Well this is a bummer

Jamz14, for SCCA please read GCR 6.11 Rules of the Road. What your saying above does not cut it within the SCCA rules.

Ernie great job, Sorry to hear the outcome though.

Totally in hindsight but why didn'y you just put the spare back in?

Jamz the passing rules are different between SCCA and NASA.

SCCA has racing room, etc. NASA has like a dozen diagrams.

J~

Bench,

Thank you. I read that section and I would agree that it would mean a move as I describe should not be possible. It would also mean that as soon as I had any overlap, the line is mine. It would also preclude any kind of blocking move on a fast approaching car.

By the way the other Mazda's racing finished 5th, 6th and 18th so the Mazda is not the fastest car. This weight is slowing down the other drivers to the point they can't compete. I am all for the individual weight for where individual drivers place.

Ernie,

This is not correct. If your car is finishing consistently first, then the Mazda is the fastest. It doesn't matter where the other Mazda's are finishing. The only way for what you are saying to be true is if your car is different than theirs. Then where they are placing would be relevant. If your car is the same, what you are really saying is that you are a better driver than these other guys. So stand up and say that instead of that the Mazda isn't the fastest car. If they keep giving weight penalties to the winners then the series isn't about the fastest car and driver anymore, it is a handicap race and it doesn't matter what car I am driving, eventually I will be a winner.

Ernie great job, Sorry to hear the outcome though.
Totally in hindsight but why didn'y you just put the spare back in?
 
Jamz the passing rules are different between SCCA and NASA.
SCCA has racing room, etc. NASA has like a dozen diagrams.
J~

Ernie,
This is not correct. If your car is finishing consistently first, then the Mazda is the fastest. It doesn't matter where the other Mazda's are finishing. The only way for what you are saying to be true is if your car is different than theirs. Then where they are placing would be relevant. If your car is the same, what you are really saying is that you are a better driver than these other guys. So stand up and say that to instead of that the Mazda isn't the fastest car. If they keep giving weight penalties to the winners then the series isn't about the fastest car and driver anymore, it is a handicap race and it doesn't matter what car I am driving, eventually I will be a winner.

I believe I am a better driver. All our cars are the same, I've driven all of our team cars at our home track and can run just as fast in their cars as I can in mine.

There you go!!!! Positions 1-4 are in better cars than you and you are still kicking their behinds. Now I am understanding the situation and why some might be upset. You are basically saying that you are better B spec driver by far than any other in the field even though they are driving much better cars than you. And at the same time slamming the series you are running for and accusing them of unethical behavior. General rule of thumb that I have always heard, it is never the car(team) fault, and it is generally not a good idea to talk badly towards the race promoters. I would imagine Mazda would be much happier knowing that their car is the best car on the grid and that even a mediocre driver can win in a top prepped Mazda when going up against minis and fits.

Competition Adjustments: In order to keep the competition close within the Pirelli World Challenge series, competition adjustments will be "made to a vehicle model when deemed necessary". Competition adjustments will primarily be done through adjustments to the base weight, the engine speed limit and/or the required restrictor size.

A couple of key words. sort of like the word "intent" that is thrown around the SCCA club racing.

Must. Resist. Commenting.

OK, a few safe things - Ernie that contact was not your fault and I don't see how WC/SCCA could have ruled otherwise. As for the Speed3 RPM, that has nothing to do with WC having it out for Mazda. Annnnnd, I better stop there...

I will keep my comments to myself, but Jr is correct, the times shown (2:03) at Sonoma by me are incorrect. We used a transponder found in the corner of our shop and it turns out it was out of date. I'm guessing they must've mistaken another car for mine, there was at least 4-5 white cars out there.

I do think it was pretty neat to see 4 makes in the Top 6.

  


I guess I'm just tired of seeing race series that are touted as "affordable racing" and then the arms race takes off and we see $30-40k SMs, Pro3 cars, Spec E30s, and God knows what top B-SPEC cars go for. That's hardly affordable for the regular Joes and Janes out there. Everytime I see this, it makes ChumpCar/e appealing. Heck, they even have better prizes!

Ding ding ding ding!  If you truly want to race for "fun" (where your definition of "fun" doesn't require winning, or trying to become a "pro", or having a sweet looking car to hang on your office wall to impress your friends, or trying to make a living from this "hobby", or otherwise trying to make anyone think you are Joe Badass because you can drive your Miata/Formula Beetle/Spridget/Whatever faster than the other 20 guys trying to do the same), then I strongly encourage you to try a Chump race or two.  You'll see plenty of old friends, plus guys like Randy Pobst there having - well - "FUN".  How can you be SURE they are there for FUN?  Because there is precious other little reason to be there. 

With help from some wonderful sponsors and Mazda and Toyo, I had SM down to a break-even operation for the last few years.  Now I spend more than that buying seats in Chump Cars.  Why?  Fun.  FUN.  The reason I started SCCA was fun, and a dire shortage of it is why I ultimately left.  Not in protest, not angrily, I gave it up the same way you don't eat the last bite of a sandwich.  You just put it down and push it away.  I sort of hope I'll get hungry again, but it hasn't happened yet.

The Runoffs?  Among the least fun I had in my whole life, but maybe I was naive by not expecting to see "the Champ" try to pick fistfights, lock my car up in protest every couple days, and other shenanigans just because that (apparently) met HIS definition of "F-U-N".

Anyway - whatever you do, try to have fun - and hopefully your fun doesn't have to necessarily come at someone else's expense!

You can't win the Runoffs in a Chumpcar Mark, although many will try.

I'm so glad my son always chose to keep his mouth shut and just drive...taught his old man a valuable lesson.

Thanks to B-spec, SM is guaranteed continued success!

Example, long straight, driver in front is holding his line in the
middle of the track, overtaking driver pulls a nose alongside you.
Leading driver notices and starts moving you over. He can move you
completely off track and be in the right. At least this is what I have
been told.

Analyze what you wrote.  Scary. I hope you're not a SCCA Steward, but from what I have seen I would not be surprised. 

SCCA rules of the road are incomplete and not defined.  That leaves tons of room for Stewards to interpret them anyway they want.  I have seen this few times already.  People at SCCA have to read the NASA rules of the road and copy them over.  About 30 minutes of work.

To that 15 year old kid, don't worry, if you're good you'll float to the top one way or the other.  You got time.

In the SCCA if you overlap by one inch, you need to give the other competitor racing room.  I don't think there's any ambiguity with the rule as written, as long as everyone (including stewards) read and understand the rule.