Post by rich on Jun 20, 2015 20:13:10 GMT -5
I’m writing this with the hope that all members will attend the next kart meeting. If you can’t find the time to attend the meeting, if you could please respond to this post on the matter at hand I would appreciate it.
So, what’s the matter at hand? Well, during the last drivers meeting at race #4. Our President of the SKRA announced that different classes running together would now have separated starts. Most of you would have no problem with this. Kid karts! Not a problem! World Formula! Not a problem! Jr2 and Adult Lo206 started together. Jr Tag and Adult Tag started together. However, Jr1 animal and Jr1 Lo206 were separated from Jr1 clones; yet the animal and Lo2006 ran together. I was curious as to why all the mixed classes started together with the exception of the Jr1 clones. So I proceeded to ask why. I will give you one guess. Nope, that’s not it! OK, I will give one more guess. Times up! The correct answer is the clones don’t want to take any chances with their points chase. I was like, WHAT!! You mean to tell me…..WHAT!!!! Let’s forget about that question and answer for now, we will move on to the next question I asked. That question was; if we are separating the classes, why did the Jr2 and adult clones start together? Bingo!! Yep! They asked Jimmy, Will, and Mac if they were ok running together. Way to go you guys! Now, that’s what happens when you’re true competitors and good sportsman! Someone actually asked these guys what they wanted to do. Okay, so another stupid question of mine, oh yes, I’m full of them there questions! Do you think anyone asked the group of Jr1’s if they wanted to run together? How about we run the numbers. Let’s see, 1 animal and 1 Lo206 more than likely, would have said yes and there were 2 clones that day and if at least 1 one said no… Okay, scratch that. For simplicity let’s say both clones said no. 1+1-2=….......... Oh boy! Wait one second, I’ll go get the kid………………He said it’s zero so I think that’s a draw……………Yep, double checked with the calculator so I’m pretty sure that’s right.
So evidently we aren’t a democratic club. We change the rules a third of the way thru the season and don’t ask the members for their votes on anything! Just arbitrarily change rules on a whim.
Let’s move on to the Skra meeting. By the sounds of it I’m glad I missed it. Word on the street is there was a whole lot of complaining about this kart and that kart, but no mention about changing the way each individual kart class lines up for the start. Perhaps there was a vote and I didn’t hear about it? However, even if there was a vote on the subject it’s not valid… And this is why.
SECTION 5A. Proposals for action must be presented in written form and must be seconded. A motion will be approved by an affirmative vote by 66% (super majority) of the established quorum. Changes or additions to SKRA Competition Rules can be voted on only at the annual rules meeting. All current members can vote on changes, but they must be present at time of the vote (no proxy vote allowed). Two (2) of the four (4) officers and five (5) of the seven Board of Directors / Trustees must be present during a vote on Competition Rules or By-Law changes.
Let’s think about that for a minute. Does that mean only at the annual meeting? Or the monthly meeting that we have 12 times annually? That’s a hard call; nobody is going to read that rule anyway. Hey, wait just a minute. Isn’t that the same rule used last year by those clone guys to fight against restrictor plates. That rule must be faulty. Let us just say that one is defective and ignore it.
How can they change the way classes start? Competition rules are clear!!
Competition rule 325. If classes are combined, they will be started together with the fastest class in front. Every effort should be made to insure that karts from different classes don’t interfere with each other to the point that the outcome of their heat is affected. If an incident occurs within the 1st lap that results in karts from different classes becoming mixed, the flag person, at their discretion, may either re-start the race, or use the Blue Flag to adjust the karts positions on the track.
Then there is this rule:
304. A driver in a heat race who feels an event which occurred during that race was unfair or unduly affected the outcome of the race may protest in writing to the Race Director VIA the assigned Driver’s Representative prior to the start of the next heat race in that class. The written driver’s protest must contain details of the event the driver feels to be unfair and must be signed by the protesting driver. Only protests submitted in writing and accompanied by fifty (50) dollars will be considered. If the protest is upheld, the protesting driver will be refunded the protest fee of fifty (50) dollars. If the protest is NOT upheld then the fifty (50) dollars will be forfeited to the CLUB’S GENERAL FUND.
