understood. that would be a shame though, if they want to run stock boost but are assumed to and therefore kicked out.

if I didn't make it clear either, thanks very much for all your work & transparency regarding the issue, discussions etc. hope I didn't sound to combative explaining my point of view.

::

the more I think about it, the more that would really suck if, for example, the FoRS was booted from STU due to making too much power. a TON of guys I know are ready to run STU, probably do not want to make the jump to an SP class, especially because of a forced open ECU rule. I'm almost certain before that happening they would rather take a cut to the tire width, STA class, anything.

or, honestly.. leave ECUs at the current ruling inside STU... let the hot hatches do whatever, MCS has already proven to run near STU times in craig's hands, and probably will pick up more time if he can fit the wheel/tire in STU. leave the rest of that alone...

 

Certainly more safe and clean ways, but in the end its a game of what can you do around the rules. Its also why my sandbox has started with STREET and ended with MOD for 12 years .

I guess I should ask, have you tried and failed to get more boost with the stock BCS and the weird restricted line parts all in place? I cant find much info of stock BCS with those parts in.

But I can also re-iterate, while I love the Evo CT9A platform, I cant stand SCCA making rules or having special classes because they don't want old cars to be irrelevant or don't want to make new cars relevant. For example, BS. WTF do you need a class for a C5 non-Z06? Why not move GT350 and Camaro SS 1LE in that class where it could actually compete.... but I digress

 

honestly, never had a reason to try. honestly I prob won't change anything with an open ecu rule. neither the car nor I am on the pointy end, certainly not worth experimenting with the stock BCS to try to get there.

a big part of the manual boost controllers appeal is having that boost spike prevention. even an electronic boost control solenoid does wayyyyy better of a job. probably should have came with a unit like the grimspeed from the factory.

 

Everyone wants a trophy...

 

honestly I agree with that sentiment - but this is not that. that would have been more uproar when the 350z & vette were thrown into STU, which have come to be pretty dominant.

giving some cars open boost but not others, please - that is something else entirely. open boost for all cars keeps ALL the boosted cars relevant. already some discussion of, pending power levels of open boost, cars may need to be excluded from the class if they make too much power... wow. just leave the ECUs alone then. has there been another case where certain cars were given exclusions & allowances over others in the exact same market? genuinely curious here if there is precedent for such a ruling.

 

My "everybody gets a trophy" sentiment stems from the INSANE # of classes. To me, there should be 3 "levels" (race car, "street" car, and stock to mostly stock) for AWD, FWD, and RWD classes, and that's it. If you want a trophy, bring a car that is capable of winning a trophy with you driving. That's my sentiment...lol

 

frankly I don't think there should be ladies' classes - there's no physical difference in terms of racing for men & women. it's not the nba. but I digress..

 

In real racing, there is a physical difference (in a multi hour long race). Also mental stamina (again, over a long race), aggression, and willingness to take risk. In AutoX, not so much...lol

 

I think we are well beyond the point of leaving the ECU rules the way they are and it has been clearly explained that only minority of people see it that way.

But, the other one regarding the effect of open ECU for some boosted cars, but not for others, has much more merit! If we leave it as it is proposed, some car would benefit more than others. This is also true for any of the boosted allowances looking from the naturally aspirated seat.

If things go this way, order of things will be shifted and new order will be established. Is this necessarily a bad thing? I guess, those that would benefit from this would see it different from those that will not and this is typical of all rule changes. It does suck that EVO 8 and 9 are on the bad end of this, but aside from writing letters about all of this, not sure what else is there to do.

Personally, I would also like to see open boost allowance with the open ECU rather than open ECU only.

Now, regardless of whether we get one of both, they have to allow some clutch upgrades as well. Minimum would be to allow any pad material on the disk itself or any disk for that matter. That would allow all of the people that are border lining with usability of the OEM clutches, with extra power that ST allowance brings, to see more reasons to stay in the class.

 

I think that's exactly the rabbit hole they are trying to avoid. then upgraded drivetrains to handle the launches, etc. and you wind up in ASP. I've come around on the clutch issue. seems not as many people are having issues as they did in the past, and weak clutches save drivetrains.

the open boost for all instead of some, I've made my stance pretty clear on.

 

I don't agree on that one, but that is what I believe is the right way to go!

 

If you killed the ladies class I guarantee you would see numbers drop. AX is a family affair, kill the place the wife can play and no logic in the world will win that argument

 

There is precedent. SP rules allow open boost for turbo cars and zero changes are allowed for supercharged cars. Justification is that pulleys/'blow off valves/pop off valves' are easily enforceable.

I should also mention that participation is the key, not so much a fear of domination by one type of car. When the evo's were the top car in STU everything was fine so long as they made numbers. As soon as their numbers dropped the changes started. If the FORS guys embrace the class and show up in big numbers things will probably work out for them.

 

Also need to keep in mind that SP started as what ST is now. The pressure to allow more and more mods to 'improve the reliability', or 'equalize the performance' have made the category so unreliable and car specific that participation is suffering. heck, I think prepared started out the same way also, and look where they are now! Death by a thousand cuts.

 

to be honest if we want to say turbos and superchargers get different allowances, that's as much as saying the NA cars don't get to increase boost either.

in this case, we've got a number of cars that are literally direct competitors with different rules applying to each. that's more what I was referring to regarding cars "in the exact same market." not that they both have some form of forced induction.

the indication I'm getting here though is that the committee's mind has already been made up. if that's the case I can stop wasting my mental energy here and move on to other things.

which is why we never touched allowing open boost in STU before, and it isn't even a problem in STU today... boy what a wrench CW threw into the system. obviously the issue has always been there but never a problem until he started winning STX

thank you again for your willingness to come out here and explain this kind of thing to the masses - I really appreciate it, no sarcasm!