Re: What next?
I can't claim I know a lot about the slot car hobby and what makes drivers tick. I can only share my feelings and opinions about the hobby.
Personally, I have always enjoyed racing in any format whether it be IROC, my own box stock or build my own from parts. As my current season standings show I'm not very good at building my own (nor a fast driver but that's beside the point). So to be competitive I see box stock or IROC as the cheaper alternative. since we are all on a budget, either large or small, the IROC option is the most cost-effective and fair system to determine the best driver. Especially when the controllers are IROC as well.
I do agree that a flat fee for the occasional driver is pretty steep and I would like to propose that those members pay a per night fee (say $5) for the use of the car each night they race. This would also allow newcomers to try out the club for a modest contribution. If it turns out that one can attend more races than previously anticipated we could cap the fee at a certain point (say $30) after which you are considered to be caught up with the people who paid the proposed $25 in advance to cover the cost of development of the cars. I think there are enough hardcore members that know they can attend pretty much every race that getting the initial development capital is not a problem.
Since most of us have either RTR cars or like to bring newly developed cars to run we COULD race those as a secondary race after the club IROC race. Since most cars will not be comparable we would need to figure out a handicapping system based on a number of parameters (magnet, motor, tires, weight, speed, body style, size?) to adjust the lap counts so they can be meaningfully compared to one another to determine a winner.
Just some thoughts I'd like to share.
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"Get the shotgun, Martha. The herd needs a thinnin'." - Bucky Katt