New Racing Class in the US for 2014?

Word has gotten out that the SSA is going to launch a new racing class in 2014. The plan is for the class to begin in Regional Competition in 2014, and become a National Class in 2015. Due to the demise of the World Class, and the apparent popularity of the “Low Performance” contest, the Rules Committee, and the SSA have begun working out the rules for this new class..

Taking a tip from another struggling hobby, automobile racing, the RC has been working to define this new class, currently called LeMonns. The new class will race under rules patterned after the more famous racing series.

The basics are as follows:

Max investment in glider, trailer, and instrument must not exceed $7,500. Parachute, is not included in this price limit.

A glider may qualify as a LeMonns Class glider if it can be shown that not over $7,500 was expended in the purchase/preparation of the plane for racing. i.e., you can buy an airworthy glider for up to $7,500, or you can buy a wrecked sailplane, and show receipts for materials purchased (not to include your own labor, but hired labor must be included), provided the total expenditure does not exceed $7,500. Sale of components is permitted to reduce investment and get under the purchase price limit. Determination of value will be verified by the local race organizer. Once a glider is approved as a LeMonn, it will be permitted to race with the original owner until sold. If sold for more than $7,500, the LeMonn status of the glider will be removed.

If there is sufficient spread in performance of the LeMonns gliders, there will be the option to separate the gliders into “Sport” LeMonns and “Super” LeMonns for scoring purposes. There will be no handicapping within the LeMonns class.

Tasking will be either a traditional assigned speed task or an “endurance” task. The “endurance” task will have a set start and end time with the task being laps around an assigned task. The winner will be the pilot who has completed the most laps around the task and crosses the finish line first after the announced “task end” time. All others will be scored based on laps completed and order across the finish line.

Starts will be either Grand Prix style, or LeMonns style. Grand Prix style will be a 3 mile wide, height TBD, plane in space that can only be crossed after official start time. If the line is cross prior to official start time, a penalty will be applied. LeMonns Style start will have an announced “task start time”. Time for all competitors will begin at the announced “task start time”. Prior to the announced “task start time” pilots and crews will be positioned 100 fee from their trailers. There will be a countdown, and an announcement of “The Task is Now OPEN!” The Task Open announcement can be by a starters pistol, radio broadcast, cannon shot (New Castle Rules) or as determined appropriate by the host organization. Pilot and crews will run to their trailers, assemble their gliders, and pull to the launch line. There will be a designated “pit row” speed limit, and violators of this limit will be subject to a penalty. Once at the launch line, launches will commence immediately. In order to help assure fairness, task start time will not be before start of sustainable lift.

Either type of start will be permitted with either type of task.

There are still many details to be worked out, so please do not bother your regional director or anyone on the Rules Committee with questions, comments or concerns about this new class or the rules for it. They have been instructed to disavow any and all knowledge of this class in order to assure completion of the definition and the class-specific rules to be ready for the 2014 racing season.

Wiki-Leaks Mid-West