I've taken the whining to the SCCA's Stock forum postings. Anybody who wants to add something please jump in and tell these good-ol'-boys they've got their collective heads up their tailpipes when it comes to the FD. This is the link:
http://www.scca.org/garage/forum/for...p?TID=90&TPN=1

 

No offense but unless people are writing messages to the SEB it doesn't matter. Everything else doesn't count.

 

Oh, I'm still doing that, too. I figure any dialouge about the FD with the SCCA is good, and if I can annoy them a little bit it's even better.

 

I think you've done a very good job of debating your point on the SCCA forum thread.

Out of curiousity based on your times for the last couple of years would you have won a lot of the regional events if your car was AS vs. SS? Do you consider any of the people at your regional events running in AS to be better drivers than you and if so are you running quicker times than they are in their AS car?

Looking at the results for this year it would actually be harder to get in the top 3 of AS than SS in the San Francisco Regional. From my regional results in ASP and SM2 the FD RX-7 is "the car" to have which also may be influencing the SEB. It may dilute the competition in those classes if a lot of "national competitive" drivers started driving their FD in AS instead of ASP or SM2.

 

Since the restructuring of the stock classes a couple of years ago AS in my region was only a few full time compeitors, 1 or 2 C4s, a very quick Boxster S, and an occasional Porsche 911 something and a local NSX. We now have several Subi STis, a couple Mitsu Evos, and about 3 Honda S2Ks that also show up. The Boxster S driver is much better than I am and he consistantly beats my times - not by enough to win SS in our region tho' - but I can hold my own against the C4s, it's usually less than a half second one way or the other between us; one day they will beat me, the next I'll get them. Once again, theirs, and my times are not quick enough to take SS, but usually place around 3rd to 5th in SS times. The Subis and Mitsubishis however have moved past the C4s and are threatening to dominate the class in our region.

 

just leave it in place.
Its about the driver not the car...

 

At a local level that's true. That's not true when you get to the nationally competitive level and all the drivers are "gifted".

As an example do you think Ferrari has been dominating F1 the past few years soley because of Schumacher and not because their car is clearly superior?

 

Blasphemy .....But true


Matthew Walsh

 

I think you could probably take Schumacher's team (pit crew, et al) and put him in a BAR-Honda ride or a Williams-BMW ride they would still win pretty much every race. Sure in a Minardi-Cosworth ride (which maybe you could compare the FD to in SS class now) he's probably going to get crushed despite the superior driving and team leadership abilities.

Personally I'm in autocross for fun as I don't have enough money to be in it to win national championships. Just like any form of racing in order to be #1 you have to have not only the best or near the best driver but you also and maybe even more important is the best R&D allowing you to maximize the rules to your benefit (except for forms of racing where everyone is provided idential cars).

Just imagine the difficulty of the SEB though trying to maintain balanced and even classes for hundreds of different cars. In the stock classes they basically have a few buckets to toss cars into leaving the "team" little room to customize their cars to max out its potential in a specific class. The "team" in this case needs to be able to afford to purchcase a completely new platform depending on its release in order to remain on the top of the line car for its class.

I suppose someday if I can drive my car as fast as one of the top level drivers could then I might look at what I need to do to make the car competitive at a national level but I'm a loooooong ways from there.

 

I think both the FD and turbo FC need to be bumped down. TII's are in BS and ASP. They should be in ES and at least BSP if not CSP.

 

I think both the FD and turbo FC need to be bumped down. TII's are in BS and ASP. They should be in ES and at least BSP if not CSP.

 

In the April Fastracks, the class change proposal effective 1/12005 for member comment: Move the RX-7 TII from ASP to BSP.

I don't think this is official yet, but it looks like it will happen.

In the June Fastracks, under Member Items Not Recommended: Move the RX-7TT to AS.

I looks like the FD will remain in SS for another year.