Yeah, Vick's fast, but I don't think his car is underclassed anymore. It might be the fastest possible car of the class, but it's not by much.

I think some of them ran in class on Sat., then after *someone* made a comment to them about it :rolleyes: , a couple of them switched to rnp on Sunday.

Vic took off some parts to run in TDSP, the SM pax was killing him without his car being properly-prepared for street mod.

Cool. Seems to be working out for him. :)

No, they aren't.

Mike Meyer and Frank Stagnaro signed up as RNP on Sunday so that they could run out of class and leave early. They are not listed in Pax.

Everyone else signed up in their class so they get points. John Evans was running around trying to convince them to change to RNP on Sunday because he thought he might win without them, but Reno region has a policy that if you show up and run in your class you get points, so if they signed up for points they get points.

Oh, I didn't realise it was because someone said something. I thought they just wanted to leave early.

Well, I think it's kind of a dick move to show up here and screw up our regional PAX competition, but it's a worse move to ask people to RNP because of it. :( Besides, I'm an underprepped driver in an underprepped car with no chance of a top ten regardless. :p Katie and Kevin did cost me my first top 20 on sunday, but if Jim Gandy beats me, I can't really count that anyway. :p

I don't think they knew they'd be *screwing up* our pax points. I don't think many of them care whether they earn *our* pax points -- they just want to run. In other regions, you have to purposely tell registration you want to participate in pax points. Here, our supps allow it.

If we don't like it that way, we should change it in our supps. I don't see it as any different from including LV's scoring in our pax, or last year where we included the divisional scoring with the out of town participants.

From the conversation I heard, they were first 'convinced' to change to RNP, maybe finding out they could run whenever was a secondary benefit to them. Anyway, I think we are lucky to have drivers of their caliber/calibre run here. It gives the rest of us an opportunity to watch some really great cars and drivers, and to gauge where we fall relative to their performance. I believe Mike Maier was top in pax at the Atwater national tour event this year. (Austin - don't you know these guys?)

Sigh.... I'm not sure I agree with this philosophy or approach, and coming from our Director or Solo....

Yeah, I would be in TDSP, other than my carbon hood... We'll see if that causes me problems. If the hood does end up being an issue, it's SM for me, despite how out-classed my car would be. :rolleyes:

I was pretty happy to see that I managed to pull down times that weren't TOO far behind the Mini. Actually, 0.104 seconds behind. Not too bad...

If you added weights to your hood so that it weighed as much as the stock one. then isn't it just a non functional cosmetic bit of body work ???

:) [how you can do that easily and cheaply and remove it after racing i don't know, but the theory atm is reasonable.]

Frankly, I think the carbon hood IS a non-functional cosmetic piece of bodywork... That cost me about $600 less than a new stock one would have after my OE one was destroyed.

Discuss it with Chris, Vick, and Jeremiah. I doubt any of them will really have a problem with it.

Definately no bad at all. His car probably has more HP and less weight...but, yes, the hood thing is a bit rediculous...kinda like how Pete has to run in TSM for his scoop and BOV. :~:

Yeah, I don't know Vick, but I don't see there really being a huge issue with the other guys in the class. My only point was that it *technically* puts me in SM.

In the future, if there was some other person in that class that wanted to protest, I'd be pretty much screwed.

Scott certainly feels lucky to have them here. I would be ahead of him in PAX if they hadn't shown up :lol:

You can be protested by anyone who runs in the event for points, but that's unlikely to be an issue for you.

Just being devil's advocate here, because I have no dog in this fight; but, when I work at registration I get to and have to, hear about all kinds of complaints - so if you want to do this, be prepared that you may get confronted about it by someone even outside your class.

With a carbon fiber hood, which is rather obvious, I wouldn't be surprised if someone comes up later, and asks 'why does that guy get to keep his carbon fiber hood in that class??? he's supposed to be in blah-blah-blah class with that, that's what they told me last year ...".

When you come right down to it, the rules are the rules, and sometimes they don't seem fair or right, but they are the boundaries we have to work within in this sport.

Adam C ran his red BMW in TSM on sunday because he had a CF hood that was illegal in whatever class he was going to run.

Seriously Cory, you should just stay in novice this year, then have all winter to decide what to do about classing for next year.

Hey, I know that douche!

I thought that Cory's WRX front brakes were keeping him out of TDSP as well as the hood.

I think it's really sad that when some excellent nationally competative drivers show up, people whine that they should run RNP to keep from "screwing up" our points. :roll:

No wonder there's so much bitching and moaning about PAX being unfair... it sound more like the majority of Reno drivers aren't good enough to hang, and therefore need excuses as to why they're not placing higher in PAX than they used to.

It's time to realize that the over-all level of competition in Reno is going up. Instead of whining about it, instead of trying to get people like Mike Maier to RNP, we should be trying to learn from the competition and raise our game. Mike's a multi-year trophy winner in CP at Nationals. He *should* be mopping up the Reno region in PAX simply because he's a terrific driver, driving a car built to the limits of his class, while most of us are decent (but not nationally competative) drivers in cars built partially to the limits of the rules. It has nothing to do with the altitude, or the power of the car, or the errors in PAX calculations... he's simply got a much better package than any of our regional drivers. It's borderline pathetic to ask him to RNP... when we should be trying to elevate our game and catch him! If he, and the rest of those AAX fellas make the long haul up to Reno, they deserve every point they get, and we should respect that... after all, I think we should want them to come back, don't we?

/rant

Also, I thought the reason Vic can run in SP is because our sups include an addendum applying the new John Cooper Works rules to all JCW mini's, and not just the '06+ models.

That's exactly my point. I have essentially come to live with the fact that I will likely be put in SM, for my hood, and for my brakes that M3n2c3 mentioned as well. I'm not bent about it. I came to play by the rules! I'll still be out just as often, and I'll still have just as much fun! It's NOT all about "winning" in my class to me, so much as enjoying myself, being safe, and *really* learning what my car and I can do! ALL of which I've been doing...

Mike: I plan on staying in Novice this season, despite some people's suggestions to change. Next year, I'll run class, and if I'm in SM, so be it! Maybe there'll be some miracle, and this little black, low-hp-non-turbo car will actually do fairly well! :lol:

Cory, you should run RNP all next year, and tell all the people who want you to run in a class to "kiss your black ass"...

To Scott's point, people need to shut up and drive. While PAX is a contributor, the reasons the "new guard" is moving up the ranks is because they are driving better, and preparing there cars. I think if the Sac folks really knew they couldcome and run twice a day for $35 any old time, a bunch more would show up. I say bring it on!

Next, somebody will starts claiming the CS PAX is soft and that is why I can get a bone stock miata into the top 10 week after week, as well as a STX WRX I haven't driven all year, and was only barely ready for competition.

I was pretty happy to make the top 10 both days with the Sac folks in town, and in the WRX for the first time this year on a questionable tire setup. Wish I had done a little better Sunday. can't let John Evans catch me. :)

People beating other people is ruining autocross!!!1!`!

At the next meeting I am going to suggest that we don't have timing lights at the next event.