Tazz44

iTrader: (22)

I have noticed in the past year a lot of people in 21.5 are good enough to run stock but they dont. It seems like a class now where there is a big difference between the newer and slower drivers and the guys who have been racing for years. Surely there is room now for a 17.5 non boosted class as a feeder to stock, that way some of these people may move up a bit instead of trophy hunting with the newer drivers. I have noticed fields for 21.5 are growing at most meetings and i dont think a new class like that will water down 21.5.

Just my opinion not meaning any offence to anyone so dont take it that way, ty

MiDGet

iTrader: (10)

at my offroad track. we have a junior(under 14) and then Novice class. where anything is allowed to race. Once the racer gets good enough - he/she then moves into the class they want to race in.

bd581

Opening a can of worms that has been looked at a few times and gets nowhere unfortunately.

I agree, it's something that should be looked at and I think 17.5 is the right direction.
But it's not just 21.5 with that issue, it's 13.5 too.
There are plenty of drivers in both classes that should step up.
I think though the step to 13.5 from 21.5 is too great.
I haven't seen many make the step and do well, but plenty who have gone from 13.5 to mod.

The real problem, as i have said before, is getting people interested in on road racing.
Off road doesn't seem to have the issue with juniors, and I think simply it's because young kid can buy an off road car and use it more at home than onroad cars.

The only solution to this all can only be done at club level, do whatever you want, forget the national rules. You need to get the kids interested at a club level first, then the rest will fall into place.

shanemac

iTrader: (6)

I'm assuming you mean onroad??

I always thought there was a "blinky" 17.5 class beyond 21.5 and before 17.5 "super stock"

Schwarta

iTrader: (4)

Stock in on road is blinky 13.5t.

ta04evah

iTrader: (2)

There's probably a couple of ways to approach & address the perceived situation.

1. De-sanction 21.5 (probably the most unpopular method).
2. Introduce a control 17.5/13.5 motor class.

At our club we tried to introduce a control motor/fdr 13.5 class, which had a lot of interest at first, but died off because the quicker people were not that much slower than those in 13.5 "Stock".
It didn't help that using a particular brand & type of tires to gain around 1 second a lap, but were only good for one race day/night before needing replacing, which undermined one of the main reasons of creating the class, that of keeping costs down.
I'm not pointing fingers at anyone, it's something that just happened that added to the waning interest into the class.

Next thing that was tried was to introduce a 17.5 or 13.5 class that had control fdr & control temp tires (ie you could use any brand of 36 degree tire, excluding low profile).
This class would also use "GT" style bodies. a number of motors were tested to gauge the differences in speed & torque, with the possibility of using a locked timing motor for the class.
Further testing & looking at options were suspended due to the recent on road state titles, as the majority of people were focused on dialing their cars in for that event.
Will further "testing & promoting" for the class continue at our club? That's something I can't answer right now, as I'm also focused on preparation for an up coming event at the end of this month.

Regards
Rob.

Tazz44

iTrader: (22)

I am talking about onroad here. I have seen quite a few people race in 21.5 that should have moved up to another class. Me i am a plodder and dont care, i am in it for a bit of relaxation. I feel the 17.5 option will be a good idea as it is a better stepping stone than going straight from 21.5 to stock. Maybe just run it at club level. I have watched guys who with the right gearing etc running just off stock times so why dont they move up? What challenge is there for them when they are running that well?

nexxus

iTrader: (315)

I try and do both, but I am faster (as far as how many laps I can do in a 6 minute block) in 21.5 than I am in 13.5, but yes a lot of people I race against have won at a state level in stock but run Sportsman as well, at the moment numbers are low and its better to have 8 in a race with 4 that should probably move up than just 4 in a race.

gigaplex

iTrader: (2)

Why should people move up classes just because others want them to? I'm a middle of the pack racer in 21.5 and I enjoy learning from the faster guys. If everyone was bumped up as soon as others thought they could handle it, the slower classes would dwindle in numbers, making it harder to recruit new people.

Radio Active

iTrader: (2)

I do not think people should be shuffled up automatically in general. However, I do feel that the lowest class should have the status of an introductory class.

I would be in favour of de-sanctioning 21.5 as a Championship class. Then re-classifying it as a Championship Support Class, so that it was compulsory to offer it at Championship events. Such a change would be accompanied by a pre-amble explaining the aim of the class as an introductory class.

This very simple change would accomplish the shift most people desire regarding "trophy hunters". It would also open the way for future changes to the rules aimed at better catering for beginners to be considered. At the moment anybody voting on such changes have differing views on what the class is for, thus much harder to get support.