RacerRay52@aol.com wrote:
> There are, it seems to me, two parties at work in autocrossing. One of
> them is the party of "let's make it bigger, more expensive, more a national
> sport, more important and like a real form of bigtime racing".
> The other party to which I belong [and which is losing] says "autocross
> is a small amateur form of motorsport which gives people a place to enjoy
> some competition without a lot of expense or elaborate machinery--let's work
> toward keeping it that way and keeping it local".
Ray,
I agree with the characterization that there are two types of people.
The SCCA caters towards the former (well, except for the "let's make it
more expensive" part). Pretty much every other club in the country that
stages autocrosses (and there are at least as many of those as their are
SCCA regions) cater towards the latter.
Go find one of those if that's the type of person you are.
A huge majority of this mailing list are SCCA members, so naturally the
prevailing attitude of this mailing list tends to match that first goal.
> At least provide a place in the "big" events for the street-tired
> tightwads to play among themselves.
Or, just don't participate in those events if you don't want to play
that game. What's so hard about that?
> In our area there are, for a number of
> reasons, fewer and fewer autocrosses each year. A date or two is given up for
> a "pro" event or a Tour event from time to time. I know a local Region or
> hosting club can install a street-tire class if they like. To lobby for that,
> one would need to join every club or Region within 200miles and devote one's
> life to lobbying to get such a class. It would make life so much simpler for
> members of the Keep-it-Simple Party if the place for us was written into the
> national SCCA rules and classes that the autocross world, including clubs
> that are not even affiliated with SCCA, seems destined to accept and use
> locally. [Street-tire classes that use the @#*&! PAX are another subject
> about which more at another time.]
Oh, I get it. You want one club to cater to both types of people. If
you can create a set of rules that accomplish it (remember, there are
all of those national racer wannabees who will exploit the rules to
their advantage, probably pissing off the local I-couldn't-care-less
people), by all means, right it up and send it in to the SEB. Or better
yet, join the SEB and make it happen yourself.
> That is essentially what I'm saying. More in-depth analysis of my words
> could be amusing but not enlightening.
> Everybody cool it and don't spend so much money so that I --or anyone
> and everyone -- can COMPETE, not necessarily win, with the same minimal
> investment of money and preparation. Rules pushing in that direction rather
> than in the bigger-more-costly direction is all I'm talking about.
But you understand that many, many SCCA members don't really want rules
that lead us in that direction, right?
Josh
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