Hello Friendly MRA Novices (and experts that don't like me):

Although I may technically be a Novice with this fine racing organization, I have been known to file my fair share of protests in my racing youth. As a service to you all, I have created a "Protest MRA #31" form which you can download and print for use at the next MRA race weekend at Pikes Peak. It seems last weekend there was some confusion for a few of you in your attempts to protest me, so I wanted to help:

http://www.motosix.com/pdf/Protest31.pdf

As you will see, it has all of the appropriate spaces for the required information you will need in protesting me, and I have even gone ahead and filled in my name on your behalf. Be sure you print out and have your copy of the MRA rulebook by next weekend, and that can be found here:

http://filezilla.mra-racing.org/file...RARulebook.pdf

Why would I do this for you?

Because I like you. And I admire your spirit. But, ultimately, it is misguided and I will share why.

< SOAPBOX >

Now, this is simply my opinion, but I will share it with you.

You are being used. (Yes, you.) You are being milked for funds by those that have a vested interest in selling you all of those parts or services you don't really need. You have tire guys, and suspension guys, and tuners, all in their Sunday best lined up on the pit wall telling you how wonderful you are, how talented you are, and how -- if you step up to the latest tire/pad/fuel/gizmo -- you may just win that Novice race.

Wow oh wow oh wow! Then you will be going places!!! You will get free tires and free leathers and chics will dig you because you won the plastic trophy!

So, you dig deep. You blow the budget. You rack up a credit card bill that would even impress me. You have the 190 slicks and the latest GPS lap timer and the double clear coat paint. You have the mag wheels and the traction control and the self mapping wideband O2 sensor.

Surely you will win now! You should! You must! You have done it all right!

Then some Expert-in-Novice clothes starts dead last on the grid, running tires from 2007 on stock brake pads (and a whole lot of suspension setup), and runs around the outside of you in turn 2, waving. You dice for a bit, but even people on the pit wall can see he is short shifting the stock-motored motorcycle from 2006.

WTF? BURN HIM! PROTEST PROTEST PROTEST! SANDBAGGER!! And, right you are! You "paid" your dues and deserve that $15 plastic trophy!

"OK OK -- Get on with the moral of the story here" I hear you say:

You are the future of the MRA.

Right now, you might be a vengeful sad sack of a roadracer, but you are the future of roadracing in general. Our current winning new experts were slower than you once, and now they seriously haul the mail. You do the MRA, the sport, and yourself no good by burning through your finances in 2 years and contributing to the ~30% turnover the MRA experiences each and every season. You will get fast, and most of you will be faster than any current expert dreams to be. But, you won't do it in 1 or 2 seasons, and you won't do it by setting your sights on a "Novice Championship".

Ignore the shiny objects that compete for your finances. Ride your motorcycle. Learn how to set up your motorcycle. Run pump fuel, the best tires you can afford, buy laps and suspension. Ask Brownie for advice. Ask any MRA Board member for advice. Ask any ROR guy for advice. Race against those which will actually teach you how to go faster and not just those that are still learning themselves.

Stop contributing to the turnover.

Prove me wrong and be a part of this club 5 years from now. Stop the cycle of "winning NovU only to find out everyone in MWSS is too fast and end up quitting the sport". Mind your budget, hone your craft, then kick everyone's ass come race day on equal terms, not as "a novice".

< / SOAPBOX >

These are, of course, just my opinions.

As I have done in past years, I will once again suggest at the rules meeting this fall to remove the novice championship. That suggestion will not likely be adopted, but until then, I will see everyone on the NOVU grid at Pikes (and I am coming for your contingency).

I will have copies of the protest form in my pits. Stop by and say hello; I would love to meet you guys and I would be happy to give you a copy then.