2010 rule change proposals due by 11/18/09

[Mick]

It's that time of year again. Rule change proposals need to be submitted before the November (11/18/2009) Board Meeting.

Changes to the COMSCC rulebook are put before the Board of Directors at the end of each season. Every proposal is reviewed by the Board of Directors, but not all are put to a vote. It is important that rule proposals are well explained, and for this reason we strongly suggest you attend the meetings and give a personal voice to your proposal. If you cannot attend the meeting, be sure to be very descriptive of your proposal and explain why it should be approved. Rules which receive a majority vote from the Board of Directors become effective the following season.

If you have a rule change proposal you can submit it using the Rule Change submission form.

Thanks

[Mick]

Below is a rolling list of rule change submissions. This thread will be updated as they come in.
These will be discussed during the October board meeting and voted on at the November meeting.

[Mick]

#1 - This request was tabled to next meeting

Update 11/18/2009 - This request was discussed but received no support
Rulebook Section:
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XII. 2. A.
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Old Rule:
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FORMULA PREPARED
SCCA Formula Ford, CSR, DSR, SCA (Any Formula Car that meets SCCA Formula General Specifications that is not otherwise classified by COMSCC shall run in Formula Prepared.)
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New Rule:
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FORMULA PREPARED
Any open-wheeled car that is not otherwise classified.
Also SCCA CSR, DSR, SCA.
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[Mick]

#2 - This request was approved as written
Rulebook Section:
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IX
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Old Rule:
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SHOWROOM STOCK GT (SSGT)
...
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New Rule:
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SHOWROOM STOCK GT (SSGT)
...
Mercedes-Benz CLK 55 AMG
...
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[Mick]

#3 - This request was approved with a change – Move Formula 440 to PC
Rulebook Section:
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XII. PREPARED
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Old Rule:
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Formula 440, Formula 500 are in PB
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New Rule:
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Move Formula 440, Formula 500 to PC
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[Mick]

#4 - This request was discussed but received no support
Rulebook Section:
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street touring page 16 section #1
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Old Rule:
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cars must have head liner, door panels and side panels dot glass must be in place as delivered from factory .rear seats and carpet may be removed.
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New Rule:
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if using a full weld in (to specs in comscc rule book for prepared cars see general rules under car requirements) cage 6 point or better with left and right side NASCAR door beams and petty bar with front knee bar . you may remove .front and rear carpeting ,rear seats, head liner , door and side panels , and side glass may be changed to lexan .  thinking for this is the weight of a full cage is heaver than all listed above in weight . side glass to lexan becouse with nascar beams there is (in most cases)no place to attach OE glass . but you must retain 2 front seats .
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[Mick]

#5 merged with #6 (duplicate)
#6 - This request was discussed but received no support
Rulebook Section:
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Car classes
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Old Rule:
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SPB is all 6 cylinder cars that are naturally aspirated, forced induction 4 cylinders, etc.  SPA is naturally aspirated 8 cylinders, forced induction 6 cylinders, etc.

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New Rule:
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I feel car classes should be strictly on a power to weight ratio basis. It makes no sense for cars with over 400whp, whether they are forced induction 4 cylinders or 6 cylinders to be classed with cars of lesser power.  For instance
---
Somehow my proposal was sent before I was finished.

Of course then you need to take into account the suspension mods and whatnot so if it is possible I think more classes may be needed to truly make these events fair.  It shouldnt matter what size engine the car has. If it is making double the power of a big engine, of course it will be faster.

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[Mick]

#7 - This request was approved as written
Rulebook Section:
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XI Street Prepared XII Prepared
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Old Rule:
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Addition
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New Rule:
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Methenol mixed with water for injection will be considered a fuel and it\'s container will be considered a fuel tank.
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[Mick]

#8 - This request was discussed but received no support
Rulebook Section:
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IX. SHOWROOM STOCK
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Old Rule:
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2. Wheel spacers are not allowed.
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New Rule:
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2. Wheel spacers can be used if required to use an aftermarket wheel; the resulting wheel offset of the wheel plus spacer cannot exceed the limit stated above (+-5mm from stock).

