PIR Bug-in

[ryan68bug]

Have the Volksters considered getting involved or assisting Always VW with the Rose City Bug-In?  Just curious, it sounds like they could maybe use the assistance in making the event better.

As for costs, I would be interested in seeing the costs associated with renting the PIR facility.  I have a feeling its likely quite a bit more than Woodburn, but that's only a hunch and nothing more. 

[DirtyGTI]

Always V-Dub is the sponsor of the event, it puts the name out their I don't think that he makes any money from the show.  PIR sets the prices, PIR parks the cars, and lets the VWs use the drag strip for racing, which is controlled by PIR.  Really the only input that Always V-Dub has on the show is classes for trophies, and where they would like to have the show and swap places.

You guys do a great job on the Bug Run, and have a big part of running the show, the Rose City Bug in almost went away, until Ashly stepped up and became a sponsor and kept it going, the best thing to do for this show is to keep going to it, more cars make it better and more people make it better, making it cheaper is not really an option though. 

As far a Absolutely VW having a presence their, just from the pics I saw, I saw lots of member cars their, I was out of town or I too would have been their.  Also our club has no real affiliation with this event, yes one of our members is the title sponsor, but beyond that we do nothing at all for it except show up.

Chris Sample
Absolutely VW Prez.

[BuginU2]

Thanks for the feedback Chris!

I agree that the show needs to continue and I commend Ashley for stepping up to keep the Portland Bug-in going.  The frustration is pretty much directed towards PIR and the prices they charge... although when you consider the cost of gas - they end up costing about the same! :)

Maybe AVWC should think about approaching PIR about taking a more active role in the show?  Offer to handle the show, general and swap parking in exchange for a percentage of the gate.  I think the problem is that the track has a hard time understanding how to put on an event that caters to all of the various groups - swappers, show, racers and the general public.  Generally speaking - clubs have a pretty good idea of how to setup a show to make most people happy - they've been to shows over the years and have seen what works and what doesn't.  What works for a Ford/Chevy/Hot Rod show - may not work for a VW show. :)

I can tell you that the Volksters start meeting with the Woodburn track in October or November.  We talk about what worked and what didn't and discuss ways to improve it.  The Bug Run would have been laid out completely different this year if we hadn't so much rain the week before.  Without a doubt - the layout will be tweaked for next year.

You guys are fortunate to have Ashley in your club, so you can give the feedback directly to him.  Maybe he can facilitate some changes with the track to make it work better down the road.  It really is in the best interest of the entire VW community that the Portland Bug-in thrives and grows.

[coolblue57bug]

Always V-Dub is the sponsor of the event, it puts the name out their I don't think that he makes any money from the show.  PIR sets the prices, PIR parks the cars, and lets the VWs use the drag strip for racing, which is controlled by PIR.  Really the only input that Always V-Dub has on the show is classes for trophies, and where they would like to have the show and swap places.

You guys do a great job on the Bug Run, and have a big part of running the show, the Rose City Bug in almost went away, until Ashly stepped up and became a sponsor and kept it going, the best thing to do for this show is to keep going to it, more cars make it better and more people make it better, making it cheaper is not really an option though. 

As far a Absolutely VW having a presence their, just from the pics I saw, I saw lots of member cars their, I was out of town or I too would have been their.  Also our club has no real affiliation with this event, yes one of our members is the title sponsor, but beyond that we do nothing at all for it except show up.

Chris Sample
Absolutely VW Prez.

That is not entirely true that the members had no affiliation with the show. They helped park cars, and set up the swap area (poorly), and had a general presence of being part of the show itself.

[DirtyGTI]

That is not entirely true that the members had no affiliation with the show. They helped park cars, and set up the swap area (poorly), and had a general presence of being part of the show itself.

If they were helping to park cars I can tell you this that they did a better job than the PIR staff would have done.  We have other members that are part of the vendor community that are their early and like to help, not because they are in the club but because the wanted to help Ashly.  If you want to get involved and park cars and get the swap area set up better, go talk to Ashly at Always V-Dub, otherwise deal with it...

