Regional class counts

[Lotus7]

Notwithstanding my nearly 40 years in Scca, I was looking at the SARRC info for Road Atlanta in November on Motorsportreg and it just caught my eye that there are 57 (57!) classes listed….
Has it always been like this??? What a joke……
And there I am enthusiastically supporting the reduction of runoffs groups to 18 LOL

[John Nesbitt]

Notwithstanding my nearly 40 years in Scca, I was looking at the SARRC info for Road Atlanta in November on Motorsportreg and it just caught my eye that there are 57 (57!) classes listed….
Has it always been like this??? What a joke……
And there I am enthusiastically supporting the reduction of runoffs groups to 18 LOL

That's about right. I posted in another thread about an event for which I was Chief Steward. It rejoiced in approx. 100 classes.

Trophies are cheap. If a slew of classes is what it takes to attract entries, a Region will do it in a heartbeat.

[Lotus7]

That's about right. I posted in another thread about an event for which I was Chief Steward. It rejoiced in approx. 100 classes.

Trophies are cheap. If a slew of classes is what it takes to attract entries, a Region will do it in a heartbeat.

Never realized that. Pretty much a copy of SVRA, where on any given weekend, a hundred first place trophies could get given out...

Well, if it pads the grids ....

[Robins Ken]

Never realized that. Pretty much a copy of SVRA, where on any given weekend, a hundred first place trophies could get given out...

Well, if it pads the grids ....

Hey honey I got a trophy. I finished P3.

Oh, the other guy did not show up?

Ouch.

[EACIII]

I stopped going to get my trophies years ago. Meaningless in a field of 3 cars

Ed

[John Nesbitt]

I stopped going to get my trophies years ago. Meaningless in a field of 3 cars

Ed

Agreed. I am certain that many of us have a closet full of these things, which gather dust until they are discarded in a house move.

OTOH, I know from my days on my Region's competition committee that many entrants are very attached to those trophies. And there is a population of owners of no-longer-competitive-in-class cars who will enter events if there is a class where they can compete for a podium.

The marginal cost to the organizer of a few additional trophies is virtually nil, compared to the additional entries. These days, very few Regions can afford to forego any entries that they could otherwise attract.

[Mike B]

Notwithstanding my nearly 40 years in Scca, I was looking at the SARRC info for Road Atlanta in November on Motorsportreg and it just caught my eye that there are 57 (57!) classes listed….
Has it always been like this??? What a joke……
And there I am enthusiastically supporting the reduction of runoffs groups to 18 LOL

Why is this a joke? While you and I have no interest in racing in a class of one, who are we to deprive other people of their on-track enjoyment? Yes, we all know "that guy" that brags to his non-racing friends that he won his race over the weekend but neglects to mention there were no other entries. THAT is a joke. But if someone wants to run the car that he enjoys running and can do it safely in a group of other cars, where is the harm in that? Let's take his entry fee, add to the entry list and wish him the best of luck. There's no reason we can't do that in all levels. Even if I was the only entrant in my class, I would much prefer to take the green flag in a group made up of multiple classes than just do lapping days or sit home.

[SteveG]

San Fransisco Region just held one of it's bigger events, a regional at Sears Point (Sonoma Raceway) with well over 200 entries. SFR has 55 regional classes listed and 43 of those classes had starters at this race. Yes some of those classes only had 1 or 2 starters. The 2 largest classes were SRF3 with 31 cars on track Sunday and SMT (Spec Miata Toyo) with 41 cars on track Sunday.
I ran in the SM group and had a great time especially with 61 cars on track for Saturday's race. I'm going to guess that half of the SM group where arrive and drive rentals.

I stopped going to get my trophies years ago. Meaningless in a field of 3 cars

Ed

I would encourage all to pick up their trophies even if you simply throw it away on your way back to your tow rig. The region bought enough trophies for everyone. You're forcing the trophy person to haul around your unclaimed trophy for the next however many races before they can throw it away at the end of the season.

