[indydave]

I mostly lurk here but have some inside perspective on some of this, in particular with SCCA's CAM class.

My "insider" status comes from I wrote the rules for the Indianapolis Region that SCCA used to create CAM and I'm personal friends with Raleigh and Velma Boreen, the couple from SCCA who have been representing SCCA @ Optima last week and GG this week. Raleigh is employed by SCCA and one of his charges is plotting the direction of CAM.

Comparing CAM to the Optima series is an apples to oranges deal. Optima is a dedicated series while CAM is a class (soon to be a category, more on that further down) within SCCA's Solo program. Further, CAM is what's considered within Solo as a "Regional" class. That means the class is not eligible for National Championship status nor is it an included class at SCCA National Tour events (Champ Tour, Match Tour, Pro-Solo). It can and has been added as a supplemental class at many Tour eventsand as most are aware, it was added as an Invitational supplemental class during the Pro-Solo Finale as well as a supplemental class(es) at the Solo Nationals. The winners of those events are not recognized by SCCA as National Champions, just winners of those classes at that event.

The purpose of CAM is not to compete with USCA, GG, or anyone else but rather to give people with PT type cars, street machines, and hot rods a class at local SCCA Solo events. Since these cars are not built to a ruleset, under the standard SCCA Solo rules structure, Regions would class cars that showed up where they think they should go. Don't need to go into all that as most of you know what those problems were. People would show up with a street machine, run an event or two, then be gone. CAM hopes to solve that problem and by and by large it has. Many Regions have reported that participation in CAM has been very good and that's what SCCA was after. Get people to come to (Regional) events and keep coming. It's working.

When I wrote the rules for the Indy Region I took GG's rules, copied them, then changed things to make sure they fit SCCA safety rules. I used their rules because they were the most open and strictly autocross focused. When SCCA National got involved they spent an entire year talking to organizations and competitors as to what they wanted to see. CAM was what came from those conversations. SCCA published the rules and asked Regions to play with the class to see what works best. Comparing CAM to what Optima / USCA does will never be 100% the same because of the differences in scope of either bodies events.

Now that I've bored all of you to tears with my long winded dissertation, here's what happening with CAM as I know it and why some of the things being suggested here probably won't see the light of day in CAM. I've have ben given the suggested ruleset for CAM 2015 and here's the highlights:

-CAM will become a category with 3 classes with the classes similar to the rules used for the CAM Invitational and Supplemental CAM classes at the Solo Nationals. Those classes as proposed are:
CAM/T- open to older American made front engine, rear wheel drive cars originally built with minimum of four seats with cutoffs being not being an arbitrary model year but rather by model generations.
CAM/C- open to late model American made front engine, rear wheel drive cars originally built with a minimum of four seats.
CAM/S- open to American made front engine, rear wheel drive cars originally built with 2 seats as well as kit cars and vintage hot rods.

-an exclusions list that outlaw C-5 and newer Corvettes, Vipers, and boutique manufacturer super cars as well as subcompact cars from the seventies such as the Vega, Pinto, et-al.

-the rest of the rules proposed would carry over from 2014. There are some things that are still very fluid such as proposed minimum weights and what subcompact cars are to be included on the exclusions list.

-that CAM remain a Regional only class for the foreseeable future. National status for the class for the class was by and large not a concern for most competitors when asked.

-also proposed are a minimum of 2 special events just for CAM class car in addition to the CAM Invitational. One event would be out west, the other in the Midwest. These events would be qualifiers to earn invitations for the CAM Invitational. These events would be either be run as a Pro Solo or a Match Tour pending site locations.

-What didn't make the cut was limiting tire section width and chassis limits. At the Regional level, this simply has not been an issue and surveying class competitors at the Region level it just wasn't a concern for the majority. The chances of a Josh Leisenger showing up with the Crusher II Corvette at a local SCCA Solo are remote at best. At the "special" events proposed, both formats use a "dial" to help even the competition between the classes. Those dials are based on the fast qualifier's time for each class and is someone goes faster than the dial during competition the faster time becomes that individual competitor's personal dial.

Now I will agree with those who say that organizers like Optima should look into creating a class for vintage cars. I've followed the series from the beginning and yes, traditional PT cars are beginning to fall behind.

Last thing, SCCA wants to set and announce the 2015 CAM rules by the PRI show, hopefully sooner. Stay tuned.....