Hi Art. My son has raced at your place since 2009. Our first race ever was at your place. The reason we raced at your place first was because you have the best spectator situation for new racing parents. For a dad who stays at the line until the gate drops, it's the best place to be able to run up the stairs and see the whole race. That is the best part of your complex and I love it for that reason. As a comparison, Switchback has great spectator seating, but as a dad you have to run across the entire parking lot to get to it after the gate drops. For that reason, you have the BEST spectator situation.
I was impressed the first time I was there that you prayed over the loud-speaker during the opening ceremonies. I stole a line from your prayer that I use before every race - "May Your angels fly faster than our children can ride". I believe that you will turn Pyma around. I am impressed that you are willing to put yourself out there knowing that you will potentially get blasted. You are showing great character and humility. Two keys you need for success.
Here are some things that need improvement:
1) The number one reason that I would choose to go to another track, is the lack of turnout. In 2013 we were chasing points and it pained me to have to travel out to your place for 10 points, when we could get 20 or 25 at other venues. God forbid we had any mechanical problems, or wash-out in a turn that would lead us to a 2nd or 3rd and only get 6 or 4 points. You and I spoke about this before the 2014 season. The CRA needed to change their point system to accommodate you getting more riders, they were staunch in their position and did not want to change. You either change when you WANT to, or change when you HAVE to. The CRA failed you in this situation. Also, you seem to have a few guys who race your track that are darn near unbeatable at Pyma. I think some people shy away because they know they couldn't win there unless so-and-so didn't show up. Nothing you can do about that. There are some damn good riders there. If you look back over the years, I'm sure you can see the pattern. Probably not as big a deal as I just made of it, but definitely noticeable.
2) Going back to the "NEW Rider" position. Seeing the whole track is great, but once a 65 or 85 rider moved to the intermediate ranks, the track became dangerous for them. The jumps were too big, the faces were inconsistent, and many riders at this level got hurt. The track was much safer for an accomplished rider. I was always "Oh Crap" ing when my son was going to hit the two big table tops at the back and the finish line jump. The track is more suited to a faster kid on a big-bike. A re-design is needed. Keep it by the grandstands.
3) Track prep. I never had a problem with the prep. I thought the track was in good shape. But, many people I talk to say that the track prep was poor. It was never an issue for me. Though, I know from our fall race at WRMC a year ago, that if it goes to hell on you, it is sooo hard to get back the trust of the paying customer.
4) The track always seemed to become one-lined during most of the races. Putting a couple of options in some of the turns would add excitement to the track. Switchback was good at having a couple of turns that had two options. They had great turnouts and awesome track prep. Very consistent, and very good.
5) More parking. There seems to be a lot more larger vehicles being driven to races this day. The day of the pickup truck and easy-up seem to be a thing of the past. More parking is a necessity.
6) Stale - the CRA is in the position it is in because it was "STALE". In business, if you are not growing, you are dying. Being stale killed the CRA. There's a reason there are term limits in politics and reasons why people hire professionals from different colleges. They don't want to become stale or stuck in the same like-minded thoughts that can't see what is going wrong.
I think you can fix this. A different track layout, fewer events, more parking and great track prep seem to be what is needed here.
I know you will turn this around.
Good luck and I look forward to seeing your improvements this year.