How PCA racing needs to reorganize
05-06-2009, 05:28 PM
#1
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How PCA racing needs to reorganize
First off, I love PCA club racing and enjoy the camraderie of all of the members. If the economy hadn't hit me so hard, I'd still be racing. So it is with a positive focus that I would like to experess what I feel PCA should do with their classes.
Remember that Club Racing was created as a way for DE guys to drive their fairly stock cars to the track, race them wheel to wheel, and drive them home. The popularity of the program has grown so much that in practice we have moved completely away from that idea. With the exception of the GT3, there has been no other car in recent history that could show up to the track relatively unmodified and win. And now with all of the safety requirements, it is not possible to have a street legal car to race anymore. So lets move past the idea of racing stock cars and make reasonable groupings that make sense, competition-wise and financially.
I feel that the revamping of the race classes has been great, and with the exception of eliminating the distinction between street and race tires (or offering an equivalency formula) the 6 groups are quite good. The factory race car groups (GTC 1-4) are what they are and the Spec groups are fine.
The GTP 1-6 groups are silly. How many classes do we need for Factory race cars that do not fit into the other race catagories? Revise it so that it is down to 2. How many of those cars show up anyway?
So this brings us to the crux of the matter, the stock and prepared classes. Since I have whittled away 10 classes, we should now have enough room to have separate stock and prepared groupings. Stock can really be stock now, with rules designed to allow for cheap but effective modifications like camber plates (cheap & saves tires) and non-adjustable shocks. Expensive ones like remote reservoir shocks should not. Brakes should be stock, but any wheel that fits under a stock contour fender (rolled lips are ok) should be allowed as long as it is a single piece wheel. Interiors can be removed, but dashboards and passengers seats retained for the stock look and DE purposes. The current motor rules are good, but since many chip their motors for DEs, and it is allowed everywhere else, let it be legal. Motors & transes should be stock.
Prepared should bring the cars up to a new level, but with significantly less cost than a modified version of the car. Motor internals, cams, pistons, intake & injection etc should be stock except for specific reliabilty changes such as better retainers, stiffer valve springs and the M96 longeveity mods that are beginning to surface. Transes, brakes, and suspension parts should be free along with a 150 lb weigh reduction across the board. Bodywork can be free (but with a handicap formula for cars with flared fenders). This will allow those who run in NASA to more easily re-ballast their cars so they can come back and compete with us.
Hopefully, a better thought out 3 tier level to our program will allow for more cars to be competitive in their classes, and enable those DE specials and other racing series cars to come into PCA.
Of course this is just my opinion on the subject, your mileage may vary.
Remember that Club Racing was created as a way for DE guys to drive their fairly stock cars to the track, race them wheel to wheel, and drive them home. The popularity of the program has grown so much that in practice we have moved completely away from that idea. With the exception of the GT3, there has been no other car in recent history that could show up to the track relatively unmodified and win. And now with all of the safety requirements, it is not possible to have a street legal car to race anymore. So lets move past the idea of racing stock cars and make reasonable groupings that make sense, competition-wise and financially.
I feel that the revamping of the race classes has been great, and with the exception of eliminating the distinction between street and race tires (or offering an equivalency formula) the 6 groups are quite good. The factory race car groups (GTC 1-4) are what they are and the Spec groups are fine.
The GTP 1-6 groups are silly. How many classes do we need for Factory race cars that do not fit into the other race catagories? Revise it so that it is down to 2. How many of those cars show up anyway?
So this brings us to the crux of the matter, the stock and prepared classes. Since I have whittled away 10 classes, we should now have enough room to have separate stock and prepared groupings. Stock can really be stock now, with rules designed to allow for cheap but effective modifications like camber plates (cheap & saves tires) and non-adjustable shocks. Expensive ones like remote reservoir shocks should not. Brakes should be stock, but any wheel that fits under a stock contour fender (rolled lips are ok) should be allowed as long as it is a single piece wheel. Interiors can be removed, but dashboards and passengers seats retained for the stock look and DE purposes. The current motor rules are good, but since many chip their motors for DEs, and it is allowed everywhere else, let it be legal. Motors & transes should be stock.
