Would you pay membership fee to race?

[TEX]

Assuming MRA National event came to town & was running a class that fit your truck perfectly. Let's also assume the class was 100% payback of entry fees, but because this class is running for points, you'd also be required to pay a $50 membership to the MRA in order to race. Would that stop you, or would you pay the membership fee so you could have the opportunity to race at a "National" event?

[67tundra]

If it was just for one race at the local fair or wat not. Probaly not.

[Train Horn]

Maybe...........Do you get a T-shirt with your membership?

[TEX]

Originally Posted by Train Horn

Maybe...........Do you get a T-shirt with your membership?

New members get a t-shirt, renewals do not.

[Gibson75]

Times are tough. For me, a very low budget racer, it's everything that I can do to just pay to race 2 classes at the local events once or twice a month. I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to afford it.

[Proeliator]

Yes. Hell, it would just be nice to have a regulated, sanctioned body. Rules and standards are all over the map out here in Oregon.

[TEX]

Originally Posted by Proeliator

Yes. Hell, it would just be nice to have a regulated, sanctioned body. Rules and standards are all over the map out here in Oregon.

Do you think you have enough racers in your area who'd want to get some kind of series going? And would they be willing to compromise some on rules in order to get some standards?

[Proeliator]

I'd say its iffy. Roundy round is one thing, but the mud draggers are pretty disparate out here. The way the economy has been the last few years both races and regular competitors have gotten even more scarce.

[DJ404564X4]

I'm payin a membership to Ultra4 to race KOH Stock Mod, so yes..

[bigal1]

Yes

[jeep937]

Well seeing as how I'm trying to race a TR4 Triumph in SCCA and SVRA and I'm looking at taking multiple classes at 600 to a grand a pop before I can even race not including entry fees and tons of other things that cost thousands,, I'm in!

[HEAVY METAL]

i am a paying member of the N.W.M.R.A.

[TEX]

Originally Posted by Proeliator

I'd say its iffy. Roundy round is one thing, but the mud draggers are pretty disparate out here. The way the economy has been the last few years both races and regular competitors have gotten even more scarce.

Gotcha. I was just wondering if maybe there would be a handful of classes (say no more than 3) that could band together & form a little association. Then, you could approach the towns that put on these events & ask to run those 3 specific classes, and let the town fill in the gaps with whatever localized classes they want. At least that way you could have SOME consistency.

[Proeliator]

Its a good idea, and its been tried before because any of the even quasi "serious" racers get fed up with rules changing from year to year not to mention lax enforcement. For whatever reason its never got of the ground. I'll start asking around the local clubs to see how many people would revisit this. The open class, and stock class are never problems, its everything in between...

[old ugly 54 chevy]

I would say I wouldn't be too happy about it, but I would scrape up the cash anyway..... Hard to turn down racing in front of the hometown crowds

[brewchief]

How about a reduced rate for a one day(or weekend) membership?

Other then chasing points what are the advantages to membership? Do you get reduced or free entry into the track? Reduced prices from venders who are also members/sponsors?

[scott037]

considering we pay that that much without a pay out just trophies i would be in. would there be set purses for each class.


shit i might build a rig to race if i knew the rules would change because i figure them out.

[TEX]

Originally Posted by brewchief

How about a reduced rate for a one day(or weekend) membership?

Other then chasing points what are the advantages to membership? Do you get reduced or free entry into the track? Reduced prices from venders who are also members/sponsors?

That was actually the part II to the question that was coming soon

At the moment, there's no real benefit to the membership other than being able to be a points champion and be recognized as a national record holder.

[TEX]

Originally Posted by scott037

considering we pay that that much without a pay out just trophies i would be in. would there be set purses for each class.


shit i might build a rig to race if i knew the rules would change because i figure them out.

This question came about because MRA added 2 new classes to their points series for 2011 that pay back 100% of entry fees rather than a fixed purse. For the upper classes, there is guaranteed money & they get a nice turnout of cars. They also did fairly well in the Renegade class as some of the existing Pro Stock trucks were Renegade legal, so it was another class for them to run. Super Stock was a bust in 2011 with anywhere from 1 to 8 entries per race. Nationally, it's one of the most popular classes almost everywhere with local events having 40+ entries not uncommon.

There are many in the MRA who felt the reason the local guys didn't come out to race was that they would view their $40 entry fee + $50 membership fee as if it were a $90 entry fee that wasn't all going into the purse. The races this year were in GA, OH, PA, WV, and FL. So, there's extensive travel required to go to the entire series & chase points. The thought was that maybe a couple guys would chase points, but that at each individual event, all the local guys would come race. But, none of them showed & the theory (which I subscribe to) is that the membership requirement is what drove 'em off.

[Proeliator]

Originally Posted by TEX

At the moment, there's no real benefit to the membership other than being able to be a points champion and be recognized as a national record holder.

I'm a nationally recognized asshat, does that count?

To me, the benefit is a consistent sanctioning body. However, after talking to some folks the problem is primarily everybody who falls in between the open and stock class. Also, everyone who would run in the open class would be fine paying for membership, but for everybody in the stock class a membership fee would be a hardship. Not unexpected feedback, to be honest. I don't see this taking off out here at this point.

[Grumpy_old_fart]

pro, let me state something here...

I worked for a short time trying to get a nationally sanctioned set of rules that I could agree to.

The rules that they have in the MRA do not fit any criteria that most of our racers would be willing to use. These rules are meant for 3 second drag cars that resemble trucks. The organization is run by a bunch of asshats that are so fueled by egotism that they cannot see past their own noses.

I have since abandoned trying to get a single set of national rules together.

