> Dennis Grant writes...
>> So far, so good - with one caveat. It is possible,
>> if one has a region
>> where the local competition is particularly
>> cutthroat, for things to get
>> out of hand even at the local/regional level. It's
>> rare, but it can happen,
>> if the right combination of people and personalities
>> show up.
> Is cutthroat bad?
Only if it gets mean/nasty.
> What is "out of hand?"
Imagine someone building a Bug or Starlet using a lot of Indycar parts,
carbon fiber, and other really expensive bits, and doing a lot of
engineering work. Wind tunnels. Suspension modeling. Test facilities.
Like, say... imagine TC Kline deciding that he wanted to win SFR OSP at all
costs, and devoted all his resources to it. OK, that's unlikely enough.
Possible, but unlikely. But what if SFR-style OSP was a National class, and
paid a lot of money, and got a lot of press coverage, and carried with it a
lot of prestige... now it's not so unlikely. How many autocrossers could
compete with a suitably motivated TC Kline with room to use those
resources?
Or maybe not TC. Try Roger Penske instead.
> Do you have any examples of this or are you projecting?
A bit of both, with a lot of observations of other racing series and their
past experiences. At least one region has dropped a local OSP-like for SM,
citing the uncontrollability of their OSP - but let's be clear, I don't
think this is the typical case, nor is it what SM was intended to do.
> Our (SFR's) OSP could be labeled as cutthroat.
>From what I gather from listening to people with first-hand observations
describe it, it's a friendly sort of cutthroat though. They seem happy -
right?
Don't get me wrong, I and SM are not the enemy of SFR's OSP and similar
classes! I see absolutly nothing to criticize about it, and I regret any
dilution effect the creation of SM may have had on it. More power to you!
But I don't think OSP scales to the National level, for reasons previously
discussed.
> These guys are absolutely nuts, racing only
> for the local glory.
There's the rub, innit? Money and fame (note the small "f" ;) changes a
lot.
DG
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