now that this has come out id like to propose an idea that i have been
thinking about for some time.
one aspect of solo racing is that we miss the exciting wheel-to-wheel action
of road racing. this proposal will bring this important aspect of racing to
our sport in a relatively safe way.
competitive course-runs. the participants will grid up in the run groups
for their cars at the start of the course walk and sprint around the course.
the winners will receive points based on the finish order.
the fastest runner will be rewarded by an unobstructed view of the course..
often a problem in these crowded events.
the competitive course runs will also reduce the amount of time needed for
the course walks and reduce the stragglers. further, we will get to see
lazy howell run!
in addition this will reward/improve physical fitness among the
participants.
i hope that the solo II community will consider my proposal. i think it is
a very good idea.
-james creasy
president, BAPOC www.klio.net/probe
FFR Cobra #1630 www.klio.net/cobra
----- Original Message -----
From: Kevin Stevens <Kevin_Stevens@Bigfoot.com>
> For those of you not on the National list - looks like this will affect
all
> regions equally...
>
> KeS
>
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: owner-autox@autox.team.net [mailto:owner-autox@autox.team.net]On
> > Behalf Of rjohnson@friendlynet.com
> > Sent: Friday, March 31, 2000 22:55
> > To: autox@autox.team.net
> > Subject: Major Announcement
> >
> >
> >
> > Time to unveil something that has been quietly in the works for 6+
> > months. Many of you know that I have been strongly opposed to the
> > ever-expanding number of classes in Solo II; and the "build it and they
> > will come" attitude often expressed when suggesting a new class/category
> > that is primarily designed to fufill the needs of the proposer, rather
> > than meeting the needs of the sport as a whole. We have seen efforts
> > directed to small pickup trucks, shifter carts, the various iterations
> > of 'Street' - and this is only the list of classes that have become
> > reality. Many more have been proposed.
> >
> > This current effort started years ago in a casual conversation with
> > Peter Raymond, and has really blossomed with the help of Byron Short and
> > Howard Duncan. And as Byron was the point guy for the shifter carts,
> > and Hoser Grant the SM evolution, I have become, by default, the lead in
> > this effort. And I need your help, in two ways. We need to form a
> > committee for rules, etc. and also find some regions that are willing to
> > test the concept at the local level.
> >
> > In short, we are about to address probably the largest segment of
> > un-enfranchised motorsports enthusiasts in the country: motorcycle
> > riders. Hundreds of thousands of hi-performance machines out there, and
> > unless they are willing to run motocross or the hi-dollar world of road
> > racing, they have NO place to play with their machines. We are about to
> > provide that place, in Solo II.
> >
> > Where we are so far: We have a commitment for a class in the Pro &
> > Tour events for 2001, and likely an exhibition class at the Solo II
> > Nationals that same year. This leaves us plenty of time to work the
> > rest of the issues.
> >
> > The AMA (American Motorcycle Association) is fully on board, and will
> > likely be of some help in rules development - both for next year's trial
> > class, and for the inevitable expansion of classes in this category
> > beyond 2001. The AMA is offering to it's existing and potential members
> > a reduced price, dual AMA/SCCA membership, as they see Solo II and the
> > affiliation with SCCA a way to retain and increase their membership.
> > Prior to contacting SCCA, they had considered developing an autocross
> > program on their own, but this partnership gives them access to an
> > established, on-going successful program. The benefit to SCCA and it's
> > regions is obvious: increased numbers at events, with only incremental
> > costs. These folks attending events will hardly require most of us to
> > expand paddock space, for example!
> >
> > For the future, AMA would like to tie into SCCA's Solo I and Club
> > Racing programs, especially at the Regional level. Many Regional races
> > are undersubscribed, and the addition of a class or two of motorcycles
> > would help absorb the large overhead of a Club Racing weekend, with no
> > reduction in track time for the existing classes. This will make entry
> > fees more affordable to our existing competitors.
> >
> > In some areas of the country, with smaller Solo II programs, I can
> > easily see rapid growth to the point where there would be more
> > motorcycles than cars. This makes sites more affordable, and more money
> > in the treasury from the big increase in entries.
> >
> > I will not claim that all of the issues have been addressed, as
> > necessary to meld the 2 wheel crowd seamlessly into the existing Solo II
> > mix. Much of the development and safety work done during the shifter
> > cart movement will serve us well, like abrasion suits for example.
> >
> > -This will certainly lead to incredible growth, as many have desired.
> >
> > -The numbers and demographics of this crowd are very appealing -
> > today's performance motorcycles aren't
> > cheap!
> > -We have a soft promise of major sponsorship from one of the biggest
> > manufacturers.
> > -There is the strong impression that the excitement of motorcycles is
> > just what is needed to finally bring a
> > significant TV presense to the sport.
> > -This provides a high performance, lower cost alternative to our
> > existing participants.
> > -It provides a place to play for those who have retired from
> > motocross, at a very early age.
> >
> > I am also convinced that there will be many nay-sayers out there, who
> > will make claims that motorcycles do not belong in Solo II, and that the
> > whole concept is a joke. Save your breath. As sure as it rains in
> > April, this will happen; and we won't be made fools of in the motorcycle
> > community as we were in the cart crowd.
> >
> > If you are interested in serving on the committee, to address
> > classing/prep/safety issues, or can convince your Region to serve as a
> > test-bed for the concept, please contact us at:
> >
> > www.lirpaloof.com/foops.html
> >
> > Roger (Ohio) Johnson
> >
> >
> >
> > to: int:autox@autox.team.net
> > cc: int:duncanscca@aol.com
> >
> >
>
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