Subject: 2018 Overdeveloped Cars
From: Rick Parent, Technical Director
TB2018-002 2018 Over Developed Cars (PDF)
SVRA’s 4 main tenants for Vintage Racing are:
1. Brakes (Calipers and Rotors)
2. Wheel and Tire package
3. Displacement
4. Weight
These 4 items are easy to monitor and all cars must be in compliance for their specific year, make, model and run group. Most cars that race with SVRA have specific preparation standards which may be seen in the General Rules and Regulations, Tire Rules, Group Rules and Car specific sheets. Cars that do not have car specific sheets are bound by the Rules that governed the specific organization that a car raced or might have raced in, example; NASCAR, Trans-Am, IMSA, Can-Am etc. As a reminder, Vintage Racing is a Gentleman’s Sport all competitors are expected to maintain their cars as raced in the day. All upgrades that are not within the SVRA Rules as well as the Spirit of Vintage Racing are not allowed.
Over the years there have been cars that have exceeded the specifications of their cars as raced in the day and or the SVRA rules. Some of these modifications can be corrected and some cannot. SVRA is instituting an Over Development Penalty (ODP). When any car is deemed over prepared, it will be awarded a minimum 200lb weight penalty; there is no maximum weight penalty. Once the ODP has been imposed, the cars performance will be monitored and additional weight may be added if the minimum ODP has not suitably reduced the competitive advantage.
Some of the more common over developments are:
– Suspension pick up points moved from stock position
– Wheelbase changed from original
– Track width wider than allowed
– Engines lowered and or moved back from stock position
– Modified hood profiles from period correct
– Non period correct wheels
– Transmissions with incorrect gear ratios
– Unapproved fiberglass bodywork
– After market silhouette bodywork
– Fiberglass detachable bodywork
– Carbon fiber in place of Fiberglass or steel panels
– Unapproved rear end modifications
– Body parts like windshields, roof panels and bodywork moved from their stock positions
– Extra tubing that stiffens the chassis beyond what was acceptable in the day
It is not our intention to stop cars from racing that have been over developed, but that is always an option. Once the weight has been assigned it must remain in the car for all SVRA events, if a car is weighed and it does not have the ODP it will be ejected from the event and any points accumulated will be forfeited. The ODP is a simple way to allow cars that cannot be unmodified to continue to race by reducing the competitive advantage.
Things to remember:
– For the good of the Sport, please be responsible when preparing your car
– SVRA may add any weight to any car deemed over developed
– If you can’t figure out how to add the ODP weight you might consider backdating your car
– There is no appeal process