A NEW TREND IN RACING ?
06-27-2012, 08:26 PM
#46
Rennlist Member
06-27-2012, 08:35 PM
#47
Drifting
errrr -- yes -- It's the E85 slogan.
Our race team has corporate sponsorship to convert our ChumpCar
and run E85 in the ChumpCar race series.
I have to admit it was relatively easy to convert and the car
has run great. Finishing without fuel related incidents in all 3 races
this season. We did have to replace a fuel filter when we
had a gauge failure that had us run out of gas -- Ethanol is a great
gas tank cleaner, but had we not had the gauge issue -- I'm
confident we wouldn't have had the fuel filter problem.
Car feels like there is an HP increase and there has not been significant
increase in fuel consumption.
More likely it was the "I love Justin Bieber" bumper sticker that
had us targeted --- but that's a whole different story :-)
Mike
Our race team has corporate sponsorship to convert our ChumpCar
and run E85 in the ChumpCar race series.
I have to admit it was relatively easy to convert and the car
has run great. Finishing without fuel related incidents in all 3 races
this season. We did have to replace a fuel filter when we
had a gauge failure that had us run out of gas -- Ethanol is a great
gas tank cleaner, but had we not had the gauge issue -- I'm
confident we wouldn't have had the fuel filter problem.
Car feels like there is an HP increase and there has not been significant
increase in fuel consumption.
More likely it was the "I love Justin Bieber" bumper sticker that
had us targeted --- but that's a whole different story :-)
Mike
06-27-2012, 08:50 PM
#48
Rennlist Member
06-27-2012, 08:58 PM
#49
The Penguin King
Rennlist Member
Rennlist Member
You can disagree all you want. But I have seen more bump drafting, fender rubbing, and crashing in Spec Pinata races than any other. There is very little respect for other races cars.
Sure. Everyone wants to see how creative the racers can be with their crashes. Everyone knows the crashes are coming and they want to see them.
Well, there never should be intentional contact at the club racing level. I understand that mistakes are made, there are mechanical failures, and that accidents happen. What happens in the Spec Pinata races is over the top. It's the culture of the class.
Scott
Sure. Everyone wants to see how creative the racers can be with their crashes. Everyone knows the crashes are coming and they want to see them.
Well, there never should be intentional contact at the club racing level. I understand that mistakes are made, there are mechanical failures, and that accidents happen. What happens in the Spec Pinata races is over the top. It's the culture of the class.
Scott
06-27-2012, 09:05 PM
#50
Nordschleife Master
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Vacuuming Cal Speedway
Posts: 7,306
Likes: 0
Received 7 Likes
on
5 Posts
All due respect Scott but this is the biggest load of horse crap I've read in a long time on RL. Maybe this is true where you live and in all the am races you have run in, but it is far from the truth in SM in Texas. We have a great group of talented drivers who race hard and fair. And honestly the front of the sm pack could kick the asses of most PCA racers I know. Myself included.
06-27-2012, 09:39 PM
#51
Mike,
Horse crap? That has to be the most naive thing I have ever read on RL!
The class didn't get the nicknames "Spec Pinata", "Smash Miata", and "Spinning Monkeys" for nothing.
Scott
Horse crap? That has to be the most naive thing I have ever read on RL!
The class didn't get the nicknames "Spec Pinata", "Smash Miata", and "Spinning Monkeys" for nothing.
Scott
06-27-2012, 10:37 PM
#52
The Penguin King
Rennlist Member
Rennlist Member
Could be true on the left coast, but it isn't in these parts. I honestly enjoy racing spec miata more than I do PCA.
06-27-2012, 10:52 PM
#53
Addict
Rennlist Member
Rennlist Small
Business Sponsor
Rennlist Member
Rennlist Small
Business Sponsor
Anyone who thinks that SM has the market cornered on agressive/dumb driving is delusional. Same stupid stuff happens in Cup Car fields too.
As for the original topic. Very interesting way to kill your racing program.
As for the original topic. Very interesting way to kill your racing program.
06-27-2012, 11:10 PM
#54
Then you have the Lemons races.....
Scott
Last edited by winders; 06-27-2012 at 11:45 PM.
06-28-2012, 01:16 AM
#56
06-28-2012, 11:38 AM
#57
Three Wheelin'
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Kansas City
Posts: 1,659
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
You can disagree all you want. But I have seen more bump drafting, fender rubbing, and crashing in Spec Pinata races than any other. There is very little respect for other races cars.
Sure. Everyone wants to see how creative the racers can be with their crashes. Everyone knows the crashes are coming and they want to see them.
Well, there never should be intentional contact at the club racing level. I understand that mistakes are made, there are mechanical failures, and that accidents happen. What happens in the Spec Pinata races is over the top. It's the culture of the class.
