[jensend]

Just finished reading the whole LT4 epic and I can actually feel my blood pressure rising. Damn, just when I was beginning to think it might be fun to bring the '02 Z-28 out to my first autox in 3 years, it looks like things are just as out of perspective as when I decided it wasn't fun to deal with politics in a hobby activity. I have a number of friends who are still very avid autoxers and devoted SCCA people, so I know it's not just an SCCA sort of thing. So, why can't people catch onto the idea that the vast bulk of folks who autox are hobbyists interested in affordable amateur motorsports. Sure, I'll give 8 hours out of a nice weekend day for a few minutes of track time, work a station, and pay for the opportunity as well, but I want the experience to be relaxing, social, fun even.

To me, bringing the intensity and hair splitting politics of "for profit" professional style racing into a supposedly "everyman's motorsport", just defeats its whole purpose. Some drag strips have "run what ya brung " nights where anyone is welcome to run, to test, to tune, or just run for the fun of running. Autox is too sophisticated for such an approach? Given, there might be a need for a system to balance the differences between unlike cars, but, isn't there some less cumbersome approach to events? With all the time and effort and frustration of what the typical autox seems to entail these days, I'm inclined to think my time might be better spent watching TV sports or (God forbid) yardwork- even though I'd much prefer to flog the car and murder defenseless cones. As they put it in the movie, Stripes, "Lighten up, Francis!" (IMG:http://www.frrax.com/rrforum/style_emoticons/default/banghead.gif)

This post has been edited by jensend: Feb 23 2006, 11:00 PM