists as to who owns the datastream. I have heard that both NHRA and Compulink have laid claims to it at one time or another. I have the impression that in the interest of serving the public, they've decided NOT to litigate the question and both simply agree to get the information out in the simplest, most effective way possible without further argument as to who actually owns it.

Second, I understand that though the founder of iCard had intended at one time to sell subscriptions to the feed, when it came time for that to happen one or both of the parties mentioned above objected to him selling something he didn't own. The money from the sale of the equipment evidently didn't last long and certainly wasn't enough to fund the yearly fees involved in running the service, which I heard were very modest.

Third, whatever payment for rights to the feed WAS agreed to, it was a problem almost from the very beginning. I know for a fact that the service continued for a considerable amount of time with the agreed-to payments considerably past due with more than one extension granted after the "pay or disconnect" date. I offer that fact to counter those saying "nobody cares about the racers".

So, sorry for the length of this message and again, please take my comments with a grain of salt.

Re: I-card ??
 

Thank you Mr. Bennett for filling us in!

The next question is what is it going to take to get I-card back in use with NHRA?

Re: I-card ??
 

Dan,

Thanks for your explanation of the way FAST NEWS came to be, and how the infrequent delays happen.

We had a reporting program at Prodigy with drag racing BB members posting, but it was nothing like what Larry, et.al., ultimately put together, though we did cover most national events in the early and mid 1990s.

I am, as I said, thankful for the FAST NEWS service, since I come from an era in time where you had to wait 3 months and read about it in Hot Rod magazine if you wanted to know who won what at a national event.

I'm not kidding!

I read your post with interest and appreciate the time you took to write it.

I didn't, however, see an answer to my main question, which was ,"... tell me why NHRA doesn't just initiate a "live feed" of the on-site computer system that would (FOR A FEE) give us poor barstuds sitting at home, "live" access to the incremental times, reaction times, speeds and e.t.'s, etc.,. as they happen?"

You did say that NHRA and Comp-U-Link are indecisive as to who owns that data stream, but wouldn't it be in SOMEBODY'S best interest to litigate it and find out, so that whoever DOES own it, could sell it, as I have described?

What am I missing here?????

Bill

Re: I-card ??
 

I wasn't trying to dodge your question. I didn't answer simply since I don't know the answer. I truly have no idea.

You've been around a long time and know that various things that shouldn't have been put into place DID get put into place, while lots of things that should have happened didn't. I'd say this is one of those cases.

As for the time being, as far as I know all it would take to get things going again would be for someone to step up and pay whatever the going rate is. I have no idea if someone could take over the rate the original company paid or if it would need to be re-negotiated.

At this point, whoever did that would be interested only in goodwill since it doesn't appear that any profit (or even a break-even) is possible.

As for the NHRA just doing it, remember this is 2009 and what's happening in the world. They've cut staff, which means especially at events that some people who were already overworked now have more work to do which used to be done by those let go. From the races I've worked, I didn't notice anyone who looked as if they had extra time in their day to handle any kind of additional responsibility.

As I see it, it's a question for the very top offices at Glendora. No one out there in the field has the ability to take on any more work, and only the very highest employees have the power to fund new programs. I'm positive that's what it would take.

Regrettably enough, I just don't see it happening.

Re: I-card ??
 

Not gonna k through this thread, but...

I-Card was up and running at Richmond Dragway. Heard that they use it with their weekly program! It's some great info to have in front of you!

Re: I-card ??
 

Thanks, Dan.

I saw it as an opportunity for NHRA to enhance their bottom line by selling something they already have with a minimal-cost program, to people like me, who would be willing to pay a reasonable amount for it.

But, with all your observations, I agree; I don't see it happening anytime soon.
Thanks for your input!

Bill

Re: I-card ??
 

NHRA has a link on their main page (It has been there all year) that says "LIVE TIMING". Based upon that it looks like they are going to have live timing right on there site.

Whether this will be a free service is yet to be disclosed.

Re: I-card ??
 

I THINK that may be an audio broadcast; not sure. I'll check it out.

Thanks for the info!

Bill

Re: I-card ??
 

I would like to thank all the people who have made racing so entertaining. Over the last 15 years, its been a group of volunteers, and paid staff. Those guys at the original Compuserve, RIS group, were loads of fun! I was sad when Summit started the Fast News Network (only because it was the end of Compuserve), and would now like to thank them for the awesome support of the racing news. Summit has done much more than Jeg's and deserves the credit.

It strikes me as weird that NHRA has been the last to get with the online media, and developing ways to support the new media tools. Summit had to support the instant results! Who would have thought they would have supported divisionals, and all the other non national event programs. Great job all you Summit guys!

It would seem that NHRA will only take on profit centers that are no brainers, and require little work or risk. This I-card problem only shows how they have no real vision, or real leadership. But who hasn't known that the last 5 years? It sounds like they can't even justify the budget of the timing system. If they made their own timing system part of the business, then maybe the fight over I -card could end. Could there be a business argument to buy Compulink, sell timing equipment to race tracks around the world, and integrate the new media tools into it?

The I-Card looks like a great new idea, and NHRA should be the one to lead its development. If they were actually a good business.

But maybe its like the original Top Stock, and NHRA won't move on it until the money is raining from heaven? Its probably best they just get out of the way, and let the private people run the good websites like this one, invent the best new tools, and stay out of the way of the timing equipment people.

Re: I-card ??
 

In a word... DITTO!!!


Wish I'd said that....


Bill

Re: I-card ??
 

My understanding was that this was going to be free to NHRA members, much like the audio broadcast is on race days (I believe it is free on the other days). In my opinion, it SHOULD be free as one of the benefits of being an NHRA member.

For those non-members, NHRA could sell something like the NASCAR track pass...I think it's $10 or so for the season to see live stats and audio. That said, I'm not sure there are many real drag racing fans that would subscribe to such a service that weren't already NHRA members.

Re: I-card ??
 

I've been watching this thread for a while, I don't have an I-card but I've been told it gives the owner all the run info from the event with a slight time delay...E.T's reaction times Ect. I guess my question would have to be what business is it of another racer to have MY E.T. slip to scrutinize? I've always seen guys running around asking their next opponents victim all the gory details of the run to try and get an idea of how to race the guy, I guess that's OK, but it seems strange to me to give all this info to racers who just happen to have an I-card. Maybe I'm old fashioned or just plain wrong here but my E.T. slip is mine, at least until it's released on "the net". Am I missing something here? Joe

Re: I-card ??
 

Any tracks or organizations still using the I-Card system ???
I hate to see it sitting in the drawer......:-(