Stoopid novice question

[craig]

I've been spending way too much time with the legal people at work recently, so I'm getting excessively grammatical ...

4.1.2 says "... a Solo I Novice ... must not have competed in more than three (3) Solo 1, stage rally, race, ice races or equivalent events, or ..."

Does this mean:
a. Three events in total, i.e., any combination of Solo1, stage rally, etc.;
b. Three events of each kind, i.e., three Solo1 or three stage rally or three races or three "ice races or equivalent" events; or
c. Three Solo1 or one stage rally or one race or three ice races or equivalent events.

???

[alexb]

Come out and compete.Stop worrying about the Legal bullshit..

[craig]

Yeah, yeah. :)

Unfortunately, right now I can make it to exactly one weekend this year. A second weekend is a possibility, but doubtful right now.

I have done one Solo1, and will have one stage rally. I don't feel like screwing myself for novice status is 2003 over one or two events. It would be different if I could make it to more weekends this year, but one or two is about it. This really bugs me, as I just bought a cheap ancient small motorhome so I could make the haul to tracks farther away from me like Mosport or Cayuga.

As I'm also a local scrutineer, and will be regional one this year, I kinda should adhere to the letter of the rules, legal BS or not! When I ran that one Solo1 back in '98, there was quite a bit of controversy over a long-time competitor/official being accused of interpreting the rules in a way that favoured him. I also had a few people come up to me (and my girlfriend!) during that one Solo1 and question the legality of my car in class, even though I thought I drove pretty poorly - in the rain I went off twice and couldn't get under 60 seconds on Nelson.

Jeff Graves has told me things aren't like that anymore, and I believe him. In any case, I don't subscribe to the, for lack of a better term, the NASCAR competitor mentality about rules, i.e., cheating is okay until you're caught. However, I will do my best to maximize car and driver performance within the rules :D. To me, that means running one's first full season as a novice, and being competitive in that class. Given I can't run a full season this year, I might as well preserve my novice status for next year. If that means going home Saturday night instead of Sunday night, that's fine with me.

[ctenche]

I can tell you that the gist of that rule, however it is written is, that you can't compete in more than 3 of those types of events in total.

But I agree with Alex. Who cares about the novice bit? Even if you do preserve your status and then end up ranked first place in the novice standings the following year; so what? All it means is that you would have missed a chance to have some fun this year.

[craig]

I guess I just don't have spare cash is the only answer I can give.

I realize its all about having fun, etc., but I don't like paying for tires or entry fees or ... etc., if I can get someone else to partially pay for them. Getting sponsors and keeping them happy takes quite a bit of work, and for most folks, it isn't worth the effort. However, for me, given what Solo1 costs, it will be the difference between coming out or doing yet another season of Solo2. :)

I've managed to get some sponsorship of one kind or another for each of the three full seasons I've run Solo2 locally. Sure, I'm not getting big bucks, but a few bucks here and there add up to not having to pay entry fees (in Solo2), or a "free" tire.

Good event placings look good on a racing resume, but good series results look GREAT on a racing resume. A decent placing in the Novice championship won't get me sponsorship, but it helps a lot in "getting my foot in the door." Potential sponsors always ask "how good are you." They always want to sponsor someone who has proven themselves a potential winner.

In any case, like I said, I can only do one weekend this year, June 14/15, so its a choice between leaving Saturday night or Sunday night. I'll have fun either way. :D

[Jeff]

Yup, screw it. Just go race.

They only gave me one race before my novice status just magically disappeared. Who cares. If you don't turn a wheel, you'll hardly be able to get sponsors anyways. It'll take you a full season just to get to know the different tracks/configurations, so go lay down some laps and enjoy.....