Thank you John, Jim, Mike, Sam, Dave, Louis, and Dan for the bold action to bring the cars AND clubs together.
I did a quick tally of the +/-14 comments so far that seemed to be casting a vote. Here's what I got:
1.6 - 4 positive, 3 negative
NA1.8 - 2 positive
NB - 4 positive, 1 negative (Kyle, tongue-in-cheek)
I believe based on the NASA evidence (bearing in mind that there will never be 100% irrefutable data that applies to all tracks and all prep levels) the 2012-2014 weights and plates should make for much better racing.
Yes, the 1.6 in SCCA trim adds 25 lbs (1.1%). The '99 in SCCA trim drops 2% weight but has a 14% smaller hole to breathe through if my math is right.
Steve, if you take my weight post as negative all you were doing is taking facts to the far side. My reward for building a 1.6 at 2020 & to date loosing 21 pounds of personal body weight is a reward to add 25 pounds to the spec line weight. Remember all the 99 cackling when nasa went smaller with the RP & less weight. If the RP was reduced another mm, the cackling would start all over again. I stated previous to these changes that the whole deal could be completed without saddling cars with the nemesis of race cars, weight. Do it with the restrictor.
The normal in the SCCA is that a class red flag (car that romps the field or is the low life of the field) gets raised at the Runoffs track. I happen to be CenDiv Milwaukee region member & could race at Road America 5 to 10 times a year (nationals alone, June Sprints, Cat national, Runoffs through 2013). If others that blow my comments off lived in the CenDiv they would be saying the same thing. What's happening now for nationals is most 1.6's don't enter.
Now, if a unknown charter did the math the numbers would be totally different. Let's take the weight difference between the car build weight & the 2011 spec line weight.
1.6 2011 spec line weight = 2275 pounds - the 2020 pound build weight = 255 pounds
2012 additional weight = PLUS 25 pounds /255 pounds = PLUS 10%
99 2011 spec line weight = 2450 pounds - the 2100 pound build weight = 350 pounds
2012 additional weight = MINUS 50 pounds/350 pounds = MINUS 14% along with a smaller restrictor plate
Your numbers show a total differental of 3.1% of weight while the unknown charter's numbers show a total differental of 24% of weight.
Anyone care to use some of the statistical data, modeling or other factual evidence to show a comparison of the 1.6 & 99 cars at Road America from T14 to T1, from T3 to T5 & T5 to T12?
All said with