Region 5 Class Structure Thoughts??

[Howie Nichols]

OK Let's try this, who is in favor of these classes and these only running at the Region 5 races???

OPC Format - 2 - 7 lap heats Sat, 1 - 10 lap heat Sunday
J/Stock/PRO/SLT Format - 3 - 3 lap heats

Entry Fee - $100 weekend regardless if 1 or 2 days, J is $20 / weekend

30 heats Saturday, 27 Sunday

Run 1st heat of all classes, reverse schedule run 2nd heat, reverse again run 3rd heat. Every boat gets on the water at least 1 time early instead of waiting all day to run last.....maybe

SST120
SST60
SST45

SLT X-Class

J Hydro

ASH
ASR
CSH
CSR

125cc Hydro
250cc Hydro

These are the classes that have numbers in them, not 1 real boat in the class then 3-4 step ups. Speak up let us know!!! It is not to late to make it happen for this year, new members will now what equipment to buy if they want to race in Florida...

[Composite Specialties]

I am in for that

I am in for this format and I will be racing SST60. I like the entry fee format and the line up. This would be alot like the 2006 fall Jessup race format and it worked great!

[HRTV]

I don't see where you guys have much of a choice looks good to me.

[HRTV]

I am just surprised no one from Florida wants to fight about it? That seems odd............

Mike,

Not odd at all, this is a huge wake up call for Florida forget about fighting in another year or two if that long racing will be completely gone from central Florida if drivers do not agree and come together there will be nothing left to fight about plain and simple.

[wdlong1226]

dan and racer x

there are people that have there klicks.and from what i see they are the ones.most people down here just wanna run there boats.CHOSEN FEW want to run only what they want, and they don,t want to run with the pro,s or they dont wanna run with the tunnels or they dont want the slt,s. WHO CARE,S if they got 3 or 4 boats, if there paying entry fees LET THEM RUN.

[Bob Dunlap]

Not Right Approach

I don't think this the right approach. One real problem is the cost of putting on a race, it usually cost us about $6500.00 for a regular race weekend and that money has to come from somewhere. We have to run more classes to pay the bills. We know we need to eliminate the 3 boat classes or combine them but the problem with combining small classes is they are the same boats running both classes. Maybe we could go to a 5 boat minimum per class. Look at last years fall Jesup race (in region 5), we had 6 DMH and 7 DMR and that was the largest class of the weekend. You want to eliminate those classes? We have some new drivers, we have 3 DMH, 2 DMR, 1 20ssh and 1 CSH here is Savannah now. We all need to work harder getting new drivers and boats at our races. This year we had a problem scheduling our races and we need to address that in the future. We have 8 weeks straight of racing starting March 16. We all need to help find sponsorship for our races, large or small it all helps. We would like to give prize money to the racers but it can't happen because we need to keep any money we make at a race(if we do make any) to offset the losses we may encounter at the next race. There are a lot of issues we need to address but I don't think we can solve the problems by saying these are the only classes we are going to run.

[Roy Conklin]

OK Let's try this, who is in favor of these classes and these only running at the Region 5 races???

OPC Format - 2 - 7 lap heats Sat, 1 - 10 lap heat Sunday
J/Stock/PRO/SLT Format - 3 - 3 lap heats

Entry Fee - $100 weekend regardless if 1 or 2 days, J is $20 / weekend

30 heats Saturday, 27 Sunday

Run 1st heat of all classes, reverse schedule run 2nd heat, reverse again run 3rd heat. Every boat gets on the water at least 1 time early instead of waiting all day to run last.....maybe

SST120
SST60
SST45

SLT X-Class

J Hydro

ASH
ASR
CSH
CSR

125cc Hydro
250cc Hydro

These are the classes that have numbers in them, not 1 real boat in the class then 3-4 step ups. Speak up let us know!!! It is not to late to make it happen for this year, new members will now what equipment to buy if they want to race in Florida...

Howie,
I have been living and racing in Region V since 1968. I have seen the great years and the steadily decline of racing in Region V. The reasons are to numerous to go into, but obviously something constuctive has to happen.

I like your above thinking. I have always been in favor of increased entry fees. To keep entry fees low so that it will encourage more entries is not the answer. That philosophy will only extend the race day to many unbearable hours. Ofcourse it may also lead to one heat racing. I know many will not agree with $100 entry fees. In 1968 the entry fee here in Florida was $7.00. That was 38 years ago. Today it seems to be about $25 vto $35. My first Konig 250 cost me $1100 in 1972. A new Rossi 250 today is in the range of $7000. So does it make sence of only a $18 increase in entry fees in 38 years.

In regards to your above racing class format. As I said i like it. However, I don't agree with the OPC format.

OPC take much more time to run. The launching of the vessels takes more time. The line up and then more laps per heat is time consuming. The thing that bothers me the most is the warm up laps. I simply cannot comprehend that as needed. If you had a four cycle engine maybe. Even at the inboard hydros they don't have warm up laps.

