When I was racing in the late seventies and early eighties there were constant discussion about too many classes in club racing. I take a 17 year absence from SCCA and return in 2003 and there are not only concerns about too many classes, there are more classes than in the eighties! (note, IT was just starting when I retired)
One thing SCCA does well for its racing members is that cars are rarely legislated off the track (ASR, BSR, Sports Renault, and maybe one or two others are exceptions. Showroom Stock is also an exception but for different reasons). The club usually finds some place for the obsolete class cars to run. You may not be competitive, but you can go racing. In most cases that I remember, the obsolete class cars that are now uncompetitive eventually disappear from the track altogether for various reasons.
One thing SCCA does not do well is keeping the club racing classes current with mainstream street automotive technology because it continues adjust the rules to allow older race cars to be competitive and not adjust the classes to fit current production cars. As a result, many classes are filled with 20 to 50 year old race cars. It is kind of difficult for a youngster interested in racing to identify with a car that is older than his or her father.
One place it seemed to me that SCCA had made improvements over the time I was gone was it seemed that there was a structure in the rules that you could start with a car in IT. After a time, when you wanted to go National racing and go faster, you could move the car to Production. Again, when it was time to go faster and challenge your engineering skills you could then move the car to GT. Granted not all cars eligible for the various categories are not eligible for all categories but there are a number of cars that are eligible for all three levels.
For the National program, SCCA has finally decided that there needs to be a limited number of classes competing at the Run-offs. Makes sense. If there are are more than 24 classes, the classes that do not make the Run-offs will die because a percentage of the competitors will move to other classes making the participation levels even worse.
If IT were made National and now there were 30 some odd classes competing for the 24 Run-off spots, some classes will disappear. Some will be IT classes, some will be from other categories.
IT should be left as a Regional only class. The rules should evolve to include more cars that can be updated through the various categories of classes.
Now that I have written all of the above and reflecting on what to say next, maybe a different approach is needed.
IT racing is competitive and relatively inexpensive. Folks want to have higher exposure venues for their racing but many are fearful of skyrocketing costs if that were to happen.
Adjust the IT rules so that rules creep will be absolutely prevented. Mandate it in the rules. Say in the rules that at some point when factory parts are no longer available the car will not be able to compete. And so forth and so forth. It would be a daunting task for the ITAC.
Also, maybe the IT National Championship should be separate from the Run-offs. The IT Triple Crown is a step towards building that and, if successful, will build prestige that it could be equal to or even eclipse the prestige of the Run-offs.
Enough rambling. Thanks for your interest.
One thing SCCA does well for its racing members is that cars are rarely legislated off the track (ASR, BSR, Sports Renault, and maybe one or two others are exceptions. Showroom Stock is also an exception but for different reasons). The club usually finds some place for the obsolete class cars to run. You may not be competitive, but you can go racing. In most cases that I remember, the obsolete class cars that are now uncompetitive eventually disappear from the track altogether for various reasons.
One thing SCCA does not do well is keeping the club racing classes current with mainstream street automotive technology because it continues adjust the rules to allow older race cars to be competitive and not adjust the classes to fit current production cars. As a result, many classes are filled with 20 to 50 year old race cars. It is kind of difficult for a youngster interested in racing to identify with a car that is older than his or her father.
One place it seemed to me that SCCA had made improvements over the time I was gone was it seemed that there was a structure in the rules that you could start with a car in IT. After a time, when you wanted to go National racing and go faster, you could move the car to Production. Again, when it was time to go faster and challenge your engineering skills you could then move the car to GT. Granted not all cars eligible for the various categories are not eligible for all categories but there are a number of cars that are eligible for all three levels.
For the National program, SCCA has finally decided that there needs to be a limited number of classes competing at the Run-offs. Makes sense. If there are are more than 24 classes, the classes that do not make the Run-offs will die because a percentage of the competitors will move to other classes making the participation levels even worse.
If IT were made National and now there were 30 some odd classes competing for the 24 Run-off spots, some classes will disappear. Some will be IT classes, some will be from other categories.
IT should be left as a Regional only class. The rules should evolve to include more cars that can be updated through the various categories of classes.
Now that I have written all of the above and reflecting on what to say next, maybe a different approach is needed.
IT racing is competitive and relatively inexpensive. Folks want to have higher exposure venues for their racing but many are fearful of skyrocketing costs if that were to happen.
Adjust the IT rules so that rules creep will be absolutely prevented. Mandate it in the rules. Say in the rules that at some point when factory parts are no longer available the car will not be able to compete. And so forth and so forth. It would be a daunting task for the ITAC.
Also, maybe the IT National Championship should be separate from the Run-offs. The IT Triple Crown is a step towards building that and, if successful, will build prestige that it could be equal to or even eclipse the prestige of the Run-offs.
Enough rambling. Thanks for your interest.
