Winning the CDC Points Championship

[BugBomb]

All of this may soon be obsolete if the club changes to a new system next year, but I thought I would share some information about my efforts to win the championship for 2007 - playing by CDC's rules.

First, I will skim over the obvious stuff. You need a fast car, and you need to be a relatively good driver. You don't have to be Mr. FTD Karwan, but the closer you are to him, the better. Dan Rockholt was 2nd in the points this year and he usually wasn't in the top 5 raw times, so it's not necessarily about setting FTD.

The most important part about getting points is keeping your index as low as possible. Forget about consistency or FTD. This system does not care how good of a driver you are. If that's all you are concerned with then you shouldn't bother reading the rest of this, as it will just be boring. I didn't make the rules, but I do like to find the best solutions without breaking them. If you want to win CDC's championship, you must learn to manipulate your index. This is how it works:

At every event, you get an index that basically represents where you were in relation to the average time. Above average gets you an index above 1.0, and below gets you under 1.0. Your index time at an event is determined by multiplying your raw time by the average of your last three event indexes. Simple enough, but manipulating your index can get tricky. The fastest way to lower your index is to sandbag an event.

A lot of people seem to frown on sandbagging, but some of us see it as a legitimate strategy. Like I said, I don't make the rules, I just play by them. Anyone can sandbag in any car, and you can still have fun. I'll let you in on a little secret, although it probably won't matter next year. Up until this point, all times are recorded on paper. If you want to disqualify some of your own runs because they were too fast, you are allowed to do that. You can do morning runs in a slow car, then do afternoon runs in a fast car, and then disqualify your fast runs by marking them as off-course. If the paperless system gets incorporated next year, this might not be an option, but again the index might be totally different next year.

Ideally, you would sandbag 4 events over the year because they remove your 4 lowest scores at the end of the year. They have to be spread out enough to keep your index down the whole year. If you have to miss one or two events, then you don't want to sandbag 4, but every missed event will make it harder to win the championship.

Now here is where it gets tricky. You don't want to sandbag just any event. I consider a lot of factors when determining this. The performance of the entire group affects the index for that event (remember it is based off of the average). If the event conflicts with another popular auto-x, or you don't see a few top-level finishers registered for the event, the average time might end up slower. You are better off sandbagging when you expect the average time to be fast (lots of FTD competitors at one event). This puts your slow time further from the average and therefore has more impact on your average index for the next few events.

So what do you do when the field is thin on top-level competitors? You go for FTD, BUT you do not want to clear the pack by seconds. The index works both ways, so going much faster than the average time awards you a much higher index - hurting your average for the next few events. A 1.16 index is unnecessary when a 1.12 still gets you FTD and possibly FITD.

I think it would be amusing if many people used this sort of strategy. You would never know if an FTD-competitor was actually giving it 100%. I am not advocating that the club stick with this system. I am just a fan of having different types of competition, especially ones that can be intellectually challenging as well.

For instance, I would still like to see a special "bracket" auto-x event where competitors "dial-in" a time and then try to run it without going faster.

[ProDarwin]

I don't have a problem with people sandbagging. It is playing by the rules, and definitely makes use of a unique strategy in order to win. I do think that if everyone approached this system the same way you do, it would be more interesting. However, it would still be a competition among the fastest cars. The issue I have with sandbagging is that the index encourages it. If the system was changed so that one could not benefit from it, your strategy would likely change. Me... I don't want to pay $25 and waste a Saturday to drive my car slow.

Anyways, congrats on winning the championship. I don't knock you at all for sandbagging. You're a quick driver with good strategy.

[Gonz]

First off, congrats on the win.

That's impressive that you have planned it out so well.

One thing you didn't mention is that it does take a lot of effort and dedication to win: getting up early on Saturday morning 14 times, swapping tires on and off the car 28 times, adjusting your suspension, sometimes spending the day in 95 degree heat or 45 degree rain, taking time away from other weekend activities, etc.

