I hear what you are saying on payback but that is what makes us a Pro Class. And by having the Pro Class we more than doubled class entries versus the no-payback class we had last year. I am not discounting the idea, but I think UTV racers want to race Pro and Pro means $$$. Personally I hate side bets. It seems like you never get paid or end up chasing somebody around for the $$$. Kind of like when you have a weak contingency director. Sucks!
The class rep thing is a good idea, but informally we already have this with the Murrays, Joey D, Cory and we at JX. I know the four of us answered a ton of questions for teams racing in Baja for the first time this year.
What if...what if instead of the manufacturers offering contingency $$$ for the top three finishers, they offered X% rebate on each entry. Kind of like 'start money.' It wouldn't be all of it, but it would help. Also it would be great if the OEM's allowed dealers to co-op racer entries or at least a portion of it from their advertising accounts in return for running a dealership logo on the race Utes.
I really like the idea of free cage inspection and maybe even a SCORE clinic to help prospective racers. They could have the free UTV cage inspections and clinics in San Diego, Vegas and Phoenix. Then SCORE could record it and archieve it on Dirt Live for other people to watch who were unable to attend.
I know most would not be a big fan of the no payback idea. It's never been considered a great idea. But if entry fee's are the biggest issues with keeping some from racing in Baja then the money has to come from somewhere? Score is not in the business to lose money, and I believe the UTV class is already listed in Level 3 of Score's pricing. Score cant reduce and drop the Insurance part of the fee, they cant remove the land use fee's, if this class wants an end of the season points fund, they cant remove that. So what is left? Lets say Score was to reduce the entry fee part more, then do you know how many classes in Group 3 are going to want the same consideration as they too are budget classes!
Yes Side bets are a PITA! But it is just another option. And dont start me on contingency! I have yet to run a series that has a proper contingency! Years later I'm still owed money & product that I will never see. Most of the time I wont run contingent decals because of this, and the fact that it takes advertizing space from paying sponsors on my cars. I look at it like this, I got a guy giving me $300-$500 per race for his 12X12 space on my car, yet I'm going to put a contingent decal on the car that is not guaranteed money? That devalues my sponsorship. Why should one company pay me and another get it for free?
Anther place of huge savings is in fuel. Race fuel is not cheap and you are not allowed by Mexico Federal Law to bring your own fuel into the country. I dont know as a class how the fuel pricing could be reduced? I do know if running pump gas the price is much less then race gas, but you still have to pay the inflated price from the fuel suppliers who are authorized to deliver & sell fuel in Mexico.
And I know informally you guys to have a Rep, but I think it should be formally as that just ups the level of support for a new team looking at racing Baja or Score who does not know the Murray's or the Jagged X crew. (I had the office phone number for some guy who retired from Polaris not to long ago!! <label for="rb_iconid_10">
</label>) They need to be able to look on Score's website and see they have a place to turn for info.
I like the manufacture entry fee rebate, but then you would somehow need all the manufacture to get on-board for it to be fair. Sounds great if Polaris offers the deal, but the guy racing his old Rhino is probably going to get screwed and have to pay the full amount, and he is the guy your rebate is really wanting to help.
What if you got a company like Chaparral or Rocky Mountain ATV became a Class/Series sponsor and their sponsorship was to help reduce entry fee's? Each entry fee could be reduce a few hundred dollars and the Class is named after that sponsor (example:Rocky Mountain ATV UTV Score Class 19), plus each team must run the sponsors name across the windshield visor and a underneath their race numbers on each side of the vehicle? Part of this requirment would be checked at Tech, no sponsor decals no race! The only problem is Score is going to want their cut of the money, like what happened on the Amber Racing Fuel deal. If 100% of the sponsors money went directly to reducing entry fee's, I would bet you could get a sponsor, but typically the series will want a buy in deal where they are paid, then the sponsor has to cover the cost of the sponsorship.
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