Guys,
Firstly thanks for all your comments and ideas with regard to the 2017 Sprints and poll. Secondly apologies for this post being a later than it should be, but for reasons I'd rather not go into I've had other priorities over the past couple months which have meant I simply couldn't do everything.
The overwhelming feeling we got from the recent Poll was to:
Time for Change
Clearly there needs to be some big changes to rejuvenate the Sprints and I've talked to a number of people about the ideas you've all come up with on the forum.
The favourite and perhaps the most radical is to adopt a 'no classes' format but for the morning only, leading into a class structure for the afternoon's competition based on the times set during the morning:
Safety
Of course there has to be some rules for safety which would be based on our previous regs;
Pros & Cons?
There will always be some pros and cons with any system as there has been with all the MLRSS Class systems over previous years, but the emphasis for this year is making it simple and attractive to take part, and create a starting point to work from in future years;
Pros:
Cons:
2017 Sprint Dates & Venues
At the time of writing I'm actually still waiting for two venues to reply with possible dates, so I can't publish the dates and circuits yet. However, we're aiming to have a variety a number of standalone rounds again so drivers can concentrate on driving at one event at a time, rather than trying to focus on a Series and the costs that come with it.
We're also intending to bring the corner weights so we can weigh the cars and obtain data for the future relating to power and weight.
Firstly thanks for all your comments and ideas with regard to the 2017 Sprints and poll. Secondly apologies for this post being a later than it should be, but for reasons I'd rather not go into I've had other priorities over the past couple months which have meant I simply couldn't do everything.
The overwhelming feeling we got from the recent Poll was to:
- get back to basics
- make it easy and inexpensive for everyone to take part - and thereby attract new drivers
- re-energise the sprints to create a renewed enthusiasm to make them must-do events whilst retaining a great competition
Time for Change
Clearly there needs to be some big changes to rejuvenate the Sprints and I've talked to a number of people about the ideas you've all come up with on the forum.
The favourite and perhaps the most radical is to adopt a 'no classes' format but for the morning only, leading into a class structure for the afternoon's competition based on the times set during the morning:
- No classes at start of the day - just arrive and drive
- All cars take part in 3 practice runs and the first competitive run (as some drivers approach the practice runs on different boost)
- These results dictate the classes for the Sprint on the day
Safety
Of course there has to be some rules for safety which would be based on our previous regs;
- All cars must be MOT's or MSA log-booked
- All cars must carry a securely mounted fire extinguisher - minimum 1.5kg
- Cars running slicks go into the top class
- Cars running slicks must have a full rollcage
- Cars with fuel cells must have a bulkhead
- Drivers must wear flame retardant race suit & gloves if their car has internal fuel lines
- Tyres can't be changed during the event
- Trailered cars aren't eligible for entry level class
- Single seaters are welcome but run in their own class
Pros & Cons?
There will always be some pros and cons with any system as there has been with all the MLRSS Class systems over previous years, but the emphasis for this year is making it simple and attractive to take part, and create a starting point to work from in future years;
Pros:
- no issues with not being competitive against other cars in your class as your time dictates who you'll compete against, not your car spec
- easy for everyone to enter with the car they have right now - may just need a fire extinguisher to be installed
- changing your car spec during the year won't affect you entering
- as cheap as possible to take part, eg: no need to buy specific tyres
- possibly more varied competition over the year dependent on the circuit being used
- ultimately generates a flexible class structure
- although aimed at EVOs, this could be used across all marques and add another level of competition between the drivers
Cons:
- drivers sandbagging - of course this is a possibility if unsporting drivers want to try to get an unfair advantage. However, although we expect this to be visible in the times, we would want and hope that all driver will approach the events in the right spirit, not to mention the peer pressure of their fellow competitors should they try to cheat
2017 Sprint Dates & Venues
At the time of writing I'm actually still waiting for two venues to reply with possible dates, so I can't publish the dates and circuits yet. However, we're aiming to have a variety a number of standalone rounds again so drivers can concentrate on driving at one event at a time, rather than trying to focus on a Series and the costs that come with it.
We're also intending to bring the corner weights so we can weigh the cars and obtain data for the future relating to power and weight.