MX5CQ Motorsport Competition Classes REVIEW

[adidistyle]

Hello Drivers,
For club members who participate in Trackdays, I am reviewing the Motorsport Competition Classes, with a view to implementing classes retrospectively from the start of the year. I would like your feedback on proposed changes, or to make suggestions of your own.

Proposed Classes
I have structured these to reflect the historical number of participants, and the lap times being generated.

MX-5 Standard
MX-5 Modified up to 1600cc
MX-5 Modified up to 2000cc
MX-5 Modified over 2000cc
Turbo or Supercharged
Race (Maybe)

Why am I proposing this?

1. Number of classes is excessive relative to number of club participants.
Over the past 3 years, there has been an average of 30 club competitors at each Trackday, excluding Natmeets, and this number is slowly falling.
There are currently or soon will be 12 classes, some of which have only one or two or no competitors. These are:
NA6 Standard
NA6 Modified
NA8 Standard
NA8 Modified
NB Standard
NB Modified
ND15 standard (Soon, possibly)
ND15 Modified (Soon, possibly)
ND20 standard (Soon, possibly)
ND20 Modified (Soon, possibly)
Turbo or supercharged
Race

2. Cost of trophies
Our relatively modest trophies are about $40 each. This is a significant slice of the trackday profits, which I believe could be be better spent on subsidising driver training opportunities or full day track hire. We could have smaller trophies of course.

3. Emphasis on trophy presentation at XMAS function is alienating
The is anecdotal evidence that some club members are feeling a bit alienated by the numerous trophies awarded at the end of year function, and perceive the club to be motorsport focussed. Not actually the case, as only about 10% of our 400 or so members and partners participate in trackdays. However, as the presenter of last years trophies, I can confirm the process does drag on a bit and must be boring to observe. I think there should be fewer prizes and more chit-chat, and the club should aim to keep all members interested in attending social events.

4. There are no sheep stations at stake
I realize that some people may feel a bit hard-done-by, if they are placed in a category with larger capacity cars. This applies mainly to Standard cars. My reasoning is there are not actually many participants, and that we are all here just for a bit of fun. There is a $40 trophy at stake, not international fame, fortune and glamour.

I welcome club members input on this topic. Please post here or PM me. If you are posting please keep it civil, considered and respectful.

Thanks

[sailaholic]

I'm not a member of the mx5 club but am a member of another car club that holds track events.

I think you sound on track with where your going on presentations dragging on. I also think if your having a drop in club track numbers providing a "better value proposition" or reduced fees / more time / same fees but the odd weekend run would be beneficial.


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[adidistyle]

Thanks for your feedback. Nobody likes change, but it is required I think, and no change is going to suit everybody.
I have investigated weekend events at QR/LS and the cost is very high, and the risk is greater than I think the club could bear.

If you need to keep it private, please PM some thoughts about what your "other" club is doing for members, and how they have responded. Thanks.

[JBT]

There are currently or soon will be 12 classes, some of which have only one or two or no competitors. These are:
NA6 Standard
NA6 Modified
NA8 Standard
NA8 Modified
NB Standard
NB Modified
ND15 standard (Soon, possibly)
ND15 Modified (Soon, possibly)
ND20 standard (Soon, possibly)
ND20 Modified (Soon, possibly)
Turbo or supercharged
Race

There is also NC standard and NC Modified which takes it up to a possible 14 classes.

[Trackphotos]

I replied to the email sent out, but I'll post my comments here too.

Proposed classes make more sense than current ones.

For most entrants they should be between 59 and 64sec at Lakeside for either FI or prodsports style race cars I'd think, so maybe FI/Race could be a combined class. Dividing most cars by capacity seems to work well for large entry fields in CAMS sprint events, so the other proposed classes seem suitable. The standard class would be sparse as is, let alone defining it by model as well, so that seems like the best option for stock cars too. Your suggested groups seem pretty ideal to me.

[Magpie]

Do grouping based on KW.

50, 75, 100, 125, 150, 175, 200+ (Example only)

People nominate which group they are in. If somebody challenges the KW the car is tested, if the car is found to be in the wrong group the person pays for the dyno and looses any points. If the car is in the correct group the challenger pays for the dyno and looses any points.

People nominate their group before each round and points move with them, this allows for cars to either gain/loose power.

[Trackphotos]

Do grouping based on KW.

50, 75, 100, 125, 150, 175, 200+ (Example only)

People nominate which group they are in. If somebody challenges the KW the car is tested, if the car is found to be in the wrong group the person pays for the dyno and looses any points. If the car is in the correct group the challenger pays for the dyno and looses any points.

