Quote Originally Posted by Andy Bettencourt View Post
Here is another thought on National vs Regional. As an IT guy, I don't want it. I hate the format. I want to race, not to practice a gazillion times and qualify. This months Memorial Day Triple is an example of excellent customer service - that we get every year.

Again - maybe to Patullo...is it even feasible for us to run an event with all of our Regional only classes at a National? Even if it was...so much time for a single. No thanks.

LESS EVENTS + MORE VALUE = MORE DEMAND.

I know it stings to allow events to fade away, but really.
Part of the entire racing experience is setting up the car correctly for the track your at, that is why there is a practice session, then qualifying and then the race.

Your willing to spend an extra amount of money to attend a Lime Rock event with "a practice day" added as a bonus, why not go to an event where you get to do more with the car, than at the current regional format, where you get a short practice/qualifying session, a very long period where you stare at the car, or sit in the lawn chair, while all 25 other classes get their one shot, then a short race 1/2 the distance of a national race hoping that somebody's car doesn't crash or blow up and cause a full coarse yellow for 1/3 of the race.

If you want race time than consider the fact that at a national format event, you get lots more track time to setup the car, qualify against the competion (to see what they are going to beat you with), and a race that is twice the distance of a regional format -- all in the same time frame as a regional race and all within the same driving distance. So it gives you the track time you want and you might actually have more than 2 competitive cars in the race.

Since your an IT guy, you should also look to the problem as an SCCA member not an individual focused on your own needs. The club needs to change badly and it needs the membership to work as a group to come up with a reasonable solution for all the drivers and most of the cars. Yes there needs to be a blood letting of cars and classes, finally accept that nobody really cares how many IT or Formula car classes there are, narrow it down to big and small, work out a formula that balances the races so that there are a reasonable amount of car marks that can run in the combined IT/Prod/T2 class, or Formula Large bore, Small bore, and GTLarge and GTSmall.

Let go of the I'm a IT guy or I think Open Wheel is real racing mentality and work to make the entire program work.