> Well I think you may be on to something.... It definitely is wide open > if
and only if you band all wheel drive.
And ban not only the second most popular riceboy car (the DSMs) but also the
Audi A4, the Audi TT, the Suburu WRX, etc. etc. etc.
Nope. This is a _permissive_ class. We aim to let as many people as we possibly
can play here.
Besides, AWD brings with it a weight and driveline power consumption penalty. It
is not a panacea. A lightweight, powerful front or rear driver is just as likely
to be able to win as an AWD car.
Imagine Daddio in a turbo Neon with a limited slip front diff and a real
suspension. Imagine Endicott in a supercharged Integra R. Imagine GH in a
supercharged M3.
Now imagine McKiver or Allen in a built-up DSM. That sounds like a pretty fair
fight to me - in fact, I'd put my money on Daddio in the Neon.
> AWD will be a HUGE advantage in
> getting power down, especially when you talk about the power you guys
> could potentally make.
I won't lie to you (or anyone else) - I expect that STU will be dominated by
DSMs for the first season or so. The reason _why_ I think that is because the
DSMs have more tuning and development time in them than any other STU-esque
cars. There is a large and growing DSM autocross contingent, there are a number
of National-level DSM drivers, autocross is very visible and promoted in the DSM
community, and there's a long line-up of would-be DSM autocrossers who only need
a class to come play in. I wouldn't be beating this drum if it were otherwise.
However, being intimately familliar with these cars, having seen first-hand
(thanks to Harnish and Tatum) what a small, light car can do, and having been
associated with the Sport Compact Car "scene" for a number of years, I know that
there are lots of other cars out there (and undoubtably, lots of cars I don't
even know about) that have just as much potential in this class as the DSMs do.
As these cars are built and sorted out, the DSMs will have competition - and
that's a Very Good Thing. What I loved about G Stock was that there were 6 or 7
different brands of car that could win on any given day. It made for exciting
racing. STU is GS on steroids.
My expectation is that the DSM domination period in STU will be a lot shorter
than, say, the Miata domination period in BS, or the Neon domination period in
DS - because unlike the Stock classes, you have the option to build a slow car
faster.
STU is about diversity. It's about "run whacha brung". It's about the freedom to
do what you want within a broad formula. It's not about boring, cookie cutter
classes dedicated to single marques.
DG
|