Originally Posted by Scrubb
would it make a difference if a privateer racer was winning all the big stock class races? Would you still want to kick out a talented self funded racer? What if that racer simply wasn't intrested in running anything other than stock class? Should they be kicked out of a class that they are intrested in?
When did ROAR ever say that "stock class" was an amateur class? How do you have an amateur national championship? Would that make the best stock drivers professional amateurs?
The only thing that defined stock class was a spec 27 turn single wind motor locked at 24 degrees timing with bushings. Just because a class uses a spec motor does not make it an amateur class. If you want an amatuer class, then start separating the classes by skill level, not by equipment. Novice, Amatuer, and Professional.
Totally see your points scrub. But again, what I believe bothers people (and myself as somebody that works in the industry and wants to see it grow) is the fact that stock is the slower class. (I know Bob quoted back there how motors are much faster now than before and it is true, but also the cars and equipment are better, making them much more controllable.) Inherintely, the slower class = where the less advanced people participate. And this is an argument that is entirely bi-partisan, sort of like politics. You can either interpret the rules in a conservative maner to the T, or interpreting what people were trying to infer when writing the rule. This is how I see the No Stock and Mod in the Same Category at a National rule. Whenever it was established, there were very few sponsored guys running in stock at a National. ROAR wanted to keep them out of the slower classes, as an entity that is responsible for promotion and development of the Hobby, it was the right move at the time. Unfortunately, you can't look into the future and see what was coming. Back then, manufacturers didn't care about sponsoring stock drivers very much, and if they did, they quickly expected them to move up to the higher categories.
As far as Kids being Pro's, c'mon. That is a weak point. Their parents are still paying for them and they still have to spend the money, bad comparison, really bad.
Finally it is very true that very few people that can control a modified car well. But these guys running stock and winning all the time are some of those few. If anyone believes otherwise, they are truly fooling themselves.