Too Many Classes in the SCCA?

[mmi16]

What is needed is some serious outside of the box thinking. Something like splintered events—for Formula Cars only, or closed fender cars only. Maybe "class clubs" (like a Formula Ford Club) that only races at certain events, drawing specific class cars ONLY to those events as solo race groups. Something of a mini 40th for specific races, and not just monumental events. What if 2-day events ran all open wheel cars on Saturday and all sedans/closed wheel cars on Sunday?

No idea is a bad idea—especially if it spawns some other thoughts that could lead to a solution.

There are a lot of smart, experienced racers here. I know there is a better mousetrap to be built.

Thinking outside the box is one thing. Thinking outside the calender is another. There are only so many 'raceable' weekends during the year in many areas of the country; and out of those weekends SCCA is competing with the myriad of marque clubs and other race organizations (both 2 & 4 wheel) for access to those dates that are available. Additionally trying to get F&C and all the other specialities that are necessary for an event are becoming bigger problems every year. I don't have the answer, but SCCA is not alone in seeking track time and we must use it wisely to serve as big a proportion of the members as possible.

[mousecatcher]

too many freakin classes....we need run what ya brung or formula none events

we already have that -- FS. and as far as FS goes, since it's a free for all who cares who (what other classes) you run with.

[G Mason]

The quality of competition, not necessarily quantity is what defines National races...and the Runoffs. Otherwise, people run regionals or locally. SCCA has attempted to address declining participation by adding classes. Or, retaing weak ones; not such a bad compromise given that these people have invested in the club structure. The numbers problem is declining participation in SCCA.

The most recent generation of new racers have persistently chosen to race elsewhere. Car clubs for driving and track time, vintage for interest in specific cars, and lower level pro series for the more serious. In all cases, the experience is simpler and less degrading than the SCCA experience. The structure of club racing culture had it's place when people with no experience were bringing cars to the race track. ie: the organisers knew more about their cars' racing needs than the owners. This is largely no longer true.

[Marshall Mauney]

The numbers problem is declining participation in SCCA.

I'm not sure I see what you're getting at - the total number of entries shown on the earlier charts don't show a large decline. This year will propbably show a decline due to the overall economy, but I'd be very surprised if it has a larger impact on SCCA than on the rest of the industry.

The most recent generation of new racers have persistently chosen to race elsewhere. Car clubs for driving and track time, vintage for interest in specific cars, and lower level pro series for the more serious.

Again, I'm not sure what you're getting at.... Outside of NASA (which has effectively no open-wheel participation), I haven't seen any other programs taking people away from SCCA in large numbers. Which programs were you thinking of?

Marque clubs have been around for a very long time, and they generally aren't about racing, per se. Also, it's only been fairly recently that SCCA has gotten involved in "track day" events (PDX), so from a historical perspective SCCA is now actually MORE involved in this type of participation than it has been. This is an area where SCCA is growing, not shrinking. That said, many (most?) of the marque clubs won't allow an open-wheel car at their events.

As for vintage, some SCCA regions have very active vintage programs that run concurrently with regionals. For an example, check out the Oregon Region's vintage program - it's pretty impressive.

Now look at the lower level pro series' - SCCA is involved in quite a few of these. Again, I dont see where there's a significant historical shift here. For those that are arrive-and-drive series', I would challenge you to look into running arrive-and-drive nationals in SRF, FM or FE - do the comparison, and you'll find an awful lot of similarity. I don't believe that, for example, Skip Barber will allow you to simply show up with no license or prior experience and enter their race series, will they? IIRC, they require you to do a certain number of school days with them or show prior experience - sounds a lot like SCCA licensing.....

I think that you have also left out Solo II / autocross, where SCCA has a tremendously successful grassroots motorsports program. Frankly, I can't think of an easier, less expensive way to get started in competitive driving, in absolutely ANY kind of car. Heck, most regions will even loan you a helmet!

In all cases, the experience is simpler and less degrading than the SCCA experience.

What's "simpler and less degrading" about a marque club track day vs. an SCCA PDX? Is there something I'm missing?

