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Author Topic: Rules: Let's Follow Them!  (Read 27967 times)
sfreitas20
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« Reply #15 on: May 28, 2009, 04:53:26 PM »

No where in my posts do I say that is my plan, but thanks for your concern.  Grin  My driver was almost six when he started out and he will still be 6 when he moves up to Junior Honda.  We have a plan based on what we know at this point, but that may change based on how he is coming along.  The plan is to have him run two full seasons in Junior Honda in 2010 and 2011, but we want him to run some Junior Honda races towards the end of this season to get used to it before running for points in the future.  Midway through next season we will start to figure out whether he goes Senior Honda or into 160s after 2011.  That decision will also be based on how well he is doing with his Bandolero practicing too.

The intent of my original comment was to help a new person understand the rulebook as it is written because a lot of people don't really read and understand it (as you have demonstrated).  Shocked
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Scott Freitas
Patriot Motorsports Inc.
BQwkR
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« Reply #16 on: May 28, 2009, 04:54:06 PM »

If you guys think this is bad, try little league football. On one side you have Pop Warner; on the other Junior All American. Both play the same game but age/weight are the primary benchmarks that determine when to move a player from Micro Pee Wee to Junior Pee Wee to Pee Wee to Midget. It doesn't matter if your little future Bret Farve knows what end of the football goes in front; when you reach an age/weight or just a weight you move up. In some cases, you can field a 10 year old inexperienced heavy weight with 13-14 year old experience lite weight.

Both organizations want to promote teamwork, good sportsmanship and the love of the game. But; they compete for local players; and then the Junior High Schools and High School coachs get involved. It's a mess.

Maybe USAC should convene all chapter presidents during-- let say the  Indy event-- and rewrite the .25 rules so that parents understand the game before they lay down their hard to get cash.  
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goffin20
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« Reply #17 on: May 29, 2009, 01:16:39 AM »

The only reference to “3” that I recall is that a driver must race a minimum of “3” novice races before being promoted.

I currently have a 5 year old Rookie driver who has 5 races under his belt and about 5 practice days.  Is he ready to move up?  Well, he knows his flags and obeys them, his line is perfect, he is consistent, stays out of trouble and knows when to let off the gas and use the brakes to avoid trouble.  However, he is not 100% comfortable or 100% into the gas yet.  So no, I do not feel that he is ready to advance and the last thing I want to do is put him in the middle of a bunch of cars flying by and cause wrecks or scare him before he is ready.  When “I” am 100% comfortable that he is 100% ready to advance, he will advance, not a moment sooner.

Brings me to some of my pet peeves.  New handlers that want to move their driver up after the minimum of “3” novice races.  When it takes your driver 1 entire lap to acknowledge a yellow flag and flashing lights before letting off the gas, he is NOT ready to move up.  When your driver runs into the cars in front of them instead of using their brakes, he is not ready to move up.  When your driver does not back off when they don’t have position and instead flat foots it and smashes into other cars, they are not ready to advance.

Don’t get me wrong, the driver doesn’t have to be perfect but you don’t want to advance a novice driver into a field of 10 cars if they are not obeying flags, following rules or not being sensible.  That is just asking for someone to get hurt and tear up a lot of peoples stuff.

And handlers, put your stop watches away, if the driver is still not running a consistent line and zig zagging all over the track, you have other things to worry about and work on than his lap times.  There will be plenty of time to work on his speed later in the game.

And for heavens sake, if a driver cannot handle a 120, don’t move them into a 160, B, A or WF.  Let them master or at least be comfortable in the lower class before promoting them.  That’s like enrolling him in Karate for the first time in his life and move him from white belt to black belt after 3 sessions.  How about starting little Johnny in kid pitch instead of T-Ball at 5 years old?

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RBurns17
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« Reply #18 on: May 29, 2009, 04:25:27 AM »

Yea, I'm all for leaving kids in novice too long as opposed to not long enough. Better safe than sorry. Mastering the current class isn't enough either. I think that until you can get the kid some good solid practices with the plate he is going to run next, it's going to be a gamble moving them up.
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Swartz
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« Reply #19 on: May 29, 2009, 09:19:14 AM »

I think this is why I like other sports. Basketball, baseball, soccer, etc. The coach will have my kid play the position he feels will best benifit the team based on his performance and at times will put him in a position to test his skills. I am welcome to sit in the stands and cheer, or in my case rag on the ump, but other than that shut up and watch. My kid gets to play to the best of his ability without being held back by my fears or driven by my expectations. That is all on the coach. Doesnt matter what I "think" the rulebook says. I probably put our kid into Lt. 160 a little early but after that the 120 class was a cake walk. It was worth the grief and made moving into other classes less stressfull. But, I'm probably messed up.
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ANB1
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« Reply #20 on: May 29, 2009, 09:22:11 AM »

Rburns, totally agree becuase once you move you can't go back.  The difference from the red to the blue is very big.  We had a group of 4-5 kids who were very close to moving up last year(including my son) and we did 2 novice races for them with the blue plate so they could get used to it in a race environment.  It worked out very well.
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BQwkR
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« Reply #21 on: May 29, 2009, 10:20:37 AM »

Hey guys, I don't believe in moving little league racers verticle in any direction until they they prove they are ready or warrant being moved.  However, I disagree that it should be the sole judgement of thier parents on when . If our chapters elect or appoint training and safety officers (who are assumed to be well versed in the rules), the head Kahuna should make them do thier jobs according to the current rule book or replace them with individuals who will.

