Hmmm.. just throwing some ideas around.
If one examines ProSolo by category, you find that the Stock class is the
largest, followed by Street Prepared, then Prepared/Modified taken
together, and then Street Touring/ Street Modified taken together (which is
the fastest growing segment)
So what if instead of 1 Challenge, we had 4?
SS-GS feeds into the [sponsor name] Showroom Stock Challenge
ASP-FSP feeds into the [sponsor name] Grand Touring Challenge
All the Prepared/Modified classes (which historically have been fairly
limited in actual turnouts) feed into the [sponsor name] Grand Prix
Challenge (better name? Top Autocross? Funny Car? )
And all of STS/STR/SM feeds into the Honda Pro Street Challenge
The Stock classes are pretty broadly subscribed, and there are 8 of them,
so a 32 car challenge will qualify 4 cars per class (which is pretty good)
A 64 car challenge will qualify 8 cars per class, which is perfect.
In SP, we've got 6 classes, but ASP is always under-subscribed, and
depending on the area, one of BSP/DSP/FSP is usually bumped, so the average
there is 4 classes. A 16 car challenge qualifies 4 cars per class, a 32 car
challenge qualifies 8.
In Prepared/Mod, things are all over the board. CM is usually OK, and
there's usually a bumped-to-full Prepared class, so figure 2 classes on
average. So an 8 car class qualifies 4, and 16 qualifies 8
In STS/SM/STR we've got two very large classes and one tiny one - but the
"street tire" issue is going to catch up with STS some day, and they'll all
move to STR - so again, 8 gets you 4 per class, 16 gets you 8, but with the
sheer size that I think these classes are going to draw in 2001-2002, I
think 32 (which gets you 16 per class) is probably more like it.
So 4 Challenges have to be run - a 64, 2 32s, and 1 16. We currently run a
32, and 2 16s, and a 2, without much trouble. It might mean a slightly
longer day, or the morning class competition runs could be dropped in
favour of the larger challenges (so Saturday becomes Qualifying Day, just
like, well, every other motorsport in the world)
With that format, each Stock, Street Prepared, and Prepared/Modified class
would qualify 8 cars per class, which on a class-size average of 12 cars is
pretty good - the top 66% of the classes make the Challenge. On the SM/STR
side, we'd start off qualifying 100%, but as I'm expecting 20+ car fields
in 2002, that'd drop to the nominal 66% soon enough.
Yes, the Ladies class is conspicuous by its absence. It's a Pro series,
deal with it. I don't see "IndyCar Ladies" or "Top Fuel Ladies" and Shirley
M and Sarah F don't seem to mind....
It's a whole lot easier to market 4 classes than 30+...
Thoughts?
DG
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