John,
----- Original Message -----
>From: "John Kelly" <76067.1750@compuserve.com>
....> Are you trying to pick on me? <G> Well, go ahead as long as I can pick
on
> you. <G>
> In a friendly way of course.
Thanks for taking this in the friendly spirit it is intended!
>.... I
> feel I've earned it.
Curmudgeonhood is one of the benefits of years of experience! ;-)
....
> Street tires and race tires were all we had in those days. Now we
> have all kinds of street tires. We had to draw a line some place. There
are
> about 62 classes which, in my opinion, is more than needed. But every
group
> campaigns for their personal Me-Me class, and gets it.
The Ladies' classes always inflate these numbers, and I don't think it's a
meaningful distinction. They run at the same time, often in the same cars,
as the open classes. It seems a tradition, and it has some value in
encouraging a more equal standard of comparison for those getting started.
And likewise the Novices.
If there were only six or eight Champions, a lot more would get discouraged
from continuing the quest for their trophy. Sure there is a happy medium
somewhere, but with 200+ average attendees we have the luxury of being able
to afford a larger number.
> ` Street Tire class is offered locally as a favor to our SFR
members.
> It's now split into the same divisions as the regular stock classes and
> they run heads up. Personally I've been opposed to the whole Index scheme
> from Day 1. ...
We don't really have all kinds of street tires. There are three kinds as I
see it:
-DOT R tires. If you don't have them, class-appropriate, you're toast.
I'm not getting into V710-on-asphalt vs. Hosers (sic) on concrete level of
detail, it's that you're willing to change wheels, buy the extra set of
tires, etc.
-Top line Street Touring tires (F, K, BFG brands). If you don't have
them in ST you're toast. And pretty much likewise for STi. I've walked the
ST & STi grids and seen Falkens every way I turned.
-Everything else. Nobody trophies Nationally, and AFAIK not Regionally,
without being in one of the previous groups.
All of these latter folks don't meet the "maximum effort" criterion that
some seem to see as necessary for having a voice heard, IMO. Out to have
fun, learn, whatever, without being truly competitive for trophies. Oh,
yeah, and _the bulk of our attendees and income_.
To be clear, I'm not specifically advocating the return of STi as we knew
it, though I liked the idea of a cross-competitive class using the Index,
and apparently some of those using it did. They voted with their attendance
and dollars. This is not a minor thing. Look at how many chose that route
rather than running a forty year old D/P car. It remains to be seen whether
the latest way, the split-up STi classes, will attract the same interest.
And I don't think that Street Tire is offered "as a favor"! This is more
the crux of what I'm talking about, the classing discussion is just a tool
in understanding what the members want. These are really business decisions
as well as enthusiasts guiding the Region in what direction that they
personally favor. Without an understanding of what the members want that
isn't gained by looking the rear view mirror, the needs & wants cannot be
fully understood by the dozen or two that have the urge to be on the SC.
PaulT
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