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Novice to Expert

Discussion in 'Information For New Racers' started by JBOOGIE, Jan 20, 2011.

  1. JBOOGIE

    JBOOGIE Active Member

    Not a statistics kind of guy, but just curious how many novice "meat grinder" racers get bumped to expert after their first year in the novice class....:beer:
     
  2. Paint Shaker

    Paint Shaker Tractor Motor Racer

    It would depend on which class you race in and how well you finished at the end of the season.
     
  3. ahastings

    ahastings Well-Known Member

    I would guess not many that are truly new to the track. A lot of "first year" novices now days have several years of trackday experience before they race.
     
  4. kanatuna

    kanatuna You can't polish a turd..

    First year racers on 600's into Expert after their first season....none that I know of.

    Thats one of the most entered and most competitive classes around. Its not likely one will become expert due to "c" classes their first season. If they stuck to one specific region....maybe.
     
  5. Agreed.

    If you made every weekend in a certain region and consistently placed in the top 10, it is possible, simply due to the total amount of points you could accumulate. Because not everybody makes every weekend.

    That is of course unless you have tons of track days behind you and you are just now deciding to race. A friend of mine has been riding for years and years and has been a track coach for the past 2 years. He can run a mid-pack Expert pace consistently, but he hasn't raced yet (he is planning on it this year though).

    Somebody like that will likely go Expert after 1 year. But to just start out on the track, in C-SS and C-SB and expecting to go Expert is pretty far fetched.
     
  6. JBOOGIE

    JBOOGIE Active Member

    Thanks guys. Not wishing to at all rather wishing not to get bumped :) and was curious.....definatly experienced track day rider but this will be my first year racing.
     
  7. Buckwild

    Buckwild Radical

    It happens more than you would think. You have guys ready to get advanced, others wanting to cherry-pick, and some who just aren't up to speed. A LOT of track-day regulars find that they are running up in the expert ranks and get bumped after a full season.
     
  8. Just do your best and see what happens.

    You won't be forced to move up even if you do earn a bump. There are alot of sandbaggers out there.

    There are people who have won Regional and even National Championships as a Novice....and remained Novice the next year.

    So it isn't an absolute. Even if you do earn the bump, you can protest it and run Novice another year to get more seat time (assuming your protest is for a valid reason and they accept it).
     
  9. Racer45

    Racer45 old guy just tryin'

    it happens
     
  10. jimmyv138

    jimmyv138 Well-Known Member

    I earned a bump after my first novice year and as it turns out I definitely could have used another year as a novice. Some people take to it really well, but unfortunately I wasn't one of those people. I struggled with going 2-3 seconds slower than my novice year in my first expert year. Shortly after that I got into endurance and that's where I learned the most.
     
  11. metalkid88

    metalkid88 Well-Known Member

    all depends on the rider


    I got bumped after my first year. whole different game but it pushed me a lot harder to go faster. i feel if i would have stayed novice my progress would have slowed down a lot.
     
  12. JBOOGIE

    JBOOGIE Active Member

    Thanks for the input guys!
     
  13. Dits

    Dits Will shit in your fort.

    Just off the top of my head, there were several folks down this way that got bumped (and definitely needed to be bumped) after one season in the 600 classes... Joe Gianotto, Jim Sehringer, Matt McCutcheon, Allie Woerfel (sp?).
     
  14. ToddClark

    ToddClark f'n know it all

    i know quite a few that have been bumped after their first year as well. Happens alot more than people realize.
     
  15. I was under the impression he meant 1st time on the track. As in, he doesn't do track days and just starts racing in the 600 class. Not sure where/how i developed that assumption, but that is what i was going off of.

    If that is the case, chances of getting bumped arent very good. But like i said, for people that have previous seat time (track days), it is possible and even likely, depending on the amount of seat time and how many races you do.
     
  16. ToddClark

    ToddClark f'n know it all

    youre correct in your assumption that the odds are not high, but there are alot more than people realize. Ive known quite a few guys that didnt have any "tracktime" experience, just a couple of days, started racing, and were kicking ass/taking names their first year novice, and were bumped after their first year. Again, its not "likely" to happen to the majority, but there are quite a few ive known that to happen to over the years.
     
  17. Mongo

    Mongo Administrator

    There is no real rule of thumb for it since every rider is different. Different experience level, different skill level, different equipment, different classes.
     
  18. JBOOGIE

    JBOOGIE Active Member

    I guess my whole reason for asking is that I do not want 1 year learning how to race and then BAM I am running with the big boys. Am I scared? Hell no, I just want one year to learn the land and then one year to really get after it on thus giving me 2 years of racing experience before hitting the expert ranks.

    This all maybe a waste of time as I could go out my first year, get my ass handed to me and getting bumped would be the least of my worries.........nah I dont think so :)!!!!!!!!!!
     
  19. Dude. Stop worrying about it. You are already worried about bumping to Expert, but you have never taken a checkered flag as a Novice.

    Just focus on your first weekend, then after that, worry about the next weekend. You can worry about your bump (or lack thereof) after the GNF.
     
  20. JBOOGIE

    JBOOGIE Active Member

    Agreed. Just playing it out.
     

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