Background: I am running alloy wheels on my Toyota that have the same sizes etc as the stock wheels, but to clear the (stock) calipers, I need a few extra mm. This seems to be a common problem with aftermarket wheels, and people use thin spacers quite often; some Porsche model even comes with significant spacers from the factory.

Spacers are not forbidden in the safety section of the rule book, so safety does not seem to be the concern; they are obviously forbidden in SS/ST to prevent unfair advantages from a much broadened (by several inches) and hence more cornering-stable axle. I suggest allowing thin ones as long as the resulting allowed wheel offset tolerance (+- 5mm from stock) is not exceeded - this will keep the axle geometry at stock and will not provide any performance  advantage.

I had brought this up in the forum, and members referred me to this page; this write-up is the outcome of the discussion we had in the 'rules' section.

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[Mick]

#9 - This request was approved as written
Rulebook Section:
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2009 RULES, REGULATIONS, AND CAR CLASSIFICATIONS
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Old Rule:
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E Interiors
4. All cars, except Prepared class cars, must be equipped with a full height and width windshield. Side windows may be half open or completely open at the discretion of the individual sitting in that seat. When the passenger seat is empty, that window must be all the way open. Window nets are highly recommended.
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New Rule:
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E Interiors
4. All cars, except Prepared class cars, must be equipped with a full height and width windshield. Side windows will be all the way open, unless noted at the drivers meeting. When the passenger seat is
empty, that window must be all the way open. Window nets are highly recommended.
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[Mick]

#10 - This request was approved as written
Rulebook Section:
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car classification
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Old Rule:
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class SSGT contains 350Z
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New Rule:
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class SSGT contains 350Z and 370Z

maybe this is already reviewed, but just wanted to make sure it was covered,
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[Mick]

#11 - This request was discussed but received no support
Rulebook Section:
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Time trial points and guidelines
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Old Rule:
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6-9 car class 3 trophies
10-14 car class 4 trophies
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New Rule:
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6-9 car class 4 trophies
10-14 car class 5 trophies
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[Mick]

#12 - This request was discussed but received no support
Rulebook Section:
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X.3.G
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Old Rule:
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N/A (as X.3 currently goes to .F)
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New Rule:
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X.3.G For multi-link suspension vehicles, replacing stock links with aftermarket links using spherical rod ends is allowed as long as the original mounting points are used

I think the addition of this rule is well within the spirit of what is commonly referred to as "the suspension class". It is a short jump since X.3.D already allows for use of "Any ... suspension bushing" and X.3.A allows any swaybar link. I could argue that a stock link could be retrofitted with a spherical bushing and be legal since no limits of increasing the amount of metal in the bushing is mentioned. However, a far easier and more economical way would be to allow for the use of aftermarket suspension links that utilize rod ends. Ensuring that the stock mounting points are used also helps maintain the spirit of ST and allowing "minor" modifications.
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[Mick]

#13 - This request was approved as written
Rulebook Section:
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I. C.
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Old Rule:
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Cars may move between the four types of classes (i.e.: Showroom Stock, Street Touring, Street Prepared and Prepared) provided they meet all the specific rules (including safety rules) of the class they wish to move to and run in the appropriate classification for the car they are competing in.
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New Rule:
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Cars may move between the four types of classes (i.e.: Showroom Stock, Street Touring, Street Prepared and Prepared) provided they meet all the specific rules (including safety rules) of the class to which they wish to move.

( I didn't know what the old rule meant. bsa)
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[Mick]

#14 - This request was approved with a change – The 4 days was moved to 7 days
Rulebook Section:
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II. B.
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Old Rule:
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CANCELLATION REFUNDS ARE ONLY GIVEN IF YOU HAVE NOTIFIED THE REGISTRAR 14 days prior to the first day of the event.
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New Rule:
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CANCELLATION REFUNDS ARE ONLY GIVEN IF YOU HAVE NOTIFIED THE REGISTRAR 4 days prior to the first day of the event.


(The old rule is not consistent with the more expedient way we operate. Input from Registrar needed.)
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