LACC Home About the Series Schedule Series Sponsors Available Numbers

Results Points Standings LACC Rules Contingency Feedback

---

2009 Race Series Feedback: (archived) Requests: 1. Late '08: add a 30+ class. 2. Early '09: add ATV's. 3. March '09: add ATV class and UTV class. 4. May '09: add a 50+ class. 5. May '09: change the women's class to run with the big kids - 30 min (implemented 5/20/09, rules have been updated - Rev.6). 6. Various dates ending in July '09: have rounds in neighboring states...East TX, South AR, and West MS - such as Golden Pine Raceway. 7. July '09: have the adults start at 8am and kids run afterward - especially in the hot months. 8. July '09: adjust the start order so that the Senior class starts before the Novice classes (or at least the Novice Lites) due to passing issues. 9. July '09: have Sat. practice available at every round (not just mx tracks). -also see #15 below. 10. July '09: add ATV / UTV classes. 11. July '09: Split the Senior class into Senior Expert and Senior Novice. 12. July '09: have class number ranges that are the same as the SERA Hare Scramble series. 13. July '09:  avoid schedule conflicts with opening weekends of teal / duck / dear hunting. 14. August '09: A rider should not be able to use a DQ result as one of their drops. 15. August '09: Allow riders to make one parade lap around the course prior to the start for safety reasons. 16. August '09:  Top 3 year-end finishers in each class to be advanced to the next higher class.  If the rider feels he/she is not ready, they can appeal it and ask to ride the lower level one more season. But after two seasons in the top 3 it'd be mandatory to move up. 17. August '09:  Have the courses tighter / more technical / tougher to keep the speeds down (safety reasons). 18. August '09: Eliminate the Extreme Obstacles (safety reasons). 19. August '09 from the Acadiana Racing STAFF: To allow for series growth points-chasers have the option of working one of the ten rounds for bonus points.  The requirement would be to work two full days (prior to race weekend, race weekend, or a combination of the two).  Scope of work would include things such as trail clearing, marking, road crossings, flaggers, registration area setup/teardown, signup, cleanup after event, etc.  Workers would receive 24 points toward overall and 12 points toward class. 20. August '09: Have it mandatory to wear a shirt on the podium. 21. August '09: Run the adult races for 2 hours instead of 1.5 hours. 22. August '09: Add a pit bike race. 23. October '09: Require different color number plate backgrounds for all classes or use different color duct tape to outline the free-issued numbers.  This will help riders know if they should let someone by or not. 24. October '09: Anyone who starts a race and doesn't complete one lap should still get points. 25. October '09: Change to a different points system scale so that 1st place finishers are rewarded more than just one point over second.

Responses:

#1, Adding a 30+ Class:

• "...split the 30+, 40+, 50+...large participation in the Senior class, and THEY have the money..."

• "I don’t see much benefit to this, except to trophy chaser/collectors. Even when I thought I was fast and collected the occasional trophy, I never saw much reason for SERA’s multitude of classes. The LACC series to me has plenty of classes under the current format."

• "No"

#2, #3, and #10, Adding ATV/UTV's:

• "...I think the integrity of the ground would be compromised by that amount of traffic beforehand.  Also, trying to maneuver a 2-wheeler through those ruts may be squirrely.  I would suggest trying it before committing to a season".

• "The LACC series should be a motorcycle only race event.  If you bring in ATVs and UTVs, then the trail will get beat up even worse and the lines will become two lined with a hump in the middle.  The LACC series is great this year with M/C only, don't go jack it up and let 4 wheelers race on Saturday!"

• "I wouldn't...just ruins the course for the bikes...unless they ran Sunday afternoon, but it will still ruin the event for next year."

• "I hate ‘em in the woods and for what they do to the trails, but presumably there are responsible sportsmen and competitors out there who favor the training wheel set. LACC already struggles to keep the race schedule compact and finishing early, and also with course layout and land access issues. I’m among those who enjoy the MX sections & courses, but I really favor single track and enduro-style courses. You’ve done a good job with course layout thus far, but accommodating ATVs (and especially UTVs) is going to complicate the organizer’s life tremendously, and inevitably pull the series away from what we like best about it. In short, I don’t want to race on a UTV-friendly course."

• [August '09: another call-in to add ATV's]

• "Yes: I think adding ATV & Side by Side classes would be a great asset to the series. Run them on Saturday afternoon. We would have to have parts of the course separated so we can all have our candy! Say... five races starting out, Farm Country Classic , Plain Dealing , Halls , Wilson,.......Open courses with a good mix of terrain."

• Try a quad race at a round (like CCR)..."The dirt @ CCR is really special.  I've ridden alot of tracks & this one has an excellent mix"

• "Adding ATV races will no doubt bring in more money for the series. However, they will also destroy the relatively short courses that we have established this year. Imagine what the ATV's would have done at the first race of the year, 225 Extreme.  The mud fest would have turned into a GNCC's nightmare for the dirt bike riders. If our courses were 10-15 miles long, providing the ATV's with a separate trail, then perhaps. But as of now they are way too short to have the ATV's out there before or after the event. Racing ATV's on Saturday would also include a costly extra day of insurance. I think having pit bike races on Sunday after the event would be more feasible. No extra insurance needed and no one would be on the course before the actual event, giving them an advantage."