Prepared should bring the cars up to a new level, but with significantly less cost than a modified version of the car. Motor internals, cams, pistons, intake & injection etc should be stock except for specific reliabilty changes such as better retainers, stiffer valve springs and the M96 longeveity mods that are beginning to surface. Transes, brakes, and suspension parts should be free along with a 150 lb weigh reduction across the board. Bodywork can be free (but with a handicap formula for cars with flared fenders). This will allow those who run in NASA to more easily re-ballast their cars so they can come back and compete with us.
Hopefully, a better thought out 3 tier level to our program will allow for more cars to be competitive in their classes, and enable those DE specials and other racing series cars to come into PCA.
Of course this is just my opinion on the subject, your mileage may vary.
__________________
Larry Herman
2016 Ford Transit Connect Titanium LWB
2018 Tesla Model 3 - Electricity can be fun!
Retired Club Racer & National PCA Instructor
Past Flames:
1994 RS America Club Racer
2004 GT3 Track Car
1984 911 Carrera Club Racer
1974 914/4 2.0 Track Car
CLICK HERE to see some of my ancient racing videos.
Larry Herman
2016 Ford Transit Connect Titanium LWB
2018 Tesla Model 3 - Electricity can be fun!
Retired Club Racer & National PCA Instructor
Past Flames:
1994 RS America Club Racer
2004 GT3 Track Car
1984 911 Carrera Club Racer
1974 914/4 2.0 Track Car
CLICK HERE to see some of my ancient racing videos.
05-06-2009, 05:35 PM
#2
Addict
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Are you running for FIA President in October?
05-06-2009, 05:42 PM
#3
Burning Brakes
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Without even beginning to address the meat of Larry's suggestions, this, while most likely true, makes me sad;
"it is not possible to have a street legal car to race anymore. So lets move past the idea of racing stock cars."
"it is not possible to have a street legal car to race anymore. So lets move past the idea of racing stock cars."
05-06-2009, 06:02 PM
#4
King of Cool
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First off, I love PCA club racing and enjoy the camraderie of all of the members. If the economy hadn't hit me so hard, I'd still be racing. So it is with a positive focus that I would like to experess what I feel PCA should do with their classes.
Remember that Club Racing was created as a way for DE guys to drive their fairly stock cars to the track, race them wheel to wheel, and drive them home. The popularity of the program has grown so much that in practice we have moved completely away from that idea. With the exception of the GT3, there has been no other car in recent history that could show up to the track relatively unmodified and win. And now with all of the safety requirements, it is not possible to have a street legal car to race anymore. So lets move past the idea of racing stock cars and make reasonable groupings that make sense, competition-wise and financially.
I feel that the revamping of the race classes has been great, and with the exception of eliminating the distinction between street and race tires (or offering an equivalency formula) the 6 groups are quite good. The factory race car groups (GTC 1-4) are what they are and the Spec groups are fine.
The GTP 1-6 groups are silly. How many classes do we need for Factory race cars that do not fit into the other race catagories? Revise it so that it is down to 2. How many of those cars show up anyway?
So this brings us to the crux of the matter, the stock and prepared classes. Since I have whittled away 10 classes, we should now have enough room to have separate stock and prepared groupings. Stock can really be stock now, with rules designed to allow for cheap but effective modifications like camber plates (cheap & saves tires) and non-adjustable shocks. Expensive ones like remote reservoir shocks should not. Brakes should be stock, but any wheel that fits under a stock contour fender (rolled lips are ok) should be allowed as long as it is a single piece wheel. Interiors can be removed, but dashboards and passengers seats retained for the stock look and DE purposes. The current motor rules are good, but since many chip their motors for DEs, and it is allowed everywhere else, let it be legal. Motors & transes should be stock.
Prepared should bring the cars up to a new level, but with significantly less cost than a modified version of the car. Motor internals, cams, pistons, intake & injection etc should be stock except for specific reliabilty changes such as better retainers, stiffer valve springs and the M96 longeveity mods that are beginning to surface. Transes, brakes, and suspension parts should be free along with a 150 lb weigh reduction across the board. Bodywork can be free (but with a handicap formula for cars with flared fenders). This will allow those who run in NASA to more easily re-ballast their cars so they can come back and compete with us.
Hopefully, a better thought out 3 tier level to our program will allow for more cars to be competitive in their classes, and enable those DE specials and other racing series cars to come into PCA.
