Quote:
Originally Posted by James OLC
That is possible one of the most important contributions to this conversation. Nothing will hurt the series more than penalizing competitors for safety in order to satisfy spectators desire to prove how much of a street car these are.
At the end of the day we are out there driving running in these events because we want to - not because we have to - and we are pushing our cars, and ourselves, to satisfy our own desire to challenge ourselves and enjoy our car. Folks are not going to go that if they do not feel safe. There was a fair bit of talk at SEMA about the need for MORE safety equipment in the faster cars and how to ensure that we can all have fun, put on a good show, and be safe. For non-competitors to suggest that faster (or any) drivers should somehow put themselves at risk to be more "stock" is unrealistic and unfair.
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"Non-Competitor" here... Im only stating my opinion as others are. My car will never have the style, fit, finish, or speed necessary to be competitive in any aspect of these events no matter what the rules are and Im fine with that. I just like to drive my car and do the best I can with what I have. What I do care about though is to continue seeing our segment thrive in these events. I believe there needs to be a class structure as you and others have defined already. In addition, I believe the streetcar aspects need to be emphasized more.
My thoughts on streetcar judging isnt for a car with safety equipment to be penalized but to provide more criteria to judge a cars true street friendliness. Its "Streetcar" challenge after-all. If you have to climb thru a cage in order to get in and out of a car, have limited visibility due to race seats, and cant effectively check your blind spots due to being harnessed in, then in my opinion it isnt very street friendly.
To address the other concern about going this fast without such safety items. Maybe we shouldn't be. In other organizations, you and your car have to qualify to go "XXX" speeds. Why not here? Can I take my car to Silver State and run 150 right out of the gate? Heck no. Can I run 10's in the 1/4? Nope. Can I run in the fastest group at a NASA event? Nah.
Now having said that, lets look again at the scenario. A street car scoring high in the Streetcar side likely doesnt qualify to do the speeds the more race oriented car can do. (Unless your Steilow and drive a car like Hellfire) Its a points tradeoff. Nobody said the Ultimate Streetcar has to be the absolute fastest.
Just some thoughts