Revised Point Structure for 2013 Majors, National Races

Harold Flescher said:
Indeed the very slow high road. It's all yours. Lots of experience there after all
All mouth.
No foot
Click to expand...

Yup, thats me. Doing the best I can on a poor public servant paycheck (1% cost of living over the last 8 years, not counting the increases in health insurance) but atleast I'm still trying. No crew, do all my own work, stay in the trailer at the track and beg, borrow or make a deal for things I need. I do it because I like to race. Doesn't matter if it's for 1st or 10th. I know I don't have a "podium budget."

Just goes to show the problem with the graying of SCCA, this is the way you treat younger members. Gives a great impression because someone has a different opinion. With what I do I have pretty thick skin, I have to.

Typical prodsite, nonracing people complaining and complaining and complaining, then attack anyone who says anything different than your opinion.



Curtis, I think James may have posted it somewhere I saw and I've heard it from some local region/division folks. As I said, just what I've heard.
 
How about everyone take a deep breath. And wait till the plan comes out before going mental. I'm not happy about having to travel more either. But I'm also not happy about the small fields we have due to to many Races. We need to reduce the number of races to get the number of racers per race up. Goodyear didn't accidently run out of tires. They were making a statement to Topeka that they were tired of giving out tires to races of 3 poeple. And interdivisional fighting about who gets to put on a national has brought us to this crossroad. With all thats going on with the weak economy, Nediv is still having a national at every track in division, because no region is willing to give up "There" national. Hence Topeka is taking over and only time will tell what the final formula for how many events will be held per conference. But hopefully they will all be better attended than what we have now. Also it should be noted that how its handled in different conferences will have to be different as the makeup of National/regional drivers is different around the country. It will all need to be tweeked and it will have teething pains. Try to make constructive comments to Butch.
Chris
 
James Rogerson said:
My director told us 6 regionals, but there was something about three different tracks.
James
Click to expand...

Well OK I guess. Call me surprised.

Making it harder for all to qualify during tough economic times, and making it harder for those few who enter more than one class, sort of shoots the whole " Topeka's cash cow and they only want entries" theory in the foot.

Kind of analogous to something like a retail store trying to address a downturn in business by making it harder to park IMHO.
 
I have held off commenting until we see the "official" plan from Topeka in its entirety. I second Chris' comments, as this discussion is really pointless until we know all the facts.
 
You dope. You accuse me of attacking you? Read you message again. Missing some retention? I think you kicked off the football pal.

Mazda Jon said:
Harold Flescher said:
Indeed the very slow high road. It's all yours. Lots of experience there after all
All mouth.
No foot
Click to expand...

Yup, thats me. Doing the best I can on a poor public servant paycheck (1% cost of living over the last 8 years, not counting the increases in health insurance) but atleast I'm still trying. No crew, do all my own work, stay in the trailer at the track and beg, borrow or make a deal for things I need. I do it because I like to race. Doesn't matter if it's for 1st or 10th. I know I don't have a "podium budget."

Just goes to show the problem with the graying of SCCA, this is the way you treat younger members. Gives a great impression because someone has a different opinion. With what I do I have pretty thick skin, I have to.

Typical prodsite, nonracing people complaining and complaining and complaining, then attack anyone who says anything different than your opinion.



Curtis, I think James may have posted it somewhere I saw and I've heard it from some local region/division folks. As I said, just what I've heard.
Click to expand...
 
Mazda Jon said:
WOW is right. I guess I shouldn't be surprised by a personal attack, after all, this is the prodsite.

Yup, thats me. Doing the best I can on a poor public servant paycheck (1% cost of living over the last 8 years, not counting the increases in health insurance) but atleast I'm still trying. No crew, do all my own work, stay in the trailer at the track and beg, borrow or make a deal for things I need. I do it because I like to race. Doesn't matter if it's for 1st or 10th. I know I don't have a "podium budget."


