Allow Amateurs In ALL ASRA Races

[mikendzel]

AGREED!!!  100%

I'm just talking about the odd-ball first year Am that might be fast enough.  But your right about the sandbaggers, there was a few this year that had better than average results last year and still managed to stay Am.  how? I don't know.     

How?  Track days.  A friend that I met at a track day raced for the first time ever in July this year at Summit.  He was running 1:19's.  He went to 3 race weekends, and of course he didn't garner enough points to go expert.

I most likely would have gotten enough points to go expert finishing in the top 10 almost every race, but I broke my wrist in July and got the cast off 2 weeks ago.  I ran a couple 1:20's at Summit last year, but after a total of 7 race weekends ever, I don't consider myself an expert.  I'm not a track day guy either; I've done 5 ever.

Guys, I was looking at this more from a business standpoint than the amateur vs expert debate.  More entries equals more revenue, and I figured any little bit could help.

[XFACTOR]

I'm talking about guys who raced the whole season and stayed Am.

[Eye-p]

Fast lap times is just a small part of being an expert.
Are you comfortable riding that pace in a tight group of 5-6 for 10 laps?
Are you able to recover from a mistake at your fast pace?
Are you able to pass cleanly, and do you know where it is not safe to pass?
Do your fellow racers feel you are safe?

There are certainly some very fast Am's- as there always are...

[F2RGK]

why have amatuer and expert licence status at all then? if this is a good idea, then let everyone race together all the time



This is what the qualifying time would do...weed out the ones who don't belong; sometimes an Amatuer comes along that can run at a good pace, if he/she can qualify why shouldn't they be allowed to race? 

I agree.  I ran Thunderbike in ASRA running a Honda F2 as an amateur and Won the National at Daytona as an Amateur.  I rode in the ASRA races as well and bought Dinner with Buell money.  LOL!!!  If it was one thing I learned from racing ASRA, was to be patient and learn a few things from the faster guys.  How can you get faster if you don't run with the big dogs once in a while?  Also, I would hope to think that people if they are riding over there heads, they shouldn't race in a race like that.  ASRA is considered a Pro Race.  So, with the Qualifying Conversation, that's a good idea.  But again, it really comes down to the ability of the rider and what he thinks of himself and safety for others.  If he's going to be a backmarker, I'm sure someone wil let him know. 

As for the ability to get bumped to Expert for an ASRA race, highly unlikely based on past conversations with Eric K. I had personally for bumping up in years past.  Not saying it can't happen though.  The bottom line here, or question, is does the Amateur feel comfortable enough to ride at a pace that is safe and fast enough to be competitive?! 

[roadracer162]

Stefano Mesa bumped to expert essentially on his first year as an AM. If you can run with the experts then you should be Expert.

[HAWK]

As for the ability to get bumped to Expert for an ASRA race, highly unlikely based on past conversations with Eric K. I had personally for bumping up in years past.  Not saying it can't happen though.  The bottom line here, or question, is does the Amateur feel comfortable enough to ride at a pace that is safe and fast enough to be competitive?! 

Actually the bottom line is do the experts feel safe with the amateur. If you are good enough to ride ASRA then you will have no trouble getting an expert license. Just asking Eric is not enough, having an expert vouch for you will get you a bump. Again it is not the amateurs call, it's the experts sandbox and you need to have their support.

[skiandclimb]

I'm talking about guys who raced the whole season and stayed Am.

Hehehe...methinks we just  heard the proverbial can o' worms opening....

[F2RGK]

Actually the bottom line is do the experts feel safe with the amateur. If you are good enough to ride ASRA then you will have no trouble getting an expert license. Just asking Eric is not enough, having an expert vouch for you will get you a bump. Again it is not the amateurs call, it's the experts sandbox and you need to have their support.

I had votes from experts too.  No Worries....just had to work harder.