304.1. The race director, consulting with at least 2 officials shall have the final word on any protest. Any official with the need to discuss a problem with a junior driver must be sure that the junior driver’s parent or guardian is present for the entire discussion. The SKRA Race Director must render a decision in the matter of a protest before the start of the next heat race involving the protesting driver. If the protest occurred after the last scheduled race for the protesting driver, the Race Director will make every effort to render a decision within thirty (30) minutes of receiving the protest.
304.2. If a driver feels the Race Director was unfair or in error making a decision regarding a written protest, that driver may submit such a protest in writing to the SKRA Board of Directors at their next regularly scheduled meeting for their consideration and final decision
Are we going to make up rules as we go, or follow the rules we have in place?
So my son had to start a whole straightaway ahead or behind the pack so the Jr.1 Clones can run alone. I don’t need to go to a race to run alone. We can do that at practice. Oh sure, we are running with the animal, but why is it ok to run with an animal and not the clones? I thought the classes were separated! Not that I have a problem with running with an animal, we are glad to do it. At least we don’t have two karts starting by themselves. Dakota needs to run with someone to get better too. She is driving a different kart, motor, and class from last year. She is getting better week to week and I look forward to the day she is in the mix. Fact is the lo206 and animal karts running against the clones have not affected the outcome one bit. They decided to separate classes because the clones (you know who you are) pitched a fit. It’s probably the same person(s) that complained about our motor the week before! Hmm… there are rules in place for this also. So, where is the money for challenging our motor! This is an unjust attempt to keep the lo206 from running with them. “They” say he (my son) may affect the outcome of the race. However, their own class may affect the outcome of their race. If you want to use that as an excuse, maybe you should separate the whole group by 10 or 12 seconds. That should be just as much fun for you, as it is having my kid start alone. Maybe NASCAR will separate the field when they feel like someone’s points need protecting. Are we here to race or not? If our flagman felt the Lo206 affected the outcome of the race, he would adjust the karts with a blue or black flag or adjust the outcome after the race.
I had asked Tim if we can just run with the jr-2s. He said he would have to ponder that idea, which he should. He needed to think about how it would affect the other races at the track. Even though I thought it was a good idea at the time. After, I thought it over myself. I texted Tim back to tell him just to forget about the idea. It would be great to have my son build on his skills running with the Jr-2’s. But Tim is right; it will affect everyone else down the line. Jr-1 with JR-2 means adult lo206 would have to run with another class. You get the picture. Not a good idea for the track as a whole. Why is it ok for the jr1 lo206 and animal to be affected by this but not anyone else?
So, where does it leave our family racing? Hmmm…running by ourselves. No wait, I forgot, it’s ok to run with the animal even though we are separate classes! How do you explain to a 9 year old kid the politics of being segregated all the sudden? Well kid, there are people that work for everything they have. Those that are handed everything they have. Then there are people that steal everything you have. Keep your head up and be proud of what you have accomplished. Be a good sport about it, and it will all work itself out.
All of this is why I have resigned.
I don’t want to leave and race elsewhere. If we have to race alone then I’m left with no choice.
If you don’t agree with what has transpired, just post to this forum: “Let them race together.” Or contact Tim and let him know what you think.
If you have question you can call me also 509-251-5513. Thanks, Rich
All the above was written before race 5. Now that race 5 is over, I can tell you that we only came to the races today to get some practice in for next week. Before we got there we had the mind set of having to start separate from the pack again only to have a couple outstanding sportsmen step up and let the jr1 lo206 run with them. Thank you to the others that allowed it to happen. All of you made my kid’s day worthwhile!!
I still think the real solution is to let all the jr1’s run together and start together like the rules state. Fastest class in front like the rules state.
