Vic –
We haven’t met yet, but I look forward to it. You are clearly a talented driver and a passionate advocate for what you believe. But it strikes me that you may be off base on your attacks.
Philosophy
Spec E30 is run by Carter. Call it a benevolent dictatorship, a malevolent dictatorship, a fiefdom or whatever. It doesn’t matter. Like it (him?) or not, he was a founder of the class and has earned his position.
If you were at the very first race and have been active ever since, but still can’t get Carter’s ear on rules, maybe it is your approach? I am sure you are simply a guy who is passionate about our sport. We need that level of dedication.
There is a humorous parallel with Spec Miata. There is an engineer from Ohio who is fast. Wins races and stuff. Challenged for the win at nationals the last 2 years.
Last year he was absolutely merciless in his attacks on the rules. Pointing out loopholes, suggesting new rules to ‘help’ the class. But his favorite target was the '99 and newer Miatas. To him, they never should have been allowed in the class because they were too different to achieve parity with the older cars (which he drove). The '99s were ruining the class. '99 drivers were basically trying to buy themselves a win. That kind of thing.
He never tried honey. Always vinegar. What car did he show up in at this year’s nationals? A '99. Some people just like to argue their own position for the fun of it. If you don’t agree with them, then you are somehow mentally deficient or evil.
That being said, I don’t think I will change your mind, Vic. But for the benefit of new guys reading this, I’d like to offer my perspective.
SE30 works. Cheap donors. Enough stuff to play with to keep tinkerers happy. Good field sizes. Close racing. Is SE30 perfect? Heck no. Is it a good place to learn racecraft in relatively cheap, pretty darn well matched cars (regardless of cost)? Hell yes.
Unless you are selling turnkey racecars with sealed everything, there will be variation in prep level.
Rules
For the long term health of the class and its drivers, I think that the overarching goal of the rules should be (in order of importance):
- maximize safety
- remedy common failure parts that impact reliability
- minimize performance differences between cars
- minimize costs related to non-wear items
- minimize costs related to wear items
If cost is at the top of your list, maybe racing a Civic in ITB or PT should be your goal.
I don’t think ‘dirt cheap racing’ and BMW will ever go together. The replacement parts are costly and the cars are 20 years old.
Exhaust/Horsepower
I’m confused about your argument about the spec exhaust. You don’t seem to be advocating a lot of testing prior to specifying sway bars or bushings or spacer choices. But for spec exhaust you say it harmed you because you didn’t get the horsepower gain everyone else did. I’ve heard the system actually took torque away.
The most troubling thing I see about the upcoming Max HP/TQ rule is that peak numbers aren’t the whole story. If we spec a max, I will spend some money trying to maximize the area under the curves. Does that make me a bad guy?
That is why I think we can take a page from the spec miata book and really clamp down on what can and can’t be done to engine internals. Unfortunately, the largely unavailable full E30 workshop manual does not have the specificity that the Mazda manual has regarding measurements and allowed rebuilding processes.
If anyone thinks that a Max HP/TQ rule will equalize the cars, you’re kidding yourself. Without an effective means to do at-track detuning (restrictor plate?), you run the risk of people showing up not knowing if their car will be determined to be illegal. The variation in dyno readings (dyno to dyno) makes this rule fraught with trouble, IMHO.
But it is better than nothing (maybe).
- Spec a camber plate instead of setting a max camber – otherwise you leave ride height open. You’re just begging for someone to come up with a custom high dollar plate.
Like sway bars, spec a mass-produced camber plate.
- Disallow adjustable fuel pressure regulators. Why where these allowed in the first place?! There are gains to be had in messing with Fuel and timing.
With the stock airbox and stock injectors, does additional fuel pressure really help?
- Limit wheel and spacer choices. Right now, I can run a 15mm spacer with my Koseis. Really should just be bottlecaps or basketweaves all around.
With a maximum track rule, you effectively limit spacers. I’d prefer not to run on wheels that have been corroding and hitting curbs for 20 years. For a few hundred bucks a set more than bottlecaps, I’m picking new wheels every time. Cheap insurance.
- Gas-tank size for endures. Carter and Carlton benefited tremendously by having the only legal “big” tank at last year’s VIR enduro. We screamed about it as a community yet nothing was done.
It would be cheaper for everyone to put a minimum number of pit stops in the supps that corresponds to the smallest stock tank. Of course that only solves the in-class parity and takes away a necessary advantage for an SE30 to compete with SM in E2 enduro classing.
Oil pan cover? One of only 2 DNFs I have ever had was a cracked pan on the exit curbing of Turn 7 at Road Atlanta. If you don’t think it is necessary, don’t put one on your car.
Vic - You stated that you were penalized for erratic driving. Caused by you because you had to drive the wheels off because you were down on power. Guess what? There were no rules on the book that said ‘you can bump if that’s what it takes to be competitive because you brought a lesser car to the race.’
I think it is offensive to the NASA officials to accuse them of being cozy with Carter. Hell I don’t know. They may be. Or they may favor the more reasoned party. If you argue your case to the officials the way you argue your case to Carter over rules, it’s no wonder their findings don’t favor you.
Nobody’s getting rich on this stuff. Everyone involved does it primarily for the love of the sport. Your kvetching lessens that satisfaction for everyone. If racers vote with their feet and leave the class, then change might occur.
If you do your own work, you can probably sell your car to a newbie and build a Spec3 for not much more. Go where you can be happy. Life’s too short to make yourself miserable.
Steve D.
