National Class for 2007..I guess not.

[Rennie Clayton]

Jon,

I am all for letting Erik make his yeoman's effort to try turning Enterprises around. So far, he's done a good job, considering the circumstances. Forgive me, but I'm not going to dance in the streets because things are better - the fact is that things are not good yet. And folks like me will continue pushing and prodding for further improvement until that milestone is reached. Some folks on the FSCCA forum seem to react to that like we're pissing in their porridge, which I find endlessly fascinating because it's misplaced.

To wit: most of us have no problems with FSCCA as a class, or spec classes in general. It's not my thing, but I understand that it fits the bill for a lot of folks out there, especially if you are just starting out or feel that you lack the technical expertise (or cash outlay) to tackle the big FA fish. What we do have problems with, is Enterprises in particular. The fact that Enterprises produces and sells the FSCCA is a matter of circumstance, and you FSCCA competitors are caught up in it like kids in a bad divorce. You guys want a National Class all to yourselves, fine. I don't agree with it philosophically, but I'm not about to be butt hurt about it despite any ignorant suggestions to the contrary.

In his inaugural missive to the F/SRSCCA community, Erik states that 'SCCA Enterprises is subject to the same SCCA rules making process as any class and any manufacturer' - and yet no other manufacturer has such hegemonistic control over classes in SCCA as Enterprises does. To address your vision that Enterprises will have 3 more products by 2010: in the spirit of making the most of a bad situation I say that would be brilliant! But if we're really treating Enterprises like any other manufacturer, then we need to start expecting them to build and sell cars that will be competitive to existing rule sets, and not give them their own private class to sell into every time they introduce a new car. Otherwise, we have no rationale to say "NO" to creating a new class for every Tom, Dick & Harry race car manufacturer that comes along and want their own private sand box to play in. Where does it stop?

In many ways SCCA is a patient dying on the gurney. But in our rush to infuse new blood into the patient in the form of new classes and competitors, we're utterly failing to stop the hemmoraging of existing participants because we haven't taken steps to address their tenuousness with continued involvement with the club. You know this rule better than I: first, take care of the people who have supported you over the years, then worry about the newcomers. One in the hand is worth two in the bush. One is silver, one is gold... you get the point.


Cheers,
Rennie

[Eric Cruz]

Let me see if I'm understanding this correctly: take while the taking is good, then blow it off because it's not really that much and you can't change the past anyway? Nice...

Kinda missed my point there, Rennie. Maybe I need to take articulation lessons from John Kerry when doing tongue-in-cheek routines, but what I was trying to say is:

1. I bought a car at an advertised price, available to anyone with the money, and certainly wasn't aware that there was any subsidy whatsoever being provided by you good folks. [I also read Jon Baytos' follow-up post, and it seems that there really wasn't ever any subsidy.]

2. I got really pissed off when I was accused [not by you] of personally believing I am entitled to the involuntary support of my racing by you and all of the other SCCA, Inc. members, simply because I completed the transaction in No. 1, above.

3. I really cannot understand the point of all of this emotional excrement over things Enterprises has done in the past, and the denigration of current management and customers of Enterprises for participating in such a program, any time something good, bad, or mediocre happens to the FSCCA.

Yes, my one point that you did get was that you can't change the past, so get over it. I've still got people wanting my money for slavery reparations, and my family came from the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Makes about as much sense to me. The people in there now are doing a wonderful job (as Jon says, just ask Carl Haas) - is it in the best interest of the club that everyone loves to hamper them?

Best regards,
Eric

[Dan Aleckson]

Rennie you say you dont believe philosophically the fscca cars should have there own national class ??? how did the 1ooo motorcycle formula car get there class with very few cars?? I didnt know you could put a class in national status then build it .... also I havent heard anybody complaining about all dues keeping the pro races going how much money is being dumped in it. and how much are the pro races bring in cash wise.. ?? ive heard thats a abig bucket with a hole in it........ Dan

[Rennie Clayton]

Rennie you say you dont believe philosophically the fscca cars should have there own national class ??? how did the 1ooo motorcycle formula car get there class with very few cars?? I didnt know you could put a class in national status then build it .... also I havent heard anybody complaining about all dues keeping the pro races going how much money is being dumped in it. and how much are the pro races bring in cash wise.. ?? ive heard thats a abig bucket with a hole in it

1. Point to a place where I stated that I support the F1000 class becoming National straight from day one. As to knowing about putting a class in national status before building it... I can only suggest that you follow FasTrack a bit more closely.
   
