2005 Rules - Rewards weight

[Grizlbits]

I don't know if the series is ready for this, but how about rewards weight similar to World Challenge?

 

This can keep a level playing field. It may even eliminate the dominant car from wining every race.

 

It works for WC. Why not NASA?

[tacovini]

I'm OK with "success ballast". CMC had such a rule for almost a season, but found it difficult to track & administer. Would be very easy if we had the "Decal Declarations" showing our HP/TQ/WT #s on the windshield!!!

 

If this were to be done, I would move to a "success ballast" for the entire weekend (say +100, or whatever is decided) be displayed like WC. Then the "+100" means more if it's adding to the decal declaration.

 

Much easier for the competitor and impound folks if the success ballast was levied for the entire weekend.

 

-=- Todd

As a Racer not a Director

[onralz]

I like the idea. It also gives spectators something more to talk about. The downfall is policing it along with dyno testing.

[swhiteh3]

I think it's a great idea. Yes, weight would be for the entire weekend, and would be declared on the windshield.

 

Chris's car will permanantly be on the bumpstops...... Hehehehe

[racercosmo]

I like the idea. It also gives spectators something more to talk about. The downfall is policing it along with dyno testing.

When testing for weight, we call it being weighed. A weight dyno is also known as a scale.

[onralz]

I like the idea. It also gives spectators something more to talk about. The downfall is policing it along with dyno testing.

When testing for weight, we call it being weighed. A weight dyno is also known as a scale.

 

Yeah, but youall down there in Kaliforniay have a whole different way of talking too you see. Out here in the cornfields of Iowa, we have nother. Thank you for the "polite" correction though. I'm looking forward to SEMA so I can be corrected in person.

[Stan Berry]

This sounds like a good idea BUT the minimum weight for both AI and AIX need to be raised. There is NO way an f-body can safely get down to the weight of a Mustang. If something is not done to help the other brands this will become a Ford club only, or is that the intent.

[Keith]

This sounds like a good idea BUT the minimum weight for both AI and AIX need to be raised. There is NO way an f-body can safely get down to the weight of a Mustang.

 

Correct.

[Keith]

This sounds like a good idea BUT the minimum weight for both AI and AIX need to be raised. There is NO way an f-body can safely get down to the weight of a Mustang.

 

Correct.

 

Correction - 1993-2002 cannot get to minimum. 1992 and earlier can.

[turbolx]

...and we cannot easily get to your track widths and SLA front suspension either. Pick your poison, I guess.

 

Rewards weight is a nice idea, except that it begs the question from the dyno thread, "How close do you want to walk to the legal edge?" Many people might run with a 100lb cushion, receive rewards weight without actually adding any ballast and blame the dyno variation for the difference.

[z28racergirl]

Well, since out West my Camaro has NEVER WON an AI race (and Nick just got a 2nd on Sunday at Infineon), I'm all over the rewards weight idea. Those Mustangs are too light. Let's see how Videtto likes flogging a 3200+ lb beast around.

 

 

Christine

[trackboss]

I would bet Videtto’s car is heavier than 3200

[racercosmo]

Keith's car was weighed in at over 3300 lbs on Sunday Morning.

I will add that he happened to be about 50 lbs over weight and still had the fastest AI lap of the weekend.

 

I don't recall it ever happening, but if the #40 that Kevin drove to the 2 fastest AIX laps of the weekend was weighed, it would have been in the 3200 range.

[trackboss]

Correction, Keith was .039 seconds faster than Mike and I in sundays race #2. If you look at saturdays pracitce however that is when we got our fastest time of the weekend and it is .215 seconds faster than the next fastest time for the entire AI weekend. Personally I don't give a shit. These times are so damn close, but this is the truth according to the NASA results. According to the scales that weekend we weighed in at 3120 after race #1 and 3112 after race #2.

[trackboss]

AHA! It seems as though every time I type in a “bad” word it gets edited somehow and replaced with “shoo-shiddily-diddily

[racercosmo]

Sorry, race lap.

[trackboss]

No biggie cosmo. My point is that the camaro folks should have no issues bringing their cars weight down to equal, or better, the weight of the front running mustangs. I absolutely don’t think the minimum weight should be raised at all! Reason being is that the ballast limit is only 150lbs. There may be some teams that choose to run other series as well as AI and having to carry a few hundred pounds extra weight around in those situations is a disadvantage when running against cars that weigh in the low-mid 2000lb range. Furthermore, with the current power to weight rule I don’t think an AI car anywhere close to the minimum weight will do very well. Not on the tracks we have run on the west coast so far. In addition, I would bet that the camaro folks who complain about how heavy their cars are really aren’t “doing everything they can” to remove weight. If you don’t know how then it might be a good idea to consult someone who does.

[racercosmo]

Vageli, my main point was that a 3300 lb car is still capable of running some of the fastest laps if the person behind the wheel is capable. Of course I couldn't resist given props to the mad skills of Keith and Kevin.

[z28racergirl]

Wow, my bad. Somehow a number in the 29xx range got into my head for Mustangs in AI. Must be dry?

 

I weigh 3250 ish with me and post-race gas. I guess I'm not as far off as I thought.

 

And Cos, you're right, I haven't done sh!t to reduce the weight of my car. Here goes $650 for a carbon fiber hood like Nick's..... And oh yeah, please let's get that fiberglass hatch approved for Mustangs so I can get a CF hatch as well. I think that's about all that's left on #29 (the Camaro version), right?

 

I believe equally prepped (or lack thereof) Fox bodies and 4th gen F-bodies have a couple hundred pound difference in favor of Ford. I believe we need Lexan front and rear, K-member, dash, and hood to get us close. Just my opinion.

 

Thanks for listening,

Christine

[trackboss]

There is more to making the car lighter than replacing parts. There is lots of material that can be permanently removed which serves no purpose in a race car. Cutting wheel. Hint, hint. . .

[z28racergirl]

Oh yeah, been there, done that too.

 

Thanks Vageli.

[Jeff F]

I'm against rewards weight. This isn't a pro series where we are trying to keep car manufacturers and sponsors happy.

 

As someone who is solidly mid-pack at the moment, my reason for being here, above having a good time, is to steadily improve by developing both myself (as a driver) and the car (from a street/track car to a "real" race car). Don't make the front of the pack a moving target. If I can get from being 2 seconds behind the pole to 1/2 second behind the pole, I want it to be because I earned it, not because the front runners were handicapped.

[Hal]

Sears was the highest weight numbers I had all season thanks to remounting the mufflers...