I don't have a real problem with the current rules as they are now, I can live with them. But for how long?
I do advocate a total rewrite and here is why.
The problem we have as a club is that auto technology has progressed since the days these rules were written. We now have dual overhead cam variable cam timing computerized fuel injected mechanical wonders that the club will never have the technical expertise or tooling to police. We still have older cars with push rod engines, single overhead cams, strut suspensions, double A arms, vented disks, unvented disks. I just feel that if you maybe make the hard parts (cams, pistons, valves, etc.) stay stock or to some other easily measured dimension you would just simplify the whole process. The soft parts, wiring harness, computers, jetting, timing, steering stalk switches etc. could be free and not make that much difference anyway.
In the British Touring Car Series they fought the engine rules and inspections for years and finally setteled on rules that specified that everyone run 2.0 litre engines and a 7,500 rpm rev limiter. They simplified the process and several brands of cars became competitive. No, that is not what I am suggesting we do, but maybe some thinking about variations on the theme would work well for us. Maybe draw your intake air through a specified sized hole prior to the throttle plate as they do in Formula 3. Maybe run a maximum valve lift if not stock cams, because lift is easy to check compared to timing. Stuff that is simple to check, because we aren't checking it the way it is now due to complexity.
Yes, to shorten your shifter might cost money, you could break your hacksaw blade, whatever that costs, but it will not make your car or you faster. New brake disks at Pep Boys cost about the same, vented, unvented, 9.5", 10.0". Sure someone would buy a $500 Brembo disk, but the cost does not change the laws of physics, 10" is still 10" in the end. Control the dimension, not the source is my suggestion. Screwing the rules down tight on things that really do not matter, such as whether you use a phillips head screw instead of a slot head screw as a bizare example, will kill our sport.
As automotive technology continues to evolve our rules problems will just get more complex. If we do not look for some simple ways to control things for the future, fields could continue to diminish.
For now, we have the rules we have, let's race within them.
