Post by
EZcheese15 »
https://forums.nicoclub.com/ezcheese15-u102.html
Sat Oct 25, 2008 10:13 am
Ok guys, this is a new event for us this year and one we hope to continue in forthcoming years. For those of you unfamiliar with this event, here's some history behind it, and what you can expect. It's an absolute blast and something no Nissan enthusiast should miss.
The first annual SR20 convention was held in 1998 in Los Angeles, CA. It was a convention put together by Sentra SE-R enthusiasts to hang out and talk about their passion for the SR20 motor. At the time, it was primarily B13's and B14's that attended this convention. This annual convention continued in 1999, and after the 2nd year of hosting it, SE-R enthusiasts decided to make it a "National SR20 Convention," invite people nation wide, and change the location.
The year 2000 saw the 1st annual National SR20 Convention in Dallas, TX. It was an activity-packed weekend that began Friday night. Saturday everyone headed to Motorsports Ranch for a full track day. It was also the first time Embassy Suites was used as the official convention hotel. This was a tradition that would follow all the way through 2008. Saturday night everyone was able to hang out at the hotel, meet one another, and talk cars. Sunday began early in the morning as attendees scrambled to find the nearest car washes to get their vehicles clean for the car show. A catered lunch, raffle prizes, and car show trophies finished off the convention. The 1st annual National SR20 Convention was a huge success.
Tradition continued in 2001, 2002, and 2003. The 2nd annual National SR20 Convention was held in Washington, DC. The weekend schedule went just like the previous year, and the track day was held at Summit Point Raceway. 2002 - Phoenix, AZ and Firebird International Raceway. 2003 - Birmingham, AL and Talladega Grand Prix Raceway.
By the 5th year, everyone was excited about the convention. The only complaint people had was that the weekend was just too short. The convention had become the single event that SE-R owners had come to anticipate every year. In 2004, the convention returned to Los Angeles, CA and Willow Springs Raceway. The biggest change for the convention is that from this point on, it would become a 3 day convention. The track day was held on Friday for the first time, and the car show was still held on Sunday. This left Saturday open to relax, hang out, and meet people. The convention changed from being about the cars, to being about the people. As many people found out, a day to socialize and/or see the city is an absolute must.
Tradition continued for 2005-2007 in the same format. 2005 was hosted in Austin, TX and Texas World Speedway. 2006 - New York City, NY and Pocono Raceway. 2007 - Chicago, IL and Autobahn Country Club.
The conventions had been a great success up to this point, but the 2007 convention in Chicago showed a sign of a diminishing turnout. 2008 went to Las Vegas, NV and Las Vegas Motor Speedway, but a poor turnout was almost expected. There were only a handful of people that showed up in comparison to the prior years. Almost everyone that attended had been to multiple conventions before, and there were very few new faces. Without a drastic change, future conventions were doomed.
This brings us to 2009. The 10th annual National SR20 convention is going to be held in Savannah, GA and at Roebling Road Raceway on the weekend of March 27th-29th.
Although the convention was created for Sentra SE-R's and the SR20 motor, one of the main reasons the convention has gotten smaller these last couple of years is because the B13 and B14 SE-R's are getting old, and loosing interest. However, this is why we have stepped up to the plate and are going to sponsor the track day at the event.
All Nissan owners have always been invited to these conventions, however it was never really advertised anywhere beyond the Sentra websites. This year, we want to emphasize that the convention is open to all Nissan's and Infiniti's. After all, the convention is about the people, and the one thing we all have in common is our passion for Nissan.
So please join us this year at the convention. This will be the 1st year for NICO to be there, but we hope to not make it our last.