FAST 2016 Classing - Effective August 2015

[Loren]

Full details here.

Overview

FAST Classing has been loosely based on SCCA classing for several years. This year’s changes involve rearranging our stock classes a bit, changing the basis of our Mod classes from SCCA “Street Touring” to SCCA “Street” (stock) classes, combining our race tire classes, and doing away with our own independent class lists. We weren’t doing a good job of keeping our class lists updated with new car models. SCCA does that very well, so we’re just going to follow their lead! Read on…

2016 Stock Category

Things will be mostly the same, but there will be some changes in how classes are combined. We’re also adding a new class, Stock Street Tire 0 (S0) as a place for the fastest cars that sometimes appear in S1 to play, and S5 is being revised to hopefully make it a place where drivers of “slow” cars can have a chance at being competitive.

S0 – Stock Street Tire 0 (SS)
S1 – Stock Street Tire 1 (AS/BS)
S2 – Stock Street Tire 2 (CS/DS)
S3 – Stock Street Tire 3 (FS/GS)
S4 – Stock Street Tire 4 (ES)
S5 – Stock Street Tire 5 (HS/ES/GS with restrictions)
FAST Stock prep rules will remain the same for 2016 with one exception. S5 will be restricted to maximum 195 treadwidth and no Limited Slip Differentials other than a factory-equipped Viscous LSD. Note that there are some potential S5 cars (like the Fiesta ST) that come from the factory with wider than 195 tires. HS cars that do not meet the S5 restrictions will bump to S4. ES/GS cars may bump down to S5 if they meet the restrictions.

2016 Modified Category

The majority of folks will likely end up with the same competition or very close to it. The problem we had with Street Touring classes was that the class lists were very limited. We need our Modified category to cover any production car that could show up, so basing it on Street classes makes more sense. Aside from making this change, we’ve also added a fourth Mod class, which should have the effect of splitting our previously very large M2 class.

M0 – Open Modified Street Tire (SS, bumps and unclassed but streetable cars)
M1 – Modified Street Tire 1 (AS/BS and bumps)
M2 – Modified Street Tire 2 (CS/DS/FS and bumps)
M3 – Modified Street Tire 3 (ES/GS and bumps)
M4 – Modified Street Tire 4 (ES/GS/HS with restrictions)
FAST Modified prep rules will remain the same for 2016. The previous M3 restrictions will now apply to M4 instead. Those restrictions are: maximum 225 treadwidth and no Limited Slip Differentials other than a factory-equipped Viscous LSD.

2016 Race Tire Category

We’re simply not getting enough Race Tire competition to support two classes, and almost nobody competed in R2 in 2015. So, we’re going back to a single race tire class. R1 will be it.

How to Classify Your Car

Read through the Stock and Modified category pages to determine if your car is Stock or Modified and if you need to do any class bumping. Look your car up in the SCCA Solo Street Category class list and class yourself accordingly.

More Info

More about the hows and whys and all that on the website.

[Jamie]

Note that there are some potential S5 cars (like the Fiesta ST) that come from the factory with wider than 195 tires. HS cars that do not meet the S5 restrictions will bump to S4. ES/GS cars may bump down to S5 if they meet the restrictions.

Better put that in bold print on the website -- it's bound to create some confusion. There are a good number of HS cars from the mid-90s onward with 205mm tires.

An ES/FS S3 mix would have been interesting -- the pax is pretty close, and the contest between raw power and nimbleness would be fun. That would have allowed you to retain a GS/HS combination for S4 and set up S5 as a catchall class for anything with 195mm or less tires and an open or viscous LSD...you'd probably have had enough ES cars migrate down to keep the new S3 under control. Oh, well.

[Loren]

Better put that in bold print on the website -- it's bound to create some confusion.

Yeah, we will. And people will still get it wrong.

There are a good number of HS cars from the mid-90s onward with 205mm tires.

True. They are the reason for the restriction. This allows the true bottom-feeding grocery-getter (or anyone in a ES/GS car who wants to reduce their tire width and not run an LSD) to be competitive. The HS cars with 205's will bump to S4 where they can run 205 to 225 width tires and be competitive. (folks like Chuck and Trevor have already proven that)

An ES/FS S3 mix would have been interesting -- the pax is pretty close, and the contest between raw power and nimbleness would be fun. That would have allowed you to retain a GS/HS combination for S4 and set up S5 as a catchall class for anything with 195mm or less tires and an open or viscous LSD...you'd probably have had enough ES cars migrate down to keep the new S3 under control. Oh, well.

Combining any other class with S4 (once we move the NB Miatas back in there to match SCCA classing) makes for a class that is bigger than it needs to be. That's why S4 didn't get GS.

Making S5 into "M4 lite" seemed like a logical way to handle that. Simple.

