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They need to get rid of that class at nationals once and for all. It's ridiculous to even have different skill classes at the national level, much less 3!
What other sport does this? Imagine if track & field, swimming, tennis, etc. had age groups but also skill groups at national meets? It would be news to me if they did but I've never heard of it.
At the national level you should have classes based only on displacement/mods and on age. Period. If you raced 80s last year and just moved up to the 250s, and you aren't one of the 42 fastest amateurs on a 250, tough luck, try again next year.
A, B and C classes are absolutely necessary at the local level to equalize speed differences and make it safer, but for national titles it's just silly.
Novices are essential and the bread-and-butter to the sport. But nobody gets to keep claiming that status without lying their ass off. And there is no reason, period, for a B class rider to appeal to a lower placement.
The Shop
Bottom line - the rules are already in place.
The AMA/MX Sports chooses to ignore them in most cases.
Straight from the horses (AMA's) mouth at the beginning of this year:
If you have EVER raced a higher classification race in ANY organization's MX race, you CANNOT go back to a lower classification at an area or regional qualifier with the intent to race at Loretta's.
Sounds like they need to hire someone who researches anyone who qualifies for Loretta's to see if they are valid or not.
Now the whole scenario with riders appealing to stay down when the AMA wants to advance them is a whole other can of worms, and we peasants are kept in the dark on how that appeals approval comes about.
I understand the age requirements of the B class let young phenoms run extremely fast lap times, but I have no idea how it's an accomplishment to be the Beginner national champion.
When I was heavy racing, we did everything we could to move up. 1st place in C was considered behind last place in B, and same for B to A. Now they doing everything not to move up.
Just take a look at any of the contingency flyers and youll see almost a different sanctioning body for each series that the manufacturer pays out for with divergent rider class progression rules and criteria.... Class structures that dont match..... IE D class vs C class.... Entities that don't communicate outside of thier own bodies and who have no motivation to share information, results etc. or to standardize at the least classes.
The AMA is supposed to be that single Governing body but i raced individual races and full blown series all over this country from CA NV, PA, OH, NC and others and never have had to buy an AMA membership yet because they're so many other bodies out there.
I think a partial solution or at least a step in the right direction would be if the manufacturers only paid contigency money based upon time in class regardless of results...... IE a rider can only win contigency $ for 12 months in the C/D classes..... if they arent fast enough to move up thats too bad..... if they want to earn anymore $ theyll only be eligble in the next higher class and the clock starts in that next higher class as soon as they hit that 12 month mark in the C/D class regardless if the rider moved up and only allows them to be ilegible in that class for maybe 18 to 24 months..... If the rider progresses no further so be it.... they can get all the gaudy plastic trophies they want but they can only continue earning paper if theyre progressing thru the ranks.
Im sure they'res a bunch of what ifs in the scenario i suggest with respect to age categories, riders moving up sooner etc. but that would be my suggestion for doing something about the problem.
http://lorettas.tracksideresults.com/class.asp?c=189&e=1&s=
Pit Row
As for laptimes this year, this is not precise, but pretty close looking at the two A classes and 250B mod and 450B mod:
1, Justin Cooper - A - 1:54
2. Enzo Lopes - A - 1:56
3. Jayce Pennington - A - 1:56
4. Joey Crown, Jake Masterpool, -A-, and Seth Hammaker - B 1:57
5. Marchbanks, Halpain, and Papi - B - 1:58 Alves, Pinhancos - A 1:58
6 Four B riders and Falk turned a 1:59
I think Marchbanks may have been in the 1:55s in Schoolboy 2
The best C rider time in 250C was 2:06
Bottom B times are the appropriate comparison, not the top ones. Otherwise there's no need for both classes.
We already know they are not as fast as a quick B, just by the fact they don't want to face them.
Post a reply to: Loretta's C Class?