US contest scoring formula is broken

Over the last several years I've found it quite annoying that I cannot
read the rules and understand the US scoring formula. The
calculation of US scores has become encumbered with so many correction
factors, devaluation factors and the like that mere mortals cannot
relate soaring performance to score results. It did not use to be
that way.

Day 5 preliminary scores for the ongoing US Standard class nationals
at Montague are showing that the current complex scoring formula
generates ridiculous results. The winning performance was a 217 mile
flight at 72.50 mph (congratulations David Greenhill). The second
place speed of 61.30 mph received 85% of the winners score for a speed
which was 15% slower. So far, OK.

Then a bizarre compression comes into play for slower finishers. The
seventh place pilot flew a mere 67 miles at 23.33 mph and received 76%
of the winners score. That’s absurd. He flew only about one third of
the speed and distance that the second place finisher flew yet scored
a mere 70 fewer points.

We need to completely scrap the present over-elaborated scoring
equations and get back to a scheme for scoring that is both simple and
understandable. The simple scoring protocol of yore may have produced
minor inequities at times; but, there was never anything as crazy as
the scoring we’re generating right now at the US nationals.