I just had this conversation with a potential sponsor today and we did a bit of brain storming on how to keep the racer's we have left and attract new blood into the sport.......Initially we both thought of the small bore (500cc and under) class.....The rules would be kept fairly simple intially to allow the class to build  and to keep the cost within "reason"(Factory Twin cyl ...no aftermarket triples etc)......Basic Heavy Mod rules should cover most of the potential problems with a heavy emphasis on the safety requirements (clutch guards/ tunnel enclosures etc.) A readjustment for the driver/sled weight to allow for  "normal" sized guys & gal's (keep in mind this is to attract more people to race).........I know I've left a lot out, but I am looking for some CONSTRUCTIVE  IDEAS on how to add more people to the sport....Of course additional prize money would find it's way back to this class too.....I'm hoping to gather some good idea's to reapproach this potential sponsor with.....I look forward to reading what other's think......Thankyou in advance..... 

I always wondered why they don't have bracket classes like on the asphalt.That way you could have a class where everyone can be competetive no matter what they ride.With less racers it is going to be harder to fill all the classes.More sleds equal more payout.Instead of some of the classes having three or four sleds and very small payout they could all run one class with larger payout.JMO

Freddie,he is talking about an entry level class.Not too many turbo charged 440's out there.

Graham,We actually started that thing up the other day.Still sounds  nasty.Tried to get him to run it but I don't think anyone allows cleated tracks.LOL.Someone was supposed to be looking at it to buy it.If he didn't take it it's for sale......Can probably make a good deal with Howard.Not much work with as little snow as we had last year and none this year.

PS..I'm bettin it's been longer than five years since they ran that thing.....

Your right on the money with your suggestion. and I respectfully disagree with the turbo idea. But maybe another class with a NOS adder would be cool as it would be a race track bolt on with a few clutch/gear changes to enter.   Keep it simple, keep the costs reasonable and focus on  Open and Heavy 440. The 440 Rotary Valve Rotax is still the motor to beat in my mind and its available at about 30% of what we used to cost. These same sleds would then be at the track to jump into 500 and 600 Mod to and build entries there. There does needs to be a higher minimum wt than ISR has in Open Mod 440 . Check the  mrrsidr.com web site for our rules and weights on these. I know of at least 32 440 Mods in Michigan and 90% aren't currently racing. They just sit. So picking up a used one would be in most cases an under 3K investment complete. These are good sleds , I'm talking Andersons, Wahl, Spencer, maybe even a Bellman Chassis.

This class used to thrive in Michigan with normal entries averaging 24 sleds per class. At its peak the 440s could run Open and Heavy in 440, 540, and 585. So you could run up to 6 classes with one sled .  This was a lot of  bang for the buck and it was great racing. When I jumped into the class several years ago my reasoning was fixed cost and the potential of a real good payday . I like many others realized this was the place to be if you couldn't afford to go racing in the bigger mod classes and rotate engines etc every three years to keep up. The bonus was we got to use use similar technology and race against many of the same drivers who had the big mods. We raced the Sierras, the Bellmans etc on a platform that we weren't being out dollar ed and it was an excellent situation for all involved. It was REAL COMPETITION.

The reason why  MRRSIDR went to a higher minimum weight in Open Mod 440 was to take the last step and the obvious step needed to level the competition, 20lbs on a 440 Mod is 1/10th of a sec any day of the week. What I was seeing at the track in most cases in 440 Open Mod was that 110 to 130lb drivers were dominating the class against 160 lb and up drivers. Not saying they would have lost at equal weight but in Heavy Mod where everybody was within 10 lbs , the winner was more unpredictable.  

A  Small Mod sanctioned racer mentality is not the same as a Lake Racer mentality. We do this to prove in a tight set of rules who is the the man.   That's why we sanction raced instead of Lake Race. The Philosophy was  " Whip me with the same parts I got and I bow to your greatness, but don't expect me to fold ". We were a real competitive group.  That's was why this used to thrive, it wasn't dollars beating you in was sense.  

The idea of having good bonus money on top of a corrected rules package could be the key bringing this class back. If this class came back it would benefit all racing as it would be the reasonable starting point for new blood to launch and old blood come back..  MMR

PS. The idea of ET racing has some appeal but the biggest obstacle is having a full set of timing equipment at each event that can handle a format like this. Then beyond that having timing equipment that will read the same way from one event to another. As you know these timing lights aren't fixed to the ground like at a Asphalt track and it is not that unusual for one lane to read slightly different than another's .   Maybe you could run a ET class at the end of the day when everybody has time slips to go off and could then enter an Et  baseline off current info. 

poorboy wrote:

Freddie,he is talking about an entry level class.Not too many turbo charged 440's out there.

I don't see anywhere where it says "entry level"? I thought they were trying to ressurect Open Mod period.

Cat-Racer wrote:

Initially we both thought of the small bore (500cc and under) class.....The rules would be kept fairly simple intially to allow the class to build  and to keep the cost within "reason"(Factory Twin cyl ...no aftermarket triples etc)

How old are you anyways ?   I do know their are some insurance issues dependant on age. I used to see some 14 year olds race in the lower clases a few years ago. MMR

Hunter...........I watched you start out on your 120 and I've seen you run that 500 prostock at Meneely's. You drive better and with more brains than most adults!

Cat Racer what state are you from ?