A few years ago, I tried to get several tracks together on one sheet of music in a mutual meeting. Sheridan, Willamina, and Sutherlin all came together and made a single tech sheet. Shortly after the meeting, Sheridan and Willamina changed their sheets without contacting anyone. I ran the sheet that year.
The next year, i changed my tech sheet, and it is the most equitable tech sheet in the state, in my eyes.

I proposed the same tech sheet to the national level. They nearly laughed me out, told me i was out of my mind...

In my eyes, the MRA should stand for "Myriad of Retarded Asshats". They have no clue about how we work, how we think, how we race. there are no national events on this side of the great divide. Why get involved when the organization cannot provide any support, and demand a cut of the money that the promoter needs to use to pay his bills just to use their name to promote the sport?

I say Fuck them, and fuck their t-shirts. I can have a t-shirt printed for 12 bucks that says Im a national champion, without ever having run a national race. they cater to money, not to the little guy. they are elitist snobs with boggers. They race on clay, not in mud. if the track is too wet, they go home.

There are a very few that I have respect for: Tex is a promoter that works his ass off. I respect that. He does not, however, know what kind of racers and races we have out here. Its not one of those "Live to throw money at a mud race" sports.. its a "backyard, redneck, have a good time and get a trophy" crowd.

[Grumpy_old_fart]

Originally Posted by scott037

considering we pay that that much without a pay out just trophies i would be in. would there be set purses for each class.


shit i might build a rig to race if i knew the rules would change because i figure them out.

You should be racing at Sutherlin.

it costs 25 bucks to race, $5.00 per spectator over the age of 12. No purse, just trophies. Double eliminations, and the track isnt a pair of trenches filled with water, but two 4" deep, 25 foot wide lanes that are 300 feet long (instead of 200 feet of dry clay)


and before you dive into making a decision about whether or not you want to become a member, read some of the posts on this thread to determine if you want to race with people like this. Theres a bunch of guys on here that seem a lil uppity to me. And some of them havent changed in the last few years.


Tex, to answer your question:

Not only no, but Hell FAWK NO~! I am a mud racer. I have been one for 15 years. making someone pay to be a member of a national organization to enjoy the sport is counterproductive to growth.

[TEX]

Originally Posted by Grumpy_old_fart

The rules that they have in the MRA do not fit any criteria that most of our racers would be willing to use. These rules are meant for 3 second drag cars that resemble trucks.

Just to be clear, MRA has classes running all the way down to 33" Street Stock. Yes, the National events are definitely pro class oriented, but that's what the promoters have asked for.

Originally Posted by Grumpy_old_fart

A few years ago, I tried to get several tracks together on one sheet of music in a mutual meeting. Sheridan, Willamina, and Sutherlin all came together and made a single tech sheet. Shortly after the meeting, Sheridan and Willamina changed their sheets without contacting anyone. I ran the sheet that year.
The next year, i changed my tech sheet, and it is the most equitable tech sheet in the state, in my eyes.

I proposed the same tech sheet to the national level. They nearly laughed me out, told me i was out of my mind...

You have to remember that when the MRA sat down to create a set of uniform rules, we had a stack of rules that was over 200 pages thick. Of all those rules, you were essentially the only one in the country who did it your way. When you're trying to establish a uniform set of rules, the guy who does it "his own way" is pretty much going to have to give up his way, or be left out. That isn't to say what you do doesn't work. But, we had dozens of sets of rules that were all working just fine EXCEPT for the fact that they weren't all equal. In an effort to make them all equal, we had to go with a type of rule that was most familiar to the largest group of people.

Originally Posted by Grumpy_old_fart

In my eyes, the MRA should stand for "Myriad of Retarded Asshats". They have no clue about how we work, how we think, how we race.

Aside from your tech method, I don't think you guys are really all that unique. Actually, that's one of the things that has been a real stumbling block for a National set of rules. We have run into the "That won't work 'round here" attitude everywhere we go. And when you dig deeper into what allegedly DOES work, it all ends up looking pretty much like what everyone else is doing, just with their own little spin on rules.

Originally Posted by Grumpy_old_fart

there are no national events on this side of the great divide. Why get involved when the organization cannot provide any support, and demand a cut of the money that the promoter needs to use to pay his bills just to use their name to promote the sport?

It is true that there are no National events in your part of the country now, nor any immediate plans for there to be in the near future. That said, the MRA has more requests for events than they can do. The promoters that hire MRA do so of their own free will

Originally Posted by Grumpy_old_fart

I say Fuck them, and fuck their t-shirts. I can have a t-shirt printed for 12 bucks that says Im a national champion, without ever having run a national race. they cater to money, not to the little guy. they are elitist snobs with boggers. They race on clay, not in mud. if the track is too wet, they go home.

2012 will feature the debut of the MRA National BOG Series

Originally Posted by Grumpy_old_fart

There are a very few that I have respect for: Tex is a promoter that works his ass off. I respect that. He does not, however, know what kind of racers and races we have out here. Its not one of those "Live to throw money at a mud race" sports.. its a "backyard, redneck, have a good time and get a trophy" crowd.

95% of the 300+ events I've been to sound a LOT like your annual race

[TEX]

Originally Posted by Grumpy_old_fart

Tex, to answer your question:

Not only no, but Hell FAWK NO~! I am a mud racer. I have been one for 15 years. making someone pay to be a member of a national organization to enjoy the sport is counterproductive to growth.

Personally, I agree that requiring membership to race one time is a mistake. OTOH, with you charging $25 for an entry fee & then not putting that into the purse, isn't that kind of the same thing?

[TEX]

Originally Posted by Grumpy_old_fart

and before you dive into making a decision about whether or not you want to become a member, read some of the posts on this thread to determine if you want to race with people like this. Theres a bunch of guys on here that seem a lil uppity to me. And some of them havent changed in the last few years.

For the record, if you go looking over there, you'll find my posts under the name of "Scott Graham"