From: Jay Mitchell <jemitchell@compuserve.com>
>Jodi Fordahl wrote:
>
>>What difference does cost make in this sport. Many people put as
>much or
>>more money into their autocross cars as is in the RSR.
>
>Don't know about that, but I'm in complete agreement with the
>concept that it makes no sense to make rules against a car just
>because of its perceived expense.
I don't think anyone in AP is opposed to the RSR on the grounds of
dollars, it's more of an issue of the technology that those dollars bought.
Technology that is not allowed on a Solo II Prepared car. If it were just
about the money, we would all be screaming about the Cobra.
><snip>, but I do believe that every allowed car/displacement
>combination should be explicitly laid out in the Solo II rules.
>If it's not there in black and white, then it shouldn't be
>allowed through some "back door" connection to road racing rules.
Agreed. I'm not sure what the required weight was for the RSR, since it
wasn't listed in our rulebook. As I remember the car weighed in at around
2670... ( I helped push it on the scales). The semi standard unofficial
formula for most of the 6 cylinder cars in AP is: 2.4 liter cars must weigh
1900 lbs and then about 500lbs/liter is added after that. The Tiger and
Cobra are obvious exceptions to that, but the other, listed, 911s fall along
that guideline. If there were a 3.8 listed it woud most likely be required
to weigh 2600.
The car had fully programmable Motec fuel injection, provisions for data
acquisition, 18x12 wheels (maybe 10s in the front and probably a few other
things that I can't do to my car at all or without a hefty weight penalty.
The RSR should have probably been required to weigh at least 2860.
Now, I don't think for a second that an extra 200 lbs would have slowed
Greg down by over 6 seconds. I also don't want to diminish Greg's fantastic
driving, but to paraphrase what Leeds (Gregs codriver) told me when I
congratulated him... "Thanks, it's the car. I've only driven it once before
and I only autocross occasionally..." and he was 7 seconds back but still in
3rd place.
>So, tell us how it feels to have folks attacking your car because
>they think it affords an unfair advantage?
It is a very cool car that I spent a lot of time admiring. But remember,
the protest was filed before the car ever took a run, so it wasn't filed in
response to the times Greg was turning. I also want to say that Greg, Jodi
and Leeds were all nice folks and I enjoyed meeting them all and hope to see
them back in the class in a true Prepared car.
Tom
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