> So, to summarize, at my local autocross club, SM2 & F125 have posted more
> entries than four stock classes, four street prepared classes, *all*
prepared
> classes, and *all* other modified classes,
Pardon me while I indulge myself in a self-satisfied smirk.
*smirk*
Ahh, that felt good. :) Moving on:
> yet as I understand it, both SM2 & F125 are on the Solo 2 chopping
> block as far as the SCCA is concerned. Does this confuse anyone other
than me?
You have to understand how the system works.
Firstly, the single metric by which a class is judged is attendance. A
popular (by virtue of attendance) class is a "successful" class, an
unpopular class an "unsuccessful" one.
As it sits right now, however, there is no mechanism where Regional (or
even Divisional) attendance figures get relayed to Denver/Topeka for
analysis.
Thus, the only events where class attendance has visibility to those in
charge of making the decisions on if a class stays or goes are National
events, and thus these decisions are based soley on National event numbers.
That's the way it works.
There are serious and obvious problems with this policy. It takes about 3
years for a class to build a competitor base and "trickle up" to National
events on their own (assuming the class is well designed and serves a large
enough population) Getting the numbers at National events needed to ensure
the class is there when the Regional base starts showing up at the bigger
events thus takes active involvement by those who would see the class
succeed. It makes it harder than it would otherwise.
However, there is a silver lining in there. If it takes extra effort to
make sure that a new class gets the National attendance numbers required to
stick around, then any class that DOES meet the National attendance targets
must have had some competitors pulling hard for it. Any class that can
generate that much motivation is more likely to continue generating future
competitors. Conversely, any class that CANNOT generate the extra
motivation to meet the attendance targets perhaps is not sufficiently
attractive enough to ensure future success.
And the creation of new, undersubscribed classes is a Very Bad Thing. New,
popular classes are Very Good Things, but we already have far too many
undersubscribed classes. The Club must protect itself, aggressively,
against the creation of any more.
So that the bar is set very high is not necessarily a bad thing.
In any case, for better or worse, that is how the system functions. We just
get to work within it.
I cannot speak to F125, I have no visibility into their situation. SM2 I am
intimately involved with, and things are not that bad.
Firstly, you get two years to fail before you're gone. Even in the worst
possible case (no SM2 cars at any National events this year, no SM2 cars at
Nationals) SM2 will be around for 2003.
Two failing years back to back while in Supplimental status, though, is
grounds for eliminination. If SM2 were to have no National participation in
2003, then it would be subject to termination for 2004.
SM2 has not yet failed for 2002. It has underperformed, to be sure, but it
IS going to be offered at Nationals this year. SM2 will run with EM. If SM2
brings less than 18 cars, then it will remain part of EM, a trophy will be
awarded to the top SM2 car within EM, and it will be considered to have
"failed" for 2002.
If, however, SM2 brings more than 18 cars, it will be broken out into its
own class (in the EM heat), will be awarded trophies according to the
normal National scale, and will be considered to have "passed" for 2002.
Next season, you get to do it all over again. Two successive "pass" years
gets you full National status, two successive "fail" years may get you
tossed out.
So the bottom line is: if you want to see SM2 get Full National status,
grab ahold of one of those SM2 competitors in your Region, and take him/her
to Nationals this year.
While you're at it, could you tell the whole SM class at your Region to
come to Nationals? We're trying to beat CP for turnout, and could use the
help. ;)
I hope this clarifies things a bit. Please feel free to spread this news
around.
DG
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