[BuginU2]

Chris - I'll be upfront with you since I suspect you have might have a better chance of working with Ashley than most of us here. 

My only real issue was with the cost and some discrepancies between what was advertised and what was charged at the gate.  I emailed the track and Ashley about the discrepancy and they agreed it was a problem which would be addressed. 

I think the feedback you're getting here it that might be an opportunity to facilitate change and AVWC probably has the opportunity to drive it....

Again - it really is in everyone's best interest that the Portland Bug In be given an opportunity to thrive and grow.  As much as I whine about it - I'll be back again next year with my money. 

[ryan68bug]

Growth can happen, but it isn't likely to happen in any immediate fashion, IMO.
The real boom time for the scene was the 1980s, or so it seemed. 
The Rose City Bug-In used to be a way bigger event back when there were more people, collectively, into these cars, and as I recall, it was primarily sponsored by the long-defunct German & Japanese Auto Parts business.  Autosport International used to be a major supporter of the event, too, as I remember when they used to bring out a huge truck/trailer with a big wall of parts and accessories.
I remember one year a bunch of the PRA guys (Candy and Jim Larsen, Adam Wik, Mitch Evensen, Matt Forquer) brought up their Pro Stock cars, and I think the Bergs had attended in years past, too. 
The PIR event has always had its ups and downs, primarily from 1991 or so on, and has never been as big as the first year I attended in 1990; or so it seemed.  I think it partially reflects the market, with fewer cars around as in the years past.  There's a lot of people, the younger generation in particular, into the newer imports rather than old VWs, unfortunately, but even that seems to be more of a passing fad these days.
That being said, the Woodburn Bug Run has grown into a very successful event, though it didn't happen overnight.  Over a period of about 16 years, the event slowly blossomed into a major happening in the northwest. 
The first year that both clubs (RCV and Good Times VW Club of Eugene) collaborated on the event, which I think was 1993, there were like 39 show cars, at most, and like 50 race cars or less... can't recall the swap meet, but it was all encompassed in the infield area between the return road for the race cars and the staging lanes, if I remember right.  In the last two years, the show cars numbered 200 plus, I think it was(?), the swap was HUGE and the drags were also saw big fields, not counting the junior dragsters inclusion in the day's program.
I seem to remember that PIR was on a downhill slope in those earlier days (early 1990s), as it was very regularly hit and miss in terms of turnout and participation... and the years the track handled promotion were always the worst years for participation, it seemed.
When Woodburn first started, it was just about dang near the only VW event really left in Oregon, as the Medford Bug In was all but gone (RIP!) and PIR was sort of questionable as to how it was going to go. 
Watching the Woodburn's gradual development into a highly-anticipated VW event indicates to me that there are still hardcore VW enthusiasts out there, and they will come to an event deemed enjoyable and fun.

[coolblue57bug]

         I would say there are plenty of VWs in the area (including Seattle) to have a great show at PIR. I know for a long time having Ashley as a sponsor was somewhat of a turnoff. Not everyone in town liked him so much. I personally think the PIR show has gotten better over the last few years, but the drag portion seems to be lacking. If I were to guess I would say the economy is having an impact as it ain't cheap to run them drag cars.

It was nice to see such a good turnout of ACVWs at the Beaches cruise last night. There were at least 25 or 30 VWs out there, if not more.

