J P Stein

A little blurb in the new Sports Car asking for member comments on changing the rules. Specifically, should Porsches be allowed to run twin plug ignition.
I'm fer it ....can't afford it, but I'm fer it nohow.

houldsworth1

You see…I’m missing something here.

Is Autocross about having the best driver, the best car or the best driver in the best car?

Surely the PAX system is there to equalize the field – which means it is all about having the best driver. If PAX worked perfectly then the car would be immaterial.

Instead we find large numbers of people pushing their cars to the edge of class legality to beat other people in the same class. It is an arms race (and an expensive one at that) which can never be won.

If, for example, the rules were changed to allow a 911 to run against Honda Civics, and the course was set up to favor the power and handling characteristics of the 911 you would win all the time. Would this be good? Not really since it would be a hollow victory.

I’m all for building faster, better handling cars but why do it in such a manner that gives an advantage? What is the point?

Barry

70RSR

To answer some of your questions.
1. For me, autocross is about winning. Prepping the car to the fullest capabilty of your wallet and the rules can never hurt. Odds are your competitor has done it so if you want to win, you should also.
2. Pax equalizes the classes, not the cars or drivers. It assumes the best car and driver in each class and then uses the multiplier.
3. In the SCCA the arms race is going on so either join in or you'll be left behind.
Take the time and money and effort that it takes to go to an SCCA National event or Divisional event. Have 23 Z06 Corvettes stomp you in your 996 and you'll have a better feel of why it is important to have every advantage that the rules allow.

houldsworth1

Dave,

Thanks for the answers. I guess we have different philosophy about sport - which is not a surprise to me. Personally, as long as I have a good time, winning is secondary.

That is not to say that I don't want to win - I was thrilled with my 2nd place in my first AutoX last year (PCA - Novice class 11). But if I had done it in a car that was far superior then I would not have felt the same. What made it for me was turning up on stock tires, without touching the car at all, and doing well.

At the higher levels I totally understand - particularly once you start getting into sponsorship. Perhaps the only ones likely to reach that are the ones who are willing to push the rules since they will be the ones most likely to win.

See you at an event later in the year perhaps.

Barry

70RSR

Barry,
I agree that there are different approaches. It is fun being the underdog and doing well. I think that wears off over time and second place becomes frustrating. Then you start to think, hey, my main competetion has the trick this or bigger that. Maybe if I do that to my car, I will go a little faster.
I hope to make a few NNJR events this year. I have to go, I'm trying to find bigger wheels and lighter body panels for my car. That should make me a half a tenth quicker.

houldsworth1

Dave,

Valid points. I must admit that there were people in my class with street legal 'sticky' tires. A couple of people that I spoke to said that this could be worth more than a second on a 45 second lap. So...come the time for some replacements that would be a consideration - particularly as I have a spare set of wheels that currently have my snow tires on.

The main reason I like AutoX is because it is a cheap way to find the limits of your car and improve your skills with very low risk of damage (I have seen too many videos of Porsches being flipped). I don't know how many I will make - probably no more than one or two - as time is very limited. But, I hope to see you there.

Barry

Leeds Gulick

SCCA Prepared classes are the domain of all out race cars. F prepared, where the twin plug ignition for 914/6s and 911s of 2.0 to 2.8 liters would apply, has cars that would typically be running in SCCA GT2 if they were road racing which is one of SCCA's most modified road racing classes. My F Prepared 914/6 is 2.8 liters, about 300 h.p., weighs 2,100 after adding 120 lbs. of ballast, runs on the pretty much class standard 16"x10" wheels with soft compound Hoosier racing slicks, has no interior other than a racing seat and some gauges, and has all fiberglass body panels except for the doors. If you were to class a 911 RSR as would run at Le Man for SCCA autocross, it would run in a Prepared class (A Prepared). We did this five or six years ago.

The restriction on twin plug ignition is something carried over from the SCCA GCRs (General Competition Rules) for road racing when Solo decided to go its own way about ten years ago. It was probably done to equalize the car within GT2 in terms of power. Since the separation from the GCRs the Solo II Prepared rules have stagnated compared to the GCRs since there are relatively few competitors with any given type of car in the Prepared classes while there is a much larger constituency in road racing pushing their rules forward. The GCRs now allow twin plug heads and 3.0 liter engines for 914/6s that road race. A couple years ago there was a 914/6 of the type listed above that was autocrossed by one of the owners and road race by the other.

I’m in favor of allowing twin plug heads as it is relatively inexpensive to do when building a real race engine and would help Porsche two-valve engines to be competitive with the newer multi-valve engines appearing in the class. It might be that SCCA Prepared rules are the only rules that have this twin plug head restriction for race engines for current race cars. It would be nice to be consistent with road racing in case someone wanted to obtain a road race car or engine to autocross in F Prepared, wanted to sell their car or engine to a road racer, wanted to road race their Prepared autocross car, or wanted to autocross their road race car.

Leeds

Leeds Gulick

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention. The single plug heads just went back on my engine last week. Oh well.

Leeds