shwah
12-15-2006, 01:48 PM
OK so I have had some new ideas lately about the SCCA class structure in general. Much of it is obvious, and when you really look at it the solutions not hard to see either. They just are not very likely to ever be discussed because so many people have vested interest in their share of the 'problem'. This is just thinking out loud stuff, but could be a fun conversation.
I have never felt the IT 'national question' was very important, could take it or leave it, and bought the common arguments for why it didn't make sense - often centered around too many classes. Now give some thought to the past 5 years of class structure in SCCA road racing. How many classes went away? How many were created?
Now for the obvious part. WE HAVE TOO MANY CLASSES. Too many national classes, too many regional classes. Too many classes period. This spreads resorces thin on every level. Regions have to fit too many classes onto the track in a finite amount of time, tech has to have the ability to police too many different classes/cars, CRB has to spend time managing too many rule sets, cars are spread across so many classes that counts are low, car prep is more expensive because there is less volume opportunity for parts, too few competitors in a given class to have meaningful competition in many cases.
Individually I do not disagree with most of the new classes, but it is obvious that the club is taking a shotgun approach, and acting in each case without considering the overall effect (or rolling over at the request of an auto manufacturer dangling $$).
What we need, not surprisingly, is a 'global classification strategy'. Something like:
2 winged formula classes, one slower/cheaper, one faster/more expensive.
Formula 1000 is a great fit for the former, it makes FC redundant and unreasonably expensive. End the FC class, all of those drivers already have developed chassis that can be applied to F1000, and now that they don't have to measure engine life in hours before a very expensive rebuild they even have the funds available to change powertrain to fit F1000 rules. The latter could be many things - FA, FSCCA
2 no-wing formula classes, one slower/cheaper, one faster/more expensive.
Formula Ford and Formula Vee are the starting points for this. Move them to a reasonable power plant spec and this one is done. I am thinking IT prep level (with cams) Zetec motors in the Ford and not really sure about the FV (don't even know if those are expensive, maybe they are fine as is).
2 (or 3) sports racer classes, one slower/cheaper, one faster/more expensive. SRF is slower/cheaper, but could probably be given new legs with some power train updates. CSR/DSR/S2000, not sure what to do here. I could see S2000 cars moving to CSR with powertrain changes. Maybe you end up with 2 'open' classes and one spec class. No chainsaw racing classes - we already have a spec sports racer. If you want smaller/cheaper look into shifter karts (you get to shift that way too!)
Develop a sensible structure to move cars from T and IT to Prod to GT.
4 T classes - this is done now
4 IT classes with a National development path into Prod. B,A,S,R. C cars considered on a request only basis, but the other classes with a pre-defined class.
4 Prod/Prep classes D,E,F,G. G and H could exist together with appropriate changes. All new cars to be 'Limited Prep'. Revisit B and D Prepared and find a way to fit everything into 4 classifications. Maybe even re-evaluation the whole prod concept since it has morphed into GT for vintage cars. Run everything with Prepared type rules, get rid of the tiny restrictors, required data logging for all Turbo cars and allow them to race with restrictions similar to the World Challenge classes.
4 GT classes. They exist, but are not real healthy. This process should help them, especialy in the lower classes, gain racers. Maybe consider making the GT1 Class closer to World Challenge GT rule set, rather than the defunct Trans Am rule set (for that matter, rebrand WC as TransAm - the cars in WC today are closer to the philosophy of Trans Am in it's heyday IMO.)
2 MAX model specific sports car classes. Spec Miata is not a bad class, as evidenced by the participation, but it should be reviewed for relevance every year. If the car goes off the market, or changes philisophically off the showroom floor, 3 years following the class drops and they go IT or Prod or GT racing. This way the club has the ability to ride the wave of other 'good fit' vehicles as they hit the market, and are not stuck with a white elephant in 15 years when everything changes.
That leaves us with 20 classes. Heck 21 would be a good round number for a 3 day runoffs program (or add 4 IT classes for a nice round 24). Race scheduling and management will be easier, promotion and television would be easier, track time would go up, competition would go up. All good things IMO.
Now regionally, it would also make sense to simplify classification (why again are there 2 Spec Miata classes at my regionals?!?), but I don't see much movement there until action were taken at a national level.
