Classing question

[JWSmythe]

Good morning,

I have what is probably a silly question.

I have a 2000 TransAm WS/6, stock, street tires. On the SCCA list, it's listed as "F Stock | FS"

On the event registration, it shows "SS & AS (F)" and "BS/CS/FS (G)"

At the last event, what I would assume should be in the same class as me (class G) were a Keith Pecha's TransAm in class D; Tom Stewart's GTO in class G; and Tim Dantuma's Z06 in class F. I believe Keith's TransAm was modified, and D is a modified class, which was right.

I was talking to a friend with a Mustang GT, who's registering for this next event. Over drinks, he said that he thinks he was in class F, but of course that was over drinks.

I just want to be sure I'm signing up in the right class. Should I be registering class F or G?

[Native]

We have ten classes, loosely categorized by displacement, modifications, and tires. Clarifications are listed below the classes.

R - Open or closed wheel race cars (all)
A - Modified race tire (all)
B - Production race tire 3 liters and greater
C - Production race tire less than 3 liters
D - Modified street tire 3 liters and greater
E - Modified street tire less than 3 liters
F - Production street tire, classes: SS, AS
G - Production street tire, classes: BS, CS, FS
H - Production street tire, classes: DS, ES
J - Production street tire, classes: GS, HS

Modified cars are production-based cars with any of the following modifications:
Any internal engine modification (crank, cams, rods, pistons)
Any external engine modification that alters fuel delivery (alternate carb, altered fuel injection, fuel-air ratio adjusters)
Any non-factory engine replacement
Welded chassis reinforcement, including welded roll bars/cages
Alternate or altered springs
Altered suspension geometry (relocated pickup points, alternate suspension parts to increase factory alignment adjustment range such as camber kits, camber plates, or slotted strut mounts)
Alternate main body panels (doors, hood, trunk lid, fenders, roof panel, windows)
Removal of factory interior parts (seats, interior panels)

Other classing notes:
Any and all modifications not listed above are allowed in the production classes.
Production classes are based on SCCA Solo II Stock classes. We do NOT use the SCCA preparation rules, only their class list. SCCA class to determine your FAST class.
Street tires are DOT approved tires with treadwear rating of 140 or above.
Forced induction (turbo or supercharger) bumps engine displacement by a factor of 1.5. (e.g. a 2.2 liter turbocharged engine would be classed as 3.3 liter)
Any non-production based vehicle (such as kit cars or tube-framed "look-alikes") will be classed as a "Race Car" unless deemed an appropriate fit for a lesser class.

Here's a link to the SCCA car list:
http://scca.com/documents/Solo%20Rules/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; ... cturer.pdf

So, your F-stock Trans-Am would run in FAST Class G
If the other Trans-Am was modded according to FAST rules above, and on street tires, then D is correct for him.

Classing yourself correctly for a FAST event is largely an honor-based system. Try to get it correct of course, but if you goof, the worst that will happen is someone will say, "hey, you goofed!" Any finish position or points will get corrected, and you'll know better for next time.

[JWSmythe]

I'm good with the honor system. I also like to be right. I'd prefer to ask and get good clarification, than to make a mistake and have someone call me on it later. It's partly because of the work I do. Bosses tend to like things done right the first time. Usually if I make a mistake, it can cost the company a lot of money, so it's good for me not to make mistakes.

Since this is a hobby, and I'm doing it for fun, I'd hate for anything to get in the way of my fun. I'm glad I found a local group that I can drive with. In all the previous racing I've done, it's always been a long drive to any events. A lot of times, they're sticklers for the rules, especially for new new people. I like that this group is more relaxed. With other races, more than once I've heard someone bitched out because they made some little mistake, which wasn't an obvious mistake, they just didn't know that group's rules.

One of the big ones for some places, that would have bitten quite a few people in this group, would be the windows rule. Some tracks require windows all the way up, unless they have a window net. That's to retain the driver, should they flip. Some tracks require windows down, in case there is a crash and fire, so they can get the driver out fast. I liked the fact some people ran with convertible tops down, and T-tops out. This next time, weather permitting, I'm planning on running with the T-tops out. I can hear my engine better that way.

[Jamie]

One of the big ones for some places, that would have bitten quite a few people in this group, would be the windows rule. Some tracks require windows all the way up, unless they have a window net. That's to retain the driver, should they flip. Some tracks require windows down, in case there is a crash and fire, so they can get the driver out fast. I liked the fact some people ran with convertible tops down, and T-tops out. This next time, weather permitting, I'm planning on running with the T-tops out. I can hear my engine better that way.

Safety rules for autocross are different than those for tracks, simply because of the different speeds and possible post-mayhem results. I've seen some clubs specify windows up or down, but most don't care. SCCA used to require convertables run top-down, and cars with removeable sunroofs and T-tops run with them out, because of the possibility they'd break loose in a rollover and injure the driver (soft tops) or become missiles on course (sunroof/T-top panels). That rule eventually went away due to lack of incidents.

[Alizarin]

Safety rules for autocross are different than those for tracks, simply because of the different speeds and possible post-mayhem results. I've seen some clubs specify windows up or down, but most don't care. SCCA used to require convertables run top-down, and cars with removeable sunroofs and T-tops run with them out, because of the possibility they'd break loose in a rollover and injure the driver (soft tops) or become missiles on course (sunroof/T-top panels). That rule eventually went away due to lack of incidents.

Rally-x requires you to run with windows up. Probably because of rollover risk.

Anyways, I might be wrong on my view of SCCA classing, but if he wants to run in class F, he's actually running with "higher" cars, right? So if he wants to get stomped by Jeremy, whatever.

[JWSmythe]

He signed up class G. Hi Sean.

You never know what's going to pop loose anyways. When I first started racing, it was oval track. I went out with my mechanic who was running in the "late model" class, which is similar to the NASCAR cars. Usually I hung out with him and his crew, until it was my turn to run. If friends showed up, or I was talking to someone else, he wouldn't necessarily see me.

Those were 2 car, single lap races. A little fun, but not as much fun as some I ran.

One night I didn't go, so he didn't see me. He saw a car similar to mine running. Well, mine at the time, that was a '82 Firebird. On turn 3, the driver came in a little hot, and must have yanked the wheel a little yard. The hinges on the back window broke, and the back window blew off, and went sliding down the track. Luckily, it didn't shatter. That would have shut down the track for a while, and left a lot of very unhappy racers. I don't know who the driver was, but I never saw him any other night. I guess one expensive repair was enough for him to stop racing.

He saw me a couple days later, and asked if it was me. When I went out again, a few people asked if that was me too.

So far, I've managed to keep all the parts on my car. Problems always seem to spring up in the pits.

[Anonymous]

Corvette c5 and c6 are in SS, and c4's are in AS that's why those cars in in class F. All the other american v8 cars are in FS (class G) except for a few oddballs.