If that's so, and especially with so many drivers, it seems to me that all the moving around is a bunch of work for little or nothing. I certainly understand wanting to move up in the ranks, but moving up one week only to be moved back the next seems silly.
It serves a few purposes:
1. A way for new drivers (whom we don't know their skill level) to advance to the correct Division.
2. A reward, or some may say reality check, for drivers who have done well in a particular week to test out their abilities.
3. Motivation to improve your skills to either move up or not move down.
Why would D1 not be 16 drivers (unless lag is that big of an issue) every week?
It is a lag/bug issue. The magic number seems to be 12 before the online bug occurs. Lag can happen at anytime and is dependent primarily on connection speeds.
Giving a notice of absence would not be an advantage except that said driver can't be demoted (as I understand the current arrangements) and would only make for a smaller field in the D1 races (as his spot would not be filled by another driver moving up from a lower division). The shuffling of drivers would still take place and repeated absences would be of no benefit to the absent driver (except to avoid an unsuitable car/track combo- which would be lame).
This was introduced as a courtesy for drivers who can't make it one week. We usually fill that spot with a driver from a lower division, so the numbers remain fairly consistent in Div 1 and Div2, 12 to 13. Div 3 depends on how many new drivers we get and who can and can't make it that week.
The remaining lot of drivers are then divided in half between the other divisions, right?
The drivers we currently have are already in Divisions, the only movement between Divisions is done via Relegation/Promotion or filling an empty spot because someone can't make it that week.
Is there some sort of formula or protocol for determining how many drivers get moved around in each division? I've been trying to come up with something that would score drivers together, regardless of division, that would account for all drivers starting and finishing positions, which would aid in determining if ANY driver should be moved. Obviously if a particular driver is dominating his/her division, they should be advanced (and the converse is also true). But again, bouncing up and down seems likely in the current format, even if unnecessary.
By dominating your division, you will move up, given the current setup. We're currently discussing what shape that setup will be. Currently on the table, from a pure Relegation/Promotion perspective are:
Option 1.
Bottom 2 for the week from Div 1 go to Div 2.
Top 2 for the week from Div 2 go to Div 1.
Bottom 2 for the week from Div 2 go to Div 3.
Top 2 for the week from Div 3 go to Div 2.
Option 2.
Bottom 1 for the week from Div 1 goes to Div 2.
Top 1 for the week from Div 2 goes to Div 1.
Bottom 1 for the week from Div 2 goes to Div 3.
Top 1 for the week from Div 3 goes to Div 2.
Option 3.
Bottom 1 for the week from Div 1 goes to Div 2.
Top 1 for the week from Div 2 goes to Div 1.
Bottom 2 for the week from Div 2 go to Div 3.
Top 2 for the week from Div 3 go to Div 2.
Any new drivers to the group, will always start in Division 3.
Took me so long to type this out, I'm guessing I'm going to be mega ninja'd