I have been a licensed racer for 6 years now but inactive for the last two (only entered one race this year and none in the 05 season). Taking this time off has made me feel as if I am starting all over.. I got smoked by everyone!
Can I have my license switched back to amateur and "start over" without going back through school, etc.?
Some of you may call me a sandbagger but in all honesty, I lost a lot of "skill" in my time off (somewhere around 5-8 seconds a lap)
I tried to email Kevin but the message keeps getting rejected...
Only Kevin can make that call. Email him here (Kevin.Elliott@ccsracing.us)
I came back in '04 after a ten year layoff. I totally understand what you're saying about getting smoked out of the box, I felt like I'd never raced before and I was pretty successful the first time. I had the opposite problem though, I wanted to return as an expert and the rules stated I needed to come back as an AM. I decided that my "learning curve" needed to have a steeper slope and I managaed to get my expert license. I'm glad I did because I got back on the pace a lot quicker... even won a race that first weekend. Have you given yourself a chance? If you truly have taken time and feel that your skills need to be re-honed then go ahead and request yellow plates. My suggestion is to stay and be patient... running with yellow plates is bad for ya' health :)
J/K, AMs.