People nominate their group before each round and points move with them, this allows for cars to either gain/loose power.

Seems unnecessarily competitive and complicated, and potentially added expense for no real benefit. If you want to go to that extreme, you should be running in Production Sports to a very strict class rule book. The club specifically makes the point that although it's a track day with no speed limit, it's not a race day per se. A bit of friendly competition is one thing, not quite the same as protests, dyno testing and points penalties.

[Magpie]

Points noted. The issue is that there will be very little challenges because of the penalties. It will rely upon honesty and allow friendly competition.

The same challenge testing is used on mines, that is if your want to invoke a show causes test, the person requesting the test is also tested. Suffice to say I have seen very few show cause testing. In addition the same method is used in construction contracts, if any additional testing is requested and is proven to not be required the company requesting the additional tests pay.

Grouping by KW will put cars with similar cars and the real difference will be in the driver. Then again I guess I attend very few club days due to work, I would be happy to run in whatever class.

[MINX]

Lets look at why we want classes and points and trophies.

From Club point of view, max attendance is the goal.
From participant point of view, gratification that your driving and car as a combination is competitive with your peers (you kicked your mates ass!) Well Natsoft does that.
The system used for the past few years has rewarded participation and consistency.

Using myself as an example, If I do every round and do 64sec at LS, 65 at QR then I get X points.
If, lets call him, 'Driver Tim' comes in Turbo Category, and does 56s at LS and 58 at QR, and if we both go to every event he wins. The only opportunity for change is if 'Driver Tim' misses a round.
So really it is an attendance comp. Looking back over the past few years, most regulars are, well, regular, and dont make huge gains or losses in times during the year.
We simply have too many variables to have a competition, otherwise, it is almost like everyone gets a prize.
I dont know the answer, but anything based on HP, Mods, model, capacity will need too many categories for the number of participants. Drop the trophies back to a Compsec nominated most improved, and leave it at that ?
Maybe offer $ discount for Prebooking, 3 or 6 rounds with a deposit, prior to the first round of the year?

[madjak]

I'm not part of the club, but here are my suggestions - 4 Classes

Stock class - NA / NB / NC / ND - (restrictions: Street tyres only, minor performance mods)
This class is designed to accommodate new entrants into the club and anyone keep a car as factory. Also encourage collectors to own and run stock cars. NA's have the weight advantage, NB's have the better chassis and more power etc.

Modified N/A class - NA / NB / NC / ND - (restrictions: N/A only, Must run full interior - basically CAMS 2F class + performance mods)
Can run modifications like ITB's, Chassis strengthening, No Aircon / PS etc. This class is for those that want to spend a bit more on their cars and run r-spec tyres and develop their car to a higher performance spec. Cars must still be road registrable and not be seriously lightened.

Modified FI Class - NA / NB / NC / ND - Turbo and Superchargers (same as Modified class but with FI)

Outright Class - NA / NB / NC / ND - Race cars, V8's, Honda K's, Exocets, extremely lightened cars
This class captures the full race cars through to your more exotic modifications. This class and the FI class would be competing for the fastest times as most of the race cars will be N/A.

These classes encourage new participants, competition and ongoing development of cars. I think mixing all models in the same classes is good to encourage cross competitions within a class. Some events will favor the lighter NA's with other events favoring the later models. At stock trim, most cars are fairly equal with a good drive in any model being able to compete for the win in most cases. Modified class is basically split into two (N/A - FI) as this is where you'll get the most entrants... Outright class for anyone doing major performance mods that makes the car too fast for Modified.

[Magpie]

That is an option "Compsec nominated most improved" and listen for the grape vine chatter of 'favourite' etc. However if the personality bias can be overcome then you need just 4 trophies, NA, NB, NC, ND, but what happens if a person swaps cars during the year I hear somebody think.

There is no perfect solution as for everyone that is happy there will be an unhappy one. To be honest save money on trophies and put it to either cheaper track days or weekend ones.

Madjak has a good suggestion.

[tbro]

Here is a funny option,
Why not revert back to how it was before everyone had to win a trophy?
You try hard and improve your times every trackday, and low and behold you have a chance of winning a trophy.

Seemed to work back in the bad old days, you know when 60 members would show up and have FUN, before
the days where everyone had to win a prize so they could all be QLD mx5 champions, all 37 of them per annum

Just a thought.....................

[Magpie]

and a good thought tbro.

Or give everybody a participation trophy and raffle off the rights to the No 1 sticker.

[sailaholic]

If you were going to offer money for pre booking that would only suit people with set work schedules.


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[adidistyle]

Thanks for the feedback everyone. Some ideas I have not thought of here. Keep 'em coming. I am listening.