[harringBONE]

i just thought i would bring up something for discussion.

should your success/experience dictate which class you run?

ie, those who have faired well in stock be bumped up to 19T or mod?

 

[pmsimkins]

This has been discussed before. I don't think anyone should be forced to run any class. In the end it's just a hobby, so we should all be running whatever class we have the most fun in.

Also, more often than not it isn't ability that dictates what class people run it is their pocket book.

 

[MIKE VALENTINE]

I will take the other side of this. I think we as racers need to more out of the slower classes to make room for new people entering the hobby/sport. I agree that it's freedom of choice, but the number one complaint I hear at ever track is the attendance is low. IMO one of the reasons is how hard it is for a new person to get started and feel they have a class to run with like drivers.

HBONE you belong in stock!! See you at SGF's.

 

[Racin'Jason 8]

If you run a Prototype car 4 times a year...you belong in stock! Kiddin' Bro.

 

[Tommygun43]

-Tracks that don't have a sportsman/spec class need to get one. This should solve alot of the problem...split up the sponsored/serious racers with the guys that are on a tighter budget/not taking things as serious.
-People race stock because it's the most fun and cheapest, not to cherry pick, just ask the racers.
-To be honest, I kinda like 19 turn at the bigger races because I can be a lap off and make the A but in stock if I'm a lap off I'm in the C.
-These classes have been very successful in Plattsburgh NY:

we have 2 class,one of our classes is sportsman truck 3300 with 1.40 rollout track motors,the other is 3800 max battery with chrome can purple end bell 1.40 rollout,no spec tires in neither class.
Dan Dubuque
race director Lakecity R/C Speedway

Checking rollout isn't that difficult, it does take some effort though.

 

[Razoo]

I agree with Tom.

 

[Larry B]

R/C racing is a hobby, No one should be forced to run a class that they do not want to do. Some classes fit the budget, time investment and ability better than others. To force one to move may force them right out of the hobby. Most racers will try to advance as knowledge, budget, time and ability allows.

That being said; once a racer seeks and starts to receive sponsorship or 50% deals. I feel they should not run in classes( track special classes, spec type, ect) that are for pure hobby racers at their local track.

Most racers on deals are travelers ( in my opinion they should not be a one track racer). They attend events and receive far more skills and knowledge, not to mention a savings on equipment ( which should be to offset traveling cost, not whipping up on the local racers).

In my opinion track owners should be encourage by sponsored and deal racers. Now days most racers on deals are ready to help their local track with new racers and teaching the local racer more about getting a good set-up. That is a good repayment for less purchases at the track. By traveling they help to promote their local track and events.

 

[Larry B]

Sorry for getting a bit off the subject.

 

[Todd Putnam]

It's tough to not allow drivers to compete in stock, since it is the most popular class nationwide on a weekly club level basis. This holds true for Offroad, On Road, and Oval. This also poses a problem: no entry level. I feel that the Spec-Type racing at Plattsburgh, Glens Falls, etc, is a step in the right direction.

Another great idea in St. Roch's breakout class. They set the delay in the computer to an easily accessible, but slower lap time. If you run faster than the breakout lap time on a particular lap, the computer doesn't count that lap. The lap time is set so that it is easily achieved with any motor, battery, heavy car, etc; and places the focus on the most consistent driving rather than the fastest driving. This eliminates the need for expensive equipment to go faster...great idea for entry level since beginners should be focused on setup and driving, not spending...:thumbsup:

 

[Mr.fastman]

Todd - That breakout class is a good idea, I'd like to see it catch on.

Doug P

 

[harringBONE]

i love the idea of spec, but it's a double edge sword, it gives a place for new racers, but it also divides up the racers in to additional class, and who's to say when someone is too good to run the spec class? instead of moving downward, we should be moving upwards.

im not into forcing anyone to run anything, but there should be the self motivation to move to the next level.

 

[stoneman]

we have ran a breakout class for a few years now first we called it 30 lap break out then everyone got faster so we changed it to 31 lab breakout. the new commers love this class. 2 of them moved up to stock this season and are still having fun. I have been racing for 4 years I started out in 19T. That was a mess but we didn't have stock then. So breakout or a spec class is the way to go. I went from 19T to spec class to stock and now moved up to brushless on a club level but I will still run stock in big races. so I think you should move up when you have pretty much mastered the stock class and just run pro stock in big races.

