earl

Posted today by NHRA:

<FONT COLOR="blue">Any Hot Rod vehicle that does not retain the OEM rear strut/shock tower structure, and/or any vehicle that does not utilize the OEM upper strut/shock mounting point, will be assessed a 100-pound weight penalty. Vehicles that do not retain the OEM floor from the B-post or main roll cage hoop to the front of the car, also will be assessed the same 100-pound penalty. (Only one penalty will be assessed. A car that does not have the OEM floor in front of the b-post and also lacks the OEM rear strut towers will only be penalized 100-pounds). This weight penalty applies for 2002 season only. Effective January 1, 2003, any vehicle that does not meet these requirements, as outlined in the Suspension, Rear and Floor section of the 2002 NHRA Summit Sport Compact Drag Racing Series Rulebook will be prohibited in the Hot Rod class

"Hot Rod is a highly popular and competitive class," said Jim Skelly, race director for the NHRA Summit Sport Compact Drag Racing Series. "The engine and drivetrain technology is growing by leaps and bounds. But by keeping the OEM body shell and most of the unibody structure intact, it keeps the cars from becoming the domain of elite chassis builders. It also gives them strong identity with the fans. Even though they are all-out race cars, they still 'look' relatively like their street driven counterparts. We don't want to lose that flavor." </FONT>

This goes along with their previous rule changes banning 6 cyl from Hot Rod, limiting max roll out to 88.5" (ie 28" tall tires max) and no wheel speed sensors (ie traction controlled by a computer). THEY ARE LISTENING TO US. One last thing to do...ban the meth.

Full-Race Geoff

very VERY good to see. I think meth should obviously have a weight penalty, but im not sure if it should be a full 100 lbs... another debate

earl

Geoff..how much would you guess an extra 100 lbs would slow down Venom? I don't see it being very much.

CovertFI

so they have to add 100lbs? how does that work exactly?

earl

What ever there minimum weight required is, just add another 100 lbs.
Accomplished by bolting in some balast over the front for more traction

Full-Race Geoff

true indeed... that car is so fast its ridiculous. They dont break much anymore, either. Did you see what inline pro is doing for weight on Jen's car? I think CDE did it actually, they took an air to air IC put a huge aluminum box around it and filled it with ice water for some nicely located weight... not a bad idea. totally unrelated but a good idea for more traction.. i just dont like the idea of too much weight becaus im biased workin on the ecko car

ninesecrx

Yeah, thats the same way Jojo's intercooler is. I think hes the first one to use a air to air and turn it into a water to air...it does a great job.....Mike

tonydatyga

hahahaha, I like the ecko credo... and I agree about meth but who am I?? nobody at all

Full-Race Geoff

hey mike could you ask your dad to check his private messages or you could do it.. thanks

Gmedalion

so will those Nuformz suspension be penalized??

ninesecrx

No, the Nuformz stuff is A-OK... its just a more functional weight savings peice. You dont have to hack anythig for it as it mounts in the stock locations.....Mike

Geoff...we're on it




[Modified by ninesecrx, 5:15 AM 7/16/2002]

VaporTrail

now if only they would listen to us about having a true street class for FWD's. I think the turn out for that would be awesome, as 70%+ of the NHRA import crowd has a FWD street car. In my mind, this class would require full glass, front seats forward full interior, radial tires, and registeration and insurance required. Seeing what racers can do with 50k bucks is way cool, don't get me wrong, but us smaller guys who cant afford a race car but have fast street cars want something more than just freaking bracket racing. Ever notice how everyone leaves the stands when the bracket racers come up???? Well its because A) the class is slow and B) there are too many automatic rental cars that come in to race. If I was running NHRA, I would make a maximum ET requirement of 15.99 or faster. Let's face it - if you're running 16 second quarter miles, there is no challenge to running a bracket race, and theres even LESS crowd interest.


[Modified by VaporTrail, 12:32 AM 7/16/2002]

Arturbo

I have been wanting to do that for a long time. Today we had a meeting and things went very well. While we were talking we saw the new rule changes and had to stop it to read it. hehe
I think what Jim said is key because he is seems he is listening.

art

lucas569

these type of rules can be used to an advantage, funny huh?

BoostinDC2

lets just hope the ban meth

MackSpeed-616

there are other series' for that. i kinda like the idea of keeping pro and street seperate. ndra and boti are both good series for street cars.

VaporTrail

yeah, but nobody runs those series correctly. NHRA is a top notch outfit, and they should stay true to their roots. If I had the money to go racing, I'd be out there kicking butt with the best of them. But I dont, so I got a street car, and only shitty series to compete in. I see no fun in that

MackSpeed-616

they dont run their program race to race like the other series' do. its intended to be a championship program. so if someone has the money to tour with the series and go to all the races, you would think they would have a race car. i see your point, just i dont exactly agree with it. Around here at least there are so many race's for "sunday stunnaz" its nice to be able to go see the big boys play.

Flamenco-T

it became a rich man's game..more money you have, more trophy you'll get...

just have to savor the good and swallow the sour....

but in the other hand, I am glad they're listening to the ones that actually have passions for it.

just my $.02


[Modified by Flamenco-NA, 12:59 AM 7/16/2002]

VaporTrail

well I look at it this way. This sport is spiraling way out of control in terms of money. It takes a minimum investment of 30k (on the low end) to have a competitive car that's at least somewhat appealing to sponsors. And sponsors don't wanna pick up the tab for that, until they know you are a winner or at least competitive. And even then, it's tough. Unless you are born rich or have deep connections, its nearly impossible to step up and compete without sponsors. So, basically what is happening is the small guys are getting squeezed out, with only shop cars and sponsor cars taking home the wins, for the most part. Who can hang with Venom that's not sponsored?

A street class would allow real people with real budgets a chance to race in a professionally run series. If they are competitive and good drivers, they will win, and if they really want it, they can travel - only without the need of a trailor. If they do well enough, eventually they might get sponsored and move up in classes. NIRA used to have extensive street classes. It was fun to watch them. I remember several friends of mine who used to race in this class, and moved up from there as they showcased their skills. I really would like to see this in a NHRA format, b/c when you get right down to it, the NHRA is the major leagues, and everything else is pretty weak (IDRC is ok i guess). Thats my take on it.

Gmedalion

I liked the power 4 and other power classes that use to happen during NIRA events

VaporTrail

likewise. I miss the NIRA class structure, it was geared more towards the small guys, the guys that actually make the payouts for the big guys.

bigTom

what can be done to get those classes back... or into the nhra?

VaporTrail

write the NHRA I am doing that tomorrow.

SEFIxCivic

i asked the board for support in doing something geared towards a real street honda class but no one seemed interested at that time. nevertheless, i have written to the NHRA director, and he said that theres a possibility of a creation of that sort of class in the future provided that people express their interest. if we can get enough people to start writing in maybe it can happen sooner instead of later.