Perhaps OPC should run only 3 laps as every other classes are required to do. Also no warm up laps for OPC. I think that would only be fair and would definitely speed up the schedule.

Roy Conklin

[Howie Nichols]

Roy,
First thanks to all for the support of this class structuring, of course it will take time to make it right this is only draft 1.

As far as OPC, yes the boats do take time to launch, we have been working hard at getting the teams to begin launching several heats ahead so that when it is time for their heat they are ready. The warm up lap for us is the same thing as a 3 minute gun for every one else onlyh we go around the course in 30-40 seconds instead of 2 minutes, the boats then come in and line up, if you have a strong dock master it will go smoothly and quickly. The reason we have run more laps is to date we pay more entry fee per day than the other categories, it was agreed upon many years ago that we must pay to have real rescue divers present for capsule boats so we would help absorb that cost and in return all we asked for was an increased # of laps. In reality (I have timed it and so have several others) that from the time a hot lap is announced until the time the checkered flies for the 2nd heat is nearly the same as it takes for some of the other classes to run their 2 heats. That is not including towing in all the boats that crap out.

So I would have to respectfully disagree with your assumptions on the OPC side of it. Of course we do have bobbles and it does take extra time just like any other category or class. I'm in no way insinuating the OPC's are perfect, in fact far from it, but we are just trying to put on a show and race our boats just like everyone else.

OPC has 2 sets of rules for scoring, the most common is a race consisting of more than 5 laps gets all the boats scored regardless of them finishing, the other is like the SO/PRO rule where only boats finishing under their own power get high points. This really comes in to play during year end high point calculations.

Everyone please keep up the dialogue and maybe we can find a solution.

[PopPop]

I believe that R-5 should determine what is in it's own best interest. However, give some consideration to other classes, at races like Ocoee, that draw from outside the region. I like Doug Mc's roll call to see where the interest is.

[BURKHARDT]

Time

Thanks Howie & Mike !!!!!!!!!

Well said from you both......................Hey Roy!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Where have you been. I was the race director at Lake alfred a couple year's ago and kept the time's of each heat. That THREE MINUTE CLOCK!!!!!!! Killed you kneeler's. The OPC's are alway's ready. You never have to wait on us to get in the water.

Burkhardt

SST120

#28

[SPN#43]

SST120
SST60
SST45

SLT X-Class

Not a problem,,,,,,,,I have seen more Mod-U's than SLT's or 45's at any given race! But if region Chairman don't want us there,,,,,I've got nothing else to say except OK I’ll just go where they welcome us, at series racing.
Since I have already made plans I’ll go to Palatka race but that will be my last local race period, and I hope that other Mod-U drivers do the same.

[Dave M]

Food For Thought

Cut your costs for putting on a race down there. Why does it cost over $6000.00 for a local weekend race ? Find a better deal. Insurance does not need to cost that much, AOF and NBRA has proved that. I highly doubt that a sanction fee from any organization is a lot of money.

So that leaves me with insurance and property rental of some sort. When you guys said over $6K for a local race I about fell over. I don't think they even have it cost that much in California. Bakersfield is an expensive place to race because of the property rental, if I recall from the threads over on BRF.

Find a way to cut your costs first, then sort out what you are going to race. I think $3K is to much to put on a local race anywhere. There has to be a way....

[Andrew 4CE]

Races are not cheap to put on... $6000 sounds about right to me, not including lake fees. You'd be shocked when you add everything up.

I don't race in the area but think you are on the right track with picking selected strong classes and going with it. This lets new poeple know where to start and the few that get left on the shore can find a spot in one of those classes likely by stepping up to get on the water.

There are WAY too many classes out there... 3-4-5 boat races are no fun to watch or race in usually. I think people are finally realizing this... but it's gunna hurt for a little while classes get sorted out.

Good luck!

Watching closely from the Great White North...

[HRTV]

Cut your costs for putting on a race down there. Why does it cost over $6000.00 for a local weekend race ? Find a better deal. Insurance does not need to cost that much, AOF and NBRA has proved that. I highly doubt that a sanction fee from any organization is a lot of money.

So that leaves me with insurance and property rental of some sort. When you guys said over $6K for a local race I about fell over. I don't think they even have it cost that much in California. Bakersfield is an expensive place to race because of the property rental, if I recall from the threads over on BRF.

Find a way to cut your costs first, then sort out what you are going to race. I think $3K is to much to put on a local race anywhere. There has to be a way....

I'm with Dave how can it cost over $6000 to put on a local race ???? I thought I read some where that an AOF race cost like $200 sanction fee or something like that for the whole weekend.

[nicf14]

At Frostproof last year I time from the last heat before sst45, untill the first heat after, they had the whole lake for 50 minutes. for two heats of racing this is crazy.