The discussions of the Type R and Celica in GS are very
reminiscent of situations in other classes (CSP dominated
by Civics/RX3s; BS dominated by Miatas; DS dominated by Neons;
and so on). The light-weight cars will fairly consistently
dominate the heavier cars, IMO -- the only exceptions being due
to driver skew (lots of top drivers liking a heavy car).
Many of these discussions banter around WEIGHT/HP and
WEIGHT/TORQUE to show these cars do not have unfair
advantage. However I think those are the wrong numbers
altogether. Weight does indeed offset HP and Torque,
but it also (and more importantly) offsets lateral
acceleration, transition, and handling (the ability to
carry that speed the weight/hp gave you). Not to mention
that weight offsets braking (how much longer you can use
that weight/hp before you have to get on the brakes).
Thus, I recommend we start looking at (WEIGHT SQUARED)/HP
and (WEIGHT SQUARED)/TORQUE. If you run those numbers, I
think you will find some interesting situations in our
classes. [Note: I am not saying we can or should class
our cars based on this number, or any other numbers.]
Personally, I think our classes should be formed primarily
by grouping similarly weighted cars and then secondarily by
power/torque and other smaller effects. The current SP
restructuring does go in this direction somewhat (whether
intentionally or not), but I'd like to see the SEB go all
the way and try to minimize the weight differentials in all
our classes.
Heavy cars and lightweight cars do not even attack courses the
same way, and are affected by course variations very differently.
Thus, mixing weights in classes makes fairness much more sensitive
to course design, and thus has a limiting effect on course designers.
Further, comraderie within classes is impacted somewhat by the fact
that they cannot even relate to each other in how the courses are
driven. I think that is unfortunate.
[Disclaimer: With that said, I should confess that I have not
tried to figure out a full classification for all cars in S and SP
based primarily on weight -- and do not mean to imply that I could
do so better than the SEB. I am just offering my 0.02 -- that
weight should dominate classification more than it already does.]
Just my 2 near-worthless pennies,
Brian
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