On New Years at midnight, we made a post on Facebook that stated we were “Pressing the refresh button for 2021.” This was more than just a post about our updated logo.
Throughout 2020 we saw the competition level rise even more in our Super Series and in our other asphalt divisions. But at the same time, iRacing has made some changes to the tracks, the cars we run, and the tire model, which has made passing more difficult and track position more important than ever.
As a result of these changes, the aggression level has gone up, the number of stupid moves being made has gone up, and the egos have gotten worse, and all of these things have become a problem. Plus to be honest, I’m getting worn out just trying to keep up with reviewing races and handing out anywhere from 10-30 penalties per week, especially when I felt like maybe I was too lenient in some of those penalties…
We have built this league around having some of the best short track drivers on the service racing with us on a weekly basis. Being the best short track drivers doesn’t just mean being the fastest, but also being able to race others cleanly and with respect. In 2020, we saw some of our longest tenured drivers in the league stop running with us, not because they don’t enjoy the challenge, but they too have gotten sick of dealing with the egos and the drivers that don’t race with respect. And that is a problem for us that needs to change. We need to get back to what made this league as good as it can be.
So effective as of today, we are doing a complete refresh for the entire league.
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LEAGUE REFRESH
The first step of this refresh, is removing ALL drivers from the iRacing league page, as well as our email list, and potentially the “SARA League Members” group on Facebook.
If you would like to continue running with SARA in 2021, you MUST re-register on the website. Click HERE.
As registrations come in, we are going to completely review each driver including your entire league history, all prior league penalties, as well as some other factors.
The reviewal process will take us a couple of days. Once your registration is reviewed you will either receive a league invite back into the league, or an email stating that your registration has been denied and you can re-apply for the league for the following season.
(*Note that the divisions listed on the registration form are tentative and subject to change prior to the upcoming 2021 season.)
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SUPER SERIES REFRESH / QUALIFIER SERIES
We will also be refreshing the Super Series as well.
During the league registration review process, all Super Series drivers will also be reviewed regarding their status in the Super Series. Drivers may be removed from the series, regardless of their past performances, or how long they’ve been in the series.
We will also be running a 5-week Super Series Qualifier schedule. This series will give drivers the opportunity to earn their spot into the Super Series.
Any driver that would like to attempt to run in the Super Series for 2021, MUST check the Super Series box on your registration form.
All drivers that sign up for the Super Series will be required to participate in the Qualifier series for the chance to possibly receive an invite into the Super Series. Previous Super Series drivers must run at least 2 Qualifier races, and new drivers looking to move up into the Super Series must run 4 of the 5 races.
This short schedule will run for 5 weeks, with qualifying on Wednesday nights, and races on Thursdays. Drivers that can’t make qualifying on Wednesdays will still be able to start at the back of the field on Thursdays. Depending on the number of drivers that qualify, we may run multiple splits for the features.
During this Qualifier series, different formats/inverts may be used. We will also review all Qualifier Series races, however there will be no penalties given out.
More information on the Super Series Qualifiers will be announced very soon.