Sportsman Endurance

Apparently WERA hasn't thought this through. If yer an expert and running a HW or MW bike WERA's position will apparently now be: if you want to race Saturday, ante up 100 bones, otherwise you ain't racing Saturday.

Nice. I guess if I wanted to run endurance I'd have run the endurance series, but since I don't I guess people like me will just lose a day of racing.

Thanks.

 

Okay - that's enough BS about what WERA is thinking, til you come hang in the office every day there is no way you can know. Nowhere does it say "we will nuke the HW & MW Expertv Solo 20's" All it says is that we are looking at that as one possibility, less practice is another, running later is another (but remember the corner workers on that idea - I know some of you will stay late but they can't be out there for that many hours, they don't have the luxury of going back to the pits and taking a mid afternoon nap), running shorter Solo's is yet another possibility - none of which are final until you see the first schedule for a 2 hour posted on the web site . I can understand you not liking the idea but give me a break already and quit acting like it has already been totally decided.

Right now the most likely scenario (but again NOT DEFINITE!) is to keep track of the entries and not allow more than the track will hold to enter any of the three solo's. Keeping the Expert & Novice ones combined and only running three solo's will free up the time to run the 2 hour as long as we are willing to run a little late.

 

I would absolutly be in favor of sportsman endurance!!! I am coming back to race after
4 years off, and would love to maximize track time and the value of my hard earned money. I have always suppoorted WERA, and
have always enjoyed their personable
attitude towards the racers.
I believe this format would be a good
chance to acclimate teams and riders to
the prospect of running National Endurance.
But, also for guys like myself, where
you just want to get out there and do more than 7 laps at a time. In 7 laps you cannot get a rythm going. For the novice riders
it is a better learning curve, allowing for
changes of set up and getting a feel for tires that begin to wear and maybe slide a bit.Almost like an extended test session.
I really am in favor of the idea, I just hope it is not a rumor.

 

Did this bother any else besides me?

How can we keep the National Teams from winning in the Regional Races?

I don't mind running with them if they want to practice, but I don't want to bust my ass just to see them on the podium.

TBR could do a 2-Hr with both thumbs in a respective nostril on an Indian.

 

You crack me up Sean. I guess I assumed too much from your message. From the way one of your messages was worded I got the impression that you could enter and run the race without a scorer, but your results wouldn't count. There I go assuming again!

As for your most recent post, it sounds good to me. That way we keep the solos (in one form or another) and still have a 2-hour with transponders. Count me in, I like it. I don't mind staying late as chances are I already drove a couple hours to get there and I'm typically the last one off the track when the day is done.

Once everyone is done complaining and can see straight, let's start a normal topic about sharing seat time and bikes for the 2-hour. I'm planning on doing a couple endurance races later this year and the friends I have enlisted are flying in and using all my equipment, so I have no problem sharing. But I might require beer after the day is done, so come prepared!

 

So are these 2-hr races going to be run as purse races or as points-paying.......???

 

We're looking at a points fund setup for now. Doing a purse for each event would mean bumping up the entry fee and I don't see that being a good thing...

 

Definitely not. All we would do is run them at the same time - separate scoring, separate money. We just wouldn't split them like we normally to allow for bigger fields, we'd have to cut off the combined race at whatever track density is. I still haven't had time to work on a schedule so all of this is supposition as to what will or won't work.

 

While you are working on the schedule, is it possible to spread some of the races out? In the past, I think you had C and B production as race 3 and 5. While not back to back, it was always a rush between races to get cooled off, refueled and hydrated. Since most of the racers entered both races, it makes sense to have a little longer break.
Thanks

 

Ooh ooh - a chance to explain my scheduling theories!

Actually most of our schedule came from Kurt Hall so it's really all his fault (damn good guy to have around - awfully smart for a racer)...

We run all of the Production and Superstock stuff first because these are the classes that most people build a bike for and then they will run a Superbike class as their "extra" race(s). If (more like when) we ran the Production stuff later in the day the Superbike participation dropped off and there was a call for us to do the layout as it presently exists so the riders could get more track time without ruining their chances at points and money in the main class they were running. We also have looked at running C Super between C & B Prod but that also got people upset because they felt that B Prod rather than C Super was the next logical step from C Prod. So, what this all boils down to is the current schedule based on many years of trial and error and mucho rider input.

And that's what WERA is thinking on that one

I am going to try to keep track and rotate practice3 sessions again this year but please bear with me when we get to the middle of the season and I forget. Friendly reminders are appreciated but unfriendly ones will get a dirty look and an unkind gesture in your general direction (in memory of Monty Python).

 

Please, PLEASE do this. I hate to bitch (yeah... right) but us LW guys really got shafted with this one last year. I realize that nothing can change the fact that the track is gonna be a little slippery early in the morning, but stop making us LW guys be the ice racers all the time!

- Roach
#699

 

Roach! You mean you don't like the LW's having 1st practice...I thought it thinned the compitition for the races. Anyone lucky enought not to fall or to be freaked out deserves a podium finish

Seriously, I often skipped 1st practice because it would slow me down. What sense does it make to go out and slide around, going much slower than you did the day before in a race. When 2nd practice rolled around, riders from the 1st still have a fresh sense of how bad the track (Summit before paving) was and would need more time to come up to speed while I would ride a "hot" track consistantly and be comfortable.

 

LOL - every time an expert practice was first last year (on those occasions when I remembered to rotate the sessions) it was totally empty

 

I agree, I was the only bike out there last season at Nelson Ledges in the MW Expert 1st practices towards the end of the season.
Fortunatly, Nelson is always sticky...

 

Shouldn't that be spelled with a "u" in place of the "ti" ?

Sorry - couldn't resist. I actually love Nelson, it's still my home track even after moving south 8 or 9 years ago...

 

I used to hate Nelson but found a smooth line. It is now my favorite track because it was kind to the slower Aprilia I raced last year. It is the kind of track that suits lighter bikes. I turned some 1:14's on my Aprilia in my last race there...I landed on my head on the next to the last lap and lost the Formula 2 Championship. I can't wait to get back there...damned turn 13!

 

As far as rotating the practices Sean did a good job in the SE region. Now if you put lets say the 600 novice guys out first,hmmmm.

 

Sean, Have you put a tentative race day schedule together for the regional events that have a 2-hour regional endurance running along side? I'm mainly concern about the Road Atlanta race. It's part of the North Central schedule. It takes about 12 hours to get there and a few days off work. I really wanted to go, I've never been and thought it would be great to get some track time there before the GNF. I'm worried that this endurance thing is going to reduce track time for those who are not interested in participating. Also CCS has what a typical weekend schedule is like posted on their site. I found it to be very helpful, not only for myself, but friends and family who come to watch. Ever think about doing something similar?

 

The regional Endurances are noted by an "E" after the date and are on the schedule I put up on the web site today.

We'll set them up so they do not reduce the track time those not interested can get.

As for a generic schedule - I had one, just don't know what I did with the darn thing! That particular link must not have survived the off season clean-up, I'll get it back up ASAP. I'm also hoping to have the schedule up for every event as the year progresses but no promises...