Within the thread that I started on Runoffs participation for FC Hartley MacDonald asked "Is this class not in trouble with SCCA if we do not get the numbers up?" I think the answer is yes. I can best draw an analogy between the situation a number of our classes face and the absence of Black Cherry ice cream and the nearby restaurant; its no longer in their freezer because there isn't enough demand and other flavors are more popular. Bad for me and the other few people who enjoy that flavor.
What makes this a bit more difficult is that there are cars competing, they just are not all going to the Majors and Hoosier Super Tours unlike the other classes. This is all old news but its worth one more play: FRP has done an excellent job with its events and delivered a good product; many of the SCCA competitors went off to race with Bob and then there was no one left within SCCA Club Racing to nurture new prospects. Keith Averill did pick up the ball and has a Regional based FC/CFC program but there isn't a lot of upward movement into the Majors and HST events. The Pacific F2000 has done quite well and, depending upon their scheduling, may or may not contribute to the annual SCCA entries. In 2024 several of their events were at Regionals so the entries are not counted towards the automatic Runoffs invitation threshold of 4.0. (Class entries for Majors/HST/Runoffs for the trailing 2 years need to average 4.0 for an automatic invitation to Runoffs.) The total entries required for 2023-2024 to receive the automatic invitation is 292. FV has achieved that number and FF/FA are projected to as well. FC will likely fall short with the total through the CAT being 240. Just because a class fails to hit the 4.0 has not precluded it from being invited to Runoffs, it simply isn't an automatic invitation so don't give up hope.
In 2024 several of the FC competitors attempted to cluster entries at 4 events east of the Mississippi: Pitt Race, Mid-Ohio, June Sprints and Runoffs. We had excellent run groups at all of these as well as reasonable weather. An effort was also made to coordinate a race with FRP however track scheduling made that an impossible feat for 2024; efforts for 2025 are on-going.
From here out we (FC) either need to put up or shut up. If we want a place to race then we need to put numbers on the board or another class will take our place. Track time is in short supply and expensive and in some circumstances the track time utilized by the smaller subscription classes is actually subsidized by the larger ones. No amount of rule changes, reminiscing about how things were in the past, or bitching about how things are now is going to resolve the issue. We need cars on track to make a statement that FC deserves a place on the schedule.
The one thing that we can all do is to step up to the plate and post on Apex and the FC Racing Group Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/groups/156676828924564 We proved that social media posts and constant engagement drives participation and entries. There are a small number of regular content posters however that isn't enough; everyone needs to take ownership.
And, for those of the FC group that are no longer interested or able to race, consider selling your car instead of allowing it to collect dust in your garage as a trophy. There are people out there looking for these cars to race; please make them available if you aren't going to participate.
I invite you to email me with ideas and suggestions. I implore you to self-activate and support and champion this class if you want to keep it relevant in North America.
The following is part of an announcement made by Eric Prill in early June concerning the future of SCCA's Road Racing Program . The full article can be found at https://www.scca.com/articles/201857...-on-all-levels
Quote:
A deep dive into the participation data of these programs (Majors & Hoosier Super Tours) reveals that there are key events and classes that have good, consistent attendance and are considered healthy by SCCA’s traditional metrics,” said Prill. “Data also supports the notion that some classes have higher participation at specific tracks due to track characteristics or a larger population of cars in a given geographic area. Other classes are drawn to specific event types.”Consequently, Prill explained of the proposal, beginning in 2025, invited classes will be based on event type.
In the proposal, Conference Majors will include all U.S. Majors Tour-eligible classes, while Super Tour events will include a subset of the Majors-eligible classes, referred to as Super Tour classes. In short, all Super Tour classes are included in the Majors class grouping, but not all Majors classes will be a Super Tour class. Classes may also migrate between Super Tour class status and Majors class status on an annual basis.
Furthermore, class rules will not be static and will change to increase participation and competition, and classes may be combined to also increase participation and competition. Likewise, classes that do not perform will be removed from Majors class status, and new classes may incubate as a Majors-eligible class
https://www.scca.com/articles/201857...-on-all-levels
