2013 Season Rule Changes

[Ryno]

I love the idea of getting to qualify on the practice day to set the grid order, I'm just afraid that it will put alot more stress on the people we have doing timing and scoring now, the tower always looks like quite the busy place on the WCC weekend when qualifying is involved. But if the people in the tower don't mind doing it then my vote will be YES

 

[sv-racing-parts]

except in certain situations like the WCC weekend where out of town fast riders need a chance to qualify and set their spot on the grid, I think that earned points from previous rounds is the best club racing route for setting grids.

Remembering that there are only a limited number of classes and races where qualifying is really used, there is always the opportunity to use the morning practice sessions on race day for setting qualifying times.

I like the idea of practice days being used for test and tune preparation time for race days,

See you all at the AGM,

Best regards,
Blair

 

[SetUpSixRR]

I personally like how the qualifying is set up now. Making morning practice sessions qualifying sessions just means people will be pushing harder, earlier. Putting more stress on people off the bat. I personally use those sessions to get comfortable before I push it in the race. I also use them to wake up sometimes. Lol

 

[YZF1000jon]

I have to agree with the last two posts, but to be fair, the qualifying also helps safety somewhat as the faster riders that may not be able to attend every round get placed on the grid based on times, not at the back because they've missed a round. Fast guys at the back is not the ideal situation, but consistency and attendance are rewarded by placing further up too. This is a very tough decision with the very different reasons, all valid, posted. I'd like to see more on this one.

 

[DEFBOY35]

jon i agree with the comment you made on the consistency and attendance being awarded.
if a faster guy gets pushed back because they are not at every round, they will get past us slow people anyways. they will just have to work that much harder to battle it out up front with the people that make it out every round.
as a side note, i think it helps having that faster person have to pass you to learn, and once they are pass gives you that moment to try and keep up and learn even further.

 

[DEFBOY35]

1) Nobody has suggested this yet but I've heard it discussed plenty of times in the pits during race weekends.... Moving the Superbike races to earlier in the afternoon...?
One argument made is the Superbike races are "THE" races of the weekend and it should be the last two races of the day.. Other side arguing say perhaps more people would be in these two races if they were earlier in the day??

Let the discussion begin on that one

2) I am a fan of having a second 600 race to the existing 600SS race.... perhaps an Open 600 Sportbike race of 10 or 15 laps...?

I do have my concerns about a couple other races being depleted in numbers because if most 600 riders were to run this race they might choose not choose to run the Superbike and/or Open Superbike (Fast 25) and/or Open Sportbike.

3) Again I've heard this quite a few times from others but hasn't been brought up here sooooooooooo Qualifying seems to be enjoyed by the majority on practice day for the Open Superbike (Fast 25) so how about qualifying every weekend for Superbike, 600 SS and Open SB as well? Lots of arguments for or against this but I'll just comment that it makes for a safer, fair grid every weekend for everyone.

my question on this is the lack of participants in the superbike races due to it being at the end of the day? or that some people just dont want to do 15 laps? im thinking that adding another 600 type race, especially if a 15 lap race. that it would only hurt the grids of the superbike races even more.
im all for getting bigger grids out there. it is one of the most fun classes to ride.

 

[JDS]

my question on this is the lack of participants in the superbike races due to it being at the end of the day? or that some people just dont want to do 15 laps? im thinking that adding another 600 type race, especially if a 15 lap race. that it would only hurt the grids of the superbike races even more.
im all for getting bigger grids out there. it is one of the most fun classes to ride.

End of the day : Yes
Wanting to WATCH the premier race : Double yes.

If the guys videoing it were a little more liberal with the footage. I might be talked into running that race. Its always been a good race to watch.

 

[Tanner199]

I want to post a feeler here for a different practice schedule.

2 45 minute and 1 30 minute sessions. Having long sessions would allow for test and tune, as well I think traffic would be less of an issue. I would promote keeping the same time splits.

Group A: 10:00 to 10:45
Group B: 10:45 to 11:30
Group C: 11:30 to 12:15

LUNCH: 12:15 to 1:15

Group A: 1:15 to 2:00
Group B: 2:00 to 2:45
Group C: 2:45 to 3:30

Group A: 3:30 to 4:00
Group B: 4:00 to 4:30
Group C: 4:30 to 5:00

 

[MyTTwin]

I want to post a feeler here for a different practice schedule.

