Its easy to become expert...

[MadXX]

Mike.  Would you want to allow experts outside of the 110% to go back to amateur?

[digitalRoost]

something along those lines would work for determining if someone was good enough to bump up to expert....but it doesn't solve the problem where you can basically buy a championship. I consider the point system a different issue from determining who should be expert. I like your idea for making amateurs experts but I like my idea for determining the overall points champion and ranking.

I'd make the criteria for moving down a lot more loose....say 115% consistently AND the desire to move down. Some guys just are at a level they are comfortable at while some guys are consistently pushing the envelope.

[GSXR RACER MIKE]

Mike.  Would you want to allow experts outside of the 110% to go back to amateur?

     I don't think that's what the true intentions of the amateur class is all about. Amateur is a place to begin, learn the basics, and get your lap times lower. Being an expert doesn't exactly mean you have to be blazingly fast, but instead that you have the experience to warrent being an expert. I have seen blazingly fast amateurs that were reckless as all hell on the track, but hopefully after a season or two as an amateur that would settle into a more controlled fast. Then they go expert and have alot of fun racing with people that they can trust going really fast with. So no, I don't think I would automatically use that as a backward move to amateur from expert, unless the person was truely way out of his league and not confident at all and wanted to be moved back.

[MELK-MAN]

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 !

if you WIN a AM race, and all the top 5 did not crash out, why would you want to stay AM or think you should?

[MELK-MAN]

Mike.  Would you want to allow experts outside of the 110% to go back to amateur?

 ;D ;D

[speedster_1]

I'm assuming that's total points for all your classes???

If so I will be bumped up before the end of the season...I was planning on going for points championship in my 3 am classes and hitting all the SE races.  If I continue getting good finishes I will get bumped before the end of the season and am point champ will be impossible and mostly likely given to a slower rider.  

I don't mind going expert but I think I should be able to finish my first racing season as AM regardless of wins, perfindex, laptimes, etc.  I think the 750 bump should be forced for second year AMs....unless it's obivous that AM should stay AM.  
  

[Clay]

Donald, I think what they're saying is AFTER the season is over. So next season we will be bumped to expert.  I sure hope that's what they're saying.  I'd be pissed if I work all season to get a championship only to be bumped at the end of the season to start over again.  :(  

[Woofentino Pugrossi]

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

Yep its 750pts in a 12 month period. Remember the RULE BOOK states clearly "750 in a 12 month period". Says nothing about "selective classes" until you get to the track championship part of the rule book. But they only use selective points to upgrade am to ex.

[MadXX]

So my thunderbike and supertwins points dont count for status upgrade because they are not in the selective classes?

[K3 Chris Onwiler]

The comment about 110% lap times is pretty interesting to me.  Wherever I go, I tend to run right at 110% of the winning expert pace.  The fast experts leave me, and the fast amateurs catch me.  With 8 regional championships and a top 5 at the Daytona ROC, there is no way I could call myself an amateur.  But at the same time, I don't know if I would currently be winning if they DID bump me down to amateur.  Some of us are just in a weird sort of limbo.  I love racing too much to quit, but I hate getting beat, too.  We talked this subject to death over the winter, (The legendary Mongo/K3 debate) and decided that there was no answer that would please everybody.

[Super_KC124]

The lap time rule wouldn't work in all cases. I've seen alot of fast lap times coupled with some pretty hazardous riding. (fast noobies) :-/

CCS staff and the race directors can see who should be experts. ;)

[Baltobuell]

 To begin, Amatures should not have champions. It seems hoaky. Amatures are supposed to be slower, so a fast slow guy champion? WTF is that? OK I'll buy it if it's a 1st year amature, but not a veteran and it shouldn't be called champion. Rookie of the year would seem a better fit.
 2nd, racing alot shouldn't move you up. Wood alot should. The same guy winning all season is boring and frustrating for real amatures. Darren D won about everything his rookie year and he earned it, I'm not taking anything away from him, but as an expert he's winning alot now. He was ready and blew 1/2 the season spanking people that could never come close to giving him a challenge. Racing is a shortlived carreer as it is, if someone is obviously ready, let them, at their option,move up, SO.
 Amature should be amature, NO money. It serves as an incentive to stay amature. Pay twice as far back in expert. A fast amature would still make money in expert and get a chance to compete with somebody.
 The way it is, it may be a balancing act to keep the grids similar size, I don't know, larger minds than mine work on it full time.