By Ryan Cristobal/USTCC PR Team

March 21st, 2006/Richmond, CA. - The Hankook U.S. Touring Car Championship (USTCC) announced today that the series will exercise its option to change vehicle specifications to equalize performance among the marques after the first round of competition at Mazda Raceway, Laguna Seca in Monterey, California.

Effective immediately for the following vehicles receive competition weight adjustments:
· The minimum weight of Mitsubishi EVO 8 RS is raised from 3300 to 3670 pounds.
· The minimum weight of Subaru Legacy GT is raised from 3050 to 3370 pounds.
· The minimum weight of Acura RSX-R is raised from 2560 to 2650 pounds.

Also, selected forced inducted vehicles must run with the mandatory data acquisition system to monitor engine performance. MaxQData will also be used to monitor other aspects of each car in competition during all on track sessions. The Hankook USTCC Officials will need to keep close eyes on the turbo cars to maintain fair competition among the various cars. Air restrictors are also being researched for some turbocharged cars to keep power under control.

It appears the evos are a little tooo fast, how do you think you will fair with an extra 300 lbs.....

Scorke

 

Holy crap.. how are cars going to add another 370 lbs to their cars? Sandbags?

 

Haha I know i was thinking the same thing, especially when a stripped car, even with an extensive cage is probably a good bit under 3300, id guess 3100 or so, so imagine where the hell they are going to put about 500lbs of ballast.....

Scorke

p.s. At least they get to choose where to put it i gues......

 

Put Kent Jordan's fat *** in it!

 

The Evo is ****ed.

 

Just goes to prove that the only reasonable category for our cars to run in are series like Speed World Challenge, etc.....The Evo is such a formidable platform that it needs to run with fairly extreme GT cars, not little touring sedans. In actuality, there is little comparison between an Evo and a civic, or TSX, etc...when they are race prepped. I feel sorry for Bongiovanni and Brown, because they have put a lot of effort into this. Dave is an excellent driver, and they may still be in the fight regardless....we'll see.

 

Have to disagree with that. The evo would not fair well against the extreme GT cars, I am sorry but the amount of money that would have to be sunk into an evo to compete with a Viper Competition Coupe or a GT3 cup car driven by a professional would not be a number you would like to think about. The best fitting series for the evo I believe is T2, in the SCCA.

Scorke

 

Who said money had to be an issue? It would take less money to prepare the Evo that it does the Porches and the Vipers....it's all relative. T2 is a level playing field, of sorts, but there is no suspension tuning allowed, which is ludicrous. What I'm trying to say is that as a turbocharged car with an extreme amount of power potential, why NOT aim a little higher? And why are you so sure that a properly prepared Evo will get eaten by the GT cars? The Volvo that Paul G. Will be driving in GT this year will most probably be competive, not at the front of the field, but not blown away either. The Evo certainly has as much potential as the s60. Also, I'm not referring to the club racing level. USTCC is well beyond the club level as well.

 

LOL! Whens the next race at laguna Kent? We'll have to organize the fan club.

 

the weight gains are a compliment to the speed of the evo.

they scurred.... I still think th eevo will be competitive.. we'll see.

n

 

I can just see it now ... at the next event the Evos will pull up with full leather/suede interiors, dual subs in the trunk, 2000W soundsystem and Kent in the passenger seat.

l8r)

 

the history here is we started with a final post race weight of 2050...remember from intake plenum to cat you can't touch the motor...first race practice...they saw the speed and handling and added 200 lbs before the race! now we get "blessed" with another 400 lbs...for a new post race weight of 2650.....all on 235/40/17 tires (glad I don't have their job)...

 

I just wanted to be there to hear the traditional SCRRRRAAAAAAPE as the racers come down the corkscrew and know who has their suspension dialed in and who doesn't.
Way to go EVO!!
Great writeup! ty.
Cheers,
~j.

 

I think with that ridiculous amount of extra weight they added it'll be scrapping down the damn straight! Robi, time to dial up the spring rates

you guys did a little too good a job in the first race

 

so they will get the "winners weights" for the cars. they are bricks of lead that are in different incriments that they can choose from to add the weight to the cars. they can evenly distribute the weights through out the car without penalty.

that sucks that they see the Evo whipping some behind on those other cars. i forsee the Evo being put to pasture because it is toooo fast. it will quickly become a car that wont be able to compete with the others because of limitations/rules. i also quickly see the other manufacturers complaining and wanting to modify their cars just to keep up with the Evos. i think they may allow to modify the intake plenum or head or cams or other to be competitive with the Evos. it will take the other manufacturers and teams to spend more money to keep up and i predict that the evo will just have to run with a full interior, spare tire, jack, stock airbox, stock ECU, factory exhaust, full glass, and airbag just to make weight....ahahahah!!!!!