A Basic Equation that creates FUN

Fun = (Value/Cost)*(Competitiveness/Ego)

As the colder weather sets in and the message boards start to light up with news of 2014 it is interesting to note some opinions, some misconceptions and once again see people trying to organize series and events so the majority can have fun in 2014.

The meaning of the word FUN cannot be overstated. Ask yourselves , why do you go to the races ? Are you having FUN?
To determine this, let’s explore some other racing related words.

REALITY. At the start of the 2013 season.. what were your goals? Did you meet them? Were you surprised by the outcome? How close were your goals to actuality? Bottom line… how much FUN did you have ?

VALUE. Some people that race will only ask what it pays to win, even if their average finish is 15th. ( A total disconnect of “value” and reality but to them it is value to have a chance at the bigger first place $$ ). Some people only like to race “big events” as they perceive better value with the prestige etc. VALUE can also be measured in MPH / $$ spent, Lap times / $$ spent but most importantly FUN / $$ Spent. Just as important and this valuable to many people in racing, its time away from work, time with friends and family and time to relax.

COST (Values close cousin, so close many people confuse the two of them). When it’s all said and done, this is the easiest to understand. Its objective, not subjective and is determined in real $$$. The cost is how much you spent against how much you got back (sponsorship, race winnings). The simplest portion of the magical equation Fun = (Value/Cost)*(Competitiveness/Ego)

COMPETITIVENESS. Quite simply the race teams desire to want to beat their personal goals. It might be to get a top 5 finish or for the super stars it might be to have more wins than the previous year. This obviously varies based on a person’s “reality”. At the end of the day in racing, the enjoyment (FUN) from competitiveness comes from passing cars. Winning from the pole (while a win is a win) is nowhere as enjoyable as coming from 12th to 2nd.

Lastly, but be no means least, yes it’s EGO. The bottom line is mankind has ego. Some people have bigger egos than others but in racing, people’s egos become more of a negative than a positive. I have seen teams want to “step up” classes based on nothing more than ego. No thought of cost. No thought of value. No thought of FUN. When a hobby becomes a 2nd job and for some a 3rd job, it tends to lose the FUN factor. Look around the ”big car” pits and you can see the pressure. (Try to find the smiles, let alone laughter.) The costs that drive the expectation of performance from sponsors, family and friends gets to the point that FUN becomes unobtainable. The cost of competitiveness only ever increases as ego becomes the driving factor. This cycle of disconnect repeats itself through generations. Each racer thinks that he can do it cheaper and better than the last one and because of their “unique” talent, will produce better results.

A 305 wants to be a 358/360. A 358/360 wants to be a 410. A 410 wants to join the All Stars and an All Star want to be an Outlaw. At those levels FUN is the least thing on the teams mind. The hobby ceases to exist and it becomes a full time job that only a very select few can make a living at. Below All Star/ WOO level and with egos in check the reality becomes that racing is a costly hobby at best.

We (small cars) have a unique opportunity to keep the FUN factor. The costs are relatively low. The value factor (speed, excitement, hanging out with friends) is easy to obtain. Competitiveness is always there (Some formats do it better than others) and the main danger is Ego.
So if FUN is truly what we are setting out to achieve and everything else is put on the table for negotiation, then lets collectively make a commitment to producing a plan that achieves the desired goal of FUN. (No sacred cows)

Every year we (Sidewinder Sprints) have a team meeting to discuss the next year. For the past 5 years, everything has been put on the table, schedules, rules and race formats. Over the years fine tuning has occurred. All the “hot topics” get discussed. We (Sidewinders) have been fortunate to be able to create our own destiny. We are not held to track rules or formats ( the tracks we work with are very understanding ) and as such our teams have more input in future directions. Last year we tried a unique twin feature format. Yes it was different. Yes it wasn’t done before but in keeping with the goal of having FUN it worked and worked well. So much so that the biggest change to the Sidewinder rules this year was to make the nights passing points total become your season points. The teams said the format was FUN. It created VALUE. Teams got an opportunity to be the best each night. No handicapping, no lucky pill draw feature line ups. It created competitiveness. On any night you had the opportunity to pass every car in the field.

When you realize that FUN must be the main determining factor in any set of rules and format based on the formula , you can also see how different ideas affect the outcome of FUN.

Fun = (Value/Cost)*(Competitiveness/Ego)

The simplest way to increase FUN from the formula is to increase VALUE, decrease COSTS, increase COMPETITIVENESS and decrease EGO.
With all this being said…. It is up to individual promoters, sanctions, tracks and even race teams to create more FUN.

How this gets applied and the main talking points at any given time on message boards.

Costs : Engines- As Stock. The game here is more laps /$$. Around 40 races between rebuilds reduces costs.
Stock means stock… no cutting gears in ½, no exotic coatings, no aftermarket high compression pistons etc.

Tires: Spec tires, or at least a minimum really reduces costs. Not needing every different size/compound combination mounted saves not only on tires but also wheels. This needs to be on both rear tires, not just the RR.

Fuel; Methanol only. (no additives) This helps tech and safety. Methanol burns with around ½ the BTU of gasoline which doubles your time to 3rd degree burns. It also stops the exotic oxidizing racing fuel that a normal crash crew will struggle to put out as it creates its own oxygen during the burn process. With economy conversions, this is a no brainer.

Cockpit Adjustables: People like to tinker, so a basic limit becomes fair for everyone. Pick the ones you like. ( Our current 2013 Champion doesn’t even have a wing slider)

Value; Sometimes less to win and more through the field makes more sense when it comes right down to it. The more cars that race, the more opportunity for passing and thus more “Competitiveness” which naturally creates more FUN. A win has its own value. How many times have you heard people that win a prestigious race say all they really want is the trophy. Provided that Costs are contained and racers are reeducated to understand that if it pays $1000 to win, but costs you 4 tires a night, and an engine freshen of $2000 every 10 races ($200/night), then it really only paid $200. I am constantly surprised by how teams overlook this basic understanding. We obviously are not in this for the $$, so therefore why place so much emphasis on it?

Competitiveness; Perhaps its time to think outside the status quo. A format that rewards passing is needed. Not luck, not how well you did so far this year. PA 600 Speedweek with 2 heats / car and passing points is the fairest heat/feature format. The tracks are reluctant to dedicate that much track time. Perhaps less laps in each heat. (say 6 as example) and cars staged ready to race? ASCS has a similar format.
With our (Sidewinders) twin feature format easily accommodating 30 cars, many nights could be ran that way and increase the FUN factor with all cars on the track at all times. The best team on any night still wins and takes the $$

Ego; The hardest part of the equation to change. This is wholly dependent on individuals and their ability to control it. You can see from the equation that with no other changes, a smaller ego automatically creates more FUN. What can others (Promoters, Tracks etc) do to influence this? The only thing is to make sure that the racer does not let his ego dictate the outcome of rules, formats etc at the expense of others. Perception becomes peoples perceived reality and when people allow their egos to boast about how much they spend on their racing program, it actually drives people away.

Bottom line; We have the best most cost effective fun racing as long as we don’t lose sight of the objectives.