Sm, sm 2??

[Flyinglizard]

I see results for SM classes with more than one class distinction. Why is this? We quit running SCCA/ SM, because we couldnt run with the 99.
Help me out, what are the SM classes for the NE? Where is any info?
Thanks, MM

[mossaidis]

http://www.narrc.com/rules.html#SSM

[ner88]

SM2 is nothing more than SM, without the 99 and newer cars.
Same rule just no NB cars.
It's been a ARRC class for a few years.

[Andy Bettencourt]

SM2 is nothing more than SM, without the 99 and newer cars.
Same rule just no NB cars.
It's been a ARRC class for a few years.

I think this past ARRC was the second year they did it.

[JLawton]

How come they just didn't add weight to the 99+??

[gran racing]

They made some changes this offseason to improve the 1.6 SMs. Guess it's better to water things down even more.

It some what seems too bad those people didn't sell their SM goodies, and turn it into SSM if they felt unable to keep up with the newer cars.

[ShelbyRacer]

Don't forget the additional tire allowance. There are also other regions/divisions that have a class where the RA1 is still the spec tire.

[Flyinglizard]

NASA did adjust the 99. SCCA did not until this year. We stopped running our legal/slow 93 with SCCA because of this .
Mike runs the VW in HP for SCCA and the SM in NASA.

Now SCCA and NASA are closer. the 99 is still faster most of the time. The front runners will have both cars.
Having two classes makes the most sense. The 99 needs too much weight and plate to slow it down. I hate adding classes , but there are a lot of old 1.6cars sitting home or getting sold for Chumpcars.
MM

[ner88]

They made some changes this offseason to improve the 1.6 SMs. Guess it's better to water things down even more.

It some what seems too bad those people didn't sell their SM goodies, and turn it into SSM if they felt unable to keep up with the newer cars.

Ya, they added 15# to the 1.6 and removed 50# from the 99'

[gran racing]

I honestly haven't followed the SM politics and moves all that much, but thought the restrictor plates were changed?

I do think we as a Club continue to water things down by adding more and more classes.

[Andy Bettencourt]

I honestly haven't followed the SM politics and moves all that much, but thought the restrictor plates were changed?

I do think we as a Club continue to water things down by adding more and more classes.

It's a Regional issue Dave. They water so they can grow (in theory). SM2 is not National.

[Flyinglizard]

How can SM 2 get to National?
When the top 15 cars are99, something needs to be done. Let them go elswere is the common answer.
SCCA should try to keep more parity. IMHO.

[Andy Bettencourt]

How can SM 2 get to National?
When the top 15 cars are99, something needs to be done. Let them go elswere is the common answer.
SCCA should try to keep more parity. IMHO.

At some point, it's a self fulfilling prophecy. If all the fats guys are in 99's, it won't matter how competitive a 1.6 or 1.8 is.

Buras is a potential winner anywhere he goes in the 1.6.

[Flyinglizard]

I see that SCCA has finally matched NASA on weights and plates. 2012.
NASA will move there values if one car is proven to be the ringer.

[Butch Kummer]

We (Atlanta Region) added SM2 as a regional-only class a couple of years ago at the request of the '97- drivers that felt National had dropped the ball equalizing the various models in SM. Real or not, these guys were staying at home rather than contending for tenth at best (not unlike when IT-7 was created). We ran all of them in the same race amid cries of "participation trophies" (mostly from the '99+ crowd), and overall attendance in that group actually increased when most other groups were not.

Now that National has adjusted the different models for the 2012 we have changed the definition of SM2 to be for the "less intense" driver. As all of you know, it takes a lot of resources (time, talent and money) to run at the front of the field in SM, and not everyone out there is willing to justify that effort. Some (many?) folks want to return to the days when you could run a $10K car and have a chance to contend in the class, but that ship has sailed at the National level. Starting in 2012 Atlanta Region's SM2 class is for all generations of Spec Miatas, but the driver cannot have finished in the top half of the National point the previous year and cannot have run a Pro race (other than Pro-IT) in the past five years. And we'll really depend on the competitors to be enforcing the "seriousness" via peer pressure (and the fact that SM2 counts for nothing other than Atlanta Region points).

Maybe we're watering things down, but if guys are staying home because they don't feel they're competitive then who's that helping? As before, we'll continue to monitor participation levels as a measure of whether it works or not.

[gran racing]

Thus the introduction of SM3 just recently.

Actually Butch, I like the qualifications you're using. Might not totally work, but it's an interesting step.

[ner88]

SM3, ITVolvo, ITegra, who cares as long as guys (and Gals) show up race and have a good time. We are not trying to impress anyone but ourselves

Where would we be today without the Miata?

[mossaidis]

there's a balance between keeping folks, class counts and fair competition.

[gran racing]

Jerry, we'd be driving a more manly car? Lol

[JLawton]

Jerry, we'd be driving a more manly car? Lol

LOL. Yeah, I'd still be driving a manly MINI!!!