Question on tech and points assessed.

[Chip Walterman]

My roll bar makes it impossible for the seat to be there too, and that works to your advantage. There are rules that if used right are an advantage ie: improved heads is 2 points, but if you replace your heads with aluminum ones you also gain an advantage with weight savings.
I found some real nice race seats that are 18 lbs and I think they cost me less than 300$. I am prone to put in safety items whether or not they are a point or not. Council tends to be that way too. They used to have brake changes 3 points but changed it to 2 because it enhanced safety and speeds.

[TonyK]

Exactly my point, we shouldn't be assessed points that could put us into a class we can't be competitive in just because we want to make the car as safe as possible.

[gt6jason]

Don"t get to hung up on the points lost or gained.
Just build the car that will be fast and safe. Make it how you want and let the tech guys deal with the points stuff.
Present the car for the class you want to run and hope for the best. If you have a quick car that you feel comfortable in...everything else will fall into play.

[TonyK]

I want the car to be classed right. A big part of why I run with MC is the element of competition, not just going as fast as possible. Besides, I've never had a tech person question my classing, which is why I ran in the wrong class my first season, I didn't know how to properly assess my points and the tech people didn't mention I may be improperly classed. I didn't think it was on the tech people to class competitors, I thought we were responsible for classing ourselves and tech only got involved if someone questioned another competitors classing.

I have the points to install the seats this year and stay in my class, but if I do it will throw my plans for next season out the door. That's why im questioning the assessment of points for seats, if I install them now im ok, but next season when my car will have much more power I wont have the points to run them. So unless I go to a race class which I will not be at all competitive in I need to keep the OE seats designed 20 years ago for daily commuting and spirited driving. I want safety for free is my point I guess...

[gt6jason]

I hear you on wanting to be classed correctly... Of course.
My point has more to do with you doing what you want and what makes sense for you. The cars class is secondary to what you want the car to do on the track. The car will be classed according to its ability. And it will do fine in another class where... now all the sudden you have a new host of mods to make.

I mean If I had your car... I would gut it completely and race it in wheel to wheel... no points to worry about there.

But I also firmly believe that street car should be designed with one goal in mind...Getting the race car to the track.

[iracemine]

Wait. So in his "class" he is not required to run anything more than stock belts. So if he does anything with belts or seats he is getting assessed points? BUT if he was required to run a 5/6 point harness he would not be assessed points even when changing to a harness supporting seat. right?


And now if you are required to run a 5/6 point harness you cant run them with a stock seat. You would need to use a supporting seat. SO if you are required to run 5/6 point belt aren't you then required to run that on your pass seat?????? AND if so wouldn't you need a race seat on the pass side too????????

Or is it really the instructors are the second class citizens?

[jwagner]

I thought that MC required the same level of restraints/seats for instructors as the driver had, but I'm reaching back to 2007. Back then I put racing seats and belts in both sides of my Miata since I understood that to be the rule. It definitely looked better than having one stock seat and one screaming yellow racing seat.

[TonyK]

Stock seats and belts are allowed in CP, but my.point is I shouldn't have to take points for wanting to be safer than the minimum just because it saves a few pounds. I totally agree that the passenger (instructor) should have the same safety items as the driver. I know if I jumped in a strangers car and he had a racing seat and 5 point and I had a stock seat and 3 point I would be less than thrilled. The driver should not get taxed points for proving racing seats and harnesses on either side of the car. IMO it sends a bad message to dock points for wanting to be as safe as possible. If a driver wants to put them in a bone stock car it should be allowed. 80mph or 130mph your going to be way better off with proper seats and restraints.

[heavy85]

Sounds like something to proposed at the Rule-A-Thon.

Cameron

[TonyK]

What's a rule-a-thon?