A lot of great points were mentioned in DG's post. Andy B. has also
made some great points. Since I am one of the people that is interested
in investigating the possibility of "Vette Stock" I would like to add a
few comments of my own.
dg50@daimlerchrysler.com wrote:
> I think a C4 with the right driver and properly prepared is probably still
> competitive in SS. I'd bet Erik S. could win in one.
Possible, (he is one of the best drivers I have ever met) but not very
probable. Erik came to Houston this past Sunday to co-drive my '86
Vette (highest ranking Vette in SS at Nationals). I ended up beating
him by 1.4 seconds on a 55 second course. Granted, it was his first
time in the car.
> I don't think that it's been established yet that the C4 does not have a
> reasonable chance to win in SS - and if it doesn't, perhaps there's another,
> existing class where it would (without becoming an overdog in the process). If
> there isn't such a class, then there's the question of why there is so little
> crossover between the Corvette Club and the SCCA that has to be answered.
You are correct that a Vette could win SS. If a certian 3 drivers would
have not shown up this year a Vette would have won! ;-) But the reality
is that the fastest RX-7 won by a 1.8 second margin over the fastest
Vette.
There is really not much that most Corvette clubs and SCCA have in
common. Corvette clubs are for people who enjoy Vettes for what ever
reason and they just happen to hold autocrosses as one of their many
activities. SCCA SoloII is expressly for people who desire to compete
in a timed competition. I doubt there will ever be much of a crossover
of the two clubs. I much perfer the SCCA due to it's competitive
nature.
> It falls upon anybody who wishes to change or create a National class to do a
> LOT of research and homework. You must have facts to back up your proposed
> changes, not just opinions. Similarily, it falls upon those who would oppose
> such changes to support their opposition with facts as well.
>
> It seems clear to me that the "Vette Stock" proponents have some work to do.
>The
> matter bears invistigation - so someone must investigate it, and report their
> findings for peer review.
>
> DG
This is very true. If anything is to come of "Vette Stock" a lot of
well founded research will have to be done. I will only support this
concept if it will actually boost participation and be a good thing for
the sport.
I personally feel that a lot of people (at the national level) would
almost instantaniously join this class. The only problem being that
most of these people are already hard-core autocrossers and would be
leaving their current class to participate in this new one. But, who
really knows? I suspect that there are a lot of Vette drivers that do
well locally who decided not to come to Nationals this year because they
had the perception that they would just get killed by an RX-7. This is
merely an assumption. I do not have any data to back this up.
Please understand that the majority of the people who are interested in
pursuing "Vette Stock" have the best interest of the SoloII community in
mind. We are hoping to increase participation, not dilute the classing
structure.
I sincerely hope that people understand that this is not about an "I"
class. I will continue to compete where ever my car is classed and I
will continue to have a good time doing it. I am not complaining about
the current class structure. I firmly believe that as the classes
currently stand both the RX-7 and the Vette belong in SS with the RX-7
being the dominant car. But, if a seemingly better solution presents
itself we should consider it.
Mike McClure
Houston, TX
'86 Vette-SS
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