I have to agree with Matt on this......

This is in no way a post trying to say anything bad about RCHR, John, Mark or the Back Room Boys, just a contrtuctive observation.

On most Saturdays I will walk into the shop and there will be no one at the counter at least once durring the day. Some times I need to buy something and I will search out someone to help me, but many times I'm just killing time between races and will stand at the counter for 5-10 min at times before someone walks back to the coounter to ask if I need anything. Now mind you I worked at / managed a hobby shop for 7 years and know how the buisness works. We always made sure we had an employee at the counter!!! If it was a race day we made sure that there was someone working who didn't race or one of us would pit at the work bench behind the counter and would have someone cover it while that person was running their race and marshaling. This not only was for security reasions, but also made sure that no customer would be standing at the counter waiting for some one to help them. If you don't belive me just as Steve Semeraro, he worked there with me and managed it before I did. I remeber when Will used to pit at the counter. Maybe it's time for that to start again?......

Now for the missing items from the back room......
I hate to say this but if you are paying to have a perminant pit space thats in a secured area like the back room, then rightfully the shop should have some type of "lease" agreement for you guys that states "we are not responsible for lost or missing items". I know for a fact that even though it's an unspoken understaning that you "pit at your own risk". Many shops dont like to offer "permium" or "pay for" pitting because of the legal ramifications. If there is nothing signed by the racer and the shop or signs posted stating that the shop is not responsible for the racers belongings in these "premium" pits then the shop IS resposible for the missing items. This creates way to much of a liability and hassel for the shop owners to want to deal with. Yes it may be convienet to not have to lug your stuff back and forth to the track, but the peice of mind knowing that your stuff in always in your possesion makes the so called inconveinance of lugging gear back and forth a minor one in my eyes. From what I can tell it's only been tires and small things missing, but what if a car, charger or radio goes missing next??? Is it realy worth the risk???? The idea of putting the back room into "lockdown" will help, but at the expense of making these racers non-accesable to others and will just add to the stigma that there is favortisim toward those racers.

All in all this situation can be handeled very easily if the following steps are taken.

1. A RCHR employee is always present at the counter.
2. No one but RCHR employess are allowed behind the counter. NO EXCEPTIONS!!!
3. Video survailance MUST be fully functional!!!!
4. Everyone pits in the main pit area and MUST bring their gear home daily.


I hate to see a shop get hit by a theif. It happened at the shop I worked at, but it was a break in. When it happens durring buisness hours it makes everyone start to look at their fellow racers and friends in an different way. Makes you think "Is it possible that _______ took the items?". This is not a good thing to have happening at all.

I hope the person or persons resonslibe for these actions is caught and percicuted to the fullest extent of the law......