Well, here is an update. (Finally) We were (are) "backed up", and things on the home front have been rather busy.

As Dick said, while we normally start doing numbers on November 1st, we had to wait two weeks until after the NEDIV meeting. In that time, we had maybe 150 to 200 requests for numbers pile up (NARRC and Nationals).

We always start on November 1st, so if you forgot, or were wating for some notice, don't expect any sympathy. If Ken Payson and Peter Andregehtti both can remember to call on November 1st every year, then so can you. It's been the same for maybe 10 years. If you have been there before, you knew the rules, if you are new, you have to wait until January 1st in any case.

Put a note in your 2006 calendar for next year as well.

Marianne asked that I not post until we got dug out from all the mail in the inbox.

Groups are changed for the year, and Dick has it (almost) right.

Slow Formula: FV, F500, Narrc/Club Ford
Fast Formula: Everything else and the Sports Racers
Sports Renault and SPU
ITC and SSM
ITA, FP, GP, HP and T2 (NOT EP)
SM, SSB, SSC, T3
ITS, ITB
Big Bore: *GT*, T1, AS, EP, ITE, SPO

This year, we are holding numbers from the previous year until January 1st, last year it was December 1st, due to some driver feedback. And, we added two weeks to the end, we will take requests until the Ides of March.

While ITB ends up with "Smaller bore", there isn't really much choice. We need to have the race groups almost full to get the most track time for each driver, and look at reasonable mixes, and try to be fair to everyone at the same time, while not going over the magic "25 per mile", so people don't get bumped. It isn't always nice, and it's like engineering, a compromise at best. The formula guys are whining about Fords in with Atlantics, and their speed differences and cornering speeds are way off, but there is no way to justify three full formula groups. (Sports Renault doesn't count as a formula car group.) They got squished to just two, and the GT and Production guys got a shuffle as well so the IT and SM guys could have another group!

IT and SM have half the groups, and they deserve it, as they are about half the entry.

Laurie Sheppard came up with this list, and did the homework of looking at every race group for every race to get the real car counts from last year. IMHO, she did a really good job.

If things don't change too drastically, it will work out well. If some race gets more of some class, then the regions have some room to shift a class or two, or (I hope not) split the group. I don't like splits, because it A: makes for a long worker day, B: takes away track time (practice and qualifying) from all the drivers. "Track Time is King".

We will be at the NER meeting in January, the NEDIV meeting in February, and if you did well in NARRC this year, we might deliver your trophy.

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The bus is leaving now, see you later.