29 replies to this topic

[Dominator]

If a raceway wants to run say a spec pinion/gear ratio in a class to see if that works better for their racers then try it.  Retro is not meant to be a spec class. If it's a weekly race and a track is currently running IRRA rules but they choose, per the example, to try and run a spec pinion/gear ratio, then go for it. If it helps to keep racers coming back and improves racing then it's a win. Please share your positive experiences (and negatives if any). 
 
That being said if a raceway or series wants to run a ____ motor in a IRRA class of car then it is no longer an IRRA class and should not be advertised as using IRRA rules. 
 
The only product tests that take place are the motors. 
 
Bodies are submitted to Noose or myself. Things that are looked at are scale appearance, body thickness, and pre-1970. Currently Charger and Ti22 submissions are closed. 

[Brian Czeiner]

Brian, what you propose has been tried and it simply did not have the effect you suggested it might have. Was tried when IRRA was first begun both nationally and with certain regional series running IRRA rules. We thought the same as you, but the results simply didn't occur.

 

It does require two things. First and foremost is the fast guys need to stay out of it to give up coming racers a chance. Jay Kisling, RIP, was a strong supporter of this concept. He was often in our PA store advising newer racers and I begged him to race with us. He finally did participate with an inferior borrowed car and Turbo controller. It was as close of a race as I remember and was later talked about often. In the weeks following, many racers would ask if he was racing that night before they opened their boxes. One customer even turned around right after he walked in, saw Jay and walked back out. When Jay saw this, he stopped coming since he realized he was hurting business.

 

We had other regular fast guys who would race three or four heats and occasionally pick their car up under green for a 20 or 30 seconds under the pretense it broke. Then push to win the race from a come behind scenario. A sticker and store credit wasn't as important to these guys as having a place to race and a large group to race with was. I did not ask them to do this. They simply understood the concept. 

 

The second is, the hobby needs a continuous influx of new racers. As a whole, we are not using the tools at our disposal properly. I mean really, a guy opening a can of soda or running a bad weld bead can get a million views and we can't attract racers to the hobby? It seems we are severely missing something. 

 

But, as you said, you've tried it.

[Larry Labounty]

Retro racing was always the builders class. To me, it was always about the chassis and then everything else came around it.

 

The beauty of the IRRA rules is that they allow so much freedom. Think about it, you can use so many different brands of guide flags, wheels, gears, bodies, etc,' the choice is pretty limitless. And the beautiful part about it is that it opens it up to a lot of different businesses and vendors providing products for us, so no one is excluded.

 

In my opinion when you start running spec, let's say, tires and bodies you're limiting which vendors products are used, cutting out others. Most spec classes of racing that I'm aware of generally are flexi and scale racing. They often run a fixed tire and gear ratios although there are the ability to use different brands. That form of racing makes it more affordable for people and especially to get in new racers without having to go broke. How many different brands of controllers do we have?

 

The IRRA is a great rule set that has been working for over a decade. And one thing I will always notice is that no matter what spec class you run or any class you run, the same guys are always going to be in A. LOL.

 

The cream always raises to the top.

[Larry Labounty]

If a raceway wants to run say a spec pinion/gear ratio in a class to see if that works better for their racers then try it.  Retro is not meant to be a spec class. If it's a weekly race and a track is currently running IRRA rules but they choose, per the example, to try and run a spec pinion/gear ratio, then go for it. If it helps to keep racers coming back and improves racing then it's a win. Please share your positive experiences (and negatives if any). 
 
That being said if a raceway or series wants to run a ____ motor in a IRRA class of car then it is no longer an IRRA class and should not be advertised as using IRRA rules. 
 
The only product tests that take place are the motors. 
 
Bodies are submitted to Noose or myself. Things that are looked at are scale appearance, body thickness, and pre-1970. Currently Charger and Ti22 submissions are closed. 

 

I do not feel we need any more Charger or Ti22 bodies. It becomes the body of the week in my opinion.

 

Stable rules work for me.

[bbr]

Brian Czeiner,

 

Retro has evolved into a high end type of slot racing... not easy to just jump in and race. I looked at the pits of the top racers and there are boxes and boxes of tires and motors and chassis.

 

To grow the hobby of slot racing... you will need to look at another rule set.