Mule Posted June 1, 2004 Share Posted June 1, 2004 I was watching a Grand Am Cup race this weekend (a mustang finished 3rd in GS) and noticed a couple of mustangs running what appeared to be stock trim. No wing, no front splitter, no visual aids. I checked out the rules for GS and they are very short. Only a couple of sentences about headers max tire sized, certain headers, certain cam and brake limitations. Nothing is mentioned about aero or suspension mods. So I wonder would an AI car be at least close to Grand Am GS rules? I dont even see a weight limit on these rules. I printed the rules right from the Grand Am website section 8-2. My guess is an AIX car would be too modified for the class, but maybe an AI car would come close. Any thoughts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 1, 2004 Share Posted June 1, 2004 Keep in mind that I am no Scott Whitehead but the GAC rules are very specific in what you can and can not run. Everything has to be approved by GAC officials before you can run it. If you show up with something they don't like or deem illegal they will tell you to take it off before making a lap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mule Posted June 1, 2004 Author Share Posted June 1, 2004 Just did some more research. Grand Am keeps the mustang pretty heavy. The 03 cobra is the heaviest car in the class @3200lbs. As far as the suspension mods it is still not real clear, but it seems they want you to leave the suspension pretty close to stock. No mention to a steeda five link or the like for a live axle car. They also have a seperate listing for a Saleen. Seems like they make it pretty tough on mustang owners to be competitive Any of you AI/AIXers ever ran a Grand Am event? How much does it cost (entry fee) for a Grand Am race? In fact, How much does it cost (entry fee) for AI/AIX race? I am running HPDE now at $350 per weekend. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mwilson7 Posted June 2, 2004 Share Posted June 2, 2004 Actually, by the rules, you can modify a Mustang in AI/AIX quite a bit more than a Grand Am car and therefor it should be faster. The Grand Am cars have a hp advantage over AI but that's about it. Grand Am is a slightly higher league than AI but both are PRO RACING! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
racercosmo Posted June 3, 2004 Share Posted June 3, 2004 The top AI cars are usually in the same laptime range as the GS-2 cars were last year. They run on Hoosiers, so that's a second or two. Now that GS-2 is the top class, did they unrestrict them a little bit? Of course, by top AI cars, I mean the guys on the West Coast. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mwilson7 Posted June 3, 2004 Share Posted June 3, 2004 Actually Cosmo to be fair down at Nashville for the Mustang 40th Anniversary party we had a top Grand-Am Mustang (Rehagen Racing) racing in the Exhibition race with us and we were definitely turning faster lap times. The only place we had any trouble was the straightaways. Same track, same day comparison. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bryan Shugg Posted June 3, 2004 Share Posted June 3, 2004 Of course, by top AI cars, I mean the guys on the West Coast. You bastaad, you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mule Posted June 3, 2004 Author Share Posted June 3, 2004 I was just thinking since the Grand Am series gets the TV coverage. It would be nice to have a car that could run both. Anyone know if it is even possible? I guess anything is possible, but I would guess it would be a lot of work just for a couple Grand Am races. Anyone tried it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mwilson7 Posted June 3, 2004 Share Posted June 3, 2004 You could easily run both but the real question is could you run competitively......... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admiral Posted June 3, 2004 Share Posted June 3, 2004 Mark, Anyone got info on the major differences in car rules for AI vs. Grand Am? May not be a front-runner, but if you could do exactly what mule is asking and put your car on the track legally for both series, might be fun. I'm no expert on Grand Am classes/rules, anyone got a link? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mwilson7 Posted June 3, 2004 Share Posted June 3, 2004 Grand Am rules: http://www.grand-am.com/Competition/Rules.asp AI rules: http://www.nasaproracing.com/rules/2004_AI.pdf Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admiral Posted June 3, 2004 Share Posted June 3, 2004 Looks like I get killed on the "car too old" problem. Got to be a 4.6 derivative motor from my reading. Thanks for the links Mark! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mule Posted June 3, 2004 Author Share Posted June 3, 2004 Yeah, the Grand Am rules look pretty restrictive for the Mustang. I've been talking with Kenny Brown performance about getting a car set up by them and thought it would be cool to make sure the car was still legal for Grand Am. I don't plan on being competitive in AI right away anyhow, so before I tweak the suspension beyond GrAm rules just thought it would be cool to run a race and maybe be on TV. Of course, the way this series is growing it may be on TV soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bryan Shugg Posted June 3, 2004 Share Posted June 3, 2004 Looks like I get killed on the "car too old" problem. Got to be a 4.6 derivative motor from my reading. Thanks for the links Mark! See dude... the 4.6 IS the way to fly! Ha ha ha I'm so funny. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admiral Posted June 3, 2004 Share Posted June 3, 2004 I walked right into that one...........doh! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nasaracer32 Posted June 4, 2004 Share Posted June 4, 2004 See dude... the 4.6 IS the way to fly! Ha ha ha I'm so funny. Yeah, there is nothing quite like the ground-thumping torque from a whopping 281 c.i.. I get chills just thinking of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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