Note on the Local Championship Series

Hey guys!

I just wanted to clarify what the Local Championship Series is and what's it's not.

It's one race per region, once every 3 weeks. It is not trying to determine the best horse at distances / surfaces / divisions; player encouraged competitions do a much better job than I ever could (as they can appeal to specific regional and horse demographics), and this isn't meant to replace them in any way.

The winner of the most recent race is listed on the "Local Champs" page and carries a "Local Champion" badge until the next race in the region. If (s)he wins the next race, (s)he keeps the badge; if (s)he loses, (s)he loses the recognition and badge (though he does get to carry an ex-Local Champion badge permanently). Right now - that's it.   There may be more to it eventually but, right now, it's more for bragging rights. :) Liken it to boxing or wrestling in this regard : it is kind of like a "Championship Belt." As long as the horse defends it in the next race, (s)he remains champion. Otherwise, (s)he loses the regional title.

The openness of the competition and varying distances / surfaces is by design to keep the competitive nature of the "Local Champ" interesting (once of age, any horse you breed will be eligible to race in a regional Championship race every 3 weeks).   Some horses are very versatile, while others are lights out at one surface and only a small distance range. So some horses will likely become "regional terrors", knocking out a variety of distances and surfaces, while others will offer the occasional "scare" factor when their surface and distance rolls around.

The primary goal is to give more players a reason to try out different regional breedings, and hopefully encourage small-region growth (as well as give some local bred horses their own little slice of sim-racing stardom). ;)

--Mike