>Date: Sat, 7 Apr 2001 10:55:31 -0500
>From: "George Ryan" <quad4fiero@webzone.net>
>Subject: Re: "new" scca logo
>
>Why a poll? I was just stating that Mr. Davison was quoting from an SCCA
>source, and the info (as usual) was tainted and false.
Here, verbatim, is the only thing from that article you could be referring
to:
'The original wire wheel is based on the classic Rudge wire wheel found on
many classic sports cars of the 1920s and 30s. The Sports Car Club of
America was founded to preserve and maintain classic sporting cars from the
vintage era and has become the nation's largest sports car organization with
races, rallies and solo events staged around the country'
How is that tainted or false? He said the club was FOUNDED to
preserve/maintain the relics, and has BECOME the largest sports car
organization. NOWHERE in there does it say that there will always be a
place to take obselete machinery and be competitive. In fact, there was
nothing stated about racing dinosaurs at all. What the hell does racing
have to do with preserving and maintaining classic sports cars? And just
because the club was founded to do that, there is nothing to prevent the
club's focus from changing, as it has. Don't get me wrong--I have a great
appreciation for classic sports cars, but your perspective is skewed from
reality.
>So what do you think a "poll" would accomplish? Are you looking for a
>demographic base? Seems that the grocery getters would win, since the
>classing structure favors them, that is what the majority have bought in
>order to be competitive. So in that light, I yield.
Your logic is, for lack of a better word, crap. The majority of
autocrossers out there autocross cars that can be reliably street driven
because the cars serve a dual purpose. THAT is why they drive modern,
reliable, comfortable 'grocery getters', not that mean, evil, unfair
classing scheme.
>It still does not preclude the fact that the SCCA has intentionally turned
>their backs on their roots, and those roots are the sports cars, much as
>their name implies.
How so? Sports cars, even those of vintage variety, still compete in nearly
all of the SCCA's competitive venues.
>The solution would be to re-structure so that the older cars have a place
>to
>play that they CAN be competitive as well as the newer cars, not structure
>so they have to play together (where the newer grocery getters DO have the
>advantage, in most cases).
Hmmm...sounds like you want to make a slew of under-subscribed classes?
Yeah, that's definitely the solution. It seems to me that there are many
marque clubs and vintage organizations that do exactly this. If you need to
be part of an organization that makes it so that the old cars always get to
win, maybe looking there would be better for you.
>Or better yet, score and time the driver, and not the car. Of course, that
>would take some forward thinking. And your club is incapable of doing that.
Seems to me this is already done to some extent with the PAX and RTP
indexes. I guess the problem there is those indexes are based on the evil,
biased classing structure, though, eh? What you want to see, the protection
of old cars that fell from favor with mainstream auto enthusiasts, is far
from forward thinking, so who are you to accuse?
The SCCA may have faults, but it provides me with a venue to enjoy
motorsports that is not out of reach financially. An overt attack on the
SCCA with no logical basis truly angers me.
-dave
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