This is starting a new thread to discuss/debate the proposed rule changes, not propose new rules, as that discussion is closed.
Jim, why you want to take away HWEND? I know there are no, or almost no HW bikes anymore, but given that our race day still generally gets done with all races completed, and that it runs with OPENEND, it doesn't add any time to the race day and just gives another opportunity for middleweights to 'race up' and do another endurance race, as well as add additional $$$ to weekend revenue for the MRA. Given the usual tightness of the MRA budget, I am not for removing any class altogether as it just removes revenue from the club. There are a lot more people now who are doing both MWEND and HWEND and I think a lot of people (me included) would be disappointed to see this class go away.
I also would like to see Supersport and Superbike stay expert only classes and not changed to amateur designation. I think a lot of experts race these classes partly because they are expert only and are typically some of the faster classes in the club and making them novice eligible would I think discourage participation by some experts. AMO and AMU exist for exactly this purpose and have historically served both racer designations quite well for a long time.
I don't want to see this change for F40 and it has been discussed at length in previous years. If you race ROR and you want to race F40, so be it, let 'em race. I believe most of the other clubs nationally do not restrict who can enter their F40 classes, you just have to be old, that's it. It only makes the class faster and more competitive and makes everybody work harder for a podium, which to me is the whole point of racing. I've never liked the idea of 'dumbing' down a class just to slow it down so more people have an opportunity for a trophy. If F40 feels too fast for a racer, there are plenty of other classes to enter where the level of competition will not have ROR racers in it. Leave it as is.