Rules overhaul by TEGA...

[Nivola]

So this means that sports sedans become the ultimate roofed racing in Australia again!

I see a lot of danger in these rules. We might aswell get toyota to build the Motors now! This class has just become a one make formula.

Will they become slower then the GT3's in Carrera Cup?
This shall become very interesting!

[D.R.T.]

Originally posted by B!tchie Renault
As I said before, the way it is heading is for Paul Pickett to build 32 cars, skin 16 each as Holden and Fords and them place them with the teams to race.

Imagine that, a control race team.

Is this what Project Blueprint has already achieved

[single keel]

Do not like the rules at all. When you give all the cars the same characterstics, they are all fast/slow in the same areas, hence passing is very difficult. IMO, a better solution is to further differentiate the cars, so cars are quick at different parts of the circuit.

[racer69]

I thought NASCAR first came to Australia in 1988 .......

All this control stuff is a joke. Will it really limit the costs? I thought this was a motor racing series, not a spec series.

All these control components will just make the field closer, and isn't the closeness of the cars technically wise nowadays the main catalyst for the processional racing?

The one thing i do like is getting rid of the front airdams. Why can't they get rid of the rear wing properly (no control rear wing) and get them looking like proper cars (ie...like the road goings ones they are meant to be).

[Kerri]

Oh no racer69, you can't get rid of the spoilers, then they would look to much like Saloon Cars PMP

[1200Datto27]

I know, lets go for the fulsik riceboy look, with massive chunks ofdrag and lift producing plastic, WRX style bonnet scoops, flouros underneath and massive sound systems. Then we will have a real match with what is on the roads

btw, I am being just a little sarcastic here.

[woodbine]

Originally posted by 1200Datto27
I know, lets go for the fulsik riceboy look, with massive chunks ofdrag and lift producing plastic, WRX style bonnet scoops, flouros underneath and massive sound systems. Then we will have a real match with what is on the roads

btw, I am being just a little sarcastic here.

Hey that could be good. Just imagine Cromley and his clipboard "Marcos will be starting on Eminem's latest cd before changing to AC/DC, while there is talk that Mark Skaife will be running Snoop Dogg......."

[Onlooker]

Originally posted by woodbine
Hey that could be good. Just imagine Cromley and his clipboard "Marcos will be starting on Eminem's latest cd before changing to AC/DC, while there is talk that Mark Skaife will be running Snoop Dogg......."

Greg Rust " So Max what happened down at turn 1"
Max Wilson " Well Greg it was really hard to see around the tacho on the B Pillar as I was going into the turn and I missed the apex and ran a little wide and clipped the wall.But we did some really sic lap times in the morning and the new turbo whistle is a big hit with the fans so all in all an awsome weekend"

[Onlooker]

Just one question, how many retrenchments are we to expect from the rule changes in the fabrication,machining and development departments of the big teams? You would have to think around 4-5 people in the bigger teams and 1-2 in the smaller level 2 teams are occupied manufacturing and developing parts.HRT would lose a fair few if they are forced to halt development and buy a large proportion of their bits of say PWR or Larry.Infact if they could even be buying parts off SBR or FPR. All in all say somewhere between 65 and 80 people could face possible redundancy.Added bonus I guess is if all the parts are the same you would be able to have one truck that carried a whole host of spares that fit every car and buy parts on a "as required" basis.
Then you could get rid of the B Doubles the teams have had to buy so they could sell them at a loss,get a tax break on that and save even more money on rego and fuel and tyres.Tracks would not have to build as big a paddoclk area to fit them in.
It's all good

[pete55]

I think it is mostly good. What does worry me is the aerodynamic reductions especially on tracks such as Bathurst, Philip Island (if it gets a round) and Eastern Creek. I feel with the car specs as they will be especially power wise, they will still be too fast and too powerful in comparison with aerodynamic grip.

[Onlooker]

Well Seieria's had bugger all grip and not the widest of tyres so I guess they just have to slow down.
I don't think it will be a step forward, we may as well just go NASCAR and be done with it. The smart people will get bored and leave if paint colour becomes the only "freedoms" in the category.
Like imagine for one second that anyone bar MoTeC would get the deal on the dash's.Larry had to buy all new ECU's a few years ago as he used some other brand retrain his staff to work with the system etc and they said that they suffered for a period of time whilst adjusting to it., if HRT have to switch to Motec,think of the software etc that is all Pi compatible and may no longer work,even the ability to look at an old lap for comparison will be harder to do,or Pi get the deal and what 26 of the 32 cars all chuck out there dashes and whack $20+K worth of Pi into there cars and train all there staff on how to use it, configure all new dash's and functions and no doubt a new bunch of "hot keys" on the laptops. At the moment everyone has a dash and staff and computers that talk to them,what is the point of changing it.It's just change for the sake of it.

