Runoffs - Town Hall, Format, SMX

3

31rx7

Active member
Long time lurker here. I didn't see a discussion on this, so figured I'd post. News release a couple days ago on the SCCA site:

https://www.scca.com/articles/2017225-2 ... s-and-more

Highlights include:

- Preliminary schedule
- A new class added to the schedule, SMX. This is basically an exhibition class as I understand it.
- A Town Hall Meeting announcement scheduled for May 16 at 7 pm EDT. Click on the link on the above page to register.

There is also a document floating around on the "SCCA Official - Members" page on Facebook about a proposed 2023 Runoffs Format. I do not know if this is an official SCCA proposal. Essentially, this proposed format takes the Thursday qualifying sessions and turns them into qualifying races, determining the grids for the National Championship races on Fri - Sun. It is stated this will be a topic or maybe the topic at the Town Hall.

If relevant to your interests, suggest attending the Town Hall.
 
IMHO, any change to runoffs should shorten the required days on site to 4 or maybe 5 at most . Split 28 ish classes into into 2 or 3 groups .
Day 1; practice twice .
Day 2 Qualify x2
Day 3, 30 min championship races. Enforce the 112% rule or just have the top 10 qualifiers race .
This schedule should have enough time in the bank for 9 races per day .

For those of us that dont drink much, have jobs or wives , or live 20 hrs away. This makes sense .
Its time for us to accept the fact that no one cares about this racing . Maybe the tire and fuel suppliers.

Another method, Have real races . Invert the top 10 every round and tally up the points. 3/4 pt for P1 .

Maybe GTL can run SMX :)
 
I'm disappointed that none of you have figured out why SMX is being allowed to enter the Runoffs.

Last year's attendance was not what was expected and this year's is going to be even lower based on early entries especially at the VIR Majors. Thus, in order to help meet the budget, the simple solution was to invite another class. They basically did the same back at Road Atlanta when they had a Trans Am race the weekend before the start of the Runoffs. And what better class could be invited than one that showcases a major SCCA supporter? I'm afraid that the Runoffs will never return to VIR based on the tracks recent decision that only track employees will be allowed as corner workers.

Personally, I can't understand why the Runoffs doesn't find a permanent location at Heartland Park. Center of the country, easy to reach, nice facility, great hotels and restaurants close by and the staff can sleep in their own beds cutting costs. But, what do I now about putting on the Runoffs. Only did it for 14 years.
 
Jim, very rational point on the SMX inclusion.. makes sense in that context. If that is the case it would be nice if National would acknowledge it. thanks
 
I know a lot of folks will disagree with me but I agree with Jim. My experience with Heartland Park was totally positive. It is in the middle of the country and quite a few of the West Coast racers I talked to at the majors last weekend are not interested in the very long trek to VIR. Just my 10 cents worth.
 
Let's not forget that 2025 is Road America...500-ish more miles from LA and about 300 more from San Francisco and Portland? Let's see how many West Coasters show up.

My impression of the reason we stopped going to the west coast is that the numbers just didn't make sense. I attended 2014 Laguna Seca as a renter (enjoyed it) but 2018 Sonoma just wasn't in the cards because I could not take off two weeks for that trek, so I get it.

I also suspect an infographic showing the locations of comp-licensed members favors the east coast tremendously (anyone got that info?) So you need to go where most of your customers are...

Finally, I competed in the very first SCCA event at Heartland Park (1989?) and several more after that, and I wasn't impressed with the place. After I moved to CT I watched the Runoffs there on TV and was pretty much "yawn". In 1989 we were ECSTATIC with any new racetrack, as all we had back then was TWS (R.I.P.), Hallet (a fav) and airport circuits (Big Spring, Abilene, Ardmore, Corpus Christi, etc). Today, our standards have changed.

Now granted, the place has most certainly changed a ton since I last raced it circa 1991 but I just can't see it as a Runoffs-quality race track, flat and boring. Not that I'm much of a Runoffs candidate past this year, so discount that as you may. - GA
 
I’m sorry but the arguments against Topeka make no sense to me.
The track races well, has a combination of high speed commitment turns and low speed transitions.
After the modifications made between the first and second runoffs there it delivered good racing when there was a good field (and the quality of the race is more about the field than the track - to a point)

VIR has been a blast of a track to race on, but I agree that their new policies make it way less attractive.
Mid-O seems unwilling to maintain their facilities well enough to accommodate an event of this size.
I’ve heard commentary that RAtl could no longer accommodate the entry numbers, but I’m not sure I buy that.
Daytona seems like it is awfully hard on equipment, and people I talk to would either love to go there, or would absolutely never go back.
Pitt Race looks incredible, and I’d love to find my way there.
Frankly Indy is flatter and more simple than Topeka, but the GTL race (and others) there was incredible.
I wonder if Ozarks would be able to develop enough to accommodate the entry size of the Runoffs...

