I'm just trying to help, I think ST has huge potential but it has a lot of growing up to do. when I was a kid, I was going to be an astronaut, too. now I'm a middle-level engineer who sells racecar safety parts on the side and tries to eek out a few hours a week in the garage.

cost and all that is irrelevant - agreed. engine position should be controlled for ALL engines, stock USDM, non, etc... the intent SHOULD be to locate the thing in what is the stock position and orientation, or roughly where it would have been from the factory had it come in that car. not lowered, rotated, set back, etc... it's a matter of weight distribution and driveline alignment. if a swap gains you benefits over stock in this regard alone, it's a problem. find a way to make sure engines are located in acceptably stock-like locations. the all in the unmodified engine room rule is a start.

prod has such rules. (no engine movement from stock and allow limited rotation of transverse about the crank and vertical motion of "RR" engines) see 9.1.5.E.1.m.6 and 9.1.5.E.1.o.6
IT has such rules - stock position only. see 9.1.3.d.1.s
hell, even STO has restrictions on engine position. see 9.1.4.1.E.3 and 3.a. these USED TO be more lenient, I guess there's precedent that allowing too much freedom was a bad idea, eh? STO will show you your problems because that is where the big money shops first.


it's not that hard, just be big picture. place a reasonable restriction on the location and orientation of the engine. you WILL see rotation SOON, of stock and otherwise. it's natural law. stop it before it becomes an issue.

and trackside check the cam in just about ANY IT car. oh, right, unless it's a miata AND you have a cam doctor on hand, you can't. don't worry if the rule is trackside enforceable. you are specifying an intent, egregious over-runs of that intent will be dealt with by competitors and will be obvious. otherwise it's not going to BE protested.

the last thing you need to worry about is tech, half the time they can't even figure out what GOES in ST, and at what weight. I love tech guys, hell I am one (well, not so much since my daughter came to be, but we'll correct that as soon as possible), but they are being asked to "know" a whole hell of a lot. many of us can't agree on "simple" rules. it's up to experts and COA per the protest process, not trackside tech.