 

[BallisticBill]

BREAKOUT CLASS. That is the best way to go IMO. I saw this done over a several year period of time at a track run by Rob Murdock and Jim Carson in Sioux City, Iowa. Set pinion and spur and a set number of laps to break and of course a stock motor. It worked great. New people were showing up all the time and getting into the hobby. These kids had a blast. But they were not going so fast that they broke their cars every week and they were not becoming discouraged. They came every week. There were almost as many new people at the track as there were vets. And they had to break the lap target more than once. They were then given the choice to move up, but once they did they could not go back to the breakout class. From reading a post above by Stoneman he is seeing a similiar situation at his track.

We need the new people to join the sport and a breakout class to start out in is ,I feel, the best way to keep them.

 

[harringBONE]

thats awsome that you guys are seeing results with the breakout!!!

 

[ovalnewb21]

yea the breakout class does sound like a good idea to get other people to race and learn to use there cars correctly.

 

[carl72]

I ran breakout at the whipp. I think it is a hard class to run ,to not breakout, its easy to go fast but to race and not breakout isnt as easy as it sounds
Carl

 

[swtour]

I've been involved in this discussion several times...and I agree with those who say you can't force someone out of a class (and in the instances I've seen it tried...we lost more racers)

However, I also agree with Mike V at least to the point that we desperately need a "ENTRY LEVEL" class.

The problem we see too much though is small shows, or turnouts. If you've got 15-20 racers and 75% of them run stock you could split the stock into 2 groups...but it seems when ever I've seen this happen...you get ONE or TWO guys who say..."I'm not good enough for the FAST group" yet they qualify as fast as anyone in the top 3 in the fast group.

We had this issue this past weekend at our first ever CARPET OVAL series race. Most of our So-Cal based guys have very little carpet experience. The track was a 40x72 box with 15+ ft. wide lanes. We had 13 stock entries, 8 were very experienced drivers, 4 were good drivers and one was pretty much a rookie level driver.

The rookie driver had a really hard time staying out of the way of the hot dogs...and it caused some hard feelings. These feelings cause racers to re-evaluate the "FUN FACTOR" of their racing...and can easily cause racers to not return.

 

[EAMotorsports]

Another great idea in St. Roch's breakout class. They set the delay in the computer to an easily accessible, but slower lap time. If you run faster than the breakout lap time on a particular lap, the computer doesn't count that lap. The lap time is set so that it is easily achieved with any motor, battery, heavy car, etc; and places the focus on the most consistent driving rather than the fastest driving. This eliminates the need for expensive equipment to go faster...great idea for entry level since beginners should be focused on setup and driving, not spending...:thumbsup:

The late DR and MSA Raceway started a break out class probably 10 years ago and till the day he died and it shut down was still one of the largest classes at his track...that and Legends.

I think its a great class for weekly racers or guys who dont want to spend a ton of money on racing. Also great for guys to get started in. They only problem with it is that once you get to that set lap time then you no longer work on your chassis to improve it and if you do decide to race elsewhere from time to time you will suffer from this. It happend at DR's and other places as well that run it.

EA

 

[SuperNaut]

_______

 

[harringBONE]

nick, you are thinking along my line of thought, just like any other sport (weather you call it a sport or a hobby is a different discussion) there are competitive levels. take basketball for example. everyone plays with the same general rules, but there ar many different levels of competition, based on your performance, you wouldnt see a pro player in the amateur ranks.

on a side subject,
i had an idea that i was thinking about with all of the points series that are going on. how about franchising teams, this is what is happening all over paintball. it works like this, you have a team of say 3 drivers, the team owner pays a fee to race the season, every event the points of the top 2 placed drivers in that team add the points to the team rank, this way if 1 person cant make an event you dont get penalized. then take the fee that the team owners put up in the beginng and split it up as a purse, and the team owner can either use the money to reimburse the drivers for some of their expenses, or this is a profit that the owner makes. just thought i may be a cool idea to throw around.