SCCA SOLO Primer thread [discussion]

[brentil]

This thread is meant to be used for discussion of the SCCA SOLO C-Stock primer thread I created.

So you have a Sky and want to race SCCA-SOLO, now what?

If you have comments, corrections, additions please feel free to make them known.

[Angelqute1]

Brentil, I am so impressed with your writing style. You engage the reader with what you write and your sincere and genuine means to inform us is well received. I just wanted you to know. I will finish reading it as I am interested to be the next Danika of some sort (with less hairy arms - FHM/bad airbrushing)... I am interested. Does it matter if it's my daily driver though?

[brentil]

Originally Posted by Angelqute1

Brentil, I am so impressed with your writing style. You engage the reader with what you write and your sincere and genuine means to inform us is well received. I just wanted you to know. I will finish reading it as I am interested to be the next Danika of some sort (with less hairy arms - FHM/bad airbrushing)... I am interested. Does it matter if it's my daily driver though?

Thanks. I spent a couple weeks putting that together and just porting it over to here took a couple hours too.

My Solstice is my daily driver and it's my SOLO race car too. I got a second set of stock rims to put better tires on so now I need a way to get them to and from the events. I have a track-day trailer (pic attached) just no trailer hitch for it yet. Being a daily driver too I probably wont tune the suspension to be track only since I want a nice daily ride still too. Not having a Z0K car too kinda limits what can be done, and since you guys don't have the Z0K package at all it limits what you can do and stay Stock also. It also really all depends on what classification you want to get into as well. Stock, Street Modified, etc.

[skyorscooter]

I really would like to do some organized raceing eventually. The Sky is a long term vehicle for me and the SCCA sound very interesting. If I can ever get to an event I will, I'd love to get my tires sticky. Thanks for the good work.

[Buzz Lightyear]

Originally Posted by brentil

...I have a track-day trailer (pic attached) just no trailer hitch for it yet...

Does anyone make a hitch for the Sky/Solstice yet? I will definitely be buying one.

[brentil]

Originally Posted by Buzz Lightyear

Does anyone make a hitch for the Sky/Solstice yet? I will definitely be buying one.

none that I know of yet.

[snaponbob]

Nicely done, brentil. I have been autocrossing since 1981 and have "hardware" than I have space to display it all. I can tell others that have read your autocross information posts that you are dead nuts on target with everything. Probably going to order a RedLine in the next couple of days. My guess is it will be put in A/Stock for 2007. Looking at the rear bumper facia and the chassis I can't imagine a trailer hitch anytime soon.

[brentil]

Originally Posted by snaponbob

Nicely done, brentil. I have been autocrossing since 1981 and have "hardware" than I have space to display it all. I can tell others that have read your autocross information posts that you are dead nuts on target with everything. Probably going to order a RedLine in the next couple of days. My guess is it will be put in A/Stock for 2007.

Thanks for the kinds words.

Yeah, I'm pretty sure the GXP/RL will be in A-Stock, and I'm hoping it'll give them all a run for their money like the base cars are doing in C-Stock. The GXP/RL will be THE cheapest car in A-Stock by nearly $10,000 to the closest next cheapest cars, Subaru STi, S2000, and Lancer EVOs.

Looking at the rear bumper facia and the chassis I can't imagine a trailer hitch anytime soon.

Actually... Curt makes a hitch now for the Solstice you can get online for about $150. No drilling or welding required. I'm going to order it today actually. I've got a trailer at home I need to slightly modify but I'm good to go once that's done.

[snaponbob]

Brentil, I have noticed a big difference in the rear bumper facia of the Solstice and the Sky. The Sky has a big backup light at the center bottom of the facia that the Solstice does not have. That may be a problem for the Solstice hitch on the Sky. The other issue (certainly for RedLine owners) will be the dual outlet exhaust vs. single. Worth asking about.

[snaponbob]

p.s.

Silver with black/red leather, black top, no other options. Probable Dec/Jan delivery, no additional dealer mark up.

[brentil]

Originally Posted by snaponbob

Brentil, I have noticed a big difference in the rear bumper facia of the Solstice and the Sky. The Sky has a big backup light at the center bottom of the facia that the Solstice does not have. That may be a problem for the Solstice hitch on the Sky. The other issue (certainly for RedLine owners) will be the dual outlet exhaust vs. single. Worth asking about.

I've seen pics from the way the hitch mounts from the bottom, it should clear both the dual and single outlet setup cars. Also the Sky rear fascia doesn't extend any lower then the Solstice one, just maybe a bit out more. The hitch extension the ball hooks up to should be long enough to clear that. Ordered mine last night so I'll have pics soon enough so that distances can be compared.

[snaponbob]

So, who builds the hitch and who did you order it from? I plan on getting everything lined up before the car shows up.

[dans]

See, what you need is a hitch that ties into about 6 or 8 points on the chasis reaching up to just behind the front firewall. That way to can better distribute the load of the trailer that you haul your race rubber spare parts in.

[brentil]

Originally Posted by dans

See, what you need is a hitch that ties into about 6 or 8 points on the chasis reaching up to just behind the front firewall. That way to can better distribute the load of the trailer that you haul your race rubber spare parts in.

I measured the TW (Tongue Weight, verticle force exerted by the trailer) and my full loaded trailer exerts only 70 lbs downward. The hitch I got is a Curt from etrailer and has a TW of 200 lbs maximum.

A hitch like you recommend though would make the car it is attached to no longer SCCA Stock legal since those same extra weight distribution points now act as frame stiffening devices which is not permitted in Stock.

[dans]

I thought that the wording of the rule was such that the device could not act solely as a frame stiffener. I thought it was a bit of a loophole in the rules but then again I may have misread and as always it comes down to how some of the finer points go over in tech.

[dans]

One rear trailer hitch may be added as long as it serves no other purpose (like welding it jsut so to act as a stiffening member).

Guess your right. Anything that could at all improve performance would get dinged.

I think they have lawyers right rules anymore. It was once an honorable thing to try to find the holes in the rules to get every last advantage but the rules were not written as well as they are now... dirty buggers!

[brentil]

Originally Posted by dans

Guess your right. Anything that could at all improve performance would get dinged.

I think they have lawyers right rules anymore. It was once an honorable thing to try to find the holes in the rules to get every last advantage but the rules were not written as well as they are now... dirty buggers!

Yeah, reading the SOLO rule book takes a good bit of patience and technical knowledge. I 'tried' to read the guidelines on making a Club Racing roll-bar once...

[snaponbob]

SCCA Solo rules should be used in the following way;

If it doesn't say you CAN do something, then