Runoffs qualifying

All things specracer!

Still Learning to Type
Still Learning to Type
Posts: 47
Joined: Thu Sep 06, 2012 11:26 am
PostPosted: Fri Dec 06, 2019 12:45 pm
Ladies and gentlemen, especially if you are in the Northern conference in 2020, (as am I), most of us are screwed by the new qualifying criteria. Top 20 seems like a lot of people, but go look at the conference points for 2019. A lot of the top 20 are not in the Northern conference.

it will be worst this year since the RO's are at RA, and we will see a lot of additional out of conference people at both RA majors, and at the RA divisional.

I sent the following to the BOD. I suggest that everyone here send in something similar.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I applaud your efforts to make runoffs qualifying a little tougher.

However, I have a very large issue with the timing.

You have announced a major shakeup just a month before the season starts, and I do not think you fully realize the effect it will have.

This should be announced now, but effective for the 2021 season.

I will give you my specifics, although I am sure this will apply to others as well.

I was planning on running both American Sedan and GT2 at the 2020 runoffs. Since they are always in the same run group, I needed to plan out a season that let me get in 3 majors weekends for each car, with a bit of a cushion.

I am registered for the Winter nationals in AS, and was going to run one other Major in my home Northern Division to meet the criteria. I was going to run 3 Majors in GT2 in Northern, leaving me one, or possibly 2 events "open" for either car.

Under your new rules, in AS, I stand a good chance of not being in the top 10 in the Southeast, with only 2 race weekends. I'll risk this and work something out, maybe adding a 3rd SE race if possible, but a lot of people don't have the money and time to do this.

If I split and do 3 and 3 in Northern, I stand a good chance of not qualifying in either class.

Why? Because there is going to be inflated participation at both Road America Majors, just like happened at VIR, by out of Conference participants.

Also directly affecting me, and my team: SRF. My son and my team mate Michael are not going to qualify under the new rules, under any circumstances.

There are 90 people in the Northern conference results for SRF. it will be worst this year. Most of them only did one weekend, but most of them finished well enough to take points away from my team mates, and push them out of the top 20 in the Conference. Even though they are both good enough to run mid pack at a well attended event.

Multiply this by all of the SM and SRF drivers in the Norther conference, and you get a huge displacement.

Please, make the new criteria effective in 2021, so everyone can adapt. (yes, I know that for all the low participation classes this is a non issue)

Failing that, change the rules as follows:

1. 2 race weekends minimum in a conference in a single class to be counted in the top 10/20

2. All people who qualify for the runoffs in the same class in multiple conferences will only receive an invite from one, preferably their home conference. Everyone in the other conference will automatically bump up in the ranking.

3. Allow top 20/top 30 in the conference that the runoffs track is located in.

4. Allow the divisions in the "runoffs" conference to invite the top 10/20 divisional path qualifiers instead of the top 3/5.

2 , 3 and 4 will help compensate for the out of conference surge a runoffs track experiences. Especially when there are 2 majors held at the same track.

Best regards,

Scott Sanda
User avatar
Forum Hermit
Forum Hermit
Posts: 111
Joined: Fri Sep 22, 2017 5:02 pm

Chassis:
615
PostPosted: Fri Dec 06, 2019 1:08 pm
Thanks for writing this Scott. I saw the announcement and was trying to fully grasp the changes.

It looks like I am out of RunOffs this year unless I do a Gen 3 the whole time and even then if I am good. For me trying to qualify in my Gen 2 in a Gen 3 field for the national championships, I don't have a problem with it.

I do agree that we get screwed up here as we will have all the extra entries. I also don't see how we do the divisional level of points since it is all events. I thought the point was to do divisional level instead of all events in the division.

I do agree that these changes right before the start of the season is really messing with people, especially ones who have been planning for a year or more in advanced.
Chris B
Chicago Region
Flagging and Communications / Emergency Services

Good chance you have seen me waving flags like a crazy person at some point.

Ready to Write a Book
Ready to Write a Book
Posts: 77
Joined: Tue May 01, 2012 9:22 pm
Location: Framingham, MA
Chassis:
95, 950
PostPosted: Fri Dec 06, 2019 4:03 pm
Hold on, I don't think it is as bad as you think.

It is top 50% of anyone who runs a majors in the northern conference, not top 20.

So it is actually GOOD for you that lots of people may run one race in the "regular season". That just inflates the number of people in the standings overall, and pushes down the line.

Last year Northern conference has 90 SRF3's, so it is the top 45 and #45 had 1 weekend and 18 points. This set of rules will encourage people to go to more than just the bucket list tracks and participate throughout the season within a division.