Where else do you go to run your own open-wheel car that is "simpler and less degrading"? Yes, you can go to the local bull-ring and run the street-stock-class with few or no safety rules and not a whole lot of officiating. If that's what you want, great! However, I don't think this is a fair comparison to SCCA open-wheel racing.

The structure of club racing culture had it's place when people with no experience were bringing cars to the race track. ie: the organisers knew more about their cars' racing needs than the owners. This is largely no longer true.

Do you really think this is the case? I get the feeling that you had a bad experience somewhere along the line, or that you have an impression of the way that the SCCA works that may not line up with what actually occurs. Tell us more......

Have we (SCCA membership) done such a poor job of self-marketing that people really feel this way about us?

[Matt King]

Again, I'm not sure what you're getting at.... Outside of NASA (which has effectively no open-wheel participation), I haven't seen any other programs taking people away from SCCA in large numbers. Which programs were you thinking of?

IMO, the sheer volume of alternatives has had an impact. Go back a generation or two and if you wanted to road race, SCCA had a virtualmonopoly whether you raced open wheel or sedans. Today, that's not even close to true. The market is fragmented with myriad options, with virtually every niche covered, and there many regional organizations that offer a similar experience to SCCA.

[Bob Devol]

Everybody sell all their stuff to the vintage crowd. Buy either a F1000, FST, Spec Miata or EProd car and go racing. 4 classes, 4 run groups with 45 minute races and 35 cars in each race

Ummmm...you forgot a class. But that's okay. We can take our 20-35 entries per race and go elsewhere.

Then again, I'm not so sure you were serious about this.

[Daryl DeArman]

No I didn't, I was inviting you guys to come vintage racing . Yeah, I wasn't entirely serious about this. Just saying, I agree there are too many classes and here is a way outside the box "solution"

My "solution" was giving those who wanted to race with SCCA four choices: 1) A fast Formula car with recent technology. 2) A budget Formula car very simple to work on. 3) A fun, lower budget fendered car, and a 4) fendered car for those that want to go a bit faster and tinker a bit. Okay, so maybe we need a sports racer too.

I currently don't own any of the five---I'd think that any hobby racer could find one of the above would suit their needs. If they don't appeal to you and you just love your car there are other clubs that would love to have you.

The top 5 in National Participation almost equal the other 25 combined....so YES we have too many classes.

Tweak the Run-Offs participation rule. Up the numbers a bunch and guarantee those that meet it their own group for all sessions. Give those handful prime scheduling as well. Say, Thursday through-Sunday only. Those who don't meet it can still participate in the big dance, but all their track sessions will be combined with as many classes as necessary to satisfy schedule requirements and they race Monday-Wednesday. THEN stick to it,no matter who doesn't make the numbers (say 5.3 or higher )

[Stan Clayton]

Good job of capturing the essentials, Marshall, but I want to emphasize a couple of your points.

First, while it is true that SCCA Nat'l participation peaked in the late 70's at about 10,000 entries, it has remained stable ever since. I've talked to a zillion Nat'l competitors over the years, and the declines we see in the past couple of years are attributable to 3 primary factors.

The first of those is that SM became a Nat'l class in '06, bumping that year's Nat'l participation. When the blush wore off in that class in subsequent years, we really just went back to our normal numbers. Second, members decided that they didn't like Heartland Park, so quit running as many Nationals. After all, why run Nationals if you aren't going to the Runoffs? Third, as Marshall points out, the economy is having an effect. The average member who enters National races enters 5 a year. Drop the furthest one away to conserve some money and voila, we drop from 10,000 entries to 8000. When the economy recovers, so will our National participation.

Moving the Runoffs to RA probably somewhat lessened the economic impact, but in any case based on past experience, I am confident that economic recovery will bring with it recovered National and Regional participation.