#4, Add a 50+ Class:

• [same as above #1] "...split the 30+, 40+, 50+...large participation in the Senior class, and THEY have the money..."

• "No"

#6, Rounds in Neighboring States:

• "That would be great...especially Golden Pines."

• "Long as it is within reason??/ that is one of the biggest attractions to the series.... 2 hour max drives."

• "...We’re amenable to crossing state lines, but Arkansas is pushing things for us- the shorter drives are a big part of the appeal of the series for our family. We’ll be making it to Golden Pines soon anyway, looks like one of the better facilities around here."

• "Yep"

# 7, The 8:00 AM start time:

• "I would love to have an early start time while it is still cool, but some of us have to drive there in the morning.  I think it would put a strain on some people having to wake up so early to make it to the race."

• "I agree with running the adult class earlier (lets say 9am) and running the kids/women classes at noon.  First, for the obvious reasons of heat and humidity with some of the afternoon racers not enjoying themselves due to miserable conditions.  Second, since their trails are a condensed version of the real thing, there wouldn't be an issue with the smaller bikes going over the rough, beaten terrain.  This would also allow whomever to begin finalizing the scores for the adults while the adults (spectators and racers) watched and enjoyed the kids.  Maybe they wouldn't feel so rushed without people standing around the tent waiting."

• "Absolutely"

• "Kind of a mixed bag here...if I race early then have to support the kids racing in mid-day heat, I don’t know if that’s a big benefit to anyone. And I think your adult fields may thin if the guys without kids have to register and be lined up for 8:00am. As for as adult race scoring while the kids races run, my observation is the kid’s races seem to take all hands on deck, leaving nobody free to work on scores."

• "I think the success of the series is due to the fact that the races can be a one-day event for most people. Not having to camp when I'm busy sure makes it easier to race. Starting earlier would make it difficult to drive in the morning of."

• "No"

# 8, Adjust the start order so that the Senior class starts before the Novice:

• "Yup"

• "Seems like a no-brainer. Maybe it’s novice lights rather than Novice, but the scoring sheets should answer this one plainly, and I expect they’ll show that most of the Senior class blows through the Novice class pretty early..."

• "Senior riders who feel they are faster than Novice classes should sign up for the Novice or XC Classes."

• "No, let the fast folks race novice or one of the faster classes.  Quit acting your age! If you're faster than the next class, move up.  Go give them youngun's a whuppin!!!! The Senior class is supposed to be for a more seasoned and careful rider who feels like a senior on Monday!"

• "start the Senior class after the beginner class.  The Senior class is huge, and there have been massive bottlenecks as the beginner class catches 90 percent of the class pretty quickly.  Plus, they are a very large class - this might make it better for both classes."

• "Split the Senior Class into 2 classes since it is one of the largest race after race.  Best split might be a Senior Expert class (40+) to run after XC1 and XC2, then the other Senior riders after the Novice classes."

# 9, Sat. practice available at every round:

• "I'm kind of torn between this one.  Yea it would be awesome to ride the day before, especially for me because I am still trying to figure out the woods, but I think it puts everyone on a level playing field when no one has seen the course before and doesn't know what to expect."

• "NO, takes away from the style of competition, encourages cheating, need an ambulance, have to patrol the loop, tears up the trail, tears down banners...etc.. etc.. etc... too much other stuff to worry about... a .5 mile test trail like at the enduros, o.k(still have the ambulance issue)... but don't open the race course."

• "We really like the venues that have some provision for Saturday practice. I don’t think the field at large should have access to the full course on Saturday, but I think the organizer should provide a designated (limited) test area of some sort for warm-up/break-in/test purposes, and I think it is important that the kids have an area to practice in on Saturdays...also, a small adult test area would probably reduce the pit racing problem."

• "I did a torcs race and they had a hour and a half practice Saturday and Sunday a hour in the a.m. That was pretty nice I must say. Even a sight lap would be good."

• "I think the success of the series is due to the fact that the races can be a one-day event for most people. Not having to camp when I'm busy sure makes it easier to race. Knowing that my competition got to practice on Saturday would pressure me to come early enough to practice. A warm-up grass track would be great!"

• "No" 

#11, Split Senior class into Senior Expert and Senior Novice:

• "Great idea (if there are entries to support it)."

• "If you have the participants."

• "I like the idea of splitting the Senior 40+ class into (at least) two levels. Not all of us 40+ guys have been racing for years."

#12, Number ranges same as SERA Hare Scramble Series:

• "yes! as long as mine doesn't change!!!"

• "No, we already bought numbers with matching graphics for the LACC series!"

#13, Avoid schedule conflicts with opening hunting weekends:

• "this would probably be good."

• "It’s hard enough to schedule around other series, holidays and events. Scheduling conflicts are addressed through the drop provisions. Seems like a purely business decision- does the hunting opening kill the financial viability of those weekends for lack of entries. I don’t hunt…"

• "This one is easy. Turn your hunting property into a race! Hunt and race on the same weekend."

