2013 MARRS schedule & format announced

[Gregg]

The 2013 MARRS schedule has been announced.

New this year is a format consisting of a practice session, qualifying session, and feature race on both Saturday and Sunday.

That's right. No more sitting around waiting for just a single session on track on Sundays.

Here's the Rundown:

April 13-14: Summit Point
May 11-12: VIR (MARRS / SARRC Challenge)
June 8-9: Summit Point (also includes Carolina Cup)
June 29-30: NJMP-Lightning
July 13-14: Summit Point
Aug. 3-4: Summit Point
Aug. 17-18: Charlotte Motor Speedway (MARRS / SARRC Challenge)
Aug. 31 - Sept. 2: Summit Point (Labor Day Double w/ Advanced PDX)
Oct. 5-6: Summit Point

[Trussell]

Hey Gregg

With the new format, do you know how many run groups they will have and what classes will be in each group?

Thanks

[Gregg]

Yes, there will be 8 run groups (down from 9)...they are (in no particular order):

1. SM
2. SSM
3. SRF
4. AS, GTA, GT1, GT2, GT3, ITE, SPO, T1
5. ASR, CF, CSR, DSR, FA, FB, FC, FE, FF, FM, FS, FST, FV, F5, F6, S2000
6. ITB, ITC, ITS, T4, SRX7, B-Spec
7. ITA, ITR, SM5, T2, T3
8. EP, FP, GTP, GTL, HP, LC, SPU, STL, STU

[Kai Noeske]

AWESOME! :026:

Thanks to all who organize the fun!

[Trussell]

Group 5 looks scary...glad I got fenders

[Gregg]

And that line of thinking kept us w/ two groups of open wheel cars for years, while participation declined to fewer than 10 cars per group at many events last year.

When you look at all the cars in the two "IT" groups, it won't be so bad either, given anticipated participation levels for the Touring classes and B-Spec (and ITR for that matter).

[Trussell]

I said looks...never said it would be....i know most of the "Wings and Things" consisted of the Wisko Radicals, a DSR, some CF, and a FC or FE here and there

in fact, i used to use these groups for naps on Sundays

[RSTPerformance]

What is the best three races at summit? Also any discount for entering two cars in two different run groups?

Raymond "still want to go to summit, maybe I can swing it in 2013!" Blethen

[jjjanos]

MARRS 1.
Labor Day.

In the past, they've given a discount to a driver who enters 2 or more run groups

[Gregg]

That discount was for 1/2-off each add'l entry. I'm not sure if that still applies but I'd be surprised if it didn't.

[dave parker]

That discount was for 1/2-off each add'l entry. I'm not sure if that still applies but I'd be surprised if it didn't.

We did not discontinue the discount for "double dipping".

cheers
dave parker

[seckerich]

Good to see this Greg. We are looking forward to having the MARRS group join us at CMS again this year. We all had a blast last year. One change in the CMS race is we are planning to have an ECR combined with the Saturday night race under the lights. This will increase the length to 1.5 hours for those drivers. Details soon but it gives you more chances to share a car with multiple drivers.

[JeffYoung]

What will the IT run groups be at Charlotte? MARRS-standard or SARRC-standard (ITS/A/7/R)?

[seckerich]

Will be confirming everything with MARRS but plan on the same groups we all approved for supps last year. Worked well and all were very balanced. We run less groups but have more track space. I know we tweaked a few of our groups to better fit the MARRS double dippers. Plan is for a Test day on Friday again and looking to add a PDX for Friday night so workers, crew, etc can play. Still working with speedway but hope to make it happen. Big cookout Saturday afternoon again and plan to double food order.

[JeffYoung]

Sounds good. That might have been my favorite event last year. The racing up front was astoundingly close, and hard fought, both Saturday and Sunday.

[pinto34]

Group 5 looks scary...glad I got fenders

And that line of thinking kept us w/ two groups of open wheel cars for years, while participation declined to fewer than 10 cars per group at many events last year.

When you look at all the cars in the two "IT" groups, it won't be so bad either, given anticipated participation levels for the Touring classes and B-Spec (and ITR for that matter).

Im concerened for the Vee's, the FA Lap record is a 1:06.913 and the CSR is a 1:06.362. Whereas the FV is a 1:24.512 at that rate the Atlantics and sports racers would be lapping the Vees every three laps or so I understand that these are records and aren't indicitive for all of the entries in the classes but the outliers could pose even greater danger, wouldn't it make more sense to put the FV with the SRF which holds a 1:23.867 entries in both groups have been down so there would be plenty of track space to split them up and given that the lap times are so similar the two groups might not ever cross paths (except for f500/600) at least not in large groups of battling cars.Plus they are both momentum classes. In the GCR it is also preferred not to combine FA, FB, FM etc. with FV and F500.

[dave parker]

Im concerened for the Vee's, the FA Lap record is a 1:06.913 and the CSR is a 1:06.362. Whereas the FV is a 1:24.512 at that rate the Atlantics and sports racers would be lapping the Vees every three laps or so I understand that these are records and aren't indicitive for all of the entries in the classes but the outliers could pose even greater danger, wouldn't it make more sense to put the FV with the SRF which holds a 1:23.867 entries in both groups have been down so there would be plenty of track space to split them up and given that the lap times are so similar the two groups might not ever cross paths (except for f500/600) at least not in large groups of battling cars.Plus they are both momentum classes. In the GCR it is also preferred not to combine FA, FB, FM etc. with FV and F500.

Mike
All of this was discussed at great length. The decision made was the best decision to be made. Combining any classes with SRF is a bad idea. Combining FV with SRF is bad for two reasons:
1. SRF is showing decent numbers for the last several years due to the efforts of their drivers rep Eric Kurzhals and the fact that SRF has had their own run group. Combining any class with SRF would destroy everything that Eric has done to rebuild his group. I was unwilling to do that.
2. SRF cannot see FV's, when the FV is overtaking. This will result in incidents that will be serious.

Putting FV with Wings N' Things was the FV drivers reps choice. Based on the problems with running with SRF, it was a better choice to put FV where we did.
There is not a FA, FB, CSR or DSR being driven in the MARRS series to its full potential so the track record times are way outside the realm of possibilities right now.

I did not want to make this decision. I wanted the FV drivers rep to tell us at the meeting that there would be heroic efforts made to have FV participation up where it needs to be to keep its own race group. That promise was not made, nor was there an attempt to make that promise.
Six or eight cars is not a race group. It is a waste of resources.

There is the straight dope.

cheers
dave parker

[pinto34]

Thanks Dave, I wasnt aware of the efforts being done to bolster the SRF entries. I'm mostly saddened by the fact that we no longer have the large fields of FV's we once had

[dave parker]

Thanks Dave, I wasnt aware of the efforts being done to bolster the SRF entries. I'm mostly saddened by the fact that we no longer have the large fields of FV's we once had

Mike
Unfortunately, the FV class is dying especially on the regional level. Even National FV does not have the participation that it did even five years ago.
It is sad but, inevitable.

cheers
dave parker

[jjjanos]

Last year we received roughly 1 hour of track time at an entry fee of what? IIRC, $275.

This year, we get how much track time per weekend at a cost of $300?