eastcoastbumps wrote:
It may not be as apparent at the away events, but if you come to a NHMS event where there are bigger fields in SP and P it becomes more noticeable. The majority of people in Prepared have not built their car to run in Prepared. They build it for the sake of building it or they have built it to run somewhere else and they get caught in the 'catch all' that is Prepared or Street Prepared. This works out well if you get 'caught' into the pointy end of the class, but for the majority in Prepared and Street Prepared, it does not work out so well. Prior to the new Touring rules, a Spec Miata was in PC. The butter knife of PC. I call that broken...
The SPC, SPB and SPC NHMS track records are within half a second of each other. The PC, PB and PA records are also within half second of each other. Prior lap times and records are no reason to combine classes or reclass cars, but it goes to show you that C, B, and A are more paper, scissors, rock than knife, sword, gun.
Woah,,, woah,,, woah,,,
So your proposal is to change an entire class philosophy for the most unlimited build cars in the club,,, based around the bottom of the spectrum cars who were bumped into it by an arcane rule like a headliner or carpet?
Why not just change that wording in the rules,,, and get rid of arcane bumping points,,, not,,, dissect and fundamentally change an entire class for the low end of the spectrum
The nature of the new T rules has fixed your perceived portion of the problem. None of those Spec Miatas will be bumped into Prepared,,, so now we have the perfect reason to LEAVE PREPARED ALONE.
Dont penalize the guys who actually have cars at the pointy end of the class for all those who were "bumped" into it.
Fix the reason for the silly bumps,,,, not,,, penalize the guys who actually have Prepared class cars.
That thinking is really what is broken, not the Prepared rules.
Lap times are a function of car and driver,,, and should not ever factor into classing.
Car preparation alone determines class.
Drivers are drivers, they are meat puppets when cars get classed.
The comparison of the lap times across the Prepared classes means nothing. It just means who and what showed up on any given day.
It should not be used as a benchmark to dismantle a class based around an open ruleset when you have people competing in it who like the open ruleset.
The fact that silly codicils in the rules bumped some under prepared cars into a class made for unlimited prep does not make the class philosphy broken. Fix the silly codicil in the rules.
It blows my mind that the memo may not have been fully circulated that Prepared class is a class for actual fully Prepared competition cars.
Yes, if you show up with a street Miata with only part of the preparation done to make it a full on competition car,,, yep you are going to get crushed in PC.
Go back to your garage and finish your "Race Car".
Show up with an F Production Miata that weighs 2100lbs and has 12:1 compression race engine and a dog ring race trans running on race slicks,,, yep,,, you will run really well in PC.
I am not fighting for my (or anyones) perceived place at the pointy end of my class.
I "am" fighting for the openess of the class to remain just that so that what is done to the car,,, within those very basic parameters that exist now,,, never has to factor in to what other types of cars and power plants we compete against.
, so I do feel that I have a very good chance of being competitive this year at the events I attend, especially if I switch to Sm6s like the rest top cars.
, seems that is how it went last year as well.
