Originally Posted by Avon Open Wheel fan:
I will see if I can get the results including where each driver starts and start posting them on here for the non Facebook users. Think your points about the line ups for the features will be voted on by all the members of the MMSA at the next race. If for any reason any member can not make the next race please let one of the officials know what you would like to see concerning the Feature line up procedures.
They will also be discussing the weight rules and how we conduct the weigh in after the race and taking a vote on this as well.
Jay
I am not much in favor of voting at a race track concerning changes of rules and procedures. In fact I am not too fond of the idea of putting anything to a vote period by the members..
MMSA was not founded as a democracy. In fact I was a opposed to the Idea period. It was founded by 2 guys Bill May the guy with the original idea to improve the lot of the "MINI-SPRINT" racers, with a better purse and a better selection of race tracks for us to race on and Allen Ruppenthal the builder of the ERC race cars who was looking for better way to showcase his cars and increase participation in the sport. These guys came up with a rule package borrowing from the AMSA rules with the exception of limiting the motor size to 1000cc's. That rule package worked fine for 6 years.
With the passing of Allen and retiring of Bill May from active participation in the group. MMSA was taken over by younger and more energetic people. The first order of business was to discard the rule package for a new national based rule book. This book shared very little in common with the package we had been racing under for the last 6 years, and in the haste to publish has several rather glaring flaws incorporated into it. We have chosen to overlook these flaws in the spirit of good faith. I don't remember voting in favor of it or against it. (OK maybe a few post on IOW), but no vote.
The way I see things is, Democratic racing groups do not work well, because the group consists of many individuals with many different opinions and agendas. A true agreement will never be possible, and we start down the nasty road of ******** (you do this for me and I'll do that for you). This leaves some and sometimes almost all the members (participants) upset and disenfranchised.
Allen had an agenda for what he wanted. Bill May came to the table as a man (Benevolent Dictator) who could listen to everyone and at times make phone calls to get the pulse of what was happening. He then took this insight and ruled the group in the way that he thought was best for all. I sure didn't agree with some of Bill's rules, but I knew that what Bill said was gospel for everyone in the group and that was that.
When people see favoritism shown for one racer or the other the group is in trouble. I don't need to mention any groups by name because most of us know far to well what happens.
My suggestion would be, Look over and reconsider the MMSA rules of the past. Bill May is retired as Dictator but us old folks know of another term for such people. "Dictator Emeritus", from what I see he is still kicking pretty high these days, and has insight into the working of the mini sprinters mind. Rather than a vote being taken at a distant race track that will more than likely end up being a purely political thing, just ask Bill May.
Rules are rules, If you can believe it we were once DQ'd for being 2 pounds under weight. We didn't like it or believe it, in fact at home on our scales we were 40 pounds heavy. The scales had not been set up correctly, but we took the call. The straw that broke the camels back was when we got DQ'd for a 2" too wide left nerf bar. I sure am glad Bill and Allen came up with the MMSA.
Honest Dad himself
Wonder what the cars would look like today had we followed Thunder Valley rules and ditched the Stealth back then. 