Marshall's second point I wish to emphasize is that SCCA is not in decline. National racing is stable, but Regional racing has grown hugely in recent decades, and now accounts for about three-quarters of all Club Racing entries. Up through the early 80's, Regional racing was the ticket to National racing. Nowdays, it is an end unto itself. Moreover, many Regions exist almost exclusively on their Regional racing (ignoring Solo). My own Region is typical of that. SFR has about 10 road racing events this year; one Double Nat'l and the rest Regionals with each Regional race getting about twice the entries as our lone National.

Finally, I think it's unproductive to think in terms of SCCA "owning" all the club racing in the US. Having lots of healthy other clubs and tracks means more opportunities to race, not less. And that's good for all concerned. Think of it as the rising tide that floats all boats.

[G Mason]

Marshall,
My dad was a region RE in about 1960. I have regularly attended SCCA events since about that time. I have participated in many racing organizations with good results. I have organized racing schools and racing school race series. I have participated in multiple pro series as driver and engineer. So, not only do I have my own experience, I am very familiar with the outlook of those who choose not to participate in SCCA.

Over that time, the US population has increased by about a third. Road racing activity is up likely close to 1000 percent. SCCA's position in the market has declined dramatically by that meaasure. Further, the average age of those regularly driving at Nationals is increasing.

Most of the serious new racers with larger wallets by-pass SCCA entirely. They do a school series or vintage a little while, then go straight to a pro series like Koni, World challenge, or one of the open wheel series. These people must have good reasons for turning their back on SCCA club racing. The opposite used to be true.

You have a point regarding, specifically, the open wheel experience in SCCA. Fewer of the clubs weaknesses seem to fall on the open wheel participant. However, there is increasing call for alternatives from owner groups.

Lots of good, skilled people support and participate in SCCA club racing. Club racing has a lot to offer. Fewer new racers are choosing to go this way. I would like the club to evolve a little to attract the overwhelming growth that the tracks are seeing. Stan is a reliable supporter of the brand "SCCA" as are many others. The days of monopoly have been over for a while, but the club hasn't adapted especially well.

[ric baribeault]

it's funny that with all the experience of the noted posters, we can hardly blame scca for being unable to solve a problem, we can't solve ourselves. there seems to be a bit of irony there that points to perhaps us being as big a part of the problem as we are the solution. personally i believe there are too many classes in open wheel. i think that it hurts us on an amateur level and extends to pro levels as an absence of any clear feeder system. it also has diminished track time for new drivers and opened the door to other clubs that dangle that carrot. that, and keeping costs down with a spec tire was the appeal to me for many years. it also seems to me, we have failed to differentiate between drivers and racers, and their different needs. and perhaps those two entities might be better served by a more target specific agenda at the national and regional level with a greater separation of the operation of the two. there are many factors that have, imo, encouraged the proliferation of classes in OW. but it frequently boils down to money on one hand, and the inexperience of new drivers on the other. in over 30 years in this sport, i've seen many people who care only about it as a source of revenue and nothing for the sport itself. i read bob or alan's post of firman and VD. while part of that is correct, the part that might be unknown is that he was convinced he could sell 100 FB cars in 3 years by someone he obviously trusted. and that played more into his decision. does anyone think that will really happen? i don't. and i think it contributed to hurting OW racing in this country. FF is alive and well in england. maybe something can be learned there....ric

[Dave Gomberg]

Ric wrote (at the end): FF is alive and well in england. maybe something can be learned there....ric

Are you aware that FF in England is completely different than it is in the US? The Kent is gone. Do you think that SCCA FF drivers/racers would accept that?

Dave

[TimW]

Are you aware that FF in England is completely different than it is in the US? The Kent is gone. Do you think that SCCA FF drivers/racers would accept that?

We would have had it been done when the class still had a chance at relevancy, say circa 1994. But that ship has sailed and is not a solution for 2009 and forward, IMO.

Tim

[John LaRue]

Tim W -

Hence my earlier point about the classes either growing and adapting or simply aging to the point of extinction. We can't have both as I see it; everything has a life cycle including racecars and classes. There are simply too many diverging interests and opinions within the CLub to resolve the problem so all that will likely ever happen is a continuing band-aid solution.