Sandbagging is simply playing into the rules. I don't think you have to "drive slow" to "sand bag." You can simply bring a different car or switch cars with someone, or simply run your street tires, and still drive the wheels off the car.

but yeah, if our usual FTD guy is out there making 55 second runs....... well, that's where I start thinking the index should work differently.

[FredK]

Interesting perspective. I have personally always enjoyed watching "team Morans" antics, it is very entertaining to see all the commotion and stratagizing. When I beat the Morans I had an added sense of acomplishment knowing it was just me against the "team". The rules are the rules and that's fine by me. I really just like to see how fast I can go and try to beat Wade. I didn't even know about the index or even that their was a season long thing until mid-season, I never scrolled past raw times on the results.

I do have a problem with marking yourself O.C, I cannot believe that is part of your strategy, I don't know if it's O.K. to lie and change your own score sheet, but I doubt that it is within the spirit of the rules. While I'm on the subject, in a six man shootout everyone running two runs it would seem obvious to me that everyone runs once, then everyone runs again, seems obvious to me. This even applies to the people who alraedy have an inherent advantage by having two drivers driving the same car. Five guys drove their cars first two runs, one guy drove his cars third and fourth runs. You guys are funny!(you were told to run first and fourth). At least you can say you were in the car with the fastest run, ha ha.

Their is a line, you pick which side you want to be on.

[TubeDriver]

Congrats Mike!


You have obviously spent some time considering how to play the system which makes you a formidable competitor.

I hope nobody takes my dislike of the current Index system in a personal way, clearly Mike has worked within the rules, driven well and attended a lot of events in order to win the season.


That said, Mike's post really illustrates some of the weaknesses in the current system. I think that sandbagging is not really all that big a deal because I see the system as so fundamentally flawed that it simply has to go away.

[mla163]

Moran bros. Great drivers, great car.

I don't think anyone is saying that sandbagging is cheating. It's manipulating the system. I think that the spirit of the index system would be upheld if the possibility of sandbagging were eliminated for the 2008 season.

[BugBomb]

I do have a problem with marking yourself O.C, I cannot believe that is part of your strategy, I don't know if it's O.K. to lie and change your own score sheet, but I doubt that it is within the spirit of the rules. While I'm on the subject, in a six man shootout everyone running two runs it would seem obvious to me that everyone runs once, then everyone runs again, seems obvious to me. This even applies to the people who alraedy have an inherent advantage by having two drivers driving the same car. Five guys drove their cars first two runs, one guy drove his cars third and fourth runs. You guys are funny!(you were told to run first and fourth). At least you can say you were in the car with the fastest run, ha ha.

Is there a spirit to the rules? I think everyone agrees that the index is not out to prove the best driver, or even the most-improved or consistent. So what is the spirit of this system?

As far as the shootout, it was all just for fun anyway. The club didn't even post the results, and I am glad they didn't. The only reason we changed the run order (with Ed's permission) was so that we weren't re-adjusting the belts between each run, which is a royal PITA. Didn't think it was a big deal at the time, but I guess we should have asked everyone else what would have been fair to them.

[moxnix]

For instance, I would still like to see a special "bracket" auto-x event where competitors "dial-in" a time and then try to run it without going faster.

They do this at the Mazda Zoom Zoom live events but they have already set the time.

At one DC SCCA charity event we had a pool where people paid to guess what their time was going to be and the person that got the closest (without going over? under? one of the 2 I forget) got 1/2 the money.

[ButtDyno]

+1 for "nothing against you guys, you were working the system that was given to you and you're good drivers and nice people and stuff"

+1 for "I didn't know you could mark your own times off course"

john

[motomoron]

My approach was to try as hard as I could to get as close as I could to FTD without changing anything but tires. That was *almost* good enough to crack the top 10 on points. Running with AI/SCCA next season may be more suited to this conventional strategy.

