Anyone know when SCCA will class the RX-8? Will both the stick and auto tranny go into the same class despite the 40hp difference?

What does the SCCA generally do when a brand new car model is introduced and someone wants to race it?
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SuperHugeTits

 

I put your questions to a local club member who's also a member of the SCCA SEB. His reply:

 

PUR NRG asked:
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Anyone know when SCCA will class the RX-8? Will both the stick and auto tranny go into the same class despite the 40hp difference?

What does the SCCA generally do when a brand new car model is introduced and someone wants to race it?
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There was originally some (premature) talk about putting it into B-Stock as it seems a similar car to the S2000, Porsche Boxster, etc.

Lately, however, there has been a thread of a conversation about "maybe" D-Stock would be it's rightful place (Integra Type R, Subaru WRX, etc.). The discussion is that it IS a four door sedan (for the most part, all of the B-stock cars are two door, two seat coupes or convertibles), and the four door "sports" sedans are all in D-Stock or below.

It's going to make for an interesting discussion.............

My guess is they will out it in SS until they figure it out.

Also, they (SCCA) typically put all models of a car in the same class. It took a few years of the Miata's competing together before they finally broke them up, and then it was along the lines of engine size, so I would guess they would put the auto and the manual in the same class for now.

Here's a vote for D-Stock!!!

 

Waiting until they have a production car is good, but I wonder how long it typically takes before the first class designation is made?

D-stock sounds interesting but I hope the auto eventually gets classed separately from the manual.
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Lamborghini murci?lago

 

The auto will never be separate from the manual. Classing is done for the best of breed for the car, however it could be ordered from the factory, for that year.

The car should be classed pretty quickly once it hits the asphalt. It is my guess that it's a BS car and that may get reviewed later on. The SEB (and rightfully so) has to be careful about two things.

1. Allowing a new model to come into an existing class, specially relatively late in the year, and become a ringer for that class. That may be the case in DS. I doubt the RX-8 would be the class killer in BS. This has happened (I think it was the Type R Integra), but they try to not let this happen.

2. It's safer to put a new car in a tougher class and then adjust it if it's not competitive. People who bought the car to race in BS, would not be upset with the SEB if it was moved to DS. The opposite is not true.

 

grassroots motorsports mag. did a review on the 8, and they mentioned it would be in the B-stock class, with the s2000.

santino

 

Pure speculation on their part. As we've already determined, even the SEB hasn't decided where it will run, so there's no way GRM can know.

 

I'd bet money that it will be B-stock. Specs are too close to that of the S2000 to think that it won't have similar performance. What isn't clear is if it will be too fast for STX class.

 

Oops. I overlooked that the car's engine is different for the auto version, right? That HP difference would justify a different class. Not saying the SEB would see it that way, but it makes sense to me that the 6 speed be put in BS and the automatic be put in some other class, maybe GS.

 

FYI, the latest copy of Sportscar reveals that the Evo VIII has been placed in AS.