What does a SCCA IT race car look like...

[ITEGT]

... after the last race of the '11 MiDiv season is cancelled, the first race of the '12 season is a 700 mile tow one way with a $450 entry fee, the IT race group is only invited to Saturday @ Hallet/National racers only on Sunday and the region excludes IT from the July Heartland Park event all together?

That SCCA race car now looks like this.







Anthony

[Alain V.]

AMEN BROTHER!!!!! F**K the SCCA!!!!! I haven't posted here in a loong time,,,mainly because I got sick of their crap, sold my racecar and started doing "track days" and other club events. Maybe when there's only two or three 90 year old v driver's left in their organization, they'll wake up and realize that all the grassroots guys are gone NASA and other club racing. Alain Vanhollebeke FORMER SCCA mid div driver of the black/green mercedes 190e, #9 ITE

[Greg Amy]

Am I the only one that finds it immensely entertaining that a couple of guys that proclaim to hate the SCCA read - and spend time to respond on - a web site devoted exclusively to an SCCA category...?

[zchris]

Poeple that are angry, tend to like to slam the door hard on there way out. I've noticed over the years, that poeple that are leaving racing for a multitude of reasons, tend to yell the loudest when they have nothing to lose. The SCCA, is clearly, not everyones cup of tea. Neither is NASA. Best of luck to all.

Chris

[red986s]

Nope Greg, you're not.

Being a MiDiv member I understand the frustration. With the "Majors" program in full swing folks are moving to "National" classes to compete. Car counts are way down this year in IT and we are required to tow loooong distances. Something that wasn't an issue in years past. We also have NASA in the MiDiv now so a lot of folks have moved over to try that out. Rats, sinking ship and all that.

[ITEGT]

Hate is a strong word. I don't "Hate" the SCCA. I simply went where it was easiest for me to race for the least amount of money.

If the '12 MiDiv season was unchanged and the IT crowd was still welcome at all the race weekends then I'd have nothing to complain about and my car would still have SCCA decals on it.

Most of the info on the "Majors" and "Rationals" that I based my decision off of I read about here on this website.

So when I post up with the end result of what I've read on here then I'm blindly bashing the SCCA and I'm a hater on a SCCA website? No, I'm sorry that's mistaken. What was I supposed to do just sit around and bitch on here while I continue to send my entry fees to SCCA? Haha No, thanks.

[downingracing]

Hate is a strong word. I don't "Hate" the SCCA. I simply went where it was easiest for me to race for the least amount of money. ....

If your only concern is cost (actual cash cost) - You're probably right. But there are WAY MORE factors to consider and it SHOCKS me that people focus on the up front cash cost first... There is a reason that many folks make that switch and come running back.

[BruceG]

Hate is a strong word. I don't "Hate" the SCCA. I simply went where it was easiest for me to race for the least amount of money.

If the '12 MiDiv season was unchanged and the IT crowd was still welcome at all the race weekends then I'd have nothing to complain about and my car would still have SCCA decals on it.

Most of the info on the "Majors" and "Rationals" that I based my decision off of I read about here on this website.

So when I post up with the end result of what I've read on here then I'm blindly bashing the SCCA and I'm a hater on a SCCA website? No, I'm sorry that's mistaken. What was I supposed to do just sit around and bitch on here while I continue to send my entry fees to SCCA? Haha No, thanks.

what does an SCCA race car look like....Here's an ITRR(improvedtouring rat rod) registered for the regional at LRP.


http://www.theblogmocracy.com/wp-con...Rat-Rods-2.png

[Ralf]

