RE: SEMPRA Members
First of all I would like to thank everyone that turned out at the race in Mulberry last weekend. I hope that everyone enjoyed the weekend as much as I did running in on Saturday and racing in it on Sunday. I wish we could draw some of the member states racers down here for a race or two. I know that some of us in FL are looking at coming up North for a race here and there.
Secondly, I would also like to thank Gary for his assistance in getting and pushing for us to be tighter on the tech inspections and weighing the heat winners. Because of this, we had a very competitive weekend unlike I have seen before. Many of the heats were decided within a second between first and second place. For the first time we could have used a photo finish to determine several heats. GREAT FLYING GUYS!!
Thirdly, as a novice 424 racer, I entered this class/event/sport/hobby as a way to learn the ropes and hopefully be competitive in my class and maybe someday move up to the 428 class. As a beginner I knew that I could not beat the guys that have been racing for several years yet I knew that if I was on a level playing field, there was always a chance as I learned the ropes. All I heard about when I first started was a shim here or a reporting there would give you an (illegal) edge. I don’t have the money to go out and buy 10 engines and swap parts until I have the fastest engine that would run over 16,500 RPMs.
Lastly, Jack has a great passion for this event. I see him and his family at every event I attend. He is the nicest person that I have meet at these events even when I cut him in half during a race (sorry Jack). That speaks volumes in my book. I like the way SEMPRA 424 racing is presently regulated and would only hope that it continues. Taking away from the rules because they are hard to enforce is no reason to take them away. CD have a responsibility to make sure that they are following the rules of the sanctioning body for which the event is sanctioned. I would have loved to race both days last weekend, as would have Scott, but we decided that we need to run the race each day as the CD and not a competitor to make sure that the rules were followed and the event was a success. If we, as members of SEMPRA, NMPRA, AMA and/or any other organization sit by and let things happen without expressing our voice, then we deserve what we get. Everyone needs to let our representatives know how we feel. Send them an e-mail, talk to them on the phone, pull them aside at a meet. Let them know how you feel. I would hope these organizations would listen to their membership.
I like the fact that when we were all on the line and the flag dropped, it’s not really a mechanical advantage, but a skill level that will win. That is what a beginner class is all about, developing skills…..
Sorry about the novel…..
Rick Ruede
AMA CD8994