2023 RCR for 2024 AIX Rules

[roadracebc1]

AIX RCR

 

Proposed by Team Faessler:

 

Rule 6.2

Remove the power to weight rule, revert back to the way where is was three years prior to the move to 5:1.

 

 

 

 

Proposed by Dustin Drollinger:

 

1. Rule: 6.2 Power & Weight

   Proposed Change: Change to current power & weight ration from 5:1 to 6.5:1 

   Reason: Goal is to reduce overall cost for class operations, increase reliability of engine and drivetrain, make modern factory built engine platforms more competitive, reduce the need for higher octane fuels thus reducing operation costs, allow deferent engine variations to be more competitive. May facilitate in factory built race cars such as GT4 variants to be competitive. 

2. Rule: 7.1 Performance 
   Proposed Change: Allow the use of Water/Methanol injection. 50/50 mix
   Reason: To facilitate in cooler inlet air temps for forced induction vehicles. Heat soak mid race will reduce the power of forced induction vehicles. This would help with keeping the power levels consistent from the start of the race to the finish. This will benefit both N/A and forced induction vehicles. It is allowed in ST.

3. Rule: Championship Race Requirements
   Proposed Change: Move the requirement from 5 points races to 12 (or 5 weekends). (With exception to regions that don't have the required amount of events prior to Nationals)
   Reason: To insure that the racers going to Nationals fully support the AIX run group during the regular racing season. The class needs a full season of support.

[Dustin]

Hey Everyone,

    I wanted to jump in and add a few things to the discussion. I want to help clarify my reason for a rules change request. Plus, to be clear, I'm not trying to divide the class, I'm all for unity and working this out as a group. I'm not requesting a rules change to hamper anyone nor am I trying to change the rules to better suit my car. I built my new car to the current rules of 5:1 so a change to lower that will cost me a lot of time and money. I'm fine with that if it promotes more people in the class though.

    My only intent is to build the class up from what is currently nothing. I am the current HPDE 4 group leader at NASA MidAmerica. This is the gateway from the NASA HPDE program to TT and W2W racing. NASA Has a great HPDE program and I am a graduate of the system myself. Being in this position gives me the opportunity to monitor the path individuals take after HPDE. I also spend every weekend trying to recruit people into W2W, Mainly AIX lol.

  On average 1 out of 12 go into W2W over TT. Out of those going W2W less than 1 out of 100 go into AIX. I have graduated 1 into Spec Iron and 1 into AI this year and zero into AIX. Yet I have seen plenty go into ST1-5. So this year I started questioning everyone that had an AI/AIX capable car, but choose to go into ST2. Same answer all the time. 5:1 is to expensive for them to maintain.   

   I've run in AIX this entire year. I've run in events with NASA MidAmerica, Great Lakes, Texas, Rocky Mountain and in the Championships at Pitt. I have attended everything i could this year and over the last few years. In this time frame I've seen one legit AIX car. That was the one belonging to Paul and Brian Faessler. Amazing machine with an mazing driver. It truly hustles and is what the Current AIX class was designed to be. I cant say enough about them building great cars and representing the class for all these years.

    However, that's it. With the exception of that one car, this class is all but dead. Why?? I don't know. I have yet to meet one person that said "man, 5:1 is just to restrictive. if this was unlimited and I would get out of AI or jump from ST2 and join". Yet I've had people say if it was more like ST1 or ST2 they would jump over. I have had people say if it wasn't such a big jump from AI they would jump over. Reality is would they really?? I cant guarantee that anymore than they can guarantee unlimited will bring a full house.

   Paul Faessler is right. The name American Iron Extreme should be what the class is, Extreme. But this generation of racers aren't jumping on that bandwagon anymore. Budget, Afraid to go fast, don't like American Muscle cars anymore?? Who knows. I agree we don't need anymore classes. NASA has two many classes as it is. Perhaps we can pull some data from the STU and TTU classes versus the ST1/2 and TT 1/2 classes and see who has the bigger pool. This may help understand what direction new racers are going.  

   To be clear, I give no ultimatums. If AIX goes full nuclear with Unlimited everything I will still build a car and run in it. My goal is to carry this class into the foreseeable future. It is the class I love. But I probably wont continue to run in it if there is only one competitor per year. Solo trophies have no meaning. Maybe the class elders are right and everyone will break out their wallets and start burning 100$ bills to compete in unlimited. I doubt it, but I've been wrong plenty of times in my life. 

   Like I said, I respect those before me and I want to work with everyone to ensure the future. We all must admit the class is probably in the worst shape it has ever been. So the discission must be made to continue with more of the same, bring back old rules or make new changes for hopes of improvement. Either direction that NASA takes us, I hope they they give us full support and try promoting the class to the fullest. 

[Chris Morris]

I fully support water / meth injection for power adders. However, it is noted that adding meth at a 50/50 rate is still flammable, and that container should meet FIA rated fuel cell requirements.

i do not concur with the additional race point changes, as that shoe horns drivers from competing at nationals who would otherwise attend but have a work conflict year. This would likely see less eligible drivers, and as is, many AIX cars compete in other series (SCCA, GL) throughout the race year, to include the entire 2022 AIX entry list. 
 

some (one person) wants to go unlimited. Another wants to go 6.5:1. I think staying 5:1 is a good middle ground.