We Need to Encourage Novices!

pitchwoolfolk · **Joined:** Sat Apr 23, 2005 10:40 pm **Posts:** 27

Autocross always has a BUNCH of novices, but rallycross does not! We need to find a way to get Novices to come out, and to encourage them to keep coming.

One big thing about autocross, the novices are NOT competing against the regulars. At least 3 are going to trophy each time! A novice at rallycross in SU2 or SO4 has little hope for a trophy. They cannot even luck out a run and get a trophy. It is VERY hard to luck out all your runs!

My suggestion:
1. Create a Novice class.
2. Stay in Novice for one season max (their option).
3. Follow normal numbers of entrants for number of Novice trophies.
4. Give a season end points Rallycross Novice trophy.
5. Handicap NO4 vs SO4 vs SO2 vs SU2 according to the average ratio last year of 1st in each class. Example (made up numbers): NO4 average 1st place 4 minutes, SO4 5 minutes, SU2 6 minutes. At a new rallycross, an NO4 novice would get no adjustment, a SO4 Novice would get a 4/5 adjustment, and a SO2 Novice would get a 4/6 adjustment. We would just have check last year's results to set the handicap for this year.

Maybe this would encourage more people to give rallycross a try, and give them a reason to keep coming out!

Any thoughts?

Pitch (still building my 72 Super Beetle rallycross car)

RichardNuss · **Posted:** Fri Jun 03, 2011 6:16 am

I agree with this.

I suggested more trophies when we had a discussion about low attendance a while back. A guy I invited only came to one event because even though he enjoyed the event, he said there was no way he could win, so why bother to compete.

The response I got from the club was that if people need trophies to motivate them, then they would not be long-term RallyX participants anyway, so it's not worth going through the trouble trying to recruit them.

But I still think it's a good idea.

Kevin Allen · **Joined:** Thu Aug 28, 2003 6:42 pm **Posts:** 3479

I agree that we need to encourage more participation, and agree about separating the novices if they want to be, but I don't think we can come up with a fair way to index the times. I'd say if you want to run novice class, you should have to run on street tires with cars like yours. So split it into AWD-N and 2WD-N. If you're serious enough to use rally tires, you're not a novice.

RamVennam · **Joined:** Thu Nov 11, 2010 7:31 pm **Posts:** 132

You can further encourage novices by letting them co-drive your cars..... hint hint

RobLupella · **Posted:** Fri Jun 03, 2011 3:10 pm

RamVennam wrote:

You can further encourage novices by letting them co-drive your cars..... hint hint

Bring the Caveman, it looks like you already tried to RallyX with it

:twisted:

KouroshNeshat · **Posted:** Fri Jun 03, 2011 5:00 pm

the biggest issue with novices are cars.

everyone and their mothers will drive their car in an autoX.

but once they hear about "off road" they get all scared.

i dont mind a novice driving my car, but only if its just him and I. if there are more than 2-3 drivers, thats asking too much from someone who doesnt know the ropes. but some novice drivers will do very well, and others will do more damage.

im all for it. if you guys get a bunch of referrals to your name, ill cut you a deal on entrance fee's into the rallyX.

bring them on!

i think if we can get more than 5-6 novices at a race, we'll stick them in their own class. regardless of 2wd/4wd (they do about the same).

same with ladies class.

if we can get a handful of ladies out there, we'll give them their own class as well.

JamesShort · **Posted:** Sat Jun 04, 2011 2:40 pm

I'm bringing two novices with me tomorrow

: Me and Ram. I get in free right?

KouroshNeshat · **Posted:** Sat Jun 04, 2011 6:04 pm

James havnt u raced with us before?

JamesShort · **Posted:** Sat Jun 04, 2011 6:37 pm

KouroshNeshat wrote:

James havnt u raced with us before?

Once

.

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