[ButtDyno]

This even applies to the people who alraedy have an inherent advantage by having two drivers driving the same car.

That's not an inherent advantage. It could be a huge disadvantage depending on the car, the tires and the weather. Try having a tire warmer on a 95 degree day in a 3000 lb Subaru on a set of Azenis without the opportunity to spray them down in between runs

[saint_foo]

This even applies to the people who alraedy have an inherent advantage by having two drivers driving the same car.

That's not an inherent advantage. It could be a huge disadvantage depending on the car, the tires and the weather. Try having a tire warmer on a 95 degree day in a 3000 lb Subaru on a set of Azenis without the opportunity to spray them down in between runs

In this case, yes, it was an advantage. The temps were cooling as well as the asphalt. Heat = more grip Sunday afternoon.

Fred and everyone else, I said it was okay to allow the Morans to run 1 driver twice, then the other twice. This was to speed things up b/c of the whole Mike-is-so-much-smaller-than-Jake and adjusting the belts is a pain in the butt. I've driven their car and it was time consuming to get your self situated b/w different body sizes.

In all fairness, since Mike was posted the faster time, we could've had him run first. Oh well, in theory the shootout was fun as hell. In hindsight, there were a couple of things we might've done to even the playing field without making people wait around an extra five minutes while we wait for the tires to cool down.

[saint_foo]

Oh yeah, I forgot to say that I really enjoyed watching a lot of the rivalries throughout the year.

I'm glad I got to meet most of the Cobra guys. You guys are a trip. A bunch of zealots w/ your Cobras....but all-in-all really cool. In fact, if any would like to co-drive one of my cars you're more than welcome to do so - no strings attached (although I can't promise I wouldn't ask to drive the Cobra...hehehe).

Too bad Brian Karwan's been MIA for a bunch of the season, too. He kind of fell of the face of the earth. That basically left Francois and the Morans (sorry if I left anyone out) to battle the Cobras.

People like Calvin Myint are starting to pop up and keeping up with the leaders. The next few years should prove really exciting w/ competition. And I do mean throughout the whole spectrum of drivers. Look at Patty and Woody. They've improved quite a bit. Ernest is up there as well. A lot of the guys are starting to pay attention to their setup and driving better lines. A few folks could drive a bit more aggressively though.

[TubeDriver]

hey remember the single time I actually dragged out my Hoosiers to a CDC event I got FTD.

That basically left Francois and the Morans (sorry if I left anyone out) to battle the Cobras.

[Ben L]

Well, despite some controversies here and there, as one of the "Cobra zealots," I just want to say that I think you guys ran a really great, laid-back but "as competitive as you want to make it" season.

There is always real racing, and anyone's guess who will take FTD. But as much as the organizers deserve kudos, the next best thing about CDC is the drivers. I really enjoy meeting and hanging out with drivers of all ages and automotive orientations, gathering in a spirit of friendly competition, sharing the goals of having fun and improving their driving and racing skills.

If we seem a litle touchy about our cars, remember that for the most part, they were built at home, specially to suit the owner. So they are true labors of love and extensions of ourselves.

As you grapple with the index system for next year, please avoid the pressures to make things "more SCCA-like." One of the attractive things about CDC autox is that it ISN'T like SCCA.

I would also weigh in against PAX based indexing. As a rule I hate it, because our fundamentally homebuilt cars have a huge range of variability in power (some 351 strokers, some supercharged, some big blocks, and some, like me, run wheezy old small block 5.0 EFI naturally aspirated plants) and other mods, and yet we are just lumped into XP. And yet a car like a well driven S2000 can give a Cobra a run for its money any day.

I believe I am a poster child for Ed's index system. Due to much tweaking, coaching and work, my driving improved steadily over the season, and it was exciting to see the gains rewarded in the index.

Thanks again to all of you guys, organizers and fellow drivers. You'll figure out what to do for next year, and not everyone will like it. So what?

Looking forward to more fun next year!