Oddly enough, this means that I could run my Miata in S5 as it sits... EXCEPT, I'd have to change to an open diff. I've driven my car with an open diff. I don't think it would walk away with the class at all in that form. (and no, I have no real desire to find out)

We also gave consideration to the Fiesta ST's "torque vectoring" electronic LSD equivalent. If one of those guys wanted to downgrade their tire size, they could probably (maybe?) clean up in S5. But, we didn't think that was a likely scenario, so we didn't complicate the no LSD rule.

[jaball77]

Combining any other class with S4 (once we move the NB Miatas back in there to match SCCA classing) makes for a class that is bigger than it needs to be. That's why S4 didn't get GS.

Wait, so is the NB in S4 for next season or not? I'm confused.

[Native]

1990-2005 Miatas are in ES. Assuming it's stock, then that's S4, unless it has an open diff and max 195 tires, in which case it can be run in S5.

A modified NA/NB Miata is M3 / M4.

[Jamie]

1990-2005 Miatas are in ES. Assuming it's stock, then that's S4, unless it has an open diff and max 195 tires, in which case it can be run in S5.

Which means there are base-model NBs as late as 2002 that could play in S5 -- limited slip was always an option, and the base tire didn't go to a 205 until 2003. Hmm...that could be interesting....

[jaball77]

1990-2005 Miatas are in ES. Assuming it's stock, then that's S4, unless it has an open diff and max 195 tires, in which case it can be run in S5.

A modified NA/NB Miata is M3 / M4.

I gotcha. The future tense of the post confused me a little.

The restructuring of M1/M2/M3 is interesting. Moving the S2000s from M2 to M1 and NA/NB Miatas down to M3 or M4... Leaves M2 for NCs, BMWs, and Camaros?

[ViperTGB]

The majority of folks will likely end up with the same competition or very close to it.

I do think that the FS/GS classes for the most part have similar cars (heavier & higher HP). S3 has the fewest entrants of any class during the year (barring R2), and my original thought was that my competition had disappeared entirely. But I just looked at the attendance by class for the year, and S3 consistently has a medium sized turnout every points event, so I'm on board with the change.

[Loren]

Moving the S2000s from M2 to M1 and NA/NB Miatas down to M3 or M4...

Leaves M2 for NCs, BMWs, and Camaros?

And Mustangs and BRZ/FRS and anything else that falls into CS/DS/FS. Plus engine-swapped or forced-induction ES/GS cars that bump up from M3, such as turbo NA/NB Miatas.

[Professional_Slacker]

ok, I read through all of that ( including links ) I don't think I could be any more confused about where my Spyder is classed now. in FAST and SCCA both.

[Professional_Slacker]

ok, re-read...

I THINK I'm in ES in either s4 or s3. I don't have an LSD and my rear tires ( widest tires ) are 225.

[Loren]

ES would never be in S3, not sure where you got that.

ES is S4. With no LSD you would have the option of downsizing to 195 tires and running in S5.

Except that you are not on stock springs, so you aren't eligible for stock, anyway.

[Native]

And so a modified ES car (springs) on wide tires is M3.

[Professional_Slacker]

ES would never be in S3, not sure where you got that.

ES is S4. With no LSD you would have the option of downsizing to 195 tires and running in S5.

Except that you are not on stock springs, so you aren't eligible for stock, anyway.

I meant "M", not "S".

[Loren]

Well then the choice is yours. M3 or M4. How much competition do you want?

[Professional_Slacker]

Well then the choice is yours. M3 or M4. How much competition do you want?

I like running in larger classes. then if I do well, it actually means something.

[twistedwankel]

I think you've made another smart move with this structure. (Even tho' the S3er's who bought newer cars might choke/cough against the little trick Ford turbo's their times are all competitive. Payments suck.)

These classes look swell to me. I know a couple folks who are happy to see SS (GT3) cars go to S0 = good move.

I run in S1 and S2 and if I've learned anything at all sharing my cars: "Don't let some people have the keys to your car unless you want to learn how fast it really is." That list has grown rapidly the older I get.

The Mayor is back. Hope to see you all soon.

[dbeng]

So I'm glad I started with FAST when I did by signing up for last year's novice school. I was broken in gently with a season in the relatively sparsely populated S5 class. I will now fall foul of the 195 tire regs and be thrown among the quick cars & drivers in S4 next season. The 3 has 205 tires stock so I will get bumped up.

It's great I was able to get a season in before these rules kicked in, I bought my car as a daily driver 8 years ago- which it does very well- so it was not bought with autocross in mind, let alone trying to fit into a specific class. I'll make the most of my couple of 1st place stickers gained this year!

Still, it'll be fun trying to at least not be last in class at next season's events

[Loren]

Just in case nobody is picking this up, you CAN put 195's on your car even if it came from the factory with 205's. As long as it is otherwise eligible to be in S5. I can vouch for the grippiness of 195 Hankook S3's... assuming you can find an appropriate wheel/tire fitment for your car.

195's might not work as well on a heavier car as they do on a Miata, though. YMMV.