RACE have agreed to run the P4 Vintage Challenge at 3 of their events in 2012.
In order to decide at which of the RACE Events the Challenge races will be run, RACE wants to hear from our P4 Challenge Racers to prevent any possible conflicts. Interested riders contact Chris Chapelle or catch him at the Supershow.
VRRA will continue to provide the P4 Challenge at each of our events during the season. This would mean 7 races in the P4 Challenge Series.
RACE licenses will be required for their RACE races. Send in your RACE license application before the end of the year to get your free test day.
RACE will be putting their 2012 schedule out in the next few days.
Pat
Right on!!!
Seven race series, would that imply points and year end trophies?
The 7 iron is going to get a work out in 2012.
Who else is in?
might just have to ride the 600 again
Sounds like fun to me
What bikes are eligible for the P4 Challenge through RACE? Is it the same bikes as VRRA P4 or do they have a different set of bikes to bring to the track?
Chris Chapelle told me that the rules would mirror VRRA
What is the “Challenge”? Is it VRRA vs RACE same machinery for both or VRRA P4 (cut off 1992) vs RACE Vintage machinery (rolling 10 year cut off)?
No the challenge is simply the same races we have for the VRRA P4 vintage challenge, but 3 of the RACE rounds will count for a championship (so its a 7 race serie).
Thanks Dom!
Can a P3H bike enter this challenge?
This race is open to any VRRA member with any VRRA legal machine at VRRA events.
Has Chris outlined what RACE will allow to compete at their events?
Jim
It was my understanding that the P-4 Challenge was a race for P-4 machinery ONLY. No bump ups from older period bikes as this was a race put on the schedule to give the P-4 riders a second race because they had no where to bump into. I would appreciate a confirmation from someone on the Executive as to whether this interpretation has changed or not.
Brian D. #43
Yes we certainly need clarification and less speculation on this site. Brian is correct, that is the way it was run 2 years ago. Personally, I don’t understand why you would limit it to P4 bikes only, RACE should have it on there first RACE weekend and if you make that with your P3 bike you should be allowed to race the VRRA VC.
Now at RACE weekends any Vintage bike should be allowed to run IMHO. RACE doesn’t really care and based on the last 4 years you will never get a full Vintage grid anyway, and they need the racers…
100% any vintage bike was ok at RACE rounds and 2 years ago when Brian was competition coordinator only P4 bikes could enter the P4 challenge at VRRA events.
I don’t know if this was changed or not but that’s the way it was when I beat that Hoffarth guy for the championship with my small girly bike 
I hate to be the one to point this out and I have no vested interest in these events or classes but … we seem to rely very heavily on the “spirit and intent” clause in paragraph 1c of the rule book. The general scheme of the rules is to set out a MAXIMUM model year for each class, not a MINIMUM model year. Within each period are a set of restrictions applicable to that period. The only restriction is a ban on bumping to a higher displacement class within the period. Additionally, there are some references to equivalency of classes when bumping between periods (i.e. P3 to P4.) However, the fact remains, absent a very broad interpretation of “spirit and intent,” there is no ban on bumping between any periods. It is the ability to fit within the rules of a specific class that defines a bike as a period bike, not the model year, and it is fully within the rules that an earlier bike could also be classed as a later period bike. In fact, it might ONLY be classed as a later period bike if it has been built to a standard that meets those requirements and not the earlier period ones (for example, a 1967 model built with disc brakes would be in P2.) Anyway … I’m just saying …
Very good point Stephen… To enter any Challenge race you must enter a regular spring race. If you show up at the Quinte TT and enter your bike in P3H, you may not enter the P4 challenge (or you could not in 2010 anyway) but if you did enter your P3 bike only in P4F1 and the P4 challenge, then you “probably” would have been aloud to race…
As a P4 rider, i can assure you that i dont give a crap what bike enters the P4 challenge, in my opinion it should be called “the vintage challenge” and open to anyone that wants to get out there and prove they are up to the “challenge” …
2012 - P4 Challenge Series:
In response to Jim K’s enquiry re P3 H bikes racing in the P4 Challenge race at VRRA events in 2012 we thought it might be best to put this request forward to the P4 Challenge racers and see how they would feel about the addition of earlier machines in the challenge with them.
Since we eliminated the dedicated Challenge races for the other Periods to make room for the bumping changes, it looks to me like the P4 Challenge could be opened up for anyone who wants to enter, but I do believe that we should recognize the opinions of the racers who usually participate in this race.
I would also like to hear from the Challenge racers regarding which RACE weekends (3) they would enter so we can let Chris know which would suit our racers best.
Is there anyone out there who intends to run the Vintage Challenge at the RACE events?
Pat
Not to side track too far but if you build a P3H bike with the intension of only racing in P4F1 it needs to be built to P3H specs entirely.
P4VC for P4 bikes only was introduced to give all P4 bikes an extra race 'cause they had nowhere to bump to,and everyone else had at least one place to bump to.
With the advent of within period bumping P4 F3,2,and 1 now have 2,1 and 0 places to bump to,respectively,and everyone else had at least one, and many had lots.
If the VC is re-introduced without restriction,P4F3,2 and 1 will have 1 more place to race,and so will everyone else.
So,to be fair,the VC should be for P4F1 bikes only.
P4F1 riders should be the ones who decide which other classes/periods can race in “their” race.
But if,because of their generosity,it is thrown wide open to all periods,why not call it “Vintage Open”,to make it less confusing.
So let’s say, hypothetically speaking, that some slug (like that guy on bike # 43) decides that, because of how the weekend races are scheduled, rather than bump across within his period, he will sign his P1-250 up for the Vintage Challenge race. He’s out there with P4-F1’s? And this will be ok with the P4 riders? I hate to be a stick in the mud, but I STILL think a Vintage Challenge race should be limited to P4 bikes. After all, P3 bikes can bump up to P4 races as well as within their own period. Why not let the P4 boys have a race of their own?
My 2 cents (CDN),
Brian D. #43