Change to Scoring System for 2012
All,
I have read the proposed scoring changes for 2012 as posted by John on the home page with interest and a little concern.
I have listed below my observations. I would welcome feedback (and correction where I may have mis-understood!)
1. I was unaware of any strong demand within the MSC from competitors for a change to the scoring? Were the majority of competitors not happy with the existing regulations?
2. If class records are used to achieve bonus points above the new 20 points for a class win does this now mean nobody will be able to achieve 21 points at an event if they are faced with inclement weather? Would people not find this frustrating (it’s bad enough when it rains anyway!) – you could be Lewis Hamilton driving your heart out but only get the same score as Captain slow in a class on his own?
3. It appears inconsistent to mix percentage and absolute measures in the scoring, i.e “within 2% of a target time” and then “additional bonus equal to the time difference between their best time and the target time, up to a maximum of 0.5 seconds”. This will be to the advantage of classes with higher overall times.
4. It could be argued the move to focus on class records will discourage competitors from entering more established venues. The number of National A meetings at these venues means the records set a very high bar indeed, especially in certain classes such as the larger Racing Car classes. The championship should be guarded against losing credibility. I would argue this is a risk if the way to win the championship based on the scoring system is to compete at the smaller venues only (and arguably in one of the smaller capacity classes)? I appreciate this is already a concern but the changes appear to further compound this.
In summary if my interpretation of the new rules is correct it will bias the championship towards certain classes and venues. I do not believe this is in the long term interests of the championship unless the committee consciously wishes to narrow the audience the championship appeals to and considers this would be in some way beneficial?
I don’t normally get involved in discussions such as this but consider it very important the whole membership understands and consciously agrees to these changes and their implications for our championship. ....please post, lets have the discussion!
New scoring system
We have lost a lot of contenders in the last couple of years. Obviously the economic climate has had a lot to do with this, but we have had a number of contenders express dissatisfaction with the way that the scoring system is working. In particular, the reduced number of competitors has resulted in a lot of small classes where contenders scores can be significantly affected by who else turns out on the day.
On the issue of the mix of percentage and absolute measures of time, I agree that this is a bit inconsistent. We are trying to balance two goals here. One is to reward drivers equally at long and short venues. The other is to make it possible for a driver to leave an event at the end of the day knowing how many points he has scored without having to resort to a calculator or spreadsheet.
It will always be the case that some classes are more competitive than others. If someone wants to win the championship, and has the money to spare and a modicum of talent, then there has always been an opportunity to buy a car which will dominate a less competitive class. Right now I'd probably recommend that they buy a standard Nissan GTR
The committee discussed the changes to the scoring system over two meetings lasting about 4 hours, with numerous e-mails exchanged between the meetings. A wide range of different options was discussed with different people advocating changes in different directions, or no change at all. In the end we settled on the new system as a reasonable evolution of our established scoring system. We'll see how it works next year, and whether any further adjustments are needed.
1 - There was a long
1 - There was a long consultation and debate a couple of years ago (see the old forum http://midlandspeedchampionship.yuku.com/topic/1040/Championship-Scoring-System-2010 http://midlandspeedchampionship.yuku.com/topic/1047/2010-Draft-Regulations) that produced the current Regs. The consultation included the prediction that the discrimination against "small classes" would hasten their demise and it's sad that this seems to have happened. Perhaps one reason you're not hearing demand from competitors for changes to the scoring system is that you're hearing a self-selecting group. Those who didn't like the 2009/10 changes may not be competing in the MSC
2 - Yes. It's an inevitable outcome of having a multi-venue championhipship with a low "Required" to "Available" ratio which means that competitors are not necessarily destined to meet (unlike a single venue championship eg Harewood, Curborough or Loton). I seem to remember that a few years ago Angus and I only met once (Shelsley?) during a whole season of tough rivalry. There are mathematical solutions to this which were raised in the "old" consultation but which seem to come down to "who decides if it's wet, rather than damp or merely moist?"
3 - I'm not an apologist for MSC but this concept has been a feature of the scoring system for as long as I can remember (which may of course be more attributable to my memory than sustained computational inelegance). But I'm not sure why it's inconsistent. Surely the combination of a constant and a variable in a single expression is a standard feature of our mathemetics. Can you explain your unease a bit more?
4 - I agree with the principle you raise (in fact I think I raised it in different terms in the "old" consultation) but don't know what the answer is. If you award points solely on class position then that favours small uncompetitive classes. If you give reduced points for small classes you discriminate against them and create a disincentive to compete in those classes and end up with a single seater and Tin Top championship. If you have scoring solely based on records then you have the "wet" problem as well as the "A record" problem. And so on until you come round a full circle...............................
Overall, I agree with Angus (this is the second time this year that I've agreed with Angus and must surely presage some extraordinary cosmological event) in that the changes do seem to level the playing field a bit by applying the same system to all classes and is therefore something to be welcomed.
In response...
Hi Lindsey,
On point 3 - I am not concerned that the mathematics doesn't work! However I would argue that it is far more appropriate to apply bonus points based on the percentage the record is beaten by and not by the absolute time improvement as proposed. If it is done by the percentage this doesn't bias the scoring towards slower classes (assuming all classes and circuits have records that are equally hard to beat).
Looking at your feedback generally and especially on point 4 it looks like we both basically agree on the pros/cons of different scoring structures. It would appear more of a philosophical disagreement?
My father and I have both been in a similar position to you in previous years when we were early adopters of a bike engined kitcar. This was pushed out into it's own very small class at that point. We often only scored 20 points for winning the class. Yes this was frustrating, but would I have felt it right to score the same number of points as somebody in a class of 20 battling all day under the competitive pressure that brings?
If we have too many small classes then I would argue this is unsustainable for the sport. We will see consolidation of competitors within a smaller number of classes as they seek the competitive challenge better supported classes provide.
Following the proposed changes to the scoring it will give many competitors 20 points for turning up. Many who would have scored 21 will now only score 20 because either a national A record is beyond the reach of the lesser machinery they have or the fact the conditions were not perfect on the day. As a minimum this will compress the majority of people's scores together. Worstcase the championship will be heavily influenced/decided by the quality of the records in different classes and at different venues.
I accept any scoring system will be a compromise. Indeed, given the standard of the records in the 1600 racing car class I personally could never expect to be in a position to win the championship under the current or proposed scoring system. I do however genuinely think the changes will not be a positive move for the championship. The championship is likely to be won by somebody who strategically positions him/herself in terms of class and events rather than the driver who out performs his peers. If I was in a small class I would rather accept that places me at a disadvantage than see the overall championship lose credibility in this way.
Whatever is decided I wish the championship every success.
Chris.
P.S - if nothing else we have now tripled the activity on the forum in the last 18 months!
Looks like the organisers
Looks like the organisers have finally attempted to address the inballance between large and small classes, where scoring point depended upon the random entries of others rather than individual performances. It is a pitty that it has taken lac of entries to events and thus the large increase in small classes to bring it about.
The ultmate winner will no doubt still require beating the target times to get the extra points as before but now it will be on an even playing field.
The issue of a wet event is always a problem on a time based scoring system and some do have the concept of a "wet" event based upon how close the best time gets to the target and apply a correction of sorts. The Scottish Sprint Championship is one example.