Steve

[FVRacer21]

Why is this a joke? While you and I have no interest in racing in a class of one, who are we to deprive other people of their on-track enjoyment? Yes, we all know "that guy" that brags to his non-racing friends that he won his race over the weekend but neglects to mention there were no other entries. THAT is a joke. But if someone wants to run the car that he enjoys running and can do it safely in a group of other cars, where is the harm in that? Let's take his entry fee, add to the entry list and wish him the best of luck. There's no reason we can't do that in all levels. Even if I was the only entrant in my class, I would much prefer to take the green flag in a group made up of multiple classes than just do lapping days or sit home.

That is the issue - once a class is made in the SCCA it never leaves. You can end up with a 20 car field with 15 cars taking checker flag laps......

One way to organize the classes is in a branch system. SRF3 is the Main class and SRF and SR are sub classes.

If one SR shows up at a regional, he is able to race, but only in the SRF3 class. If enough show up (say 6 or more) then they get their own trophy. The existing system, which dates back at least 2005, has no trophy until you have 2 people (1 trophy) but allows 3 trophies for 4 entrants!? Not sure I would be picking up my 3rd place trophy in that case. My suggestion is 3- 1 trophy, 5 - 2 trophies, 7 - 3 trophies; but I will leave that as a suggestion.

Now it is up to the region to choose which classes compete for a championship, but at the end of the year, should I look at an empty class, run one race and become the champion for the year?

If we set 25 Major (National) classes and then branch all other classes under these 25, we encourage people to build up to the 25. They can run all the regionals they want, but now there is a proper pyramid to the Runoffs. (Or 18 or 20, what ever number makes sense.) If a something changes in a main class, then a 3 year period of adjustment will allow these changes to take place.

my 2 cents.

ChrisZ

[FVRacer21]

..... SMT (Spec Miata Toyo) with 41 cars on track Sunday.
........

Steve

That is great - Regions should have some latitude to run their own local classes. I assume that SMT is slower than National SM? The only danger I see is creating a class that is faster than a National Class - where SMT is Spec Miata Turbo.

It looks like there are 7 Spec Miata classes in the US (not including SMX) - as long as the cars don't get too far from the main class, whatever floats your boat.

DC region is experimenting with bracket racing. I see this as a positive, but would still encourage them to look at what class the cars might fit into. If only as a suggestion.

ChrisZ

[Rick Kirchner]

to be fair to the vintage clubs, we end up will all the previously discarded SCCA classes, along with quite a few that are still running, plus a lot of previously pro stuff. Although VARA has been consolidating a lot of the small sedan classes over the years.

[EYERACE]

Evolution:

(Disregarding the size of the budget)

*Newbie finishes a Driver's School....is excited & happy but got signed off & a little bit confused and befuddled too but interested.
*Newbie shows up for a 'real race' and at least finishes - takes "X" off car......very happy.......enters again
*Newbie shows up again and has mechanical troubles........is not discouraged
*Not now exactly Newbie passes a car on track, finally gets a trophy after who knows how many races........happy again
*Entrant finally gets a first place trophy.....over the top happy - even if it was a one car class.......brags about win to somebody.
*Entrant enters over and over again................gains assorted trophies once in a while

............Mr. Penske never calls

*Competitor finally realizes that most everyone else is there for the fun of it and no one really cares much who finished where - though everyone looks at the published finishing results. Finally understands why it's called CLUB Racing.
*Experienced Racer doesn't bother to go seek out trophy at end of day at track, trophy is put in unattended car during impound.........is happy and satisfied for an opportunity to get out on a track......on way home from track shakes head sadly at others who are street racing.
*Much later, at Car Show held at same track, sees others standing next to a spotlessly polished car and overhears them change the subject from what the next thing is they're going to do to the car to "Wow! ...wouldn't it be cool to actually get out on the track?"

*Grins.