• "Sure"

# 14, Not being allowed to use a DQ result as one of the "drops":

• "Too many places where the trail runs right next to each other. If riders know they can't drop a zero, they would think 5 times before they take a chance on cutting and getting caught."

• "I agree"

• "Well yeah"

• Agreed.  "I guess if I was inclined to consider cheating, the knowledge that I could have two disqualifications for free would be a nice bit of insurance..."

• "Agree"

# 15, Parade lap prior to start:

• "YES, at least one try at the obstacles for those of us not used to jumping logs, tires, etc."

• "While some of the racers attending have a motocross background, most others have NO clue(including myself). I think the motocross parts, if any, should be practiced on beforehand allowing most of us to get acclimated to the jumps, whoops etc. But don't disclose too much, keep the rest of the trails closed off until race time."

• "No, you don't have time..."  take out the very fast straights, mark it well, etc.

• "Really? Can we wear shriner hats and clown suits? Please don’t add pre-race foolishness. Those who are intimidated by obstacles should either avoid them or proceed with caution and accept that they may not be entirely competitive on the first lap on that particular obstacle. Nature of the event. But I would favor the addition of scantily-clad umbrella girls on the starting grid, to add a more professional air to the series, you understand."

• "No"

• "No way!"

#16, Top 3 year-end finishers in each class advanced:

• "OK with this."

• "look at their overall position, and have something tied to it"

• "Sad you have to rule to prevent sand-bagging, may be necessary."

• "Yes"  

#17, Tighter / More Technical Courses:

• "...if you're a motocross guy you more than likely wouldn't like to ride with the possibility of hitting a tree with the wider bars..."

• "I love the courses like they are!  (its hell riding a 450 through tight sections)..."

• "Just don't have that WIDE open need-another-gear-stuff.  Especially in the dust."

• "I favor single track, and thought Sicily Island was great. On the other hand, I have enjoyed all of the courses so far, and feel the MX track time has helped me develop a little in an area where I had let my skills fall. I enjoy the variety and the surprise of discovering the nature of each new course. Can’t please all the folks all the time, but I think it’s been a good balance so far. Springhill seemed to point out that some of the racers are overcome by youthful enthusiasm and need a course that slows them down a little more."

• "Yes"

#18, Eliminate the extreme obstacles:

• "They do nothing but endanger the riders, and have no intrinsic value for the event.  Plus the 'auxiliary routes' unfairly penalize riders who don't go over them, time wise.  SAFETY...when one of these obstacles breaks someone's femur...they aren't going to be much "fun" you know??   Some can do them.... that isn't the problem... it is the "racers" you have to worry about... If you want  a "spectator" spot....how about a nice little grass track where they can see us racing.. you know lots of short straights and turns.... or a tight tight section with two/three lines where they can sit there in the woods and watch us go."

• "What fun would it be without the obstacles...watching flat tracks gets boring... Riders have the option to go around and not attempt!"

• "I’m pretty old school, but I gotta say I like the presence of the obstacles, even where I choose to bypass them. To me, they haven’t seemed all that extreme, certainly not to the point of unreasonable safety concerns. They add a little excitement for spectator and competitor alike, they are not something we’re likely to find anywhere else, they present a little different challenge, and they are not mandatory for those who simply don’t like them."

• "I disagree with that #18 for sure. To me the whole point of racing cross-country or hare scrambles is so you get to ride on different obstacles. I know that's what I look forward to. It makes it exciting because you just always wonder what's going to be in the trail."

• "I say absolutely do not take out the test sections.  There are alternate routes for those that are not up to the challenge.  It is only unsafe to those that know they should not be trying because they are not yet skilled enough.  Every rider should know there limits.  I personally look forward to the test sections.  They make the race that much more fun.  I wish there were more."

• "DO NOT remove the obstacles.  I look forward to seeing what's new every event. On the other hand, I am not one to try them 'every time'. Living in ____, I don't EVER have the chance to sharpen my skills on 40ft hill climbs or 3ft tall log crossings but I am a fast learner with highly adaptable skills. I am not willing to sacrifice minutes in time or 3 class positions to try an obstacle for the first time. Give me ONE practice to conquer the hill at Sicily, or one shot at the tire jam, and pass or fail, I will get it the next time. I would also be more enthusiastic about trying them during competition this way. Just an idea."

• "No"

• "I would like to propose the obstacles be eliminated eventually or..... equal time is spent on course marking and eliminating 5th gear pinned straight aways - as is spent on construction of extreme obstacles."

#19, Work bonus point system:

• "Yes!!!! Help is good."

#20, Mandatory to wear shirt on podium:

• "We all know that the total gym was a good Christmas present, and muscle milk taste great, but put a shirt on people."

• "Yes"

#21, Run adult race for 2 hours:

• "Hell No!!"

#22, Add a pit bike race:

• "I think having pit bike races on Sunday after the event ...No extra insurance needed and no one would be on the course before the actual event, giving them an advantage."

• "Yes, that'd be fun!"