How do you know when to move up a race class?

[HajiWasAPunk]

Is it as simple as you're winning all the time in your class?

My son has now finished in the top 5 of his last 4 races in the beginner class but his best finish was 2nd. Also, he's only been riding for about 7 months. I'm thinking we should stay in the beginner class at least through his first season (which ends in November). Wondering other ppl's thoughts/strategy for longer term?

 

[JST122]

I would say let him develop and gain some confidence in the beginner class before moving up. If he has only been riding for 7 months there is no harm in letting him complete a full season in the beginner class. However, at the same time young kids who are athletically inclined tend to progress fast and if you find that it is getting to the point where it isnt challenging for him anymore and he is blowing away the rest of the field then you are doing his development more harm than good. If he is able to gets 2-3 wins under his belt in this class then it is probably time to move up and chase a new goal and challenge. If he is ready to move up dont hold him back just because he hasnt been riding for that long, all that will do is hold up his progression. If you podium consistently it is probably time to move up to the next class.

 

[Sandjunky]

Then again if you move him up too fast and he starts finishing in the middle of the pack then he may get discouraged or push it too hard. I'd rather him get comfortable in beginner than ride over his head trying to get top in top 5 in novice and get hurt. I would let him finish the season in beginner class and see how he progresses before moving him up. Just my opinion but why be in a hurry?

Oh, I see you are from Florida so he may have some Bubba Charmichael genes in him. Giver' hell!

 

[nikki]

Our district forced advancement is based on points average, where you get more points for having a bigger class too. So a win with 15 riders is twice as many points as a win with 3 riders.

Something else to consider is, are all of his top five finishes at one track, or do you guys race other tracks too? Sometimes, he might have the local track dialed in the beginner class, but might not do so well on a different track, or against a different crop of beginner riders. But if he does well everywhere, time to move up out of beginner, and give another rider a shot at the top five.

Another thing you could check, is to try to pace him against the kids in the next class. Like when they go out for practice, or based on lap times, or just watching them ride. If your kid has the potential to hang with a few of those kids in the next class, then that's good news too.

Although I don't see anything wrong with letting him get a win or two in beginner first, then moving up. That first #1 trophy will be special, I'm sure.

He's only been riding for 7 months, which means he's only gonna get better!! :cool:


On a side note, feeding off of the FL thing, where do you guys ride? We'll be in Florida next week and the following, would be cool to ride together one day.

 

[HajiWasAPunk]

edit, sorry for the double post, the other id is my sons and didn't realize he was logged in! Mods if you can delete it that fine. Thanks.

All, Thanks for the advice. We live and ride in the Tampa Bay area Nikki. Let me know what area of FL you'll be in and maybe we can all hook up.

He does ride primarily at one track and we are going to race a few times at another one so we'll see how he fares there as well.

 

[nikki]

Haji - our plan is to ride some north-central FL tracks. Probably Pax, Bithlo, Bostwick, and Waldo. With Hard Rock, NFMX, Bartow, and Quick Track as back-ups. :ride:

 

[HajiWasAPunk]

cool, let me know what dates you're gonna be here. The tracks you mentioned are a little north of us but I've meaning to bring the kids up and check them out. Also, if you can make it to Bartow, you may want to check out Sand Mountain. It's just a little further and quite a bit more challenging than Bartow. Nothing against Bartow, we ride there often and the owner's are really good ppl but based on the other tracks you mentioned you may like Sand Mountain.