[darkpuppet]

Sorry for what I'm about to say.. typically I would totally agree with you Jay, but this time our opinions differ, and I know I'm going to catch flak for this

from the dictionary,

Quote: race2    ( P )  Pronunciation Key  (rs)
n.

  1. Sports.
        1. A competition of speed, as in running or riding.
        2. races A series of such competitions held at a specified time on a regular course: a fan of the dog races.

v. raced, rac·ing, rac·es
v. intr.

  1. Sports. To compete in a contest of speed.

v. tr.

  1. Sports.
        1. To compete against in a race.
        2. To cause to compete in a race: She races horses for a living.

I thought SoloII adhered pretty well to the definition of race/racing.

But I can see how it would get stuck in the craw of some 'purists', as it's almost too accessible to the average joe to fit the definition of 'true racing'. But that's the point of such grassroots motorsport -- to get people involved.

Sure it may not be racing in the hardcore sense, but it's really just another class of racing event. Just because there isn't a car hogging the space beside you doesn't mean it's not racing.

Just because I get annoyed at NASCAR's left-turn only policy, doesn't mean it's not racing.

Just because a regular NASCAR fan doesn't give a rat's ass about sliding sideways on gravel, doesn't mean that Rally isn't racing.

Just because it's not 4 wheels doesn't mean that motorcycles aren't racing.

and just because it's done one participant at a time, doesn't mean that mountainbike downhilling isn't racing.

we try too hard to define things to separate the 'wannabes' from the 'purists' here, and in this case, I think the argument that soloII isn't racing is BS. It's just a different type of racing.

[edit]I'll be honest when I say I enjoy autoxing, and if learning to navigate cones fast is all I get out of it, then damnit, I'll live with being a wannabe who can navigate construction zones with deftness :P [/edit]