Looking Ahead Part II
As the snow falls here in Maine on New Year's Eve, my mind starts to wonder about what 2007 will bring.
Part of my research has drawn me to many mud racing-related web sites and their various chat rooms. The big buzz now is the chassis issue. Should back half kits be legal? Should center seats be legal? What should be done about wheelbase and how do you enforce it all?
With regards to back half kits, I feel that they should be legal. Whether you build it yourself or have a chassis built for you, a back half kit when properly attached would be a strong foundation for a safe chassis.
Yes, my first reason is safety. The faster we get, the more possible it will become for our vehicles to wreck. The stronger and stiffer the chassis (up to a point), the less chance there is for the driver to be hurt. Obviously, proper safety gear as well as driver restraints all play a part in this. If the chassis is stronger, then it will last longer before it has to be replaced, thus helping to keep the cost of racing down.
Finally, when tied together with a strong cage, a non-flexing chassis allows the suspension to work better and more consistently. Center seats are more subjective. According to Bruce, center seats are OK if the pedals are on the left side. The only advantage to this is that the cage could be built directly over the frame, which could be stronger and lighter, but with a minimum weight, having to run too much ballast could make positioning it a challenge.
As far as wheelbase is concerned, there is a clear rule on the books now, but I have yet to see it enforced.
This comes back to the same bottom line, and that is enforcement. All of the comments that I have read are the same, give us a fair set of rules and enforce them! If a lack of staff at the race is the issue, then maybe racers need to step up and get involved with tech. Pro Stock would tech Pro Mod, Pro Mod would do Blowers, and Blowers would do our class. This should minimize the chance of cheating. This would definitely lighten the load on Bruce and allow the host clubs to deal with the less technical classes. The NMRO has more responsibility to us than just taking our money, and we have the responsibility to hold them accountable.
The one thing I am glad to see is the growth of the sport around the country. It seems that there are more groups starting their own sanctioning bodies and coming up with rules similar to the NMRO. This could be the common denominator that allows the sport to grow. With similar rules, you could race all over the country and this would pick up car counts. More cars equal more money in the purses. The guys at Fast Mud are committed to this goal and deserve our support. The Northeast seems to be the only place that has not had any real growth. Over the years, a few people have tried to start new races with very little success. It seems that the rules are antiquated, and this has led to the lack of competitiveness on the national level as well as the lack of new rides coming out of the Northeast. Deep pits are the only thing that seem to thrive. So I guess I will just have to keep traveling.
Speaking of traveling, Mean Streak will be heading south for the TMRO race in February. I am looking foward to racing with them and seeing some old friends.
I hope everyone has a safe and happy New Year and we'll see you in 2007.
Part of my research has drawn me to many mud racing-related web sites and their various chat rooms. The big buzz now is the chassis issue. Should back half kits be legal? Should center seats be legal? What should be done about wheelbase and how do you enforce it all?
With regards to back half kits, I feel that they should be legal. Whether you build it yourself or have a chassis built for you, a back half kit when properly attached would be a strong foundation for a safe chassis.
Yes, my first reason is safety. The faster we get, the more possible it will become for our vehicles to wreck. The stronger and stiffer the chassis (up to a point), the less chance there is for the driver to be hurt. Obviously, proper safety gear as well as driver restraints all play a part in this. If the chassis is stronger, then it will last longer before it has to be replaced, thus helping to keep the cost of racing down.
Finally, when tied together with a strong cage, a non-flexing chassis allows the suspension to work better and more consistently. Center seats are more subjective. According to Bruce, center seats are OK if the pedals are on the left side. The only advantage to this is that the cage could be built directly over the frame, which could be stronger and lighter, but with a minimum weight, having to run too much ballast could make positioning it a challenge.
As far as wheelbase is concerned, there is a clear rule on the books now, but I have yet to see it enforced.
This comes back to the same bottom line, and that is enforcement. All of the comments that I have read are the same, give us a fair set of rules and enforce them! If a lack of staff at the race is the issue, then maybe racers need to step up and get involved with tech. Pro Stock would tech Pro Mod, Pro Mod would do Blowers, and Blowers would do our class. This should minimize the chance of cheating. This would definitely lighten the load on Bruce and allow the host clubs to deal with the less technical classes. The NMRO has more responsibility to us than just taking our money, and we have the responsibility to hold them accountable.
The one thing I am glad to see is the growth of the sport around the country. It seems that there are more groups starting their own sanctioning bodies and coming up with rules similar to the NMRO. This could be the common denominator that allows the sport to grow. With similar rules, you could race all over the country and this would pick up car counts. More cars equal more money in the purses. The guys at Fast Mud are committed to this goal and deserve our support. The Northeast seems to be the only place that has not had any real growth. Over the years, a few people have tried to start new races with very little success. It seems that the rules are antiquated, and this has led to the lack of competitiveness on the national level as well as the lack of new rides coming out of the Northeast. Deep pits are the only thing that seem to thrive. So I guess I will just have to keep traveling.
Speaking of traveling, Mean Streak will be heading south for the TMRO race in February. I am looking foward to racing with them and seeing some old friends.
I hope everyone has a safe and happy New Year and we'll see you in 2007.