The club propsered in the 60's, 70's and into the 80's because they were essentially working with a clean sheet of paper; today unless the BOD is willing to take a lot of heat there are too many competing interests to address. Ask yourself this: If you were going to start with a clean sheet of paper to form a racing organization which classes would you adopt? Would it make any sense to adopt all that we currently have? If it doesn't make sense for a new organization why does it make sense for SCCA to do so? Is there a provision in the GCR or By Laws which entiel one to a perpetual place to run their car?

[TimW]

John:

Arguably, SCCA FF competition currently is vintage racing, as you say. Very few new cars, very few new drivers. The train to make SCCA FF a viable ladder rung has left the station and no matter what you make FF into now its not going to be that going forward. That opportunity expired before a decision was made.

But, it has become a pretty viable place for old guys like me with my 16 year old car to have fun. I would be much more excited about racing formula ford now had the class evolved over the prime points in its life. But now its simply too late to make a drastic change so supporting it in its current vintage form for some finite period of time seems the best for the club, IMO.

What would have been a good decision in 1994 likely can't have the same effect 15 years later. But don't get me wrong, I'd much rather race a duratec FF in 30 car fields. I just don't have any confidence it will happen here; its strong in England & Aus/NZ because they don't have Pro FMazda, Skippy, etc so the user base is not nearly as diluted for those future world beaters.

Tim

[Bob Wright]

Apply John's last post to Ric's re FF...What did happen to the FF spec migration in England and why did it happen? As Tim says, maybe that boat sailed, but maybe it hasn't in some other classes (FC?) Sometimes things only get done when there is nothing to lose; I hope issues can be addressed before that happens both on a class and club basis. There's enough experience and brain power on this forum alone to accomplish it.

[R. Pare]

Are you aware that FF in England is completely different than it is in the US? The Kent is gone. Dave

Apparently you are not aware that the Kent FFs have had a resurgence over the last few years with numerous championships - it is hardly "gone" from the English scene. Those hundreds of cars that were produced over there are still running and very, very popular.


However, it seems that over here the Kent engine, while no one wants to change away from it, will probably be one of the reasons behind a slow and continual decline of the class.

[Dave Gomberg]

Yes, I am aware of the Kent FF resurgence there - but it is not "the" FF class any longer. As I understand it, it is more like vintage FF.

Dave

[dc]

Considered "vintage" because the Duratec conversion into a pre-2000 chassis is an expensive challenge that most people aren't interested in doing in the UK. While the idea of a new engine option in FF is appealing to many, the reality is that older cars aren't going to be very receptive to new engines without costly conversions. Duratecs in newer cars offer more Kents on the second-hand market, much like the 2-liter Pinto here in FC.

What needs to happen in US FF, IMO, is to continue improving the existing Kent engine formula with more durable engine parts options, a new block source, and other parts on the car to reduce overall costs and bring some form of progress to the aging class (alloy calipers, etc). The progress made over the last few years has been good for the engine durability and parts sourcing but certainly more can be done. Like Tim mentioned, the horse is already out of the barn on bringing new engines into this class. Too little, too late.

Finding engines shouldn't be drawing blood from a stone. This is the only class that suffers this problem, and that does not spell a bright future for the class.

[R. Pare]

Considered "vintage" because the Duratec conversion into a pre-2000 chassis is an expensive challenge that most people aren't interested in doing in the UK.

Mainly because the resultant old chassis/new engine balance is terrible - it's bad enough with the Duratec, and it was horrible with the Zetec.

Yet, for some reason, there are a sizeable number of Duratec cars being retrofitted with Kent motors!

[dc]

Hmmm... go figure!


As long as they were plentiful and durable, another option would be nice. It's just not realistic anymore for this class in this country. The best solution is to increase the life of the Kent with more durable and plentiful parts (like already done with the pistons, head and crank). If an optional block source could be developed, a lot of grief would go away I'm guessing.

China can make everything for 10¢ on the dollar, why can't we get new Kent blocks?



