Here's something I posted to the prod website regarding the "best 24 classes participate in the Runoffs" discussion. Please keep in mind that the idea of the post is to get everyone thinking about national racing as a whole and not to cast dispersions at any individuals.
In principle, I like the idea of the survival of the fittest. Introduce new classes and let them fight it out for the 24 slots at the Runoffs with the established classes. If the new classes truly are desirable then racers will migrate towards them. This will work if the CRB and BOD follow their own rules. Evil or Very Mad Unfortunately, history tells us otherwise.
Over time, I guess classes can become obsolete. The production classes just don't seem to fit the racing enthusiasts' demographic anymore. People just don't seem to want to re-engineer their cars to the level that the prod rules permit. I see fewer and fewer people who like to do their own engine work, suspension work, testing, engineering, etc. Instead it's migrated more towards the arrive and drive crowd and the growth of the spec classes probably reflects that. So if the popularity of a class wanes perhaps it should be replaced, sort of a natural evolution if you will.
It will be interesting to see if the BPrepared and Super Touring guys will quietly sit at home this year while the CSR, GTL, GT3, GP and HP guys are racing at Topeka. Wink All five of the classes I just mentioned are for the most part "tinkerer" classes and all are having trouble growing their numbers.
I long for the days when the racing was confined to just a few categories. Production, Sedan, Formula, and Sports Racers. (Did I miss any?). Now an entry form looks like alphabet soup! Even as an insider I have trouble keeping up with the class structures and additions. Can you imagine what it looks like to a newbie or outsider looking in?
Lastly, I think the BOD needs to look at the national racing structure and how regions/divisions are treating it. More and more, regions are putting on nationals as an afterthought to their regional racing programs. When was the last time you saw a stand-alone national weekend? Now the national race schedule gets crammed in with regional races, enduros, "Pro-It" races, and PDX events. And then the region's race organizers complain about the low national race turnout!! I know that I as a national racer am not interested in sitting around during the weekend watching the same SMs race 2, 3, or 4 times during the weekend while I get a measly 20 min practice (that can be shared with a regional class race group), a 25 minute qualifying session and race. Oh, and the SMs get their own race group while we (Prod and GTL) get to race with SSB, SSC, T3, etc. Rolling Eyes
If the national race program is going to be the premier amateur series put on by the SCCA then it should be treated that way by the club and regions. It's getting to the point that national races are an afterthought to the regions, IMHO. I understand totally about the financial aspects and that the regions don't want to put on unprofitable race weekends, which necessitates adding a regional race component to the weekend. But do they think about the racers, like me, who are likely to skip that national if the national racers are treated as a side show?
The whole thing has me thinking long and hard about what direction I want to go with this hobby. I have enjoyed the last 12 years immensely but as each year passes the enjoyment wanes due to the increased hassles of national racing. There doesn't seem to be a clear and concise direction that our club is heading. Rather it seems to be a compilation of various strategies being pulled in all sorts of directions by special interests and people who desire to create the "next big thing" in amateur sports car racing. Why do we need F1000? Where did Super Touring come from? FSCCA? FSCCASportsRacer (or whatever the hell it is)? Sheesh.
Everytime the "next big thing" comes along, all it does is dilute and cannibalize the current set of classes. The first to do this was Improved Touring, which basically wiped out the feeder classes to national production and GT racing. No longer did regional racers start out with a production car or sedan, now it was an improved touring car that could not migrate upwards to national racing. Then at some point that driver had to make a choice: sell what they had worked so hard to develop and buy another car to go national racing or remain in regional racing. The result was a bitter divide between national and regional racers which exists to this day. The limited prep classifications were an attempt to soothe this divide and has been moderately successful. But what if those old showroom stock cars back in the 80's had simply been classified in production or GT (with the rules sets in THOSE classes frozen or severely reined in)? Where would we be today? Now very few folks start out in a production car or GT car and this really limits the future growth of those classes. And it's now getting to the point where regions want to put on IT and SM only (and occasionally SRF) restricted regionals to increase the track time for the regional racers, since so few non-IT and non-fendered cars show up for regionals. How do you suppose THAT impacts the future growth of classes other than IT and SM??
Speaking of Spec Renault/Ford. What classes did that dilute and cannibalize? CSR? DSR? FV? FF?
What about SM? It has really hurt classes in the SEDIV such as ITB and ITC, where people used to start out in racing. Instead, people start out in SM, which is great but what about those folks that don't really want to race a Miata (a VW for example!). Now that SM is a national class, a lot of people love it because they can start out in regionals and move up to nationals without changing their car. Sound familiar?
I guess my point of this whole ramble is that there really needs to be a CLEAR direction for national racing as a whole and it needs to be WRITTEN DOWN and FOLLOWED. (what a concept). A strategy needs to be formulated, communicated to the divisional and regional level, and then monitored. Otherwise, we need not bother with a national racing program that culminates in the Runoffs.
Oh, and if we're letting "survival of the fittest" be our guide to classes at the Runoffs I recommend that the BOD let ITR==>ITC also race at the national level. It would DEFINITELY increase the car counts at national race, perhaps negating the need for National/regional weekends.
Would that mean the elimination of a prod class or two from competing at the Runoffs? Probably...but maybe it's time to move on and let the class structures that more closely fit the demographics and desires of the members take over. In the past when the discussion came up regarding national status for IT, I was against it but over the years the arguments against it became less and less convincing. Now with the free for all that has become national classing, why not? Let's face it, IT cars are what production cars were 20 years ago (rules wise) except for the engine mods. Heck, I can remember when prod cars had to run STOCK GEAR ratios. That was relaxed to allow "cheaper" alternate gear sets, if I recall correctly.
MC
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original thought process. Not to start a fight with anyone BUT one horse the CRB let out of the barn with Restricted Suspension cars is the alternate control arm rule. Another is that after the CRB stated they will no longer class cars in full prep they included the Hybird. Full prep suspension with a Limited Prep motor pleasing a long time Production car memeber. 
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