I know this would never happen, but if it did the club would improve IMO. So let me know all the points of view I missed and all the changes I didn't consider, and flame away in general.
I have never felt the IT 'national question' was very important, could take it or leave it, and bought the common arguments for why it didn't make sense - often centered around too many classes. Now give some thought to the past 5 years of class structure in SCCA road racing. How many classes went away? How many were created?
Now for the obvious part. WE HAVE TOO MANY CLASSES. Too many national classes, too many regional classes. Too many classes period. This spreads resorces thin on every level. Regions have to fit too many classes onto the track in a finite amount of time, tech has to have the ability to police too many different classes/cars, CRB has to spend time managing too many rule sets, cars are spread across so many classes that counts are low, car prep is more expensive because there is less volume opportunity for parts, too few competitors in a given class to have meaningful competition in many cases.
Individually I do not disagree with most of the new classes, but it is obvious that the club is taking a shotgun approach, and acting in each case without considering the overall effect (or rolling over at the request of an auto manufacturer dangling $$).
What we need, not surprisingly, is a 'global classification strategy'. Something like:
2 winged formula classes, one slower/cheaper, one faster/more expensive.
Formula 1000 is a great fit for the former, it makes FC redundant and unreasonably expensive. End the FC class, all of those drivers already have developed chassis that can be applied to F1000, and now that they don't have to measure engine life in hours before a very expensive rebuild they even have the funds available to change powertrain to fit F1000 rules. The latter could be many things - FA, FSCCA
2 no-wing formula classes, one slower/cheaper, one faster/more expensive.
Formula Ford and Formula Vee are the starting points for this. Move them to a reasonable power plant spec and this one is done. I am thinking IT prep level (with cams) Zetec motors in the Ford and not really sure about the FV (don't even know if those are expensive, maybe they are fine as is).
2 (or 3) sports racer classes, one slower/cheaper, one faster/more expensive. SRF is slower/cheaper, but could probably be given new legs with some power train updates. CSR/DSR/S2000, not sure what to do here. I could see S2000 cars moving to CSR with powertrain changes. Maybe you end up with 2 'open' classes and one spec class. No chainsaw racing classes - we already have a spec sports racer. If you want smaller/cheaper look into shifter karts (you get to shift that way too!)
Develop a sensible structure to move cars from T and IT to Prod to GT.
4 T classes - this is done now
4 IT classes with a National development path into Prod. B,A,S,R. C cars considered on a request only basis, but the other classes with a pre-defined class.
4 Prod/Prep classes D,E,F,G. G and H could exist together with appropriate changes. All new cars to be 'Limited Prep'. Revisit B and D Prepared and find a way to fit everything into 4 classifications. Maybe even re-evaluation the whole prod concept since it has morphed into GT for vintage cars. Run everything with Prepared type rules, get rid of the tiny restrictors, required data logging for all Turbo cars and allow them to race with restrictions similar to the World Challenge classes.
4 GT classes. They exist, but are not real healthy. This process should help them, especialy in the lower classes, gain racers. Maybe consider making the GT1 Class closer to World Challenge GT rule set, rather than the defunct Trans Am rule set (for that matter, rebrand WC as TransAm - the cars in WC today are closer to the philosophy of Trans Am in it's heyday IMO.)
2 MAX model specific sports car classes. Spec Miata is not a bad class, as evidenced by the participation, but it should be reviewed for relevance every year. If the car goes off the market, or changes philisophically off the showroom floor, 3 years following the class drops and they go IT or Prod or GT racing. This way the club has the ability to ride the wave of other 'good fit' vehicles as they hit the market, and are not stuck with a white elephant in 15 years when everything changes.
That leaves us with 20 classes. Heck 21 would be a good round number for a 3 day runoffs program (or add 4 IT classes for a nice round 24). Race scheduling and management will be easier, promotion and television would be easier, track time would go up, competition would go up. All good things IMO.
Now regionally, it would also make sense to simplify classification (why again are there 2 Spec Miata classes at my regionals?!?), but I don't see much movement there until action were taken at a national level.
I know this would never happen, but if it did the club would improve IMO. So let me know all the points of view I missed and all the changes I didn't consider, and flame away in general.