Road Race Your Street Car

K

Kern Fischer

New member
Sports And Touring CAr Racing (SATCAR) would like to invite interested drivers to attend the Formula Street Fall Series taking place at four tracks in the Midwest. These events offer a safe, cost effective way to get started and continue in road racing.

Each event will offer run groups for driving school, lapping/practice, race, and lunch time touring - - something for everyone. Drivers will be placed in appropriate groups, depending on track experience.

SATCAR has created a unique form of competition that provides high levels of safety for drivers and their cars combined with a handicap based scoring system that provides fairness for all drivers. The safety based format allows you to enter these events in your street car, or your race car. The scoring system allows a driver to win with 100 HP or 500 HP.

SOUND LIKE FUN - IT IS!! More information can be obtained by visiting the SATCAR web site at: www.satcarracing.com. Register for our mailing list so we can keep in touch.

For additional information or if you have questions, please call or write:
Kern Fischer
Phone: 630-232-6063
E-mail: [email protected]
 
Oh, I don't know. It's not wheel-to-wheel racing in the traditional sense. I briefly skimmed through the rules and it sounds interesting. Without learning more about it, I really can's actually say it's safe or not. Here are a few line items...

"Passing is allowed only on the longer straights. Corners must be driven in single file. Overly aggressive or unsafe driving will be subject to penalties and/or exclusion from the event.

This racing format will reward, and provide wins for, those drivers who can run consistent lap
times at or near, but no more than two seconds faster than, their qualifying times. Since vehicle
capabilities are neutralized by the PPTs, SATCAR® races are DRIVING SKILL events.

If two cars qualify at times that are close to equal, their PPT will be similar and they would
leave the pits closely spaced at the start. If this situation occurs, the cars will be released in
the time spacing indicated by the PPT and they will be allowed to race for 2-3 laps. If the
slower car/driver in front is able to drive better and pull away from the faster car/driver behind,
the car/driver in front will not be shown the passing flag. If the faster car/driver is able to drive
better and is able to constantly stay within close proximity to the slower car/driver, the slower
car/driver will be shown the passing flag and must permit and assist the pass. As above,
once the pass is made, a repass by the slower car/driver is not allowed."
 
Travis, I understand your initial concern. As Dave points out, our rules provide a reasonable level of safety for all entrants in our events. The procedures are essentially the same as used in driving schools and open tracking events for many years. We do take safety a little further in that our passing zones are precisely defined by signage alongside the track. That way there are no ambiguities regarding whether a driver passed in a passing zone or was outside the zone.

Our procedures were reviewed very early in the planning stages by K & K Insurance, which is the major insurance carrier for many motorsports events and for many tracks. They were satisfied with the risk factor involved and provide insurance at rates similar to those for driving schools.

The entire SATCAR format has been designed to provide a suitable level of safety and to provide reasonable cost and fairness for all drivers in whatever car they bring to the event. I do not know of another form of road racing competition that combines all of these factors.
 
But if you are basing things off of time you are racing. Wheel to wheel or against a clock you are still racing. When people race, we get ballzy, when we get ballzy we get stupid, we get stupid (without proper safety equipment) we get hurt. :shrug:
 
My personal rule is that the INSTANT someone is recording and comparing lap times, it's a race. The focus shifts off of HPDE-oriented skill building to "making time" and it's rollcage time, baby.

Kirk (who's been watching these things for long enough to know the danger signs)
 
Kern Fischer said:
...The entire SATCAR format has been designed to provide a suitable level of safety and to provide reasonable cost and fairness for all drivers in whatever car they bring to the event. I do not know of another form of road racing competition that combines all of these factors.
Click to expand...

There is one... Its called the SCCA.

Suitable level of safety - check (Safety is a funny one. There is such a thing as "too much", but a basic set of safety requirements is a must when competing. Including things like cages. As stated above: "When people race, we get ballzy, when we get ballzy we get stupid, we get stupid (without proper safety equipment) we get hurt.")

