Chuck Hodge was pretty adamant the change was to clear the logjam from 5->3.
The new points are interesting. That said some riders I have known who were ready to quit the sport because they just couldn't seem to get that last point or two and who were driving around trying to find the field sizes and category setups they needed where just pushed over the top with points for the 2's.
Remember- the same people are racing. There's now only a slightly better chance that they might be racing int he category they are really supposed to be racing in and that cat 2 actually will mean something now instead of just saying 1/2 in the same breath. They really should just be the good 3's...not only the slow 1's.
The Novice to 4 thing is BS but whatever. The idea of novice and only paying $40 can help. I hope it does.
I will continue to be a 4 forever.