At least the value of a Kent engine you build is going to hold some value for a while. That's the only thing keeping me from giving up on the class completely. I know that unless I blowed 'er up, it won't be a total loss from the cash I'm putting into it.

[dc]

What are the car counts of formula/sports racers compared to the tin tops? What is the club base ratio of owners and participants of each group?

Would the SCCA be better served focusing on one group of racer than trying to make everyone happy?

If the SCCA hypothetically were to keep GT1/Trans Am and let the sedans go to say, NASA, and just focus on formula cars and sports racers, would the car counts increase with the increased track time and focus?



And speaking of Formula Ford options, does anyone know how far the Zetec can be "detuned" backwards? Could it get to, maybe about 115hp? Would a car that could be bought as a FF or a FC (with added wings, new wheels and a computer re-map) be a solution to anything?



Maybe the solution lies in properly identifying the problem, too. What is SCCA? What does it want to be? Should it be everything to everyone? Is it a sports car club for recreational racers or a feeder system for pro racing? Does it want growth and development or just stability and consistency? Should Formula Ford need to be a growth class or is it destined to be a vintage class before too long? Does it matter?



Sorry, too much Easter candy tonight plus hydrocodone for bruised ribs and I'm having trouble keeping one train of thought...

[Larry]

Doug, you nailed the REAL question! Where is the SCCA going? What does the SCCA want to look like in 5 or 10 years? It's my impression that the SCCA lacks a vision for the future. Does it want to be pro road racing (as it was in the 60's)? Does it want to be amateur racing, with a place to race everthing for everyone? Does it want to be a training grounds for rising stars?

Right now the SCCA "muddles through," taking the path of least resistance, but not taking a path towards a destination. It move in one direction until there is some resistance, and then it moves away from the resistance.

The club has tried to reduce the number of classes by limiting the number of groups at the Runoffs. That's one way, and a politically-expedient way. Then it met some resistance, and it modified its original plan due to the resistance. Just as with FF, suggestions on adding new engines have been welcomed by some and derided by others, so the club stalled--paralyzed due to resistance. Indecision is a decision in itself, and is usually worse than making a wrong decision.

Larry Oliver
International Racing Products

[Gary_T]

And speaking of Formula Ford options, does anyone know how far the Zetec can be "detuned" backwards? Could it get to, maybe about 115hp? Would a car that could be bought as a FF or a FC (with added wings, new wheels and a computer re-map) be a solution to anything?

I like this, and it's exactly what a friend and I discussed over beers the other night. A de-tuned 2.0L zetec - smaller restrictor plate, different map, rev limit - to bring it down to FF levels. Allows easy back-and-forth between FF and FC (wings/tires/map/restrictor), & bolts up to the current trannies.

Gary

[dc]

One car, one engine, potentially 3 classes (FF, FC and FS), and maybe even FB if the owner was so inclined. How inviting would that be to a father of a 15 year old looking to start racing in a year or two? One cash outlay and maybe 2 or three rungs in the experience ladder. Would be easier on the car builders, too, and maybe even more inviting to them.




I think SCCA needs to pick a lane and stick with it. Decide what they want to be, then do it. Aimlessly wandering from one focus to another does nothing but perpetuate my ADHD. Trying to please everyone and be everything to everybody handcuffs the club when trying to do anything progressive or even stabilizing.

Until that is done, I don't believe that anything can be fixed or get better. It's a 12-step process that starts with identifying and accepting that there is a problem. Until that happens, nothing we write or say will have any impact.

[Matt King]

It's a 12-step process that starts with identifying and accepting that there is a problem. Until that happens, nothing we write or say will have any impact.

Good analogy, and good luck getting leadership to admit to a problem!

[TimW]

I like this, and it's exactly what a friend and I discussed over beers the other night. A de-tuned 2.0L zetec - smaller restrictor plate, different map, rev limit - to bring it down to FF levels. Allows easy back-and-forth between FF and FC (wings/tires/map/restrictor), & bolts up to the current trannies.

