In the past, anyone who has been to Nationals has seen a giant paper map that we write on, edit, erase, change and generally mangle throughout the first few days before competition as people are arriving on site and scramble for a spot near there friends or in some specific area. For those who were fortunate enough to be in Lincoln early as part of the ProSolo Finale, they would be part of the gold rush to grab the premium spots while the rest get regulated to the back 40. This year, we're going to moving forward and utilize the power of MotorsportsReg and our own software to give those who have already registered the ability to view the site online and reserve their spots ahead of time. The system, dubbed PaddockNow will be launching On August 13th, the first Monday after the close of early registration.
PaddockNow uses the incredibly detailed site map created by Roger Johnson. We've spent the past few months mapping out the site in a web friendly format that will help people new to the site find their way around and those veterans a quick and easy way to reserve your paddock spot. Some special spots (like the practice course) will have some additional information like a YouTube video showing what the area looks like or a picture of that area of the paddock. By simply clicking on various spots, you can see whether a spot is already taken and who has taken it. By using your your registration email address (the one you use for MSR) and your SCCA ID (the exact number - underscores and all if you have one), you can reserve a spot. Note: the validation between the paddock server and MSR's servers can be a little slow so be patient with the initial validation and reservation (it shouldn't take more than a minute). If you and your co-driver chose different paddock areas and need to consolidate due to a large trailer, you have the ability to go back in with your registration email address and SCCA ID and release the spot for someone else to reserve. This all should allow all members (and regions - for those regions who will be utilizing tents) who will be coming to Lincoln for Nationals a chance to get the spots they want for the week.
There are a few caveats to the system which should be noted. Only Internet Explorer 9 and up are supported along with the newest version of Firefox 14 (previous versions may work, but have not been extensively tested) and Chrome. If you have specific questions regarding the paddock system, cannot register or require special consideration (handicapped drivers - Chiefs who wish to paddock in the front row near the courses) - you'll need to contact the Paddock Chief - Randall Prince at randallprince@gmail.com - to reserve your spots or make changes. You can also report any bugs to the same email address.