I agree with the idea to make longer practice sessions but was thinking of 30 minute sessions for the day, still starting at 10:00am and no lunch break would give five sessions for three groups..
No lunch break because of the longer sessions, however corner workers would require breaks or shifts...?
Second option would be to adjust start time and/or move first session of the day to 20 minutes and then 30 minutes the rest of the day. Eg: start at 9:30 and first session (for all groups) is 20 minutes would allow time for an hour lunch and four more 30 minute sessions.

Thoughts?

As well, wanted to mention the idea of volunteer hours required from Novice... This has been brought up before and the idea was to help pick up volunteer numbers for the club... This is not something new as it is a typical requirement in other clubs. Number of hours could be discussed and this doesn't have to be limited to Novice, could include Intermediate as well.. As seen in other clubs there is an option given to "payout" your required hours or just lose all points for the season... The "racer" is not nesseccarily the one required to work the hours, could be a friend and/or relative etc...

Just a thought to pick up volunteer numbers as they seem to be hit and miss most weekends.

 

[Ryno]

I want to post a feeler here for a different practice schedule.

2 45 minute and 1 30 minute sessions. Having long sessions would allow for test and tune, as well I think traffic would be less of an issue. I would promote keeping the same time splits.

Group A: 10:00 to 10:45
Group B: 10:45 to 11:30
Group C: 11:30 to 12:15

LUNCH: 12:15 to 1:15

Group A: 1:15 to 2:00
Group B: 2:00 to 2:45
Group C: 2:45 to 3:30

Group A: 3:30 to 4:00
Group B: 4:00 to 4:30
Group C: 4:30 to 5:00

I am a big fan of this idea! And just a thought the last session could be turned into a qualifying session potentially, or not lol

 

[Tanner199]

I am a big fan of this idea! And just a thought the last session could be turned into a qualifying session potentially, or not lol

I would totally be down for last session qualifying.

 

[sv-racing-parts]

Longer Sessions,

I think that having sessions in the 20 minute range is adequate for any test and tune needs and allow enough time between sessions to make changers and dial in the bike.

20 minutes is well over the time for anything but longer lap SuperBike races so should be more than enough laps in a row to determine what needs to tweaked and provide the time in between sessions to get it done for the following session. I agree 15 minute sessions are too short,

It also provides for a few more sessions for each group so the wait in between track sessions is not quite so long,

I am also in favor of the last session of the day being a hot lap qualifying session.

BTW: I was a member of one of those clubs that tried to force Novices to perform X hours of volunteer work to graduate to Intermediate; and the idea did not last. It should also be noted that a number of our volunteers from the last several seasons and now racers with us ranging from novice to expert,

See you all at the AGM,

Best regards,
Blair

 

[fast316]

I agree with the idea to make longer practice sessions but was thinking of 30 minute sessions for the day, still starting at 10:00am and no lunch break would give five sessions for three groups..
No lunch break because of the longer sessions, however corner workers would require breaks or shifts...?

I think for sure we need a lunch break for the volunteers, you can always hear a sigh of relief from the corner workers and guys in the tower when lunch is called.

My thought with the long sessions is that we are taking a lot of flexibility out of the days schedule. When things go bad (ambulance is on track, fluid spills on the track, timing goes down, late starts to the day etc) we need a way of adjusting things so everyone gets a fair amount of riding in, having lots of session lets us do that. That being said 20 minute sessions all day long with a 1 hour lunch sounds like a nice compromise to me, and keeps the schedule nice and simple.

I was a member of one of those clubs that tried to force Novices to perform X hours of volunteer work to graduate to Intermediate; and the idea did not last. It should also be noted that a number of our volunteers from the last several seasons and now racers with us ranging from novice to expert

"Force novices to... work" sounds so negative haha. think of it as being voluntold to pay it forward. I like Scott's ideas with an option given to "payout" your required hours or just lose all points for the season... The "racer" is not nesseccarily the one required to work the hours, could be a friend and/or relative etc. It gives everyone an out.

One other thing I thought of was trying to put a more positive spin on finding volunteers for the racers that do find them and bring them to the track. We could rewards the racer that brings a volunteer for the race weekend with a half price practice for next round. This would be another option to the rewards we already give volunteers.