Gary

Yes, this was discussed during the FF ad-hoc advisory committee a few years ago. The advantage of the detuned zetec is that it fits up to the current cars bell housings making a non-club FF conversion somewhat simpler (though not simple). However, the Zetec is already out of production in this country and never was marketed as a 1.6L in the states, which made it tough to be a go forward long term solution. When I inquired with my contacts at Ford, he did not think the number of zetecs manufactured was near that of the pinto or kent but hard numbers were difficult to gather.

But a detuned 2.0l zetec since its arguably the go forward continental motor was also a discussion that had some merit.

Also discussed was the Duratec at the 145 bhp that the UK & Aus/NZ series run and modifying the kent to get to similar levels (its bottom end is the same as a BDA, right?) which had some merit since many 'modern' FFs are converted or dual designed as FF & FC now anyway, so have adequate gearbox & brakes to handle the higher power.

Is this becoming the now 'late winter FF engine thread?'

Tim

[dc]

Is this becoming the now 'late winter FF engine thread?'

No, it just follows me everywhere because I can't find a damn engine that isn't $8,000. LOL.

[D.T. Benner]

Even with a newer more modern engine the Class will probably never attract the Young drivers that have been driving Karts for many years. They will be excited by the Motorcycle powered cars with their High reving engine sound and sequential shift 6 speed gearboxs. When Ralph Firman got back into building Formula cars he could see that as the future. I don't care for the package but I'm not one of those Wizz kids thats on the way up the ladder!
It probably makes more sense (in this country) to keep the Kent engine as any big $ change with the idea of making it more appealing to the younger drivers will probably not have the desired affect?
Just my 2 cents.

[rickb99]

To the original question of the thread... Are there too many classes in SCCA national racing?

And the answer is.... Probably not!

LOOK at Stan's 25 years of data again. 22 or 23 classes over those years and a blip up to 30 in the last 3.

The number that is TROUBLESUM is the sine wave over the 140 average entry's per national race! The population of racers has grown, the disposable income has grown, the number of people racing has grown and the number of national races per year has remained around 70 yet, no growth in national entry's. That's the WHY question.

If you assume there are some (yes some) guys under 40 racing in SCCA, the classes available has remained pretty steady (but for the last 3 years) what has happened to the car counts PER CLASS? Accepting that there HAS to be more people road racing in the USA then there was in the 1980's that leads to the conclusion that a LOT of previous SCCA grided cars have moved on to the alternative clubs AND/OR away from National racing. Why?

1.
As Doug mentioned in another thread, the SCCA novice licensing program is WEAK! The novice licensing program is why too 'involved', stressful on the car and driver due to the way the schools (IF ANY) are scheduled and run, a rediculously streached out process. This IS having a major impact on the total number of drivers licensed in SCCA as their primary club.

2.
Cost of running Nationals is way too high. Yes, there are those who race for nothing MORE then to make the Runoffs (indeed a worthy and rewarding goal). But for those lacking the budget (but, having the credentials to hold a national license) there is NO incentive to enter (or pay) the cost of running the local national races if you don't plan on going to the Runoffs.

That is why I wonder what Stan's graphs would look like (average entry's, races run) for the SCCA Regional racing program over the past 25 years?

3.
A huge issue with most drivers (be it regional or national) is track time. Really, to some extent that is NOT an issue of quantity of classes. After all, that's been pretty steady at about 23 or 24 till the 'bump'.

"Back in the day" before all the restrictions, the race day started with cars on track at 8:00AM and we ran till the track was too dark to see (somewhere between 6:30 and 8:00PM) if needed! Not in todays world and that more then anything has eaten up the track time per group. The time/noise restrictions limit racing schedules to a very tight budget per group.

Can something be done about this with the number of classes in national racing? Oh sure, just eliminate enough classes to wipe out an ENTIRE run group and you've freed up a lot of time!

4.
Some say, the quality of the drivers in national racing are a 'level above' those running in regionals. In the totality of that comment I say.... Hogwash! I've seen enough races in my 50 years of going to the track to recognize the UN-truth of that. There are plenty of regionally licensed drivers that could/can/ and do out perform or equal many national licensed drivers. There are national licensed drivers who under preform their regional conterparts consistently.

