Class consolidation

[Glen]

Kent
If they will let you run it I will time it.
Glen

[narider]

Then we need to figure out the corresponding Locomotive classes, for diesel-electric power.

I think you need to set the rule books down and spend more time with your wife or your motorcycles Scott.
Todd

[JackD]

If Vesco and Campos were eliminated from the AMA book, Corbin never stood a chance. How soon they forget if they don't care in the first place.
I tried to get Mike's listing back, but the board said when we get an entry, we will worry about it.
Now with a new paid entry in the electric class, we can reinvent the wheel.
I have pictures of a steam powered bike from many tears ago and you totally forgot the Wankers. I have a Production Norton that might want to race as long as there no pesky minimums to run against ot anybody else.  
Kent and his Boss Hoss would fit into the PP class now.
"Entries divided by available classes equals credibility."  

[JackD]

Did your math account for the 3 entries I mentioned ?
They just thought they had some credibility.
They believed they were making a mark that would last awhile.
Boy, were they shocked.

[AlanGalbraith]

Well... whats the harm with having lots of classes?

seriously...

Vintage? uh... yep there are vintage bikes out there. Lots of them. Oh sure, I say that cuz I run several.. but they are out there.

Some might say... Alan only likes lots of classes cuz he goes and finds an open record and sets it....... YEP !!!! I sure do. And look what happens. I go out and put a mark in the 250 M-PG class, and within a year there are 4 bikes battling for hte record and the speeds have gone through the roof (for 250 pushrod).

I set a record in 50cc sidecar (beating an OLD, soft record) and within a year there are two more bikes out there doing the same.

I see it as a good thing.

There might be something to be said for A and M classes being pretty close together though.

[1212FBGS]

I don?t see a problem with it either. You can take what ever formulas you want to figure out how many classes their might possibly be but in all reality nobody is gonna show up with a 50cc/p-ppb. They never made one, and this reality can be applied to some of the other classes. So don?t get hung up on how many classes we have just build a bike that fits into one and show up and race.
KR

[JackD]

He had the 3rd fastest Shovel Head and is thrilled for the rest of his days.
He does not consider the other classes to mean anything to him and he is not even part of the 7,000.
But to some it is important.
When you make new classes faster than anybody can keep up, it says something.

[Glen]

BAH HUMBUG

[ddahlgren]

Scott you forgot the hybrids and the various deseil/gas/fuel/pushrod/OHC/blown/NA/nitrous/2 stroke/vintage/volts/battery type  combos LOL..
Dave

[JackD]

You forgot EFI, Classic, and Fraction Patrol.
Do you want to hear the hard story about how the Bazillian new classes occurred and on whose behalf ?
Is their a history buff out their that is willing to research the story.
It is not hard to do.

[John Noonan]

You forgot EFI, Classic, and Fraction Patrol.
Do you want to hear the hard story about how the Bazillian new classes occurred and on whose behalf ?
Is their a history buff out their that is willing to research the story.
It is not hard to do.

Do tell: : :

[rosemeyer]

I can see valid arguments from both sides.
I suppose that for the top guys, a lot of classes are 'inferior' or just insignificant and their riders people you just bump into waiting to tech checks, on the starting line, etc... Competitors that take YOUR track time, reduce YOUR number of runs and don't deliver the kind of speed you enjoy.

Plus it's a nightmare to administer, etc... and I can see that with the proliferation of engine type (diesel, electric...), it will go on increasing.

Much has been said about the 1900 or so classes ALREADY existing, although Kent Riches correctly pointed out that some of them only exist on paper; nobody actually shows up in some classes.

From a non-participant point of view, but a keen enthusiast, what attracts me in land racing is DIVERSITY, the fact that anyone can turn up with a bike in any sort of configuration, find a class and be allowed to race.
Compared to other forms of motorcycling, land racing is NOT DULL.

Merging classes or outlawing some of them may turn people away. Equally racer like to measure their performances against bikes similar to their. Not everybody wants to race a Modified turbo Hayabusa, in spite of the fact that they are dominant.

I think that it should stay as it is.

[landracing]

Merging classes or outlawing some of them may turn people away. Equally racer like to measure their performances against bikes similar to their. Not everybody wants to race a Modified turbo Hayabusa, in spite of the fact that they are dominant.

Rosemeyer,

Of what you say many of your thoughts I could agree with, HOWEVER I disagree with this statement. MY feelings are once you go and race, you are infected with a disease of the salt. I think if classes were merged, people would still build and come to the salt regardless.. There is just something magical about the place that cannot keep people away. Some may leave for a few years but they almost always come back... And I think it would bring out more of the competitive spirit...

To have someone racing in your class, which is sometimes rare in the motorcycle side, it pushes you to do odd things... Motel 6 rebuilds all night because your canadian competitor just raised the record 1 mph, make you do other odd things too like pee in your oil just because...  Which otherwise you might have called it the week...

Jon

[rosemeyer]

Jon,
I don't mean to be controversial at all. What I meant is that if you merge some classes by frame configuration (A & M together for example), or by engine size (eliminating 175, 350, 600, and putting them together with 250, 500, 750 like Hawkwind mentioned), suddenly you could have some participant finding that their bikes are uncompetitive or obsolete within the new class structure.
Not everybody will be able to  re-invest in new machinery, and not everybody will want to abandon their existing bike; there is the risk that some may have to stay home for a while. But I accept your point that the die-hards will come back anyway.
I talked about diversity before, what I meant is that land racing as practiced in the SCTA/USFRA/ECTA/etc... is STILL a sport that cares for grass root racers because it allows individuals with modest means to have a go and find a class to enter their bike where they have a chance of doing well.
Reducing classes has to be done very tactfully (if ever), weighting the possible impact on competitors. From my point of view (non-participant I repeat), that would be a shame.

[JackD]

You get into trouble when you have increased and divided the field into non competitive confusion.
The restriction on fairings in the M class, protecting the demomstrated slower A class, and creating so many rules and classes that only your bike works is the problem.
Having the "World's Fastest Something" is really something isn't it ?