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Originally Posted by Knestis
The primary thing that prevents crossover is a tendency for racers to think that the thing they are doing is somehow more amazing than other things.
Rallyists think road racers can't really drive, and road racers think rallyists are nuts. Each camp has particular little things that they think "absolutely must" or "absolutely cannot" be done to their cars (e.g., seam welding), so they reinforce motorsports tribalism.
There was talk that SF would change this but maybe I expect too much. The fact that there are factions within NASA that are both looking at this solution, but are not talking with one-another is evidence that they are both poised to miss a bet here. Finding a satisfactory compromise between the two disciplines would help BOTH series, improve exposure for Ford (et al.), increase economies of scale for shops and the aftermarket, make the used racer resale market dramatically bigger, and give people who do want to dip a foot in another game the chance to do so.
NASA could REALLY put themselves out in front with this effort but it's going to require some communication and a willingness to de-camp a little.
I'd have the same cage in my car even if I weren't potentially going to put it on the stages. Why would one NOT want something that would "withstand impact with immovable objects" on a road course??
And as far as setups go, how tough is it to change shocks, springs, wheels, and tires? When I was in Europe in the '80s it was SO cool to see drivers entering Group N cars in all different kinds of events, with just an afternoon's work to swap parts...
If the SF road racing powers-that-be think seam welding and additional cage tie-ins are going to be a performance benefit (the will NOT, I'd bet, in measurable repeatable terms), tack a 50# weight penalty or whatever on "reinforced chassis." The rally guys/gals might have to give up welded suspension arms or something, and just have to take fewer risks on particularly rough roads. Whatever, I'd encourage someone at NASA to think outside the box on this.
K
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I personally don't see why a NASA Focus Rally Driver couldn't change the suspension and tires and run in Spec Focus.
I also don't see why a NASA Focus Rally Driver couldn't change the suspension and tires and run in NASA's Performance Touring Class.
I know there's going to be a lot of parts that are very simular in both series. Just because I'm not in a position to talk in public about the Rally Series, doesn't mean that the same people from NASA Road Racing, Ford Racing and NASA Rally are not talking. I do believe that the Rally cars will not have as many engine mods as a SF, but again... that doesn't mean a Rally Focus can't run in NASA PT class.
I think it's best that you wait until the Rally rules are finish before you make any judgements.
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With NASA’s PT Series, you can build pretty much build any type of road race car (including a Rally Car), and they will class it for you.