2012 LRRS Suggestions

[Jim]

WTF? What happened to the Saturday only pass???

apparently that was only for the Classic. one of my co-workers was pissed she paid $75 last Saturday for her and her two friends to come watch for my two races, then head back home.

[timmyho414]

I'm on with all Jim's suggestions.

I mentioned the first call for first practice last year. I think I heard it a few times this year. It's almost worse to hear it once in a while then never. Never, you go at 8:00, once in a while, you wait until you lost a few minute. It does/did suck.

PA seems better, but still, really? Speakers in t6 is nice. Thank them for that.

Saturday only pass. Is there a Sunday only pass still? I've had family drive up an stay outside because they did not want to pay to go in the infield on a Saturday.

Thank them for the score board. A split score board would be sweet. *edit, forgot about the count down, race and laps to go. VERY HELPFUL!* I use it all the time.

I was happy to see they moved the start end races to the last week of April and first of Oct. Give us a better chance anyway.

[nt650hawk]

The PA work fine in the garages for other events. It is out right ear deafening. LRRS needs to figure out how to turn up the volume.


+1 on the saturday Kate and Marybeth paid $25 each to watch my 1 race. They showed up around 2 and left right after the awards around 4:30 ish

[Kurlon]

The rumor I heard during the endurance weekend was that people get annoyed with the volume of the speakers in the garages during LRRS rounds and unplug/cut the wires. It would explain why they work at other events, but I can't imagine any LRRS people doing that?!

[Woodcraft]

I'll touch on these briefly:

1) Calls for first practice. This certainly makes sense. I know that there are occasional delays, and that throws things off a bit. Sometimes Bruce does not get any more than 60 seconds warning himself when things are ready to go. I'll bring it up so that they are at least a little more aware.

2) PA - They know this is an issue and want to fix it. The system was a tad over engineered and as a result segments of the system need periodic resetting for no apparent reason. Tommy hears about the PA most every day he is there and would love it fixed far more than any of us.

3) Saturday only pass - I've been on this bandwagon for years but have not got it through. I'll certainly try again.

4) Split Scorboard - I'm not sure of the complexity here, but I'll put it out to Steve Baron. I'm thankful just to have it.....just seeing what race it is, how many laps are done, time left in a practice is HUGE

5) Practice numbering - It's probably time to change to 1-7 and eliminate the ones we don't use. We also may get more vintage bikes and the future and may need a place to put them as well. This is all being discussed

6) ULSB - Last I checked, a non-motard bike consistently wins this class.....

7) WIFI - we can ask. It would be nice, but that is a luxury for a ractrack to provide...I have not seen it many places.

8) Endurance. I'd love it if this happened. However, here is the deal...last time we did it there was lots of noise to make it happen and after it was all put together there were about 15 entries for a couple classes. That doesn't work. To make this work, we need 30 teams. We talked about this just last weekend and were talking about some interesting rules that were used in the past (for example, only one expert per team - minimum rider time, etc...). If you guys get the entries to make it work financially, then it's possible.

9) Purse paying LW Class. If you find a sponsor to help put it together, then I'm sure the track will oblige.

10) Breath masks. This is something put in for a safety reason that has not been clarified to me. I have no issue with them, but I will inquire as to the reason. Perhaps I'll be enlightened.

11) Trophies. I get this....the pit bike race has twice kept me in a suit and distracted enough that I missed it. I had fun listening to the chants at the national - you guys make it fun and worth attending. Of course, due to the PA (item 2) I often don't get the announcement for trophies anyway. I miss the days of the Garage seven corner worker BBQ.....seemed like a full house when we did that.

12) Turn 10-11. No promises, but the talk of a repave (and possible configuration change, making this a 2.0 mile track) is floating around more and more. Rumors if a second bowl that turns right after turn 9....let your imagination run wild after that. It would be a great thing.

....keep it coming

[Kurlon]

I'm going to bring over a tradition I've spotted in the USCRA to LRRS rules discussions.

Please adjust ULSB to allow the use of add on turbos, but only for me, Joshua Coombs. All other machine/rider combos must stay naturally aspirated.

[Pigman]

I really think that if they don’t charge at the door to get in to a LRRS event then they will spend it in there at some point...but $25 is very steep and is a bit much and turns a lot of people away.... $5-10 is worthy but this isn't a big event and not much to see until after 12:00 so its really a half day event...and this is going to get more people there and buying/spending the money on other things.

My 2Cents..

[Jim]

I dont know about anyone else, but i liked the old Novice structure better. no one has a clue what starter/rookie/formula 1-4 mean. some of us like to watch our friends that just started & have no idea if it's a LW/MW/HW race. could they bring back the traditional class names: LW, MW, HW, SS, SB, GT, GP ?

[tls25rs]

I dont know about anyone else, but i liked the old Novice structure better. no one has a clue what starter/rookie/formula 1-4 mean. some of us like to watch our friends that just started & have no idea if it's a LW/MW/HW race. could they bring back the traditional class names: LW, MW, HW, SS, SB, GT, GP ?