[vortexo]

Jnr has reported in the paper that all components will be subcontracted out - the cheapest quote will get the contract - if this were to be true it would certainly cut back on the number of team members.

[Bigguy]

Surely you guys can see the writing on the wall... the constant escalation of campaign costs in simply not sustainable. It is all very well the bemoan the loss of jobs if there is widespread switching to control components, but the alternative is whole teams going bust because they can no longer afford to be competitive. Then sponsors start to query the justification for spending such huge amounts, and the whole house of cards collapses.

THAT is what the TEGA board is trying to avoid.

I would like them to standardise on control glassfibre panels as well - I mean who are they kidding insisting on "factory" steel panels... the cars are not Holdens or Fords, but race cars built from the ground up, so as long as they look like real ones, who cares, as long as it can save major costs.

[Onlooker]

We may well bemoan the lost of jobs as about the only employee in motorsport an reduction infact reduces the size of the pool that exsists and makes it harder for new comers to join,where would a budding young engineer hone his skills? You have Sam Micheal as now head of Williams Engineering dept and Chris Dwyer as Micheal Schumachers engineer.What is PROCAR going to employ all these bods? most of the parts like suspension etc are fairly cheap to make in house,sure lock in some of the spec's but let a team build there own stuff if they desire.

[Crash Test]

There's going to be a heck of a lot more lost jobs if costs keep spiraling and we wind up with 4 cars in the series...

[Onlooker]

IF that did occur maybe but I doubt it.Some peole ar comparing it with the BTCC of old and F1 now in reducing costs but we are not even in that league. @ litre was way to expensive,and why not you had rules that allowed engines to be run in reverse all sorts of stuff going on.Most things are fairly tightly controled now anyway.I doubt that you would see huge savings in making things redundant that exsist today.People are setting up ne teams,teams are running junior programs,new cars and trucks appear regulary at venues,merchandising is huge and has way more potenial than is currently explioted.But hey look at the V8 site to see how well it is being marketed.I am understanding of the need to contain costs but ripping the guts out of the teams and cars to reduce costs seems dumb,

Do you rise to the challenge or lobby that the task may be adjusted to your comfort zone to measure achievement and success.

[Techo]

I agree with Onlooker & Louonline.
Costs are ok, if ya can't afford it don't play !
The cost saving wil be passed on the cream grabbers anyway, as the sponsors aren't given discounts.
It's supposed to be our Top class series.
Slow & steady change is cost effective, many quick changes will cost.
I would think a selection of controlled brake packages would be OK....( one thing at a time )
But then again the richer teams will spend more money getting an edge on the others anyway.
Who says it costs too much anyway ?

[pete55]

Quoted by Techo
Who says it costs too much anyway ?

Most of the teams, that's who.

[Techo]

Never heard FPR say it's too expensive !
HRT & SBR have been around for a while & never heard them whinging either...
Cheap I say..why else would OUTSIDERS snap up teams, must BE PROFITABLE...!!! of course they still have to learn a bit, everything tight chaps, off we go.

[Crash Test]

Was it not Roland Dane who said at the rate we are going, costs will continue to rise, and we'll go down the road of the BTCC. Why not fix things now before things become knackered?...

[Chucky]

Originally posted by Techo
The cost saving wil be passed on the cream grabbers anyway, as the sponsors aren't given discounts.

Exactly, this latest round of rot will end up costing the have nots to implement it and giving the haves a better margin.

The best way to manage costs is to let nature take it's course. When the dollars start drying up, they'll figure out pretty darn quick how to economically make a race car.

Although the FG panels are a good idea.

[vortexo]

TEGA met on Thursday and formed a technical committee to iron out any problems with the changes - Larco is leading the charge on this.

The noise from TEGA is that items like brake calipers will be common to all teams but items like tail shafts can still be made by the teams to TEGA specs.

(Apparently some teams are using different tail shafts in qualifying and on race day.)

R Dane is a committee member.

The aero pack is being down graded to increase braking distances so that passing can be made a better option.

The lap times should not change significantly.

[Average Punter]

So Larry's move to sell his L1 all makes sense.....

He'd be able to engineer and manufacture components for half the field

[vortexo]

0/t
Actually with the test restrictions on Larry richo is getting very nervious.

[vortexo]

.........and TEGA are looking at a much harder tyre compound.