When your little Jimmy Johnson breaks his arm because some little Kyle Bush decides to pass him on the outside and flips him into the infield, how can you tell me the cause of this accident is not partially blamed on those licensed USAC track officials who do not non comply with the reading and the enforcement of the rules. How many parents read the USAC .25 Midget rule book?

The track officials that I've been routed to with these questions have merely given me the QMA/USAC "two step" and went back to thier pits to adjusted thier young one's blistering fast and expensive Decco powered racer. To me, what this bulletin board thread has uncovered is that everyone interprets the  rules differently and some of us arein it for different reasons.People sure know how much the sport is going to cost, gear ratios ,RPM's and what the track records are, but ask them about the rules and do they Jackie Gleason "HUMA HUMA" thing.

As a rookies grand parent, I'm not just that interested in listening to of the complete history of .25 midget racing, the bickering about spec tires, QMA versus USAC and all of the names of NASCAR drivers who got thier start therein. Rules: Let's Follow Them!
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Swartz
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« Reply #22 on: May 29, 2009, 10:40:59 AM »

One point that seldom is made is that racing is dangerous. At every level. That is why they make you sign a wavier. However, at this level it is not the drivers I am concerned about the most. They are protected as best can be done at the discretion of the handler. Helmets, roll cage, suits, gloves, the works. The people most at risk are the handlers. Especialy rookie handlers who don't have much time around these things. Some of the most serious injuries I have seen have been to handlers on and off the track.
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RBurns17
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« Reply #23 on: May 29, 2009, 02:41:02 PM »

BQ - Thing is Generation Next comes to each track once a year. So it really doesn't have squat to do with USAC rules. Each track tweaks the rules to where they fit that particular track best. I've really never heard someone argue that keeping a kid down in novice is the unsafe decision.
« Last Edit: May 29, 2009, 05:55:01 PM by RBurns17 » Logged
Swartz
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« Reply #24 on: May 29, 2009, 03:10:15 PM »

What do you expect a driver to learn in novice besides the basics? How would they ever learn to be competative without competing? I know it's t-ball racing but it is supposed to be racing.
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sfreitas20
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« Reply #25 on: May 29, 2009, 07:56:32 PM »

I am just going to agree to disagree with you.  You are never going to see it any other way and neither am I.  I am planning to be at the racetrack with my boy for a long long time, so to me the risks with rushing him through the only leaning class he will ever be in far outweigh the benefits.

Best of luck to you and your driver this season and more.
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Scott Freitas
Patriot Motorsports Inc.
RBurns17
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« Reply #26 on: May 29, 2009, 08:58:28 PM »

All the drivers in our rookie class race just as hard if not harder than the other classes. Just because everyone gets a trophy doesn't mean they aren't still out there competing for the W every week.
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nashjr13
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« Reply #27 on: May 30, 2009, 01:56:02 AM »

I have to add my opinion.  My son has put in on an average of 500 laps a week(just practice) since August of last year, and he will move up to Junior Honda in August.  My son would not be ready to move to the next level if he didn't get the experience of heat and feature races during that time. Braden wouldn't have gained the experience and confidence in a competitive class,  and he gained confidence, experience, and the ability to drive a quarter midget while in novice. No matter what sport you play the goal is to succeed. We all know T Ball doesn't keep a recorded score, but you can bet the players know the score.  My point is, no matter who is driving in the novice/jr rookie class, every driver is trying to win regardless how many races they have started.

Braden has completed around 1500 laps on the blue plate, and we should get another 1500-2000 laps prior to competing in Junior Honda. We will also race 2 or 3 blue plate transition races with either Sr Rookies(blue plate already) or with other Jr rookies moving up....

Larry
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Larry Nash
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« Reply #28 on: May 30, 2009, 09:52:31 AM »

Nash and freitas,
I have watched your boys race @ the track and they are both close to moving up. Having said that, I think your decisions to leave them in rookie until after the Indy race is the right thing to do. You sure wouldn't want to move them up in that competative situation with out some experience w/the blue plate. Go to Indy and enjoy the experience because come Augest, all things change in Jr H. Bring your heart meds to the track. They will both be ready after Indy and should make for an awsome Jr H class for the second half of the season. Wayne R.
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