 

[sv-racing-parts]

I like the idea of rewarding the club member or racer who finds and brings volunteers to the track with discounted fees,

Positive reinforcement is a good thing,

Enjoy the ride, and best regards,
Blair

 

[Lehbs]

I think that having sessions in the 20 minute range is adequate for any test and tune needs and allow enough time between sessions to make changers and dial in the bike.

I believe the idea would be to allow racers to test setups during the session. ride 5 laps, head into the hot pits, adjust and get back out immediately for feedback. Right now during a race weekend the hot pits are never used for their intended purpose. For the fine tuning of suspension, it would be nice to get that comparison while the last couple of laps are at the freshest in your mind. With longer sessions it also spreads the groups out a little to prevent traffic. With a 45 minute session, you aren't going to have that big rush of everyone trying to get out there to try and get 10 laps in. some will go out right away, others might wait 5-10 minutes for final setup adjustments, or just getting ready. also then if you want, pull into the hot pits and wait 30 seconds for that group ahead to get to the other side of the track. out of a long session, that 30 seconds isn't going to make a difference.

 

[Fireman]

I have gone through our last 3 years of results and taken some notes in regards to some of our classes with extremely low attendance. At the AGM I would like to discuss eliminating some of those classes and making a master class so that each of the members in those classes have someone to race against.

The classes I have identified are:

Formula GP
Expert and intermediate lightweight
Sportsman
Vintage
and Sportsman lightweight

(middleweight twins in expert and int. Also fall into the classes with low attendance having only 4 riders total for both classes however the SV racing parts cup may help that. I left them out of my proposal)

A class that looks something like this may be in order:

Formula 1:03 -​

Superbike rules
No inline 4 bikes allowed unless they are 10 Y/O or older
Lap times of 1:03.00 or longer will be eligible (as per official scoring). If a rider falls under this lap time they will be Disqualified.





It just so happens that a lap time of 1:02.9 would qualify a rider to race in any one of the expert Supersport races, Superbike races, or Open superbike grids. So there is no way that this will take any races away from any of the membership. Please take a look at the race results and discuss.

 

[madmax]

I have gone through our last 3 years of results and taken some notes in regards to some of our classes with extremely low attendance. At the AGM I would like to discuss eliminating some of those classes and making a master class so that each of the members in those classes have someone to race against.

The classes I have identified are:

Formula GP
Expert and intermediate lightweight
Sportsman
Vintage
and Sportsman lightweight

(middleweight twins in expert and int. Also fall into the classes with low attendance having only 4 riders total for both classes however the SV racing parts cup may help that. I left them out of my proposal)

A class that looks something like this may be in order:

Formula 1:03 -​

Superbike rules
No inline 4 bikes allowed unless they are 10 Y/O or older
Lap times of 1:03.00 or longer will be eligible (as per official scoring). If a rider falls under this lap time they will be Disqualified.





It just so happens that a lap time of 1:02.9 would qualify a rider to race in any one of the expert Supersport races, Superbike races, or Open superbike grids. So there is no way that this will take any races away from any of the membership. Please take a look at the race results and discuss.

So i can still run sportsman on the 10 as long as I chop the throttle early and stay above 1:03?

 

[Fireman]

So i can still run sportsman on the 10 as long as I chop the throttle early and stay above 1:03?

Yes. Good luck with that in 2014

 

[YZF1000jon]

The last year we actually had split Lightweight/Heavyweight Sportsman classes was 08, so I can see the class entries being pretty low for lightweight sportsman.

 

[Fireman]

The last year we actually had split Lightweight/Heavyweight Sportsman classes was 08, so I can see the class entries being pretty low for lightweight sportsman.

It is still on our results page as a split class. We just don't have any entries. In sportsman we had 12 entrants for the entire season with only 3 of them doing more than 5 races, and only 1 person doing the entire season. With only a few riders breaking the 1:03.00 threshold. Sportsman could always be left alone as well. we can discuss it further at the AGM and let the membership decide.

The intention of this proposal is to make these classes have the opportunity to have less restrictions in order to race against other bikes running similar lap times. This should increase grid sizes.

Our clubs race structure is bloated right now. This may very well help with that.