Anthony Ford wrote:
> It discourages me to have my car become
> obsolete after owning it for a year and a half. Heck, I haven't even
learned
> how to really drive it well yet. A road racer once told me if I was going
to
> race that I should buy a proper race car and forget running a stock class
> car and all the expense it entails making it raceworthy.
Stock class is one of those double-edged swords:
- If you need a new car, or have an existing car, and that car is
competitive, then Stock class is really cheap, as you can't modify the car
much, and you're already competitive.
- If you have an existing marginally competitive car, or a competitive car
in a deep field, then the costs to become truly competitive have the
potential to be much more than one might infer from the restrictive nature
of the rules. (Super shock development, buying tons of parts to select the
ones with most favourable tolerences, having to stick to the strict letter
of the factory shop manual on repairs, etc)
- If you have an uncompetitive car, your only recourse is to buy a new car,
which is the most expensive prospect of all.
The Street Prepared / Modified sword is single-edged
- You are allowed (for the most part) to modify your car to the point where
it becomes competitive.
- Every so often, someone raises the bar as to what "competitive" is.
- Repeat.
Depending on how fast that bar is being raised, you may get the opportunity
to spend a bagload of money, but at the worst of times, the value of that
bagload is many times smaller than the price of a new car.
So I guess it comes down to this: do you want to spend your money in a
constant stream, or in great big bursts every couple of years?
Finally, I get the impression from your post that you're reasonably new to
the sport. The single most common conceptual problem I see with newbies
(and some veterans too, now that I think about it) is overestimating the
importance of "car" and underestimating the importance of "driver". If
you're worried about a 10HP difference and a minor reduction in chassis
flex, you're probably worrying a little too much.
DG
|