Greg,
At least they are voicing their opinion about what has been happening in the SCCA, especially here in MiDiv. I'm sure they would like things to change for the better.
In MiDiv, we have what we call the IT Tour that allows us regional guys to run on a national weekend. Most of the weekends used to be R/N weekends, so if we would not have the IT Tour, we would only race on Saturday. This worked great especially when the IT group was one of the largest groups of the weekend. Good for us regional guys and good for the region that has to pay the bills.
For 2012, we got introduced to Rationals, which in theory works great for the national classes too because they can get two days of national racing in on one weekend. The only problem with that is that entry fees have gone up since there are now more sanction numbers. These increased fees don't just apply to the national racers but also the regional guys. The most I paid last year was $340 for the weekend. Memphis reopened this year and started the season with $500 entry fees. That was a shock to everybody and the response was only about 50 entries.
And then there is the Majors program. The first majors event here in MiDiv was at Hallett along with the BFG Super Tour. In 2011, the tour still had room on the schedule for an IT Tour run group. Not this year. So who would drive all the way down there in order to just run on Saturday? Sure you could enter in one of the ST or Prod classes for an additional $200, but how well would you do? Many Miata drivers did enter multiple classes that event and therefore SCCA headquarters has called the event a sucess but what does that do for their racing budget and the rest of the racing season when they spent twice their entry fee on one weekend? They skip a couple, thats what.
Now the Majors event at HPT in July is an invite event only, so that means only the top 10 classes get to race. So that is another weekend that is gone off our schedule. Not good when we only have 8 weekends between 7 tracks.
Why should you care about what is happening in MiDiv? Because the Majors program will be expanded and will affect your race weekends. We've bitched on here for years how we are the step children of the SCCA with our regional only status, so this Majors program should piss you off too. Its all about the national classes and doesn't do anything for us IT guys.
Here are some numbers for you. In 2011, we saw a low of 14 cars in the IT run group and a high of 22. So far with 4 of our race weekends complete, our highest entry event had 11 IT cars. Memphis only saw 5 entries.
Now you may think what happened is that the rest of the IT guys just went national in ST or Prod, but guess again. Overall entries have been much lower than last year.
This could happen in your region as early as 2013.

[Greg Amy]

At least they are voicing their opinion about what has been happening in the SCCA, especially here in MiDiv. I'm sure they would like things to change for the better.

And "they" are wasting their time here on this board, doing nothing but annoying Improved Touring racers. If you truly want to make a change, then focus your efforts where it counts, not in a forum where the only change your effecting is making yourself look like a spoiled little child throwing a temper tantrum in the supermarket.

We've bitched on here for years how we are the step children of the SCCA with our regional only status, so this Majors program should piss you off too...Overall entries have been much lower than last year. This could happen in your region as early as 2013.

And this was a shocker to you? It's right there in the rules, that this is a bastard-child class that will never gain National status. And everyone knows - or should know - that the Club focuses on the National program. Some regions have been able to make IT quite successful, but every one of these regions has the advantage of a large market of potential competitors. You don't.

So since "they" are obviously willing to make a change (by building another car and/or going to another sanctioning body), the simple answer is to find a class that's strong in your area and change to that. Or try to recruit some of those National competitors to switch to IT. The mosquito goes to the light bulb, not the other way around.

Why should you care about what is happening in MiDiv?

Former resident of Wichita Falls Texas, former MidDiv member, 7-year competitor in MidDiv events, 1990 MidDiv SSA Divisional champion against John Saucier (Sr) when he was only "kinda" old (I miss that old rat bastard!)

I was there before Texas Motor Speedway, before MotorSports Ranch, when TWS was shut down, when the closest events in MidDiv were at airports like Ardmore Airpark, Big Spring Texas, and some other one in West Texas. Hallet Motor Speedway, 5 hours away, was my closest track; Topeka was brandy new (I raced the first National there in '89); Ponca City was our shining star National making us feel like real pro racing drivers with the crowds; Memphis and St Louis were full days' drives away, all in my Showroom Stock car with tires stuffed in the back, wondering how I was going to get home if I wrecked it.

You live out in the middle of effing nowhere, with "tracks", such as they are, and competitors spaced out every-which-where.

I recognized at the time I didn't have the opportunities I wanted in racing, nor the competitors, and that the organizers were doing the best they could with the limited tools that had. Recognizing this, I made a significant life change to improve my racing and in 1992 moved to Connecticut. Yes, just because of racing. Twenty years later I see I should have moved to the Southeast to be closer to my two favorite tracks, VIR (which didn't exist back then) and Road Atlanta, as well as other tracks that didn't exist, such as Homestead, Barber, and (I think?) CMP.

"Why should I care about what is happening in MiDiv?" Why should you care what the rest of the country thinks and thus post about it on a national forum (and not even in the regional forum area)? Stop being a spoiled child and make the changes and efforts needed to bring things to your satisfaction.

Or feel free to slam the door on your way out.

GA

[betamotorsports]

In business this is called the "Voice of the Customer." Maybe how and where they express themselves isn't ideal but they have been customers of SCCA and what they have to say is of value - if someone at SCCA is listening.