The point? Somebody once suggested finding a way to incorporate the Runoffs qualifying program to include the regional racing program. Which isn't a bad idea.

Right now, we "import" national Stewards, tech people, registrars, T&S people to any National race (at a HUGE COST driving the entry fee way up) to ensure a national race is run properly. Sure, there is merit in that.

But being quite honest, our local staff of these specialties are PERFECTLY qualified and highly professional. When the 'carpet baggers' show up, I find the entire environment for the national races suddenly becomes UN-participant friendly and rather 'snobbish' toward us local 'hicks'. Could this be another reason for the decline in national participation?

Someone talked about making ALL races a way to qual for the Runoffs. Maybe.

A.
Points are accumulated toward the runoffs in any race a driver participates in. Top 6 finish's count.
B.
Drivers MUST have at least 2 seasons (minimum of 10 races total) to have their points count toward the Runoffs.
NOTE:
That's tougher then it is now to get national license upgrade.
C.
Start invites to Runoffs with the top 10 in each class and work down the list of those qualified until the Runoffs grid is filled.
NOTE:
Regional licensed qualifiers must upgrade to a national license prior to the Runoffs.

I dunno, something like that. Think outside the traditional box.

GROUPINGS:

Speed differentials, GET OVER IT! It's been there since the start of road racing. It's something good drivers learn to deal with minus the complaints! Yes, Le Mans had to take corrective action when the differential reached 140 MPH on the Mulsanne straight but that's not sprint racing.

We have the 120% rule (with a waiver available) that works pretty good within a class. I just took a look at our tracks, Portland International and Pacific Raceway which both have long straights. IN ICSCC, F1000's and FV's are in the same run group (nobody complains either). An FV is JUST 5 seconds per lap outside the 120% window of qualifying at F1000 lap times! The F1000 I'm talking about is Kyle Oberndorf (a superior F1000 driver who holds the lap records). Somebody came up with that 120% and it just demonstrates the differential that's premitted within a CLASS let alone a run group. As I said, deal with it.

Again, using Stans data, 140 average entries per National using 5 run groups would result in 20 cars per run group (in a perfect world). That's I'm sure is nowhere near the tracks cars per mile limit in 99% of the cases. So, allowing some flexability in run group mix up till the point where total entry's per class are known, no more then 5 groups should be needed. Get the National entry's UP/UP with a better program (or ALL races are Runoffs qual events), more track time and get RID of the HPDE's, Track Trials, 'restricted regionals' and 'imported bosses' (that cost a lot of extra bucks on the entry fee) at the national races and you've got it made.

FF ENGINE issue:
Long, well known problem. Now that blocks are in short supply an even bigger problem. How about changing to FH if the Duratec is a bad retro on older chassis? FH? yes find a small phyisical size current production, 125 HP HONDA engine that fits! Woo Haa start the war!

[Dennis Valet]

I'm not sure why people are so quick to write off Formula Ford as a legitimate semi-pro/amateur/entry level feeder series.


Unless you are jumping into F2000, Star Mazda or one of those other high performance formula series, you will be hard pressed to find a more bang for buck full size formula car than Formula Ford.


Spec treaded tires and reliable modern engines make running costs relatively low, while maintaining pretty substantial performance. If Formula Ford's could get the same backing as say the skip barber or formula BMW series, it would take off in my opinion. The cars just make a lot more sense as an introduction to formula racing.

[Evl]

1.
As Doug mentioned in another thread, the SCCA novice licensing program is WEAK! The novice licensing program is why too 'involved', stressful on the car and driver due to the way the schools (IF ANY) are scheduled and run, a rediculously streached out process. This IS having a major impact on the total number of drivers licensed in SCCA as their primary club.

I agree that the fact that it can take a year to get a license (depending on your region and when you start) is a _huge_ problem for getting people started, especially for people in formula cars who don't really have anything to do with their car between schools.