I would prefer that points actually be awarded further down the list because it could end up being a tie break between best finishes with zero points in some divisions, but they have setup a reasonable set of rules BEFORE the season starts and I'm fine with trying to race my way in.

Edit: I'm fine with racing to get an invitation, I'd rather not be "racing my way in" with a qualifying race at the runoffs because the field is so big.
Last edited by tomkirchman on Fri Dec 06, 2019 6:32 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Still Learning to Type
Still Learning to Type
Posts: 47
Joined: Thu Sep 06, 2012 11:26 am
PostPosted: Fri Dec 06, 2019 4:34 pm
Tom,

That is the OLD rule. They changed it yesterday.

Top 20 people in SRF and SM, top 10 in all the other classes. Period.

Ready to Write a Book
Ready to Write a Book
Posts: 77
Joined: Tue May 01, 2012 9:22 pm
Location: Framingham, MA
Chassis:
95, 950
PostPosted: Fri Dec 06, 2019 4:57 pm
They changed it since yesterday?

TOPEKA, Kan. (Dec. 5, 2019) --

Also for 2020, performance requirements have been reinserted into Runoffs qualifying criteria for the U.S. Majors Tour path. Those receiving an invite to the 2020 Runoffs must place in the top half of a car class’s Hoosier Racing Tire SCCA® Super Tour Points Championship or a U.S. Majors Tour Conference Points Championship by the end of the “regular” season. For classes with 20 or fewer participants, Runoffs invitations will be offered to those finishing in the top 10 of the class.


Top 50%, minimum of 10 invites.

Still Learning to Type
Still Learning to Type
Posts: 47
Joined: Thu Sep 06, 2012 11:26 am
PostPosted: Fri Dec 06, 2019 5:05 pm
I just looked and saw that. Look at the edit date. it was, yesterday, top 10/top 20.

Now it is top 50%. I agree that top 50% is no worry.

it would have been nice if they would have said this initially. So effectively the only change is to remove the start and park people by requiring finishes. I agree with that.
User avatar
Ready to Write a Book
Ready to Write a Book
Posts: 64
Joined: Wed Nov 30, 2011 1:27 pm
Location: Atlanta, GA
Chassis:
143
PostPosted: Fri Dec 06, 2019 5:10 pm
The 10/20 part comes in for classes with less then 20 participants in the Super Tour or US Majors series. In that case you must be in the top 10 of the class.
Tray
SRF3 7 - Atlanta Region

Still Learning to Type
Still Learning to Type
Posts: 47
Joined: Thu Sep 06, 2012 11:26 am
PostPosted: Fri Dec 06, 2019 11:18 pm
Nope.

It really said top 10 and top 20. I had that confirmed by my director. It apparently was NOT supposed to say that.
User avatar
Ready to Write a Book
Ready to Write a Book
Posts: 64
Joined: Wed Nov 30, 2011 1:27 pm
Location: Atlanta, GA
Chassis:
143
PostPosted: Sat Dec 07, 2019 10:49 am
I really don’t care as it didn’t matter to me and it appears to be cleared up. However, the email that came out did not day that. At least not the one I got. I don’t know what was online or if multiple versions went out.

The relevant section from the email on Dec 5th:

“Also for 2020, performance requirements have been reinserted into Runoffs qualifying criteria for the U.S. Majors Tour path. Those receiving an invite to the 2020 Runoffs must place in the top half of a car class’s Hoosier Racing Tire SCCA® Super Tour Points Championship or a U.S. Majors Tour Conference Points Championship by the end of the “regular” season. For classes with 20 or fewer participants, Runoffs invitations will be offered to those finishing in the top 10 of the class.”
Tray
SRF3 7 - Atlanta Region
User avatar
Forum Hermit
Forum Hermit
Posts: 111
Joined: Fri Sep 22, 2017 5:02 pm

Chassis:
615
PostPosted: Sat Dec 07, 2019 1:13 pm
scott sanda wrote:I just looked and saw that. Look at the edit date. it was, yesterday, top 10/top 20.

Now it is top 50%. I agree that top 50% is no worry.

it would have been nice if they would have said this initially. So effectively the only change is to remove the start and park people by requiring finishes. I agree with that.



So are we all in agreement now that it is the top 50%?

If that is correct, then I pretty much don't have a chance of qualifying with "Frank," and unless I did every event and survived by attrition or just did more races than others?

And Tom, I highly doubt there would have to be a Qual race to get in at RunOffs. Track is 4 miles long....trust me we have had over a 100 Formula Fords on track before so I think we will be fine.
Chris B
Chicago Region
Flagging and Communications / Emergency Services

Good chance you have seen me waving flags like a crazy person at some point.

Return to General Discussions

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 19 guests