Its easy to become expert...

[MadXX]

I just figured out what I would need to become expert next year.  I have been at 2 events and have 293 points. The rulebook states that you need 750 to be bumped so I need to average 77 points over the next 6 local (blackhawk and gingerman) events.  With 10-15 people in my classes all I need to do is finish 3 races a weekend and I would be golden.

It seems the only way to not be bumped after your first year is to not race.  I could be dead last at every event, lapped 3 times in the 8 lap sprints, and still be bumped if I enter more than 2 per weekend.

Its too bad we couldn't do something else for this such as a licensing board or a peer review of status instead of strictly points.  I have seen some amateurs at the track who come in win 2 races and leave so that they don't get enough points to be bumped at the end of the year.  (and stated so to me)  If we used racer input then the amateurs who are really not amateurs would be bumped by their peers and those who run a lot but still need time wouldn't be stuffed into expert when they really aren't prepared.

As a note: I am not complaining about my situation, I plan on being expert next year and will happily get my butt kicked in there.   I just thought it odd that there is such a disparity in skill between the top amateurs and the back to mid pack experts that the system doesn't seem to address.

As always this is an opinion.  feel free to agree, disagree, or ignore it.

[Dawn]

You can always apply to stay an amateur for one more year....


Dawn   ;)

[MadXX]

You can always apply to stay an amateur for one more year....

Nah. You only get better by being challanged.   8)

I had forgotton about that.  That does address the people who arent comfortable yet, but what about the sandbaggers?  
I guess I view amatuer status as a place to learn alongside those with like skills.  When someone who has been skirting the points line for years comes in it defeats that purpose in my mind.

[Steviebee]

I ran 5 weekends, crashed out of 2 weekends, got scored for races i never started in, got 3 podiums, 1 win and 7 plaques total out of 23 races, had a 500 PI.  

And was forced to go expert.  and was denied my appeal.

Dont assume you can appeal.  If you run a lap time in the top 5, you wont win your appeal.  Even if you only do it once !

[Steviebee]

Oh  yea,  it it easy to become expert.

Last year it was 500 points  they bumpeb it to 750 this year.

[Lowe119]

I went expert last year and was getting caught and passed in combination races by a couple of amateur guys who I battled the year before.
I also know of a couple people who only raced a few races - and won - but quit before they got too many points.
Maybe we should have a "Competition Class" 600+cc race (name it what you want) that allows slow experts like me race against the fast amateurs. Or maybe there should be a "Turtle Class" 600+cc race that allows only those amateurs that can't get in the top ten. No money paid, just to get different experience.  :-/

[Lowe119]

Maybe determining if you go expert should rely on your Performance Index, instead of your total points....

[dsb]

I don't know how you'd do it here because of all the classes, but in MX they have Beginner,C,B,A and age groups. You can race in Beginner 4 times or until you win, then they move you to C. If you're racing C and you point out before halfway of the season they move you to B, after halfway and you get bumped for next season. Personally I'd like to see something like the beginner class here, you wouldn't have to break it down into all the different classes, but I think it would be safer for everyone to have a place for first timers to get there feet wet. The other thing I was thinking was that maybe the move to expert should be based on laptimes instead of points since they're using transponders anyway...

[Thorny]

How about the MW over all champ last year, he was an expert the year before. He wrote a letter, whined how he wasn't ready and the previous four years he had tough times. He also stated the key words to guarantee instant down grade, He promised to be at every event and run ALL races he could w/his 600 and 750. Once again proving, if you can't win championships, they are definitely purchasable (if that's a word)

[Thorny]

Sorry KE these are the facts that SK told us last year

[digitalRoost]

The point system is completely bogus. It needs to be based on points, performance index and number of races scored. Otherwise, someone can get 750 points by mid season without really excelling. I totally agree that you can buy a championship.

[GSXR RACER MIKE]

     I have suggested this elsewhere, and I will repeat it yet again, it's actually quite easy.

     With the transmitters we now use we have records of racers performance at each track they attend (noting weather may be a factor at a poor weather event, but that would be known also). What you do is take the average times of the fastest expert in a particular class during an event, let's say MWSS is the class and the average lap time of the fastest expert in that class was 1:30.00. Now do like the AMA does and determine a percentage that would be considered an advancement point, I will use 10% slower for this example. So if they determined that if you were running 110% of the lead experts pace or better that you would be considered for advancement in the next season. Since 1:30 = 90 seconds, and 10% of that is 9 seconds, then if your average lap times in that class were 1:39 seconds or less you would be advanced in the next season. :)