> Several current sports cars are classed very competitively, but after a
few
> years and some improvements, all cars seem to be be left in the same
classes
> as the newer cars are added, and then they aging cars fade in popularity.
You mean as in the popularity of the early RX-7 being replaced by the Miata?
That's bound to happen. Eventaully, there will be more of the newer car than
the older one. Plus, it's a superior car. Of course it's going to be more
popular. Whether they fade due to lack of parts, support, or just plain
sloth when compared to their replacement, cars will fade from popularity.
> My reasoning and examples may be flawed, but as both Charlie Davis and
Phil
> Ethier have pointed out, the club does not subscribe to their original
> charter. That was the topic in my original post, and remains my position.
Like I said earlier, if they did hold true to the original charter, they
would be a tiny club that gets smaller as time goes on, and we would be
typing to a list for autocrossing under a different club's name.
> And I think that it is sad that roots are forgotten due to growth. Of
that,
> the SCCA is guilty, don't you agree?
Sure, but I think you could apply that statement to any organization,
including the entire country. Even the marque clubs evolve over time. They
have to, unless their particular marque is no longer produced, in which case
growth is impossible, and maintenance becomes priority.
For example - If the E36 M3 was the fastest car in the BMWCCA, what happens
when the E46 M3 comes out? The E36 either becomes non-competitive, or gets
moved down the chain of classes. Wherever it ends up, will shove that class'
top car out to another class, and so forth, and so on. Their class structure
MUST evolve so long as BMW keeps making better, faster cars. It will get to
a point where it does not have as many classes as it takes to make all BMW's
competitive. At that point, there will be BMWs that are winning, and some
that aren't. The owners of the ones who aren't will bitch, but there's
nothing to be done, short of adding more classes. Eventually, they'd have
separate classes for every type, model, and option known to BMW'dom. That
would ensure that every possible BMW has a chance.
Now, transpose that to a marque club called "Any car sold in America". How
many classes would you have? I think you can see why there has to be members
of a marque, model, type, or option that simply will not be favorites in
whatever class they're in.
Mike
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