RAm is hands down the best overall facility. I can’t wait to get back there for the June Sprints, and look forward to the Runoffs returning next year.
 
I agree about hpt. It was reasonable, paddock was good, lots of stuff around. It didn’t seem that bad and the track was ok.
 
I love Heartland Park. Great paddock, great bathrooms and showers, great scale and impound building, and in the middle of the country. The events are fun, well run, and worth the money and effort. As for being flat, sounds like that poster never made it around the entire track. :lol:

</rant> I'd run HPT a million times before I wasted the money and effort to go to Hallett or any other track less than 2 miles in length. Especially if they are over 500 miles from home. Yeah that includes Lime Rock. It always amazes me how people hate "newish" tracks for not having some sort of old time mystique and love tracks that are old and terrible, but God help us are 1950's icons. </rant off>
 
I thought that this thread was to bitch about the heat races. The venue thread is next door. And I get called ADD .
Meeting is tonight .
How about the top 10 in Majors points , plus the top 3 regional points , vote on a race sometime in the fall . Each class can race at their choice for the title. 3 races per weekend, low points wins the title . 3/4 point for first. etc.
None of the lucky single race deal .
 
Please post your thoughts regarding The Ruboffs poll?
And ask any drivers under the age of 40 , what might make Runoffs better. ??

I told my Wife about the time line and sessions. Theres not enough space here for her response.
 
The survey came across much like the webinar - like an effort to justify a decision that's already been made.

I gave feedback that I'm a lot less likely to tow across the country if there is 2-3x the chance for a mechanical failure, or poor decision by someone eliminating my opportunity to race for a win.

There is no upside to doing this in 2023.
- Definitely will turn off at least some who have already, or will qualify, possibly enough that they don't come back.
- Almost certainly too late in the game for someone that wouldn't come to the current format, but loves the new idea to qualify and prep for the event.
-> So a guarantee to reduce entries

If we are going to make a change, let's define the goal of the change.
All I heard was "make every session more exciting". <- which ignores that there are maybe a literal handful of people that actually care about how exciting amateur club race qualifying sessions are.

Giving the field multiple bites at the setup to get the best performance out of the car and the driver results in a better race IMO.

Interesting that the back half of the survey dove into a split schedule, ala 2012, which I don't recall being received that well. Maybe we can learn some things from that and execute it better.

I personally like it the way it was 5 years ago, when we had 4 sessions and a race.
I'd be open to doing that with a morning and afternoon session over two days and then a race.

This is someone's pet idea, and I don't expect it to die, but we will see what comes of it. The right change for the right reasons can definitely be a positive. I just haven't seen evidence that this is what we have here.
 
I commented as I did earlier in this thread: decide what you want the Runoffs to be.

If you want it to be a one-race shootout for a national championship, then the current format covers it (but let's get back Monday qually to make it a better value).

If you want it to be a multi-race season-type of championship, then let's have a big Runoffs party at Daytona in February and let the super-srz-bzns racers fight it out for a season championship using the Hoosier Super Tour.

Anything else is just a circus with unpaid monkeys. - GA
 
Of course, we could always go back to the old days. Run a bunch of races during the year. At the end of the year, those with the most points win the championship. Just do away with the Runoffs and you end the controversy.


Russ
 
No Runoffs Format Change for 2023

After evaluating member feedback following the May 16 virtual town hall meeting, in which an alternate Runoffs qualifying day proposal was presented and discussed, the 2023 event will be conducted as recent events have been, with a driver’s best lap from the week setting the starting lineup for the National Championship race.

“The Club Racing Board and staff appreciate everyone that took the time to join the town hall as well as provide feedback on the proposal,” said SCCA VP of Road Racing Eric Prill. “While the 60th Runoffs will not be changed, the feedback has provided SCCA with valuable information from the community when considering future events.”

The 60th Running of the SCCA National Championship Runoffs will take place Sept. 23-Oct. 1, 2023 at VIRginia International Raceway. For additional event information, please visit http://www.scca.com/runoffs
 
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