+1 on this. When I decide to race again I will be trying to figure out this nomenclature.

6) ULSB - Last I checked, a non-motard bike consistently wins this class.....

Not too sure but Gino may just be the exception to the rule on this one LOL

[JettaJayGLS]

I dont know about anyone else, but i liked the old Novice structure better. no one has a clue what starter/rookie/formula 1-4 mean. some of us like to watch our friends that just started & have no idea if it's a LW/MW/HW race. could they bring back the traditional class names: LW, MW, HW, SS, SB, GT, GP ?

Having this be my rookie year, the formula/rookie/starter 1-2-3-4 was very easy to understand starting out. On the other hand, I am still trying to figure out all the differences between SS, SB, GT, GP, etc...I have it down pretty well by now but my first weekend I would have had no idea.

[nt650hawk]

6) ULSB - Last I checked, a non-motard bike consistently wins this class.....

Not too sure but Gino may just be the exception to the rule on this one LOL

pretty much.

the grids for tis year
April
1989 honda Hawk GT
2008 Aprilia SXV 4.5
2009 Honda CRF450
2011 Honda CRF450
2009 Honda CRF450
1989 Honda nt650gt
2009 Honda CRF450
2008 zabel 700

May
2011 Honda CRF450
2009 Honda CRF450
2007 Kawasaki kxf 450
1995 Kawasaki Ninja 500
2008 zabel 700
2003 Yamaha WR/YZF 450

June
1989 honda Hawk GT
2009 Honda CRF450
2009 Honda CRF450
2008 Aprilia SXV 4.5
2003 Yamaha WR/YZF 450
2011 Honda CRF450
2007 KTM 560SMR
2009 Honda CRF450
2007 Aprilia SXV 5.5
1991 Kawasaki Ninja 500
1999 Ducati 800ss
2003 Ducati 620ss
2011 Ducati m796

July
1989 Honda Hawk GT
2011 KTM SX-F 450
2009 Honda CRF450
2009 Honda CRF450
2007 Yamaha WR/YZF 450
2009 Honda CRF450
2006 ktm smr 450
1991 Kawasaki Ninja 500
2007 KTM 560SMR
2011 Honda CRF450

August
1989 Honda Hawk GT
2009 Honda CRF450
2003 Yamaha WR/YZF 450
2009 Honda CRF450
2006 Honda CRF450
2009 KTM 450 xcf
2009 Honda CRF450
1991 Kawasaki Ninja 500
2003 Honda CRF450

September
1989 Honda Hawk GT
2011 KTM SX-F 450
2009 Honda CRF450
2009 Honda CRF450
2003 Yamaha WR/YZF 450
2009 Honda CRF450
2009 KTM 450 xcf
1991 Kawasaki Ninja 500



not talking about who is winning just who is signing up. It really is another motard class. Hell I might as well run the motard race adnd LW sportsman and supersingle.

I miss all the 800-750 ss, new monsters, more ex500's frz 400s. But I gess that is what p89 is all about. No moratds. I guess I can't complain too much.

[CEO]

First off there have been major updates this year and we tend to ask for more and more without stopping to appreciate what we have been given. Thanks to Eric and all of those who go to bat for us and thanks to the track for being better for us this year.

Have we considered changing the starting structure? I know there was an incident a long time ago with a he-man amateur taking out some experts on the start... but if we were to start amateurs with experts it would make the race better for everyone. The experts would get less or even no traffic possibly, and more amateurs would get their full 8 laps. This is especially problematic in some races where there are 3 or 4 waves and there are mixed bike types. Then we end up with amateurs catching experts in waves ahead of them, experts lapping amaeturs in waves behind them, etc. Our track is too small to be doing 3 or 4 waves separated by 20 seconds each, there has to be a way we can organize it better... Or maybe do what they do in NJ, Jim told me they had like a 50 bike grid so they split it into two waves but they just wave the green, count to 2, wave the green again.

[PainfullySlow]

My thoughts:

Wifi: I pay $25 to use 2 days worth of electricity, then have to pay an additional $20 to dump my waste tanks (not complaining, merely stating facts. I dont begrudge the track making money). I dont really think that asking for Wifi, the thing I get for free at 90% of the resturaunts/venues across america, is too much to ask for. If they need help setting it up, I will even volunteer my time as a network engineer.

PA: It was better this year than in the past but still could use some improvement.

Saturday Pass: without a doubt. Not many people who aernt racers can devote an entire weekend to just sitting around spectating. IMO having a day pass for either day would help to improve spectatorship

Promoting the series: via web, facebook, etc. We would all like more spectators in the stands. Perhaps establishing something with new england MC dealers? Factory reps?

LW Dash for cash: I would be all for it. Lets face it, in the world of business $1500/month is chump change. It shouldnt be hard to find someone(s) willing to ante up for what is arguably now the dominant bike weight/class at NHMS. 30 bikes in EX LWGP this past weekend should help to affirm this.

