By the end of the 2013 season (October), various people had been telling me I was ready to move up from Intermediate to Advanced. But, in order to move up, you needed the OK from the “group lead” for that group (we'll call him John). Unfortunately, I always had gotten the feeling that the Advanced group was more like a “private club” of people John wanted to run with, rather than based on skill. You needed skill, sure, but if you weren't also part of his little group, you didn't run in Advanced. And, I never thought he would approve of my moving up, so I remained in the Intermediate group.
Then, for the last track day of 2013, the Intermediate (we'll call him Ed) and Advanced (John) group leads switched. I later found out that this was because of a flap when one of the other advanced drivers was thrown out (ostensibly for unsafe driving).
I saw this as my opportunity. Ed was an instructor with the National Auto Sport Association (NASA), one of the largest clubs in the country, and the one with the highest standards. So, I asked Ed if I could be evaluated to move up. I felt I would get a fair evaluation from Ed, based on my driving skill alone, and not membership in some “group”.
Ed and I rode together for an entire session, and he said I was more than qualified, promoting me to the advanced group. However, when he told one of the organizers and John (standing together) that I had been promoted, I could tell that John was not pleased. But, that was the last track day of 2013, and that was the end of that. Or, was it?