Motorcycle Modified class rule change

[bak189]

Hey Stan....I don't know how long you have been with SCTA/BNI....BUT I am looking at a wall trophy from a 1988 record that states "SC-AGB-1300" at 152.680mph.....and another one right next to it from 1991 "SC-ABG-1300" at 160.406mph. so there must have been a 1300 class....Right....SCTA in there wisdom...(I believe in the 1990) redid the class to 1350 (there is a example that the 1300c.c. records should have been retired)..............If you look in the rule book under 1350c.c. it shows my record as SC-BG-1350 set on 8/91...However, my record cert. and trophy shows it for class SC-ABG-1300............so SCTA/BNI (without any consultation) just changed the whole class...............What say you now STAN??............................
Not sour grapes Stan...........I just think that if a racer goes to all the  effort and expense to set a Bonneville record the least a org. can do is get it right and if they plan on changing the class consult with the people involved and retire the "old" class records...........What say you STAN?

[bak189]

AND..... as a follow up to my last post, about the sidecar streamliner record we had in 1990 at 174.202 mph.
(we could not run the liner in 1991 to up our record due to the fact that SCTA/BNI noted it was not safe, it was safe in 1990, new motorcycle chairman, not safe in 1991) however, it was a SIDECAR STREAMLINER  record..................So in 2009  John Stege set a SC-F record with a non-streamliner sidecar against our STREAMLINER record......they just took our record away and replaced it with John's great effort........no phone call............no consultation.......no nothing............KIND OF MAKES YOU WONDER ABOUT ANY AND ALL RECORDS BE IT M/C OR CAR NOW IN THE SCTA BOOK, don't you think

PS. The sidecar streamliner...safe in 1990 no changes...not safe 1991 is now in the Barbour Museum

Sour grapes........maybe just a little....................Hey, and don't get me started on passengers in the sidecar
and SCTA ruling and their excuses.............., that's another long story

[Stan Back]

Bob --

First, and again, I don't know shi-t about motorcycles.  And I guess it shows.

You've got 5 years on me, but I've been "involved" with SCTA since 1972.

I don't know what happens to "retired" records.  Early SCTA car records ran under different classification systems.  Were these then retired?  I don't know.  I'll Goggle old record retirement homes and see what I come up with.  I know the current Rule Book doesn't have a "retired" section, but sure has a lot of motorcycle records.

My Roadster has been "safe" one year and then not the next.  I've had to update it through the years as the rules changed.

Years back, the SCTA instituted the Classic category for various car records.  They did their best in moving current record holders they then believed fit that category into the Classic records.  So some cars, including one that I was very little involved with, ended up being the record-holder in a class that they'd never run in.

I've seen a lot of SCTA record-setters in museums.  A lot of museums honors vehicles from the past which set records and also may, or may not, be legal to run today.  That's what museums are for, I guess.

I agree with you -- I would also like it if Side Cars had passengers.  But that is not what the SCTA rules allow.  No one forces any one to compete in any event.  But if one competes in the event, he should use their rules as competition guidelines.  And can join the association or governing body and work to make the rules more to his liking.  The SCTA has allowed competitors to do this.  Yes, it's arduous, but I'd bet it would be easier to do there than in FIA, Nascar, etc.

I don't have all the answers, but I sure got opinions.  Some knowledgable, some not (see above first statement).

Stan

[bak189]

Yes...that is why since 2003 we have not competed with SCTA/BNI and have raced with BUB (now BMST)
but until Denis started having a all M/C event.....SCTA/BNI was the only game in town for LSR at Bonneville
(and BMST allow per AMA/FIM rules a passenger in the sidecar)...........SCTA/BNI have always liked to change rules when a new group of "Good Old Boys" take over...........and they are a car "club" and care less about the M/C"s and certainly sidecars ..........But when you set a record no matter what org. one likes to keep it in the books as it was set in class......if you change the class...retire the old record.....don't just show a new class in the rule book and move the record holder to the new class.....even FIM (with it's many faults)
retires old records when there is a rule and class change.

PS. Until the late 1980's SCTA/BNI did allow for a passenger in the sidecar....but for no good reason they changed the rules, again without consultation...(thanks Elmo) We put a Dummy in the sidecar streamliner and called him "Elmo"...