2. Seriously, you haven't heard any complaining about Pro? Try this thread for starters, ironically enough on the subject of F1000 as a national class.
   
3. Pro is a drain to the tune of $150k per year, and yes, I find that to be frustrating. However... "b-b-b-but somebody else is worse than us!" is no justification for our own indiscretions.

Yes, my one point that you did get was that you can't change the past, so get over it. I've still got people wanting my money for slavery reparations, and my family came from the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Makes about as much sense to me. The people in there now are doing a wonderful job (as Jon says, just ask Carl Haas) - is it in the best interest of the club that everyone loves to hamper them?

Since when is expecting Enterprises to build and sell competitive cars to existing rules just like every other race car manufacturer "hampering them"? Just because we don't want to hand exclusive supplier rights for yet another class to Enterprises doesn't mean they are being put upon. The incontrovertible fact is that this is not the past - it is an ongoing situation that many feel still requires correcting.


Cheers
Rennie

[Dennis McCarthy]

Eric,

Save your breath, the arguments not worth it.
Just keep racing, having fun, and remember this too will pass!
All of this will probably change next time around with the next new BOD.
It's akin to the dockmaster at the yacht club getting a new boss and new rules
every time there is a new commodore.

You know the ones with all of the fresh and new ideas and all of that sort of thing.....

[Eric Cruz]

I'm sorry, Rennie, I really didn't mean to turn this into a battle over parsing of words. I enjoy your posts and the information you provide to this forum. I understand people's frustration with the entire concept of Enterprises and the way it has been run over the years. However, I hope you can understand my frustration with being labeled as a freeloader of the club's vast resources for simply buying and racing a car. I think I have finally learned that I will ignore those personal attacks and go on and do what I do.

I was a "regular racer" of FF/CF for many years prior to descending to the status of "spec car racer." This car is a heck of a lot faster, more enjoyable to drive, and more readily maintained than my Ford ever was. The customer service from Enterprises and their CSRs has been orders of magnitude better than anything I experienced previously. The car and the class fits my racing paradigm (and no, it's not that I'm a wannabe FA driver, but I'm just not smart enough or wealthy enough to handle it) - I like to race with close competitors more than I like to test, develop, and work on the car. Nothing wrong with those who do embrace the whole thing. I just recognize that I'm an amateur, doing it for fun, have other demands on my time, and this maximizes my fun.

Me, I'm taking Dennis' advice and going racing. I'm looking forward to Road Atlanta next week for the ARRC where FSC currently has 21 entrants, and we are expected to have around 30 cars entered by the time next week rolls around.

Again, my apologies to anyone I may have offended.

Best regards,
Eric

[chuckj]

In the current issue of Fastrack that came out today the CRB has recommended to the full SCCA BOD that FSCCA be removed from FA and given it's own class. It is my understanding that the BOD meets sometime in December. Hopefully, the final approval will be on the agenda then.

Chuck

[Tom Mihelich]

Whoohoo
(Fingers crossed)

[carnut169]

WHAT!!??
You guys can just complain a little and get a chance a a National class... Now I'm pissed. All you had to do was go out and buy existing cars, race them for a few years and wha-LA- FSCCA is being considered for National Status. Damm. Its almost like having actual cars matters?
We had to invent a class that did not exist, write our own rules, listen to Art/ Richard/ Stan/ Rennie/ et all (me?) tell us we were idiots and that each other sucked for a whole year.... 1000s of posts that confused more than helped and at the end of the day we do have a National class that consists of my car!

Ok, whatever. Truth is that anyone who actually watched a FSCCA race, like at the ARRC, would be crazy not to support your class.

Congratulations and I sincerely hope that you get the National status you deserve.