Endurance race: YES PLEASE. Whatever rules you want, I am game for. I think we tossed around some ideas that made sense in the past and I like the idea of requiring different skill levels on the team (EX, AM, NV) however the hurdle exists of potentially having some NV on the track with EX riders. Anyway, if there is anything that I can do to help make this happen I would be all for it. A spec class for this would be ideal.

I would like to add that it is very easy to overlook the good things that have already come to pass when making criticism. I would like to say that I greatly appreciate the efforts that the track and the series have made in the past year to keep us all safer and having fun.

[Jim]

Or maybe do what they do in NJ, Jim told me they had like a 50 bike grid so they split it into two waves but they just wave the green, count to 2, wave the green again.

that Mid Atlantic CCS event had 44 bikes in the AM MW SS (or SB) grid. The only issue with the quick flag drops i noticed was was the pileup in T1.

[CEO]

LW Dash for cash: I would be all for it. Lets face it, in the world of business $1500/month is chump change. It shouldnt be hard to find someone(s) willing to ante up for what is arguably now the dominant bike weight/class at NHMS. 30 bikes in EX LWGP this past weekend should help to affirm this.

$1,500 x 7 = $10,500

In the motorcycle industry (small, limited market, high setup costs, etc)... that is not necessarily chump change.

Just sayin'

[Woodcraft]

$1,500 x 7 = $10,500

In the motorcycle industry (small, limited market, high setup costs, etc)... that is not necessarily chump change.

Just sayin'

Agreed. For someone to invest $10,500 in this and have it make business sense, they need to be able to generate enough NEW sales to cover this expense (that's not making a profit - that's breaking even on a $10K investment). So, if you make a 33% margin then it's over $30,000 in new sales. That's a fair amount of money to generate for exposure to 30 riders (or to 500 licensed riders and friends if you look at the whole picture)....not saying it's impossible, but it will take some work. I've been out trying to raise money before....

[Jim]

can we have the NOV/AM races again next year? it was nice to be in the front wave for once & i know the guys in 9-11 enjoy that race too.

[Woodcraft]

As for ULSB....so, if you take Motards out (a growing population at LRRS) - how many bikes fill that gap? More...less....and are the motard guys happy about losing a class? Just putting it out there.

GTL.....personally, I wouldn't want to put a Motard through that....it would certainly shorten the life span of the engine. Keep putting ideas out...it's all good

[JettaJayGLS]

As for ULSB....so, if you take Motards out (a growing population at LRRS) - how many bikes fill that gap? More...less....and are the motard guys happy about losing a class? Just putting it out there.

GTL.....personally, I wouldn't want to put a Motard through that....it would certainly shorten the life span of the engine. Keep putting ideas out...it's all good

My thoughts exactly...especially in GTL. People ask me all the time why I don't run GTL and its that exact reason, none of that conditioning stuff.

I also disagree that motards can't hang in LWSB, even at the expert level. Looking at times I think a couple fast motard guys would be battling for a podium.

So if ULSB dropped motards I wouldn't be devastated, but I think strictly looking at lap-times they fit in. Once Bill, John, and Ben bump to expert (soon) that will be 3 more "real" ultralight bikes in the class, should make for good racing.

[Mr. Kurtz]

Doesn't CCS allow the SV650 into ULSB? Do we think that LRRS may adopt that? That would certainly increase the number of "sportbikes" on that grid.

[OreoGaborio]

I'm not sure if Motards would enjoy running LWSB... Sure they might have similar lap times, but 50hp vs 80-100hp? All their hard work would be wasted the second they get to a straightaway.

[CBR929RE]

I dont know about anyone else, but i liked the old Novice structure better. no one has a clue what starter/rookie/formula 1-4 mean. some of us like to watch our friends that just started & have no idea if it's a LW/MW/HW race. could they bring back the traditional class names: LW, MW, HW, SS, SB, GT, GP ?

I figured it out by looking at the results. 1 is HW, 2 MW, 3 LW, 4 UL. no idea what starter, rookie and formula mean. the rules for them in the rulebook might give away what they are. Didn't this way give them more races they could do instead of only 3 we had?

[JettaJayGLS]

I'm not sure if Motards would enjoy running LWSB... Sure they might have similar lap times, but 50hp vs 80-100hp? All their hard work would be wasted the second they get to a straightaway.

I think its pretty comparable to LWSS guys running LWSB, you know what that's like. This is all coming from an Am motard guy, so I guess I don't offer the best opinion but without motards in ULSB I would consider running it as an expert.

[csmutty]

Eric: As far as the endurance race goes could we possibly do it the same way that USCRA did it this year? Have a certain number or prereged teams required before the event is scheduled? And if there are enough teams prereged then it will be scheduled?

[OreoGaborio]

I think its pretty comparable to LWSS guys running LWSB, you know what that's like.

Worse.