[Matty]

Ryan, I just want to say that your post was very well phrased. Kudos for the refreshing thoughts 

[LooseNuts]

Growth can happen, but it isn't likely to happen in any immediate fashion, IMO.
The real boom time for the scene was the 1980s, or so it seemed. 
The Rose City Bug-In used to be a way bigger event back when there were more people, collectively, into these cars, and as I recall, it was primarily sponsored by the long-defunct German & Japanese Auto Parts business.  Autosport International used to be a major supporter of the event, too, as I remember when they used to bring out a huge truck/trailer with a big wall of parts and accessories.
I remember one year a bunch of the PRA guys (Candy and Jim Larsen, Adam Wik, Mitch Evensen, Matt Forquer) brought up their Pro Stock cars, and I think the Bergs had attended in years past, too. 
The PIR event has always had its ups and downs, primarily from 1991 or so on, and has never been as big as the first year I attended in 1990; or so it seemed.  I think it partially reflects the market, with fewer cars around as in the years past.  There's a lot of people, the younger generation in particular, into the newer imports rather than old VWs, unfortunately, but even that seems to be more of a passing fad these days.
That being said, the Woodburn Bug Run has grown into a very successful event, though it didn't happen overnight.  Over a period of about 16 years, the event slowly blossomed into a major happening in the northwest. 
The first year that both clubs (RCV and Good Times VW Club of Eugene) collaborated on the event, which I think was 1993, there were like 39 show cars, at most, and like 50 race cars or less... can't recall the swap meet, but it was all encompassed in the infield area between the return road for the race cars and the staging lanes, if I remember right.  In the last two years, the show cars numbered 200 plus, I think it was(?), the swap was HUGE and the drags were also saw big fields, not counting the junior dragsters inclusion in the day's program.
I seem to remember that PIR was on a downhill slope in those earlier days (early 1990s), as it was very regularly hit and miss in terms of turnout and participation... and the years the track handled promotion were always the worst years for participation, it seemed.
When Woodburn first started, it was just about dang near the only VW event really left in Oregon, as the Medford Bug In was all but gone (RIP!) and PIR was sort of questionable as to how it was going to go. 
Watching the Woodburn's gradual development into a highly-anticipated VW event indicates to me that there are still hardcore VW enthusiasts out there, and they will come to an event deemed enjoyable and fun.

[BuginU2]

Wow!  Mitch Evensen - that is a name I haven't heard in many years.  I used to live a few blocks away from his shop (R&R Machine) in Napa.  We could hear him start up his race car occasionally.  He was a fun guy to watch race.  I was back in Napa last year and drove by his shop.  He still runs his business, but is largely out of the VW scene from my understanding.  Napa used to have two high profile names in the VW community... R&R Machine and V-Mar.  Vince could build transmissions like just about no one else.

Anywho... good post on the state of VW events in Oregon.  I had a pretty lengthy conversation regarding the Portland Bug-In with a member of Absolutely VW Club at the Beaches Cruise-In (Wednesday night).  A lot of really good points came up - some of which you've hit on.

[ryan68bug]

I miss the good old days as much as anybody!  Especially since I'm now living out in south central Oregon, light years away from most any VW scene whatsoever (here in Lakeview, I AM the VW scene, lol!).  But obviously the love is there for these cars, still, just a matter of trying to give the enthusiasts what they want, above all else.

I've heard rumors that the Medford Bug In may be coming back within the next year or two, but haven't heard anything official yet.  That would be a mere three hours away from my current town, which would be sweet! 

[BuginU2]

Check that out... someone actually bought Mitch's old car.  http://web.mac.com/larry_mckenzie/iWeb/Site/Welcome.html  I'm sure if they've finished restoring it or not.... talk about history.

[coolblue57bug]

I always loved watching that car race. It was amazing.

[ryan68bug]

Check that out... someone actually bought Mitch's old car.  http://web.mac.com/larry_mckenzie/iWeb/Site/Welcome.html  I'm sure if they've finished restoring it or not.... talk about history.

I'd seen that link some time back, I have no idea if the guy has made any progress on it.  If he has, he's keeping it quiet.  I know one of the Evensen's cars is completely garbage now, some guy was trying to sell it for an ungodly amount of money even though it was trashed.

I noticed recently that Dave Greer's car sold and went back to Pennsylvania or somewhere.  That thing was around the NW forever!