Ted Hamilton
Helmet Painter / Racer
The problem with prep is not what happens on Saturday...it's the hours per per week beyond that, and the added toxicity. It's also the introduction of a variable that doesn't really need to be there for amateur motor sports. Yes, it hurts local racing, precisely because it makes things more complicated and makes the learning and spending curves higher. Is it insurmountable? Well, the new people coming in prove it's not, but as to whether clubs and tracks would see more participation and better racing without it -- I think the answer would be yes. I would have all classes open tire, with duro rule -- simplest way to allow widest legal variety. People always claim that you'd have to buy several more sets, but I think that's bunk because after a few weeks, the fast people would either settle on one brand, or else it would be confirmed that more than one tire can be made to work and thus, run what you want....