2013 Event 2 in Arkansas, and I'm Not Going

[Mike's Competition]

I submitted a letter to the region board commenting on the miserable weather and complete bs scoring (regular region events score from top finisher, Arkansas events score from top region member).

They have seen fit to schedule 2013 event number 2 for Arkansas.

The rule for scoring reads:

10.10 If one or more National Tour and/or Divisional Championship event(s) is included in the Regional Championship(s), each day of that event will be scored as a separate event. Only those entrants that have run at least two St. Louis Region events in the current season will be considered in the point computations. That means the highest placing St. Louis driver (with at least two previous events) is the overall, or class, winner; regardless of the actual event results.

On the rare and odd chance that they follow the rule they wrote, as they wrote it, and interpreted by any sane and intelligent human being who speaks English:
Then Event 2 can not be a points event, because no one will have been able to participate in two or more events in the current season before event number 2.

I expect they will promptly rewrite this rule upon discovering this. Or refuse to interpret it with the verb in the past tense as written.

Regardless, I do not plan on attending the event in protest to its inclusion in the series due to:
Concrete is just as slippery as blacktop below 60 degrees, and that lot isn't anywhere near living up to the reputation it has.
RR commented the people running the event did not have their sh-t together, and based on the lack of downed cone call documentation, I have to agree.
The Tour event in St. Louis had 75 participants, and our region is not supporting events in our own area while trying to get us to attend events in other regions.
Money that would be used for travel, accommodation, and food, can better be used to pay for much needed parts.
The points calculation formula should be the same for all events int he series.
Lack of participation (and support) by region members (36 region members participated, and most region events have ~175 participants).

So, Mike, if you want to go, that's your free event for the year, if the points count.

 

[mmarshall]

Bill I have to agree with you on how the rule is written. I have not decided if I will go or not, but I don't agree with the Blythville event being in the local points race at all.

This season is even more interesting for me than last year. In 2012 my work scheduale gave me nearly all the events off work, but I struggled to take the points championship because my car was not race ready until mid season. Heck I had to borrow the Trans Am just to collect some points knowing that it was not a competitive XP car. It was challenging running a car you had never driven before knowing that I really had to win the event to salvage the season. Fortunately the TA is very easy to drive fast even though it has an extra 1300 lbs to drag around the track. Lesson learned: not having your car ready for the race season until event #6 in a 12 race season is no way to win a championship.

In 2013 I am schedualed to work all but 2 events so I will once again have to win every event I attend to take home the trophy. I am going to try to flip my work days to make more events but there is no guarantee that will happen. To complicate things further for both of us I think there will be a race prepped turbo Dodge Stealth joining us in XP. 2013 might be another tough and interesting year.

 

[Mike's Competition]

Last year was a comedy of errors for both of us.
My tires gave out at the exact point you had your car ready to race. I spent the second half of the season adding more power and wondering why the car was getting slower and slower.
By the last event, I was driving on ice skates, and you were dealing with a sticking throttle. It was like a competition to see how much below our potential we could run. That wild-card spot on Sunday was like rubbing salt in a wound.
It would be nice to have both cars running their best at the same event.

I'm trying to track down tires now. Hankooks are back ordered through May 20th! One place said they never make enough to fill demand and they sell out fast when they do come in. I'm not quite believing it. Sounds a lot like they offer a tire they never have at a low price, so that people have to settle for the next higher priced alternative.

My family keeps asking which of the region officers lives in Arkansas. I'm not sure who in the region insists on cramming that down all our throats. It wouldn't be as miserable a place to go if they could schedule it during warm weather.
And if they wrote the rules for our local events to exclude non-region members from the points calculation, the rule for the Arkansas event might be palatable. As it is, our class has a shark swing through once a year and they wipe us locals out of our own points for that event. And that apparently is not happening in other classes.