regina, yeah, im mike.
i agree with you, but at the same time everyone is fiending for decent seat time right now, myself included. i would not have entered an event on the oval track because of my previous accident, as the resulting fear was basically negative reinforcment to remember my limits as a learning driver.
however, and i think several will agree, even though the dday events are practice sessions only, you cant argue that it is not a quiet competition. sure, there are no places, no prizes, and no public commentary, but people talk. people know who is stepping it out farther than anyone else, people talk about how bad ass anyones last run was, people talk about how much someone sucked, and you hear it, and you want to do better. not so you win a prize, not so you get placed, but everyone subconsciously wants a piece of that recognition, if not for the sake of your "fame", for the sake of personal honor, to be "good". its why people practice illegally, its why people spend assloads of money on parts, its why people wreck their cars at unsafe events. people want to get better, and drive well, and one of the only ways to do that is with practice that comes more often than once a month.
main idea: for the sake of drift, more safe events, please.