I'm apparently one of those weirdos that just hasn't gotten bored with autocross in 15 years of doing it. There are many people who think I'm nutz because I haven't done HPDE or LeMons yet and don't hesitate to let me know it. I still do autocross because I still enjoy it, I'm a competitive person and autocross scratches that competitive itch for me as I just don't think HPDE would. Autocross suits me because it is a short/intense burst that is a delicate balance of precision and aggression. I've kept it interesting by sampling a variety of cars and continuing to challenge myself with hardware. LeMons is a big draw for me as I think it would scratch my competitive itch and I will likely end up doing it at some point, I just haven't gotten around to it yet for many reasons. Mainly, I look at things this way, I'm never going to be a professional race driver and I'm not even 40, so what is the big rush to do every motorsport that is available to me right away, what then will I do when I'm 60? As long as I am having fun and playing with cars I feel are interesting/challenging I'm happy and autocross still does that for me, particularly with the banana beast. The main thing that has kept me from "moving on" to HPDE however is the potential expense of wadding a car up in a tire wall or hitting another expensive car on track and being expected to pay for it. I realize not everyone agrees but I'm of the mindset that one shouldn't take a car on track that one isn't prepared to walk away from, I also feel that I should have my own "insurance policy" I'm willing to put up to cover the potential of smacking into that expensive Porsche and I'm just not there yet financially. I also want to retire some day and don't want to spend all my expendable income on "having fun with cars", I spend enough as is. Some day I'll "move on" to more amateur motorsport money pits, but I'm still young and there is plenty of time for that.
As for retaining autcross attendance, many of the important things have already been mentioned, maintaining a social/friendly atmosphere is important and I think the newb survey is a good idea. I think one thing that is important for those running the events to keep in mind also is that it is a competition foremost, this is what separates it from HPDE. Maintaining the competitive atmosphere is important. Its important for competitors in competition to know there times immediately, this is why I bought the wireless timer display last year. We do a pretty good job of this, and the new results app from Carlton helps a whole bunch too. Thanks again Carlton! Even with these things, having an announcer at the event helps maintain the competitive atmosphere, particularly a lively one, the announcer isn't really for the driver but for the benefit of the spectators/competitors. Competitive type people also like to be recognized for their achievements, be this at the trophy ceremony, the monthly meeting, or the monthly newsletter, people like to hear their own name and see it in print however meaningless it is in the big scheme of things or how boring some people might think it is to hear it a the meeting. One other thing as well, the Heel of the Month is not only a recognition of those that help out with the club, but can also be used to recognize good driving achievement, this is something I think is forgotten some times.
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