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Sports Racer classification


EB Turbo

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NAS ST1-4 4.2 "Sports racers, “Prototypes”, and monocoque chassis purpose-built race cars are permitted in ST1 and ST2 using the specific Modification Factor listed for these chassis in 6.5.2.  They are not permitted in ST3 or ST4 unless specifically approved elsewhere in these rules, or by written approval of the National ST Director."

There is a little bit of ambiguity here. If a car starts a "Kit car" that has road going versions, this would allow that vehicle to only have to take the "Other Non-Production Vehicle -0.4"? Ariel Atom, Factory Five GTM/ 818, Ultima GTR, superlight SL-C.., 

If  a car is a "purpose built racecar" that has no road going versions, this would make it a requirement to take the -3.4 unless it is given a "with mod factors" value?  

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  • National Staff
Here is what I posted on FB, and I've added a bit more for here.
Basically, if you have a question about a specific vehicle, bring it up with your regional Race Director, TT Director, and/or ST Leader.  If you don't get the answer you expect, forward to me and we will give you the National answer. 
 

From FB:
Greg Greenbaum

Admin
So, you are correct. NASA has purposely avoided making a clear definition of both of those, as well as what defines a "formula" car. We go with the, "you'll know what it is if you see it" philosophy. We actually had a good example of this recently. Someone was driving an Ariel Atom SRA with no fenders and an added front wing and rear wing. By all accounts, with the exception of being "single seat", this is a "formula" car.
 
Here is an analogy. This is like defining what a dog is without referring to DNA or Canine teeth—you know what it is when you see one, but you can’t write out a physical description without writing a book to include all of the possibilities. Coyotes and wolves and foxes are not dogs, but just about every physical description you can come up with that included all breeds of dogs, without specifically separating out each breed by specific characteristics would also catch the coyotes and wolves and foxes.
So, an old style Thunder Roadster is not a "formula" car, but if you look at old Formula car photos--not much difference.
 
 
I'll add to that:
 
It is hard to find a definition of Sports Racer, Prototype, Formula car, because all of these to varying degrees come from very specific rules from a variety of organizations that have rules limiting very specific parameters and measurements (or even by specific builder/chassis, etc), and the result is that when someone takes those very specific rules and builds a car optimized to those rules using engineering and wind tunnel testing, the cars end up all looking very similar.  But, if you try and "reverse define" what they are as a group, without using those initial very specific parameters, it is all but impossible.  But, if you show us a car, 99% of the time, we can tell you, "That is a Sports Racer."  or, "That is a Formula car". 
 
National has decided that without hundreds of pages of rules specifically for this one subject, we would end up with definitions that either fail to capture a vehicle that should be, or captures vehicles that shouldn't, or that someone will take those definitions and purposely build what we would all now call a Sports Racer, but change one slight feature to avoid the definition and the Mod Factor. 
 
So, until someone gives us a better idea, this is how National will approach this.
 
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