Proposal: passenger seats
9.1.3.9.e currently reads:
Quote:
Front passenger seat, rear seat back, rear seat bottom cushion(s), sun visors, seat belts and their attaching hardware and bracketry may be removed.
I'd like it to see it amended to:
Quote:
Front passenger seat, rear seat back, rear seat bottom cushion(s), sun visors, seat belts and their attaching hardware and bracketry may be removed or substituted.
Or (to be more pedantic):
Quote:
Front passenger seat and seat belts and their attaching hardware and bracketry may be removed or substituted. Rear seat back, rear seat bottom cushion(s), sun visors, seat belts and their attaching hardware and bracketry may be removed.
... with maybe another statement saying substituted components should serve no other purpose and should not interfere with driver egress (relative to the already-allowed OEM ones).
I hope everyone here agrees that a passenger seat offers no conceivable competitive advantage (and compared to the same weight in ballast, which is mounted lower, it's a disadvantage).
I use my car for instruction purposes at track days and it would be nice if I didn't have to swap the 30-ish lbs of passenger seat and harnesses for ballast before each race. Not that I do, and not that I would likely ever be protested, but it would be nice to have a formal allowance.
Thoughts, comments?
EDIT: latest wording attempt:
Quote:
Front passenger seat and seat belts and their attaching hardware and bracketry may be removed or substituted; substituted components may serve no purpose other than that of the original components. Rear seat back, rear seat bottom cushion(s), sun visors, seat belts and their attaching hardware and bracketry may be removed. In any automobile where allowed removal of rear seats, upholstery, etc., creates an opening between the driver/passenger compartment and an exposed gas tank, fuel cell, or part thereof, a metal bulkhead which completely fills such opening shall be installed (See GCR 9.3.26.1.)