Re: Stock or Modified(Street Prepared, Prepared, Mod, etc.)?

[Mark Sirota <msirota@isc.upenn.edu>]

Jenaro Rodriguez wrote:
> Let's assume a novice autocrosser. Would he be better starting off
> with a Stock Car as opposed to a Street Prepared?

That's a tough question.  So tough I'm not even going to try.

> Assuming it should be tougher to drive a Stock Class car as opposed
> to a Modified Car. I've heard people talking at events and have heard
> comments such as "I'd like to see what he could do in a Competitive
> Stock Car" when referring to somebody driving a Street Prepared Car.

I think your premise is largely correct -- it's tougher to drive a
Stock car than a well set-up Real Race Car.  Stock cars have vices that
you have to drive around; good RRC's just do what you tell 'em, and the
trick is in telling them to do the right thing.  Of course, *any* car
can be set up to be an evil-handling monster, though it's probably
easier to build one of those outside of Stock.

However, I think those comments you've overheard are probably people
saying "I bet that's a really good driver, but he's handicapped himself
by driving a car that's only partially built to the limit of the
rules."  Most SP cars out there are not limit-of-the-rules cars, and so
mid-pack SP drivers might well be fabulous in a car that was more
fully prepared -- and these people you're overhearing are suggesting
that it's easier to build a limit-of-the-rules Stock car than in SP.

Mark