Mark, that's old news , Larry already did that with 15 year old 964.

 

It's called Hoosier

 

I think it's pretty straightforward...it's an unnecessary fire hazard. The con is obvious and serious, what is the pro?

 

another plus for this one...I have NO problem with going on a dyno to prove that I am telling NO lies.

 

Bob, yes you are right. I was distracted by the Armour all shine on my dash, and Larry got away.

Sean,
I put my kids in a fire hazard everyday when I take them to school. And trust me, the track is a safer place than the roads in Atlanta.

There are a lot of safety rules that could be imposed that are more likely to save you than the carpet, like a fuel cell. The HANS rule is a good one, as you are much more likely to need a HANS than to worry about the carpet catching on fire. But I don't remember everyone clamoring to require a HANS a couple of years ago, like we are for removing the interior.

It is just interesting that the item that everyone is focused on is a key difference in the different rule sets and provides a 'weight advantage.'

Also, it seems like that catch net , or whatever it is called, in NASA would be harder to navigate than a passenger seat in an emergency, so again the logic is interesting.

Racing is all a calculated risk, and you and I are on different sides of the equation I guess. Someone please show me the risk of an interior fire is real, and not just theoretical, and I will think differently. I've never seen or heard of a death or injury where the interior made a significant difference.

 

Mark, I appreciate your counterpoints, fwiw. Good to always have a balanced debate on this stuff.

My general sense is that PCA stock is not stock by any dictionary's definition. I was reasonably competitive in a car that was as close to as delivered as just about anyone's when I ran my Turbo 3.6 for three races, but I sold it because to be truly competitive in "stock" the car has to undergo a transformation.

 

I think we just have different perspectives on safety. It's about what could happen not necessarily what has happened. Fuel cells are a great idea, but cost money. Removing the interior and the right seat cost nothing.

BTW, the right side nets have a quick release like the one on the HANS device (I have one in my car).

 

PCA is already policing interiors by allowing racers to cut away door panels for roll cage door bars, to remove floor mats, to remove rear seat backs to facilitate cage bars, to remove the headliner for the main hoop and to remove carpeting that is not glued or screwed down. Does it really matter if the glued carpet is allowed to be removed? If making it simple is the key, I cannot think of a more effortless rule than to allow all carpeting to be removed, as well as interior panels, thus precluding the need for scrutineers to have to know what carpeting is glued or screwed as delivered from the factory. Regardless, when PCA is enforcing that clones such as 993 RSCS' be made to the exact same specifications as a real RSCS, I have a hard time believing that a scrut will not know what carpeting is allowed.

Moreover, the ballast policy is enforced by requiring all ballast to be in the passenger compartment. Since weight has to be made and ballast is required, and has long been required, racers have always been looking for creative ways to position ballast. I've heard of racers making lead that is shaped to fit into the aluminum front bumper bar. I've seen racers throw ballast into the front trunk and hope that they don't get called in for scrutineering. I know of racers who have either gutted the sunroof mechanism or welded on a new, sunroof-less roof to lower the weight and change the position of the weight, thus improving the handling. I've watched racers lay down a tray of depleted uranium pellets that stick to hot tires to help make weight, just before they hit the tech shed (j/k on that last one).

 

Of course just kidding Mark I understand your concern with other race groups, but have you actually run with them? I had my doubts also, but was wrong by my experience so far. The real discussion is what in stock classess can be done to make this "reasonable mods" now that a full cage is the standard. I think elitism is not what we want in PCA let's leave that for the Ferrari club where it is obviously serious coin to put a car on the track (relatively speaking). The stigma with other race organizations is that PCA racing is for the driver with a race team in the paddock stirring their martini for them after the race. This of course is not the case at all as alot of super talent comes to the events with alot of racers under the hood. Simplifying the rules, I think the volunteers/scruts do an amazing job with a very complex system. Going to an "open or free" system allows racers to do what they want to the car within a HP/wt ratio, thus leaving a stock interior if they want or dropping weight to compete with a heavier big horsepower car. Makes for interesting tactics on various tracks.

 

Yeah man.

 

Bob, I thought I was betting the six pack on a concour, but that was my mistake.

Yes I have raced and been a victim with NASA. I wouldn't go near SCCA with a car worth more than $10K.

Honestly, I don't care avbout the interior rule, I'm going to build a competitive car either way.

I was just observing that the logic behind rules changes that impact performance in other venues, without anyone recognizing them as such. PCA added SP because of the defections, or potential defections to NASA. I think it is an easier sell to the rule gods that conforming rules attract more interest and larger fields, instead of trying to argue the merits of one safety feature over another.

Let's not forget that people hate getting jerked around with major rules changes. An evolution is better for the racers than wild changes every season. Given the GT shake up this year, is the committee or anyone else really ready for another seismic shift?

With all that said, why is the 997 in H?

 

Mark I think the answer is yes. The easier it is for cars to class from club to club, the more they will race in different venues. Making it hard to move from class to class forces a racer to prep their car to one organization. If my lemonade business is losing customers to the guy across the street, I would look to why first and try and offer the same lemonade at the same price or even better. SCCA has been losing business to NASA and I think the carnage and fun factor is the main reasons. Sorry you had a bad event at NASA.

 

 

Mark/Charlie-

On the subject of scruts going over an RSCS Clone (which I am in the process of building)...is there a reference manual on each model, or is it simply based on the recollection or knowledge of the individual scrut? The RSCS had no carpet, and the only interior it had to speak of, from the factory, was a center console and dash!

I get the feeling that getting my car passed in to I Class will be an uphill battle based on the scruts knowledge...tell me I'm wrong.

 

Contact Donna - she had a complete list of the mods that made up the RSCS. Off the top of my head the key things we'd check for are: seem welding per the factory method, thin glass, no sunroof, 3.8L, small washer bottle, correct brakes, no radio...I am sure there are other ones too, but those are the things I can remember. Since suspension is free, you obviously don't need to have a RSCS original suspension.