Dear Members and Fellow Texas Vintage Racers,

First I would like to thank each of you for your support over the last few months, as we move through a period of transition. Things are changing at TVRC. New officers, a new sponsor, a new way of operating, and hopefully a new outlook. I have talked with many of you on the phone and in person, and I can’t say enough about the many great ideas you have given me, as well as the seemingly unconditional support for what we are trying to accomplish. I would also like to individually thank Bob, Joe, and Skip. You have kept this club running for a long time now, and your knowledge and friendship are a point for us to navigate from. Thank you all.

Things are changing. Hopefully you have all noticed that things are moving on the website, and that we have a newsletter that Jack Thompson is writing. It’s great having Jack on our team again. He brings a true connection to the beginning of TVRC. Jack is an actual vintage “vintage” racer. There is also going to be a big change in the way we operate our races and race series. This is what I want to primarily address with this letter.

Why change, and what are we changing? The single biggest change that we will be making, is a return to the TVRC classes, and a move away from the many classes we have been racing with the AHRMA model. Basically a return to the rules. Going beyond just the move back to the old TVRC classes, I also believe there is reason to make a change to our rider grading system. A fellow member brought this idea to my attention, and I think it is going to further simplify our operations, and greatly add to our fun factor at the track.

For the last three years, TVRC has operated races based on the classes found in the AHRMA Handbook for both Vintage and Post Vintage racing. This class structure consists of 32 different classes. Multiply that number by three for expert, intermediate, and novice skill levels, and you have 94 separate and distinct AHRMA racing classes. The TVRC classes as spelled out in the TVRC Rule Book, consist of nine different classes. Three of those classes have historically been run as single ability level classes; Vintage Small Bore, GP Small Bore, and Decade. What we end up with are 21 separate and distinct TVRC racing classes. It is my opinion that the simpler TVRC model is what we need to return to. It is a realistic model that was working well a few years ago when we moved away from it. I recently had a look at the 2005 season results, and found some interesting data.

The 2005 season was operated using the AHRMA class structure, with some modifications. In 2005, TVRC riders raced in 46 different classes. There were a total of 277 rider entries. Of those 277 entries, 108 entries raced with no competition, the only rider in their class! That's 38%!!

If we simply combined the 500’s with the 250’s in the Sportsman, Historic, GP and Ultima classes, only 63 riders would have raced without a competitor, the only rider in their class. That’s 22%.

I know this is getting tough, but please hang with me! If the 2005 season had been run using the TVRC classes, and not the AHRMA model, there would have been 233 rider entries. I get 233 entries by removing the 44 AHRMA Over-age class entries from the 277 total. I did this because there is currently no equivalent class in the TVRC Rule Book. The TVRC rules combine all Ultima classes including 500, 250, and 125 into the same class. Sportsman 125 becomes a single skill level class. GP 125 becomes a single skill level class, and absorbs all Historic 125 entries. I know that sounds very complicated, but it’s not, it’s just a way of getting to the TVRC classes using the available data. Bottom Line, if the season had been run using the TVRC classes, only 28 of 233 riders would have ridden without a competitor, the only rider in their class That’s 12%.

I have made this case to many of you, and the other TVRC officers. The need for change is apparent. Here is what we have decided to do:

Reinstate the old TVRC Rule Book classes.
Add Over-Age classes to the Rule Book.
Reclassify riders as A or B skill level, instead of expert, intermediate, or novice.

We feel that these steps will help simplify our scoring at events and for the series, reduce the number of “single” racers, increase the level of competition, increase the fun factor, and in the long run, increase participation in our races.

Here is a rough breakdown of the classes that we will offer at future races:

Vintage Classes 1975 and Earlier

Texas Premier           single skill level class for motorcycles built in 1971 and earlier
Vintage                      dual skill level class for motorcycles built in 1975 and earlier
Vintage Small Bore  single skill level class for motorcycles 0-200cc built in 1975 and earlier
Texas Four Stroke  single skill level class for four stroke motorcycles built in 1975 and earlier

GP or Gran Prix* Classes

GP I                           dual skill level class for motorcycles built in 1977 and earlier
GP II                         dual skill level class for motorcycles built in 1981 and earlier
GP III                       dual skill level class for motorcycles built in 1984 and earlier with drum brakes
GP Small Bore        single skill level class for motorcycles 0-200cc built in 1981 and earlier
Decade                    single skill level class for motorcycles built in the model 10 years ago and older

And four new classes:

Vintage Over-40     single skill level class for riders over 40 on any Vintage legal motorcycle
Vintage Over-50     single skill level class for riders over 50 on any Vintage legal motorcycle
GP Over-40            single skill level class for riders over 40 on any GPIII legal or older motorcycle
GP Over-50            single skill level class for riders over 50 on any GPIII legal or older motorcycle

*Note! GP is the abbreviation for Gran Prix coined for the post vintage classes in 1994 by the
Texas Vintage Racing Club
named to commemorate the era of Gran Prix racing..

That’s a total of 17 classes. We decided to add the new “Over-Age” classes mainly to provide a rider with only one motorcycle, the opportunity to race in an additional class. Please remember that these are only “rough” descriptions of these classes. The specifics are in the TVRC Rule Book which I am currently updating, and hope to soon have on the website, and available for distribution. If you have questions about the classes and the eligibility of your motorcycle please call or email me, and I will get you an answer.

We hope that this return to the rules will make our race days simpler and more exciting. As participation increases, and it is apparent that we can split a class and still fill it up, we have the freedom to do so. We want to do things that will increase participation, and build TVRC membership back to its former level. As I write this, I see that there is fuel for controversy. We are not moving away from the AHRMA classes in an attempt to snub AHRMA. We are trying to increase participation, and in doing so, help support AHRMA. Please let me hear from you with your ideas, comments, and criticism.

Again, thanks to all of you for your support. Please come out and race with us, we need each and every one of you on the starting line to make this club great.

Semper Fi , Scott