And now one can easily see some of the many various factors as to why class racing died out some 15 yrs. ago after being on a slow downward spiral for 25+ yrs.
The link that kmb69 put in his post #9
http://kawtriple.com/mraxl/IDBA%202000%20Rulebook.pdfIs the rulebook I've been trying to get out there.
A little clarification perhaps. Super Eliminator is not a single class, but a collection of all the various mid to lowest level classes mixed together in a single eliminator. Where there were once enough participants in almost each and every different class to have a race against multiple entries in the same class and then compete to crown a class winner, over time, participation dwindled as racers who could not afford to match the money, time, dedication, testing that the class leaders put in to become the very best, classes began to have less and less entries until it got to the point of many classes having 0 participation. Combining the few entries from multiple classes, racing on a handicap start based on each class's respective record, was a way to keep what few participants that were still willing to compete involved. Alas, this handicap system also led to class racing's ultimate demise, as it was the basis of bracket style racing that we all know today. And all the folks that used to compete but couldn't keep up could now race without the restrictions of so many technical rules and having to use an unobtainable record as their standard of performance,and just concern themselves with running against a standard that they themselves picked.
The resurgence of Super Eliminator is led by the most respected and diehard advocates of the old class system of racing that have NEVER let it completely die off. What they have accomplished under the strict guidelines in place at the time was nothing short of incredible. The fact that they are by far and away mostly representatives of the community of long out of production factory 2-stroke bikes is no surprise, since those machines in stock and especially modified trim were the pinnacle of performance back then. Some still are. It's why for every class in 4-strokes there is a corresponding 2-stroke class designated by double class letters, i.e. C/M for 4-stroke C/ Modified, and CC/M for 2-stroke C/Modified. In almost every case, the corresponding 2-stroke class has a lower record time than it's 4-stroke equivalent.
I personally think allowing records to be set in old restrictive classes like Stock and Super Stock without the backing of adequate inspection and teardown and verifications does a disservice to those record holders of the past who worked under the constant scrutiny of the organizations enforcing the rules. But again, as long as the "asterisk" of ManCup designates this new era of "class" racing, any new records set can be viewed in proper context.
And whatnot.
Keith LeBlanc
