This program began to evolve a few years back and this year with the help of a Judging Committee which included Pat Caruso, Bernie Cooney, Ray Koziol, Ralph Messina and Jay Raskin the program finally saw the light of day.

In prior years a large stumbling block in getting the program off the ground was a lack of judges. Now this was not due to a lack of interest. Quite the contrary, our prospective judges were interested but expressed apprehension in joining the program due to their lack of experience. Let‘s face it; if you have ever seen the Grand National judging process or the judging form itself, it can be a bit overwhelming.

Well this year the committee reviewed and addressed these concerns. Our regional events do not call for the in-depth review that takes place at a Grand National event. Our shows are on a smaller scale and judging takes on more of an "eyeball" approach based on condition rather than on a technically oriented approach. While Grand National judging looks for the correct nuts, bolts, and hose clamps, we look at components based on their condition. To further simplify the process we‘ve developed a Judging Form which assigns a point value to 25 different parts/components of the car.

We begin the judging process by assuming the car is a "trailer queen" in perfect condition. We judge the car by reviewing each component listed on the judging form and assigning a point value as described. For instance, seats carry a maximum point value of 10. If they are in perfect shape they would be awarded the maximum point value of 10. If they show some wear they would be as-signed a lower point value based on the judge‘s interpretation, and here is one of the most important parts of our program….CONSISTENCY. As long as the judge evaluates each car in the same manner, using the same principles and techniques the result will be a fair and equal competition, and based on the total points awarded the top rated cars will be easily identified.

If you would like to join our judging team please contact me via e-mail, RayK@rrrclc.org or by phone, 732-805-9772. When we have enough additional members interested, we will hold another Judge‘s Certification Seminar.