Scott
Sure. Everyone wants to see how creative the racers can be with their crashes. Everyone knows the crashes are coming and they want to see them.
Well, there never should be intentional contact at the club racing level. I understand that mistakes are made, there are mechanical failures, and that accidents happen. What happens in the Spec Pinata races is over the top. It's the culture of the class.
Scott
If the group you race in allows boneheads to crash each other then that will **** off those drivers enough they will leave (as simple as that). SM in Texas has huge fields and yes with such large classes there's contact when you have such similar cars in such close quarters all vying for position. However what is synthesized in that field are drivers that have the talent to race at the professional level. So there is an upside to Spec Pinatas and a reason why it is a class a lot of young drivers have on their ladder to becoming a pro (not to mention the support Mazda provides us).
06-28-2012, 12:12 PM
#58
Rennlist Member
I think it's the nature of any kind of a spec class that racing is tighter and riskier. The cars are prepped to within a very tight percentage throuout the field, ad twisted the pointy end the best drivers are very closely stacked.
On thing going for a spec class is they often are self policing, they have their own subset of rules and arbiters that more typically than not reflect the concensus of the group. Within the 944spec we've had and have our share of incidents, myself included. I will say that it bothers me if I have damage on any of my cars irrespective of it's value, but I'm much more reluctant to put the level of body repair into the spec car than the cup or boxster, only because of the frequency of contact.
On thing going for a spec class is they often are self policing, they have their own subset of rules and arbiters that more typically than not reflect the concensus of the group. Within the 944spec we've had and have our share of incidents, myself included. I will say that it bothers me if I have damage on any of my cars irrespective of it's value, but I'm much more reluctant to put the level of body repair into the spec car than the cup or boxster, only because of the frequency of contact.
06-28-2012, 12:25 PM
#59
jaje,
You seem to forget that I have eyes. I see what happens on the track. Based on comments I see from all over the country, CA is not alone in its bumper car status for the SM class.
As I experienced in my motorcycle racing days, being on track with young guys trying to prove themselves as possible pro drivers is a recipe for contact and overly aggressive driving.
For whatever reason, contact is accepted...no, expected.
At the professional level, much of the contact I see would result in drive through penalties or fines. It wouldn't be tolerated.
This all started because you said that the 13/13 rule made more sense for expensive cars. I said the only logic that makes any sense there is that cheaper cars are shown less respect on the track. However you slice it, the amount of contact in the SM series shows there is not a lot of respect for the other guys equipment.
Scott
You seem to forget that I have eyes. I see what happens on the track. Based on comments I see from all over the country, CA is not alone in its bumper car status for the SM class.
As I experienced in my motorcycle racing days, being on track with young guys trying to prove themselves as possible pro drivers is a recipe for contact and overly aggressive driving.
For whatever reason, contact is accepted...no, expected.
At the professional level, much of the contact I see would result in drive through penalties or fines. It wouldn't be tolerated.
This all started because you said that the 13/13 rule made more sense for expensive cars. I said the only logic that makes any sense there is that cheaper cars are shown less respect on the track. However you slice it, the amount of contact in the SM series shows there is not a lot of respect for the other guys equipment.
Scott
06-28-2012, 04:25 PM
#60
Three Wheelin'
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Kansas City
Posts: 1,659
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
jaje,
You seem to forget that I have eyes. I see what happens on the track. Based on comments I see from all over the country, CA is not alone in its bumper car status for the SM class.
As I experienced in my motorcycle racing days, being on track with young guys trying to prove themselves as possible pro drivers is a recipe for contact and overly aggressive driving.
For whatever reason, contact is accepted...no, expected.
At the professional level, much of the contact I see would result in drive through penalties or fines. It wouldn't be tolerated.
This all started because you said that the 13/13 rule made more sense for expensive cars. I said the only logic that makes any sense there is that cheaper cars are shown less respect on the track. However you slice it, the amount of contact in the SM series shows there is not a lot of respect for the other guys equipment.
Scott
You seem to forget that I have eyes. I see what happens on the track. Based on comments I see from all over the country, CA is not alone in its bumper car status for the SM class.
As I experienced in my motorcycle racing days, being on track with young guys trying to prove themselves as possible pro drivers is a recipe for contact and overly aggressive driving.
For whatever reason, contact is accepted...no, expected.
At the professional level, much of the contact I see would result in drive through penalties or fines. It wouldn't be tolerated.
This all started because you said that the 13/13 rule made more sense for expensive cars. I said the only logic that makes any sense there is that cheaper cars are shown less respect on the track. However you slice it, the amount of contact in the SM series shows there is not a lot of respect for the other guys equipment.
Scott