===Definitive Frequently Asked Question Thread===

[thgear]

Originally Posted by Strong Man

I understand that this season is closed and no reason to do licence now. Am I right ?

correct.

[Strong Man]

OK , I'll wait for next season .

[Carguy]

Originally Posted by Strong Man

I understand that this season is closed and no reason to do licence now. Am I right ?

There is usually an OTA open house in the spring (early April) an that is the best time to apply for a class C license and to register for OTA events. Stay tuned to this forum for the specific date in 2014.

[ONdriver]

Yes, no point now, just wait a couple months and get a license for 2014!
Jeez, too many helpful people, need to refresh the browser more quickly!

[Strong Man]

Originally Posted by Carguy

There is usually an OTA open house in the spring (early April) an that is the best time to apply for a class C license and to register for OTA events. Stay tuned to this forum for the specific date in 2014.

I appreciate for helping. See you next year

[Giulio_P]

When will the rule book come out for 2014 and are there any issues that we should know about?

[Dave Barker]

Ok folks, without this being the official rule change thread, I can give you a good idea of what is being proposed for 2014. This is not an exhaustive list but should touch on the main points. Please note that the CCDB has not been updated yet and none of the rule changes mentioned have been implemented there.

1) All drivers will be able to add their wgt, fully clothed and with helmet, to the wgt of their car for final car classification. This applies whether taking the race wgt option or not. The implications of this are that low hp cars with substantial size drivers will benefit the most. Please note that there is a fudge factor put into the final calculation that means for the hypothetical 400 hp/3100 lb car with a 180 lb driver, there will be no benefit, but for drivers of cars with a higher wgt/hp, there will be varying benefits. Cars with very low wgt/hp will actually see a small increase in PI.It was felt that a number of race series weigh cars with the driver's wgt included so we wanted to give Frank E a better chance of beating daughter Katie in the same car. If a car consistently has 2 drivers of significantly different wgts, we will allow classification of the car with the heavier driver as long as the lighter driver adds the appropriate ballast to the car in a way that is approved by the scrutineers.

2) Race slicks will now be legal in classes other than Open Mod and Mod 1 at +15 PIPs.

3) The full range of wgt/hp used by the CCDB will drop from 35/6 to 33/4 lb/hp. This will drop everyone's PI but a fudge factor has again been added to keep the vast majority of performance indices (PI) the same. The purpose of this change is to deal in a more linear nature with the cars that are coming from the factory with fewer than 6 lb/hp. (And really, we are not seeing cars with 35lb/hp show up)

4 The alignment and bushings rules have been tightened up, such that some bushing changes are allowed for upper control arms, for alignment changes only, under rule 5.1.B.3 but not lower control arms. Also anything that changes bushing compliance, such as a bushing stiffener must be claimed under 5.1.B.10

5 Given that most cars will have a small drop in their final PI, the moles being whacked this year are the E36 BMWs and 2nd Gen CRXs but only by 5%. There may be others TBA but not likely to any cars that are already part of the series.

There are no changes suggested to class structure, tire PIPs, scoring or flagging. Given the success of the competition this year we saw minimal need to do much more than some fine tuning.

[haikara2308]

For rule 1, when will there be official announcement regarding that? I understand how to get my new weight/hp but how do I convert that to pips?

And for rule 5, when do I apply 5% to my pips. Do I add it to my 2013 pips and then add/subtract the difference in my new weight/hp compared to my old weight/hp or do I apply the 5% to my pips after it has been adjusted by my drivers weight?

[Dave Barker]

The 5% refers to the handling index or HI only. The net effect is an increase of 1.5 PIPs if you have a car that has been determined to be a mole.

We have had some difficulty getting the CCDB updated to the new rules, (something about getting a bathroom renovation done ASAP) so Arek has had his hands tied up.

BTW, Arek has been doing lots of volunteer work for us including hosting the CCDB and programming the changes that occur each year despite moving on the Touring Car racing ( and doing very well there, nice to see a Time-Attack guy move up). I am 100% positive he would love to pass on that responsibility to a Time-Attack competitor with the appropriate computer/ programming knowledge. If you or anyone you know can do this PLEASE let us know.

[haikara2308]

Dave thanks for the clarification, a 1.5pip hit is better than the initial 3.5 I thought I would be getting.

[3wheeler]

Seems like this was an arbitrary decision to me. If not, I would love to see the data that proves that the CRX and BMW's deserved to be whacked....but I am not holding my breath.

[Merkur_XR]

Originally Posted by 3wheeler

Seems like this was an arbitrary decision to me. If not, I would love to see the data that proves that the CRX and BMW's deserved to be whacked....but I am not holding my breath.

Your results put you in the whack category

[3wheeler]

Originally Posted by Merkur_XR

Your results put you in the whack category

LOL It would be nice if an OTA representative came out and said that, but that would mean we are penalizing the driver and not the car - something that OTA doesn't do.. These decisions should be based on data and not opinion.

All I can hope is that Chris P. gets tired of running sub-par r-comps(R888) and throws on some street tires, or better yet, TD's or AD048's. This would prove one of two things; Either the Vette needs to be moved as well, or we were unfairly "whacked".

[iamthewheelman]

Originally Posted by 3wheeler

LOL It would be nice if an OTA representative came out and said that, but that would mean we are penalizing the driver and not the car - something that OTA doesn't do.. These decisions should be based on data and not opinion.

All I can hope is that Chris P. gets tired of running sub-par r-comps(R888) and throws on some street tires, or better yet, TD's or AD048's. This would prove one of two things; Either the Vette needs to be moved as well, or we were unfairly "whacked".

Off topic, but are you running OTA Corey? Would this mean you now have to de-mod you car to get legal again?

Also I am also curious about when we will be able to submit our new PIP schedules. My car is pretty much good to go but from what I have been abe to calculate I will be able to make one more change to my car, I am not certain though.

[thgear]

The point of the system is to create tight competition.

If you are able to pilot Y-car in a way that has it dominating its class and the overall series by a noticeable margin, that means the next time someone else of equal skill level shows up in that same car, they will also dominate. If left unchecked, everyone will buy Y-car in hopes of making it big.

So we move the car, so that when driven by the best, the margin of victory shrinks to small amounts to ensure fierce competition till the end of the season.

If you want to spin this around as a “hit on Corey”, by all means....

But nothing is done arbitrarily, race results are analyzed and correlated with tuning strategy, personal reflections of the drivers, and other user reviews (at times, data comes in from events south of the border). When someone talks about how “I’ve yet to still do this and that mod” while putting down amazing times, that would certainly make the CCC cautious….. one could just keep their mouth shut and not share their builds publicly, but if that’s how they wanna go about it that’s their choice.

If a car you’re driving has been bumped, consider it an achievement and keep at it. I know that no VW or Subaru’s ever been bumped cuz of me, so I’ve got a long ways to go to catch up to you guys…. Maybe in the FRS.. one day?