Doesn't matter what I have to do or where I have to go, I'll be at the Runoffs, where ever they are, in 2014.
Click to expand...


Hey Mazda Jon, from these 2 statements of yours it is really hard for me to take anything you say serious. First your bitchin about lack of funds and then your "going racin" at all costs. Not very smart on your part. BTW I have friends that are "public servants" they make a very good living.
I suggest signing up for some Dave Ramsey classes to protect your future because your on the road to destruction with that mindset.
 
In full disclosure I have never entered a national race (I've crewed with some national front runners over the years) & I enter very few regional races. I have been paying my SCCA membership for 15 years & drivers license for 13 years. :mrgreen:

My view of this Majors program is that it'll be like the World of Outlaws. A few top end drivers/class with $$$ that'll travel and the locals to be field fillers. Oh, forgot one fact, the World of Outlaws are pro racers.

Jon, not supporting Harold, but how would you like it if next year there were 10 Scott Tuckers at the Runoffs in GTL? It would be bad enough to have 2 Scott Tucker likes to get the normal fron runners in GTL to squeel & quit like 3 of the normal drivers did this year over the SIR.
 
I'll bet a poor public servant gets more vacation days than I do.

Yeah, traveling all over the place is an issue. Heck, just getting the lawn and the leaves done is an issue.
.
 
To many attacks and name calling.... Calm down.

We are all trying to do something we are passionate about " RACE". Running each other down is counter productive.
Lets see what comes next.

Who knows maybe in this case change can be a good thing...........
 
I guess one way to look at this, is if regionals are now a path to the runoffs, In SEDIV anyway, most regionals are doubles, most of them two day doubles, so you could infact get as many points in double regional weekend as a single majors weekend, you actually qualify for the runoff in three race weekends, which you could not do when I was running nationals. Hopefully Topeka doesn't change this, as for the double regional weekends because it has became hugely popular around the country especially with folks that have regional series, like SARRC, MARRS, and NARRC. Also hopeully none of this does anything to hurt those regional series, because in many parts of the country, for the regions, they are way more sucessful than the national program/races are. SCCA does not not need to fix regional racing, it is not broken.
 
How does the solo nationals work?? Do they have to qualify? Or are solo nats, open to all??
We need to do whatever they are doing, to increase the numbers .
When I ran solo, I am pretty sure that they were open qualifying.

Lots of really nice racers saying not nice things.

I thought that I was the only one that wanted easier , cheaper, closer to home, qualifying . Glad to see that I'm not the only one. My Son is in his final year of Engineering, and we can race a little more . But we cant get days off to travel the east coast.
Removing the huge cash outlay requirement, along with the time requirement, will increase the entire program .
Baiting some regional guys with hopes of running against the national level guys is a good move also. If we can run next to the local hot shoes, than we may make plans to go to Runnoffs. Maybe buy tires...
PRI is coming up , we'll be there fri AM. MM Be nice
 
I have to say that of all the things that the new Majors series offers, I don't like the fact that you can qualify for the Runoffs by running only regionals. If you are trying to increase National participation, why would you even think of letting people qualify by running only regionals.

In the Northeast, I could conceivably run six regionals and not run against a single other car in my class. And that should earn me a spot at a National Championship? If you want to add prestige to the Runoffs, it would seem that you don't do it by opening it up to regional qualification. Granted that other parts of the country have robust regional series with good participation, but I would still question the caliber of competition in these series and how they would stack up against real national racers.

I know that there are very good regional racers out there, especially in the IT and SM categories, but Production car regional classes in the Northeast are pretty dismal at best. Overall though, I am in favor of trying to concentrate the best drivers in the conference at these Majors events rather than having more races with weaker fields. I traveled from NH to Mid Ohio this year for that very reason, to run against some good competition. That's a two-day tow, but as long as it is a double it is worth it to me. With the old program you could actually have two Nationals on the same weekend that were at equal towing distances. Of course living in NH you kinda get used to towing long distances.
 
