>I've seen a few comments on this stating effectively the same thing. That
both
>systems have good and bad, and neither one is really better. My point is,
I think the
>point system IS BETTER, especially for grass roots level, "run what ya
brung" type
>competition. I stated previously my reasons for that belief, and I'm still
waiting to hear
>what the good points of the bucket (SCCA) system are, or conversely why the
point
>system isn't as good as I think it is.
As one who described one particular point system in detail and likes it, I'd
be happy to discuss its downsides. :) As others have mentioned, it's a very
tedious task to determine a base point value just for every model of one
particular make (BMW in this case). It would be extremely impractical to do
this for every model of EVERY make, too impractical for it to ever happen.
I doubt that very many autox people have even heard of your '59 Triumph
Model 10, never mind seen one, never mind classed one. What happens if
someone shows up with a car that doesn't have a point value? Assign one on
the spot? Then what happens if two similarly equipped '59 Triumph Model 10s
from two different regions end up competing on a national level, and they
were assigned different point values by their respective local groups?
That's the best part of the SCCA system - it's all inclusive. If someone
shows up in a '39 Buick, there's a class waiting for them.
A group like a BMW club or Triumph club or Miata club or any other marque
club can feasibly create a point system, since they have a much more limited
number of cars to play with. Imagine how easy it would be for the Miata
folks, even with different configurations and packages from year to year!
As a fairly new autocrosser, I like running the BMW club events exactly for
the reasons you state - it's more fair toward the "run what ya brung"
philosophy. But I'm also curious how my old Bimmer would hold up against a
Mazda MX-3, or an MG Midget, or a Nissan 200SX, or a VW Golf. Each of these
cars has its advantages and disadvantages over the other. But the only
viable alternative to the SCCA's class system is to create more classes and
further split up cars based on their capability. Doing that runs the risk
of creating many classes with no entrants, or even worse, just one. The
SCCA system isn't perfect, but for an all inclusive system I sure can't
think of anything better.
- Justin
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