Originally posted by 7'sRracing:
The fact that I cant rebuild my motor with new OR aftermarkets parts at this time forces the issue of alternates being allowed IMO.

...but 81-85 rx7 japanese housings, they have always been available over the counter here in the usa from your mazda dealer and have a factory mazda part number.

... Darin, are you saying as a ITAC member you would not support an alternate part from mazda to keep 70% of the IT field on the track? no disrepect, just curious.
First, show me in the rules where any of what you stated above is LEGAL???...

I can save you some time... There is NOTHING in the rules that allows you to use anything other than FACTORY original rotor housings and sideplates that were standard on the model years listed on your spec line AS AVAILABLE IN THE UNITED STATES on regularly produced base models of the car.

There is NOTHING in the rules that would allow ANY Japanese-only spec part as an accepted replacement for these factory pieces. This is why the 510 can't use the SSS head, etc... It was never sold on a car destined for the USA...

You may be able to get away with using rotor housings/rotor/sideplate combinations from different model years of '79-'85 RX-7, but even this may be suspect by the "as an assembly" update/backdate rules.

The rotor housings and sideplates are equivalent to a block and head on a piston engine, and there is DEFINATELY NOTHING in the rules that would allow you to use anything here but the factory pieces standard on the US model of these cars. Even replacement rotors must be specific to the US models and the years listed... as the piston rule obviously doesn't apply to rotary engines...

If the Manufacturer has OFFICIALLY superceded (not NLA, not also-available, not over the counter...) a different part number for the original pieces, and real documentation exists of this, then it would STILL Have to be submitted to the CRB for inclusion on the vehicles spec-line before it would be legal to use.

As an ITAC member, this is how I read the rules concerning this matter.

As for how I'd treat situations like this... I'd have to see what the case was. If we are talking about a legitimate supercede that performs the same function and offers similiar levels of performance, then I'd obviously be in support, because our rules allow that...

However, if manufacturers suddenly start superceding entire designs and say, for instance, just supercede the Renesis package for the original 12A package, then I'm going to fight to get the rules loophole filled up to keep this kind of non-sense from happening in IT.

If Mazda has truely superceded some higher performance parts in place of the orginal pieces, then I think this is BS and needs to be controlled in some way.

I doubt that you can come up with a real, rules based arguement, for why any currently classified rotary IT car can legally use any of the Renesis engine parts that are not already common between the two... If guys are using Renesis Rotors, they are illegal... If they are using Renesis sideplates (don't see how that is possible...) they are illegal... If they are using anything beyond what came on these cars between the years of 1979-1985 for the 1st gen or '86-?? for the 2nd... they are illegal...

I'm more than willing to hear your arguments otherwise...

Also... there is NOTHING in the current rules that allows you to use "Factory OR Aftermarket" pieces for most of the components... From Engine pieces to brake rotors... if it's NOT spelled out as acceptable in the ITCS, then you are currently required to use factory OEM replacement pieces...

Not my rules, that's just the way they are currently written... Remember, this class started from SS rules...

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Darin E. Jordan
SCCA #273080, OR/NW Regions
Renton, WA
ITS '97 240SX


[This message has been edited by Banzai240 (edited April 23, 2004).]