Reasonable cost - check (as reasonable as you want it to be)

Fairness - check (classes are fairly balanced with a variety of cars in each class. Not a run what ya brung, but if that is your thing, there is a place for that too!)

Matt
(Who is afraid that groups like this are going to be the end of club racing - when insurance premiums are out of control and track dates are no longer available... but not in that order!)
 
I've seen this fished around every single automotive forum I read, sometimes twice.

The responses are always the same. Paraphrasing - 'that doesn't sound safe.'

The rebuttals are always the same. Paraphrasing - 'yes it is, and our insurance company thinks so too'

I made a few comments on the rules to one of the threads, noticing that they seem to try and outlaw racing tires, but don't really succeed. I also noted that the best car for this type of [:airquotes:] racing [/:airquotes:], would be the heaviest, lowest powered, softest handling thing you can find. I would lean towards an 80s Grand Marquis wagon myself, but maybe a good (sic)70s smogged out land yacht would be better.

I'm not ready to buy it. Either it's not safe, or it's not racing. You don't need to go to a race track to do a TSD rallye. These posts are earning thier way into the spam column for me.
 
Threadjack warning!

All of the safety points well taken but I will offer up a slightly different perspective.

SCCA is (has) tried to address the "graying" of the of the organization and those of us who play on track. We are loosing members/participants to other track organizations that hold HPDE, PDX, and TT style events.

I don't know how to do it, but we need some way to allow "newbies" on track, in a controlled environment and provide a stepping stone to full blown competition. The PDX>HPDE>TT>Road Race seems like a logical progression to me. SCCA has addressed safety concerns by mandating certain levels of required equipment before increasing the speeds and adding competition. I personally would not go on track, at speed, under time without a minimum of an approved roll bar, fire gear, and helmet (which BTW is exactly what is required by SCCA's Track Trials.)

No longer is SCCA the only player in this arena and let's face it, racing is expensive and other organizations are offering what the market is demanding. Cheap, low cost, events!

I think SCCA has also muddied the water by allowing "Solo Trials" with helmet only on a closed track. This program fall under the SOLO rules and not under the racing division and GCR requirements. NOTE THE LIMITED SAFETY REQUIREMENTS and these are TIMED events by classes!:shrug:

If we don't do something, SCCA will fall by the wayside. I know some would argue it already has but I don't think so.

Kern, SATCARRACING is offering something that the market is asking for. I applaud you for trying to offer a more cost efficient way to bring people into the "racing" world. (even if I choose not to endorse or attend your events, you are at least trying!)

Rather than discounting another organizations means of gaining membership/competition/ruleset I think we should be looking at what is appealing to the participants of that other group and try to encourage SCCA to help us build the club back up so that it appeals to the same group of participants.

Your mileage may vary, objects in the mirror are closer than they appear, etc, etc,

Just one persons opinion.........

Thread jack over, Thanks for your time,

Paul
 
A few years ago was my first interaction with SCCA on a road course. I had participated in autocross prior but the Simms Memorial event a few years ago was something that really lit my fire. I brought my 100% street car to LRP during a weekend where there was an SCCA Memorial Regional (think that Speed Challenge, AMLS or similar was there that weekend also). I had two different SCCA instructors in the car for open track. It was a bit of a whirlwind day but...got me hooked. Been HDPE-ing since...license school this weekend.
 
You were a participant in one of the first PDX events that the club did. Not racing, drivers ed. I remember my time in your car, an E46 M3. I liked it! So much so that I got one myself! And you came racing...sounds like we had a good day, LOL.

I think this new "racing" is the least "racing" you can have. No passing, except for the straights? What a joke. Think about it. As pointed out above, I drive a monster motored barge, and nobody can pass me down the straights...but i hold back all 50 of them in the corners.

So, I win, cuz I'm the biggest dick out there.

Whatever, but calling it "racing" does a disservice to the term "racing" in my book.

"yup, I went a 1:36 around Lime Rock, and i was the winner!"...:blink:
 
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