Ice Ghost
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Joined: 12/26/2007
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Spy-Guy 74 wrote:Mike I agree with you about the slower speeds, but may make for closer racing and it will be way cheaper for the stock racers. Three or four pro stock teams were at the Eagle River meeting and it seemed they all thought the new stock rules would be better for the sport and manufacture participation. The idea was to have a stock sled off the show room floor, not one built for snow cross teams as which is used now.
I am sure all the racers will be jumping at the opportunity to run a sled that weighs 550 lbs, goes 30 in the corners and is a handful ALL THE TIME. Why don't we ask what the kids want? They are the ones out there doing it. Everyone of them wants to be a future Pro Champ Driver. A possible World Champion. Not a Water Buffalo Tamer.
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kenlacy
Foooore!
Joined: 10/25/2001
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550 lbs? If your going to try and make a point, maybe you can do it without goin overboard.
Fact is you don't have the numbers to say this sport is growing with any kind of certainty. Your options with stock seem simple. Dump it or make it more like stock to try and get some more avg sledders upstarting and manu interest.
There are plenty of other classes to spend money in where the sleds go faster and handle better.
Everyone seems to think the growth comes from (and will come from) the up and coming young kids. That may be true to a degree but likely a large amount of those kids will drop out by the time they are 18. The bodies should also be focusing on getting 25-40 year olds out on the track - at a reasonable price. Not only will they fill the field nicely, but they have kids who could easily become involved.
The F500 class should do that to a degree but that doesn't help pull the manus in. Not saying that the manus can be pulled in with the way things are going but you have to try. If you have given up on manu participation than you'd be wasting breath arguing for any kind of stock class at all.
For that matter, all youd need is a 380 sprint/champ, 440 sprint/champ and 600 sprint/champ. Then you guys get all your speed and all your handling. No sure where your going to send the new guys. Oh, maybe a stock class where they have to learn to tame a water buffalo and actually gain some valuable experience. I'd say no one wants to be a water buffalo tamer, but it'd likely be some damn good experience.
I am pretty new to all this chit so maybe I am way off base.
* This post was
edited 04/29/08 08:09am by kenlacy *
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Fontaine Racing
webster wisconsin
Joined: 03/18/2005
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guys we have all talked to the Ice ghost in person. and when the rest of you figure him out you will understand that he is one of the guys who has told you, "the mfg's, will NEVER get involved". and he is personally only Interested in champ and sprint. so I believe getting an accurate opinion from him is out of the question. and will be a waste of breath debating him.
and yes, Ken you are the perfect example of not just relying on the younger generation. some of them will not leave there computer long enough to get on the track soon. and others will excel. we have to get the guys who grew up around the stuff, but there parents maybe didn't spend the time or money to get them into it? now that they are on there own, we should be able to become some sort of interest to them?
keep throwing out your positive thoughts, from the new guy! it is people like you bringing in fresh Ideas that will help our sport grow.
I just wish the people who have decided to go nameless would get back on the right track! I know at least one of them that Is smart enough to help our cause, instead of just bantering the people who are trying to help.
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proton
USA
Joined: 01/18/2004
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I will say one thing about the direction Todd want to go...it is without question the right thing for oval racing. MIRA started moving in this direction last year by CUTTING classes that did not meet some basic functions
1) the class had to have value with respect to moving a racer from a novice to a pro.
2) The class had to have value with respect to the Fans...It has to be entertaining to watch.
3) The class needed to be easily recognized from the GRANDSTAND. there is nothing worse than a race fan that doesn't know what class is out on the ICE...you have to be able to recognize the class by sound or visually
If the class did not meet at least two of these points, it got eliminated.
MIRA probably races more stockers than any other circuit, we have Super Stock and stock as our pro and semi-pro enduro classes with a few changes to suit the long distance racing. we have a mix of stock sleds racing, some sno-x, some trail...the trail sleds are easier to get to oval status, they are able to race in OEM trim without alot of changes. There are a couple of teams that race the MIRA enduro(300-500 laps on a 1/2 mile)with 98% stock sleds...they are NOT the snow-x sleds but the trail sleds that any one can buy, the only issue seems to be the front spindle....the spindles cant take the pounding, they are bending sideways in some cases...other than that they seem to handle good.
As for the Wahl and houle components, sell them to the limited 500 guys, its perfect for what they need.
D Dantuma
MIRA pres.
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Ice Ghost
Message Board
Joined: 12/26/2007
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Fontaine Racing wrote:guys we have all talked to the Ice ghost in person. and when the rest of you figure him out you will understand that he is one of the guys who has told you, "the mfg's, will NEVER get involved". and he is personally only Interested in champ and sprint. so I believe getting an accurate opinion from him is out of the question. and will be a waste of breath debating him.
and yes, Ken you are the perfect example of not just relying on the younger generation. some of them will not leave there computer long enough to get on the track soon. and others will excel. we have to get the guys who grew up around the stuff, but there parents maybe didn't spend the time or money to get them into it? now that they are on there own, we should be able to become some sort of interest to them?
keep throwing out your positive thoughts, from the new guy! it is people like you bringing in fresh Ideas that will help our sport grow.
I just wish the people who have decided to go nameless would get back on the right track! I know at least one of them that Is smart enough to help our cause, instead of just bantering the people who are trying to help.
EVERYBODY has their own agendas when they are talking about the future of the sport. Fontaine, your kid races Stock class, so you talk about Stock. Ken, you race F-500, so you talk about F-500. Watcher talks about rules, because he loves the structure of the sport. Todd talks about the manufacturers, because he wants them to help ER out more, because they deserve it. Speed$lut talks about Stock, because he runs an older sled yet is competitive. And all the EPT guys talk about their circuit, because they want to be included too. Do you see my point??? I think a lot of people on here need to take a step back and ask themselves if they really have all the answers, which includes myself sometimes. Most of the people on here and around the sport with ALL the answers and suggestions have not been around the sport that long and really do not see the ramifications of certain decisions. Thats all.
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kenlacy
Foooore!
Joined: 10/25/2001
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I have no agenda other than growth. I don't know how long I will be around this sport, hopefully for a while but that depends a lot on my kids. I think what most people here are doing is throwing out ideas and opinions to spur further conversation.
Not sure what your trying to accomplish with your post other than trying to tell people their opinions carry little weight. Maybe they do, maybe they don't, if they don't feel free to explain why.
No one is saying they have all the answers. Doug is pushing hard for growth because few people are. He has been involved with the Oval Racers alliance, set up the meeting at ER and a lot more. What have you done for growth? Who are you? Why should anyone care what you think? You may have valid answers to all those questions but until your ready to answer them, maybe you should reserve your judgement of others.
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