WSMC’s Kopecky Responds To Toyota 200 Timing & Scoring Complaints

WSMC’s Kopecky Responds To Toyota 200 Timing & Scoring Complaints

© 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

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Copyright 2003, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Editorial Note: Last weekend’s races at Willow Springs involved two separate entities, Willow Springs International Raceway (WSIR), and Willow Springs Motorcycle Club (WSMC), which is owned by WSIR. The Toyota 200 was organized and promoted by WSIR officials, who directly contracted an independent timing and scoring service for the event. WSMC officials handled non-timing-and-scoring-related operations. The following e-mail is from WSMC Operations Manager Kenny Kopecky.


FIRST PERSON/OPINION

Via e-mail:

Thank you for the opportunity to respond to Scott Jensen’s e-mail today.

First off, on behalf of WSMC, we extend our apologies to the racers and crews for the delay in finalized results. The timing and scoring was handled by a group contracted by WSIR, and I have already made my personal verbal recommendation to a member of the ownership group of WSIR that a different timing and scoring company be utilized at any future Toyota 200 races. I have also recommended that should WSIR run a 250cc Grand Prix 50-mile race next year they also utilize electronic timing and scoring for that event. Also, we are experiencing server difficulties with our ISP and have not yet been able to update our website at www.race-wsmc.com. We expect this to be resolved shortly. Thank you all for your understanding.

Regarding Mr. Jensens’ e-mail specifically…he and any other racers who contacted our office were all told the same:

A) Any results that were announced or viewed at any time Sunday were unofficial and were in fact incorrect, as the timing and scoring personnel had not yet audited the race.

B) At no time was anyone told the results were ‘definite.’ I specifically told Mr. Jensen I would contact the T&S people AGAIN to review his race event, which was done, thus the change from the provisional results. Our office in fact, never had any provisionals indicating Mr. Jensen was sixth.

C) WSMC does not have the computer, the software, the paperwork, etc. regarding the timing and scoring, and this was explained to Mr. Jensen, and as such we cannot provide this information from our office. I did advise the timing people of this request – to date we have not received any further information. When we do we will be happy to forward a copy to Mr. Jensen.

The timing and scoring person did, in fact, ask me to invite Mr. Jensen to join him for lunch; in order to detail Mr. Jensen’s race in person and review the information that they have. Mr. Jensen unfortunately does not live in the southern California area yet the invitation stands should he be visiting the area in the future, and this was advised to him yesterday morning during his telephone call to our office.

The timing and scoring person did explain to me that the fantastically rapid pace throughout the event of race leader Josh Hayes put quite a few people many laps behind…more than several of them thought and as such that was one of the delays as they reviewed a number of rider claims to have not lost as many laps. I also understand the frustrations of the crews, yet one rider was mistakenly told by his crew that the leaders pitted three times. As noted in the RoadracingWorld.com post Sunday, Hayes ran “a blistering pace in the mid-1:20 range for the first 23 laps” and “continued to click off laps in the 1:21 and 1:22 range for the remainder of the race to take the win by over 20 seconds.”

I personally apologized to Mr. Jensen during his telephone call, and again I extend our apologies to all the riders and crewmembers involved in the event. As a fellow racer, I most certainly understand Mr. Jensen’s concerns and frustrations, and as a current employee at Willow Springs I can and WILL be most vociferous in demanding a higher quality of service for all of the racers at future special events. We certainly hope Mr. Jensen and others will continue to support such events in the future, and we thank him for his participation in the first two Toyota 200s.

Thank you also to all the friends and spectators who came out for the event…and to the WSMC staff members who did a fantastic job in an event-filled weekend.

Yesterday, the 2004 Toyota 200 was scheduled by WSIR track management for the weekend of October 15-17, 2004. All of the monthly 2004 WSMC events are on calendar as well. The races are to be held on the 3rd Sunday of every month with street group and racer track days on Friday and licensed racer practice/New Racer Schools on Saturday of the event weekends. The complete ’04 schedule is online at www.race-wsmc.com

Most sincerely,

Kenny Kopecky
WSMC Operations Manager
WSMC #7
www.race-wsmc.com
[email protected]
Rosamond, California



See related posts:

10/23/2003 Trouble With Toyota 200 Results

10/22/2003 Three Days After The Fact, Willow Springs Issues Revised, Final Results For Toyota 200

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