3.
A huge issue with most drivers (be it regional or national) is track time. Really, to some extent that is NOT an issue of quantity of classes. After all, that's been pretty steady at about 23 or 24 till the 'bump'.

...

4.
Some say, the quality of the drivers in national racing are a 'level above' those running in regionals. In the totality of that comment I say.... Hogwash! I've seen enough races in my 50 years of going to the track to recognize the UN-truth of that. There are plenty of regionally licensed drivers that could/can/ and do out perform or equal many national licensed drivers. There are national licensed drivers who under preform their regional conterparts consistently.

I disagree with this. I race for a challenge, not seat time (that's what test days are for). The issue for me is good competition at a quality track. I'm sure it depends on the region and the class, but I've found that I'm competitive (altough not necessarily winning) at regionals, and I'm getting lapped at Nationals. I find that there is a lot more to learn from getting passed by a champion that tooling around on my own in an undersubscribed regional.

My

[SteveLevin]

I think looking at National participation for "how the SCCA is doing" is simply the wrong metric. Looking at Regional numbers would be quite revealing, I suspect. Because the reality is, as regional participation goes up, interest in national participation wanes.

SFR is a prime example. As mentioned, despite being a large region, it holds only one National weekend a year -- and this year it got roughly 100 entries for the double national as compared to roughly 230 entries for the single regional held last weekend. And to top that, a non-trivial number of those entries were from out-of-region folks (ten in SRF alone).

And the simple reason is that as a class gains traction in an area, the Runoffs become less likely. Heck, just being a popular class, period, reduces interest in competing in Nationals. Take my case. I am in my second year of racing (I have an SRF) and I have competed in 5 Nationals this year...and have yet to score a single point. Twice I've finished in front of 8 other competitors.

Right now I run Nationals because I'm trying to get as much seat time as I can. But if I have to cut anything out this year, it will be the Nationals first, because probably for the next couple of years (at least) the likelihood of me scoring enough points to go the the Runoffs is asymptotic to zero.

Bottom line is, using National participation as a metric for how well the SCCA is doing is akin to using the sales of a particular color to determine how well a particular model of car is selling.

Steve

[rickb99]

I disagree with this. I race for a challenge, not seat time (that's what test days are for). The issue for me is good competition at a quality track. I'm sure it depends on the region and the class, but I've found that I'm competitive (altough not necessarily winning) at regionals, and I'm getting lapped at Nationals. I find that there is a lot more to learn from getting passed by a champion that tooling around on my own in an undersubscribed regional. My

I understand and agree. The point I was trying to get across was, a National license is not a Magic Card signifying the holder may be destined for Formula One. Race X times on your regional license, put the paper work in and magic, you're a genuine national driver! Point is...

1.
Race in nationals and some darn good talent will show up in super-preped cars. But that doesn't mean there aren't some equally talented drivers with MUCH more experience who only race regionals. Yes, depends upon the region and class.
2.
Just because you've met the bare minimum to hold that National license doesn't automatically mean you are highly skilled with a lot of track awareness.

Thus my point. On any given day, there's no assurance that an overall national grid will be made up totally of drivers with 'superior' skills over a regional field.

The 'glitch' in this concept is, SCCA mixes the novices in with regional races right out of school.

So, if ALL races were to count toward Runoffs points the 'risk' with pure novices on the track (as SCCA does it) would be greater. On the other hand, you wouldn't have big time hot shoes showing up from out of region because they wouldn't need those races to qualify for the Runoffs grid.

Our club avoids this issue totally. Novices race in their OWN closed or open wheel races for 3 events under going observation and evaluation before moving up with the senior driver run groups. Safe, sane, sensible.

[Speed Sport Engineering]

I don't understand why we can't stick to SCCA's orginal plan on minimum participation numbers to maintain / earn national status, and let things sort themselves out?? Wasn't that the whole point? Not enough cars = regional status only. Problem solved, no?

This issue is my biggest issue with SCCA. I want reduced classes on a national level, and they keep adding more! Ugh.