Matt:
First of all, do you remember who I am? Just wondering. :) I used to race
in the NY/NJ/CT area from 1987 to about 1995. I raced GTI's and then my
Screaming Yellow Datsun 510. I was friends with Brian Moran and Mike
Solomon, etc.
Anyway.
Here is the reasoning behind the 944/968 banning for 2000 and 2001. Howard
Duncan is anti-Porsche. Pure and simple that is the ONLY reasoning behind
the banning! If you go back as I did and read all of the SM eGroups
postings that is what is said. He does not like Sports cars for whatever
reason. I guess he does not know what SCCA stands for! :)
The only reason the Supra got in and the 924/944/968 were kept out was
because Kent was running one and went to races the beginning of 2000 and,
this is a guess on my part, they decided to let him remain.
The rule about the class being "non-sports car based" is supposed to be
removed for 2001. Dennis got Howard to remove that rule since it is
meaningless in the class.
The other reasons I have heard against the Porsches is also a monetary one.
Because when you purchase a Porsche new at a dealer they generally cost more
than another car in its class, Howard thinks that a Porsche would cost too
much for the class to prepare! This is the first time in the history of
Solo II competition that I am aware of that a class is determining a cars
"speed" based on what it would/could cost to build the car1 They are
ASSuming that because it is a Porsche, then it is inherently faster just
because of the name!
I am not the only person that is running in SM this year that thinks the 944
Series should be allowed. I Know a few Porsche owners that want to drive in
SM. They are each told to prep their cars to the SM rules and run them in
SM2, which is NOT a National class for 2001. Nobody can approach the SEB
about adding the SM2 class as an experimental class for this year to be used
as a determining factor to see what cars should or should not be allowed to
run in SM.
In any other class, they put a car in and let it run until it is too fast
then move it. Since SM2 will in all likelihood be a class in 2002, then I
see no harm in running the 944 Series in 2001 with the knowledge that if it
is indeed too fast for SM it would be moved to SM2!
I find it to be pretty cut and dried! :)
Larry Joffe
SM 27/127
2000 Audi TT Quattro
--> Larry:
-->
--> Thanks for the sensible reply. But one thing still puzzles
--> me. When did 944s
--> walk all over the rest of SM? They were never given a
--> chance to come up to
--> bat. Where as the Supra got the Alex Rodriguez treatment. :^)
-->
--> To also respond to Kent's post:
--> If the 944 is "out" then the Supra should follow suit. Or
--> the if the Supra
--> is to remain in SM then the 944 really should be included.
--> It is the
--> inequity of this that bothers me.
-->
--> Matt Murray
-->
--> mattm@optonline.net
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