I dont think that prestige is the priority, I think that numbers/$, are.
I also dont see a lot of prestige in a Championship with 10 cars. Beating 50 cars is way better than 10, IMHO.
 
It's an interesting question Mike.

I've made this point before, but I think it fits your post so well, that it bares repeating.

To win GTL (10 cars) this year you had to best three past national champions with a total of about 15 national championships between them.

To win SM (24 cars) this year you had to beat one past national champion who won one time under yellow after a number of FCYs.

I don't think either is "better". It's more of a personal choice deal. But my point is that it's not a simple as 24 > 10.

BTW: there were no 50 car fields. The largest was 40 in SRF.

-Kyle

PS: Ron, I agree 100%. The regional qualifying path to the runoffs is either a massive lack of understanding of "product cannibalization" or a subtle attempt to undermine the success of The Majors. Look at the research put into the iPad mini's cannibalization of the regular size iPad and what not following that research did to Apple's stock price. Apple doesn't often make those kinds of mistakes, but this time it cost them.
 
Protech Racing said:
I also dont see a lot of prestige in a Championship with 10 cars. Beating 50 cars is way better than 10, IMHO.
Click to expand...
I guess we will just have to disagree on that point. I would take 10 cars that are top knotch national caliber programs over 50 regional level racers any day. I guess you have a different perspective, but when I go to any race all I care about are the cars that can beat me. With 50 regional level cars, all I would be concerned about is who was going to take me out when I lapped them.
 
disquek said:
It's an interesting question Mike.

I've made this point before, but I think it fits your post so well, that it bares repeating.

To win GTL (10 cars) this year you had to best three past national champions with a total of about 15 national championships between them.

To win SM (24 cars) this year you had to beat one past national champion who won one time under yellow after a number of FCYs.

I don't think either is "better". It's more of a personal choice deal. But my point is that it's not a simple as 24 > 10.

-Kyle
Click to expand...

I agree with you 100%, untill I look at the qualifying spread of the top 10 for each class (SM top 10, .615 seconds-GTL top 8, 11.686 seconds) and the finish spread of the top 10 in Spec Miata (16.5 seconds) vs the 6 finishers in GTL (57.591 seconds-granted the top 3 were within .519 seconds). What ever, different stroks for different folks. :think: :mrgreen:

The pointy end of GTL was great. Watched it mid T7 with some real great pointy end passing at T8.

Spec Maita had that ^ kind of action through the class.

We always want more spectators correct, who will the spectators come to see? :wink:
 
Protech Racing said:
How does the solo nationals work?? Do they have to qualify? Or are solo nats, open to all??
We need to do whatever they are doing, to increase the numbers .
When I ran solo, I am pretty sure that they were open qualifying.
Click to expand...

Up until this past year to "qualify" for the Solo Nationals you had to: compete in either a Solo National Tour or Divisional event. The other option was to pay a waiver fee (typically double the entry fee). For 2012 they removed those requirements and took anyone who wanted to go.
 
Dave,

No question that any spec class will produce a closer finishing order than any "unlimited" class like GT. No contest there.

My point was about the value of the win, not the entertainment factor for the spectators. But you knew that.

Which opens a different can of worms.

Does anyone REALLY think that club racing will ever pull any significant number of spectators? Meaning real spectators. Not racers cousins, or people shopping for a race car. Real, just came to watch for the fun of watching spectators?

I don't.

With 800 channels of crap on TV and 5 of them having some form of motorsports on 24x7, video games, and so on; spectators at the club level is a lost cause. Local dirt tracks market themselves more on the fun factor (e.g., they sell beer and blow things up) and the ability to see the same guys every weekend (so you can pick a hero and a villain).

I'd like to see the club forget doing anything more than they do now for spectators and put resources into modern marketing tools like Youtube.

-Kyle
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top