Of course this is just my opinion on the subject, your mileage may vary.
Remember that Club Racing was created as a way for DE guys to drive their fairly stock cars to the track, race them wheel to wheel, and drive them home. The popularity of the program has grown so much that in practice we have moved completely away from that idea. With the exception of the GT3, there has been no other car in recent history that could show up to the track relatively unmodified and win. And now with all of the safety requirements, it is not possible to have a street legal car to race anymore. So lets move past the idea of racing stock cars and make reasonable groupings that make sense, competition-wise and financially.
I feel that the revamping of the race classes has been great, and with the exception of eliminating the distinction between street and race tires (or offering an equivalency formula) the 6 groups are quite good. The factory race car groups (GTC 1-4) are what they are and the Spec groups are fine.
The GTP 1-6 groups are silly. How many classes do we need for Factory race cars that do not fit into the other race catagories? Revise it so that it is down to 2. How many of those cars show up anyway?
So this brings us to the crux of the matter, the stock and prepared classes. Since I have whittled away 10 classes, we should now have enough room to have separate stock and prepared groupings. Stock can really be stock now, with rules designed to allow for cheap but effective modifications like camber plates (cheap & saves tires) and non-adjustable shocks. Expensive ones like remote reservoir shocks should not. Brakes should be stock, but any wheel that fits under a stock contour fender (rolled lips are ok) should be allowed as long as it is a single piece wheel. Interiors can be removed, but dashboards and passengers seats retained for the stock look and DE purposes. The current motor rules are good, but since many chip their motors for DEs, and it is allowed everywhere else, let it be legal. Motors & transes should be stock.
Prepared should bring the cars up to a new level, but with significantly less cost than a modified version of the car. Motor internals, cams, pistons, intake & injection etc should be stock except for specific reliabilty changes such as better retainers, stiffer valve springs and the M96 longeveity mods that are beginning to surface. Transes, brakes, and suspension parts should be free along with a 150 lb weigh reduction across the board. Bodywork can be free (but with a handicap formula for cars with flared fenders). This will allow those who run in NASA to more easily re-ballast their cars so they can come back and compete with us.
Hopefully, a better thought out 3 tier level to our program will allow for more cars to be competitive in their classes, and enable those DE specials and other racing series cars to come into PCA.
Of course this is just my opinion on the subject, your mileage may vary.
If what you propose above would happen, you'd see me lineup at Sebring 48 hrs.
05-06-2009, 06:46 PM
#5
Three Wheelin'
I'll +2 that!
It would be nice for something like this to happen. Hopefully the PCA gods will listen when you submit this to them before May 31! They do listen to us most of the time.
It would be nice for something like this to happen. Hopefully the PCA gods will listen when you submit this to them before May 31! They do listen to us most of the time.
05-06-2009, 07:27 PM
#6
Not true. My car is street legal (Texas) and races in Prepared F with full roll cage. Maybe true in other states, though.
05-06-2009, 07:43 PM
#7
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I'll +4 that. I agree with most all of what was said. Sadly, the stock/prepared classes have been neglected over the years and no longer make sense. What should be the classes that have the most cars have been slowly dying.
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05-06-2009, 09:17 PM
#10
Formula One Spin Doctor
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Larry , still looking for that ride huh
05-06-2009, 09:53 PM
#11
Burning Brakes
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Guys;
The background there is that I _do_ have a car that's street legal and driven to the track. Not exactly stock, but that's another matter.
Larry's points are still valid.
The background there is that I _do_ have a car that's street legal and driven to the track. Not exactly stock, but that's another matter.
Larry's points are still valid.
05-07-2009, 11:10 AM
#14
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To keep costs down in the stock classes I think some consideration should be given to going to a spec tire that can handle a higher number of heat cycles without falling off. I would personally be in favor of it. Sure its fun to smoke the hoosier crack pipe, and I continue to do so, but I could run more races if I could reduce tire cost.
05-07-2009, 12:31 PM
#15
To keep costs down in the stock classes I think some consideration should be given to going to a spec tire
I know Michelin looked at this when the MPSC came out but they couldn't support all of the required sizes. Perhaps if it's just for Stock class then it's more do-able.