Local sanctioning body discriminating against the 2T

[streaks383]

Well, that sucks. The CRA is worthless. I guess we all have a new enemy.

I am definitely having an issue with the CRA right now, but I am not ready to call them an enemy.  Here in NE Ohio I have seen the AMA and sanctioning body after sanctioning body pack up and leave the riders and the tracks high and dry.  The CRA has never done that, year after year for as long as I can remember they have put on events for us.  They have embraced H.S., MX, GP, Flat Track, if you can do it in the dirt they give you a place to ride, quads too with points to chase yada yada yada.  I am not ready to hate them yet, but I am hoping going public with this will help them recognize this flawed rule and maybe change it or make some exceptions.  Burn1986 I thank you very much for the support but I feel labeling the CRA the enemy would be bad for the riders, tracks and local businesses that cater to us.  That being said, I have no problem calling them out and helping them to better themselves and create better events for all of us as a community.  On a positive note, I did see about 25% 2T's out there racing!

[ACMX]

But mostly I don't want to be taken out, I am too old for that now, I do this for fun.  If you beat me that means you were faster, hats off to you, I will have a beer with you and try to get you next time, but I will NOT go out of my way to knock you down.  The 14-17 year old crowd does not really feel the same way.

Hey well I am 16, and most of my friends and I aren't trying to knock anyone down, we are just out there having fun and competing. The only time we make contact is usually by accident. But then again anyone who has ever been overly aggressive with me on the track I am not friends with anymore.

[streaks383]

But mostly I don't want to be taken out, I am too old for that now, I do this for fun.  If you beat me that means you were faster, hats off to you, I will have a beer with you and try to get you next time, but I will NOT go out of my way to knock you down.  The 14-17 year old crowd does not really feel the same way.

Hey well I am 16, and most of my friends and I aren't trying to knock anyone down, we are just out there having fun and competing. The only time we make contact is usually by accident. But then again anyone who has ever been overly aggressive with me on the track I am not friends with anymore.

ACMX,  Not everyone is guilty of this so if I imagine I accused some good folks like you unjustly, sorry about that. 

[TMKIWI]

No you are right streaks383.
Bloody teenagers.

[chump6784]

I remember racing when I was in that age group. If I crashed an got hurt I got a couple days off school and if you were in my way and holding me up then watch out. Now that I have to go to work on Monday I don't push nearly as hard and try not to block pass people.

There is one guy tho who has bailed my wife up twice in the pits on a practice about her being too slow and she should ride off the side of the track so A graders like him can get around. She told him where to go, I told him where to go and the next session him and his bike went sailing over a berm. Looks like I have still got it after 9 years of not racing

[streaks383]

I remember racing when I was in that age group. If I crashed an got hurt I got a couple days off school and if you were in my way and holding me up then watch out. Now that I have to go to work on Monday I don't push nearly as hard and try not to block pass people.

There is one guy tho who has bailed my wife up twice in the pits on a practice about her being too slow and she should ride off the side of the track so A graders like him can get around. She told him where to go, I told him where to go and the next session him and his bike went sailing over a berm. Looks like I have still got it after 9 years of not racing

Thats the beautiful thing about it chump.  For some reason when you have done this for a while and long out grown killing for a 4 dollar trophy you do get better at moves like that.  It makes me smile when a-holes get put in their place, I am a sucker for good guys winning.  I knew an a-hole of a points chaser, he pulled a couple of dirty moves on me and took me down once.  I pretended like everything was cool, about a year later at a state championship race which he cared very much about he was leading for the better part of the race making himself really wide and difficult to pass.  On the second to last lap the pack came around and he was no place to be found, came walking up the side of the track after the checkers waved.  I took him a little wide out of a corner and he had no where to go besides pond the track used to get water from.  I hear with those 4T's you can't just pull the spark plug, flip the bike upside down and turn it over if you drown it.  Just glad he could swim.  Although I have calmed down I still reserve the right to stand up for myself, I am sure you feel the same way.

[miedosoracing]

I'm not sure I'm ready to jump on the bandwagon of hating on the racing association.  Not hating on ya, and cool you aren't wanting to cheat etc.  but, most of us have been fighting to have the 250 2 stroke allowed in the 250 class.  So my guess is, the 450 class is an open class, OEM 251cc and up?  meaning 300XC, CR500AF  etc would be allowed in that class?  So, my point is, that I understand your frustration, but we have been trying to get those rules in place, and now everyone is ready to pounce on the association for going basically to how we want those rules. Again my point about racing the 250 class, and I understand your wanting to race safely, is that the racing association is allowing the 250 vs 250 rules. Please don't mess that up and get the 250 vs 450 rule put in their books.  It will be a step back in my opinion.  Yes, we'd like to see overbores allowed in your association, but sometimes when you push something, it will backfire for many others.  JMHO.   One other note. When you signed up, did you list it as a YZ300 or just a YZ250?  If you got stickers made and listed it as a YZ300, you may not have any more issues.

[burn1986]

Well, that sucks. The CRA is worthless. I guess we all have a new enemy.

I am definitely having an issue with the CRA right now, but I am not ready to call them an enemy.  Here in NE Ohio I have seen the AMA and sanctioning body after sanctioning body pack up and leave the riders and the tracks high and dry.  The CRA has never done that, year after year for as long as I can remember they have put on events for us.  They have embraced H.S., MX, GP, Flat Track, if you can do it in the dirt they give you a place to ride, quads too with points to chase yada yada yada.  I am not ready to hate them yet, but I am hoping going public with this will help them recognize this flawed rule and maybe change it or make some exceptions.  Burn1986 I thank you very much for the support but I feel labeling the CRA the enemy would be bad for the riders, tracks and local businesses that cater to us.  That being said, I have no problem calling them out and helping them to better themselves and create better events for all of us as a community.  On a positive note, I did see about 25% 2T's out there racing!

They're the enemy Dang it!!!! Don't let them deceive you!!!!!

Just kidding, ha.

[streaks383]

I'm not sure I'm ready to jump on the bandwagon of hating on the racing association.  Not hating on ya, and cool you aren't wanting to cheat etc.  but, most of us have been fighting to have the 250 2 stroke allowed in the 250 class.  So my guess is, the 450 class is an open class, OEM 251cc and up?  meaning 300XC, CR500AF  etc would be allowed in that class?  So, my point is, that I understand your frustration, but we have been trying to get those rules in place, and now everyone is ready to pounce on the association for going basically to how we want those rules. Again my point about racing the 250 class, and I understand your wanting to race safely, is that the racing association is allowing the 250 vs 250 rules. Please don't mess that up and get the 250 vs 450 rule put in their books.  It will be a step back in my opinion.  Yes, we'd like to see overbores allowed in your association, but sometimes when you push something, it will backfire for many others.  JMHO.   One other note. When you signed up, did you list it as a YZ300 or just a YZ250?  If you got stickers made and listed it as a YZ300, you may not have any more issues.

Please don't jump on anything that would lead you to hate the CRA, they are great for our sport.  They are not looking to take 250 2T's out of the 250 class at all, they are however, right now working on changing that vaguely worded rule #38 which is stopping over bores from racing the 450 class.  Your past battles fought and their accomplishments are safe.  I took this whole thing public when they stopped responding to my emails to maybe light a fire under them.  It has lit one, on another forum, Pitracer.com  we are finally making some progress and moving in a positive direction, part of the problem was misinformation.  The promoter was under the assumption I wanted to race both class's when instead I just wanted to race 450 and not be made to race in 250.  And no, I wrote YZ-250 not 300 on my entry slip, old habits you know.  That was addressed also by the promoter and seems would have been helpful in determining the class which.  But anyways communication lines are open and the promoters and myself are moving forward and I am confident they will make things right.  Thanks

[VintageBlueSmoke]

I've always felt it better to infiltrate them and work from the inside out. If you don't like the rules you have 3 choices: Quit, conform, or work to get the rule changed. Now you can sit and bitch on the sidelines but if you really want it to be done and done right, you'll have to do it yourself. Get involved with the organization. Help at the tracks, or with scoring or with anything you can do. Run for a position on the team (office). Apply for the Official Rule Change in writing and in a professional manner before the start of the new season. There is usually an organizational meeting to hammer out the rules for the next year. Ensure you are in attendance. Doing all this will help ensure you get what you want.

[streaks383]

I've always felt it better to infiltrate them and work from the inside out. If you don't like the rules you have 3 choices: Quit, conform, or work to get the rule changed. Now you can sit and bitch on the sidelines but if you really want it to be done and done right, you'll have to do it yourself. Get involved with the organization. Help at the tracks, or with scoring or with anything you can do. Run for a position on the team (office). Apply for the Official Rule Change in writing and in a professional manner before the start of the new season. There is usually an organizational meeting to hammer out the rules for the next year. Ensure you are in attendance. Doing all this will help ensure you get what you want.

Your advice is sound and spoken like you have some experience with this, thanks for the input.  I agree totally with your stance on how to change the rule, right now I need an exception so I can race.  I actually am one of the guys who run a track under their sanction it's a non-profit track, we are having 14 of their events this year.  I probably will ask to be a representative at the meeting this winter for the rule book.  I have already submitted in writing weeks ago the request for mid-season review and exception to this case as rule #38 is vague, and not intended to stop this big bores from racing 450 class.  The rule was resigned to stop 250T's from racing both.  There was no progress being made, I took it public, which lit the fire.  It was also beneficial to talk to the man who could get things done, directly on another forum.  We were able to hammer out some specific details, clear up some assumptions and take it beyond the formal "to whom it may concern" letter.  Things are moving forward right now in a constructive way and I am confident I will be racing again next weekend.

[burn1986]

Well I commend you streaks for keeping a level head. Heck, you have good communication with them. That sounds like half the battle. I don't know why they can't just make it equal displacements like the amatuers. It would make things a whole lot easier.

[ktm150rippa]

thats so weird I know in ama you can race a 250f in the 450 class if i'm not mistaken

[burn1986]

Maybe that's what Andrew Short needs.

[VintageBlueSmoke]

thats so weird I know in ama you can race a 250f in the 450 class if i'm not mistaken

That is true for AMA but not for CRA. In this case, CRA in their rules made a conscious decision to not allow the 250cc 2T in any 450cc 4$ class. Furthermore, they have a class for 2T's separate from the thumpers. The fouled rule here is the rule "38. The machine must remain in the class in which it was originally manufactured." This seems to eliminate all over-bore and stroke options. In reading the rules, you really can see they took the time to think about it, make a conscious decision, and then write it into the rules. It wasn't just "Hey, that's what they do on TV".

Before we flame the organization too much. The rider in question should sit down with the policy makers and pick their brain to discover the reason behind adding these two lines into the 2011 rule book.

"38. The machine must remain in the class in which it was originally manufactured."

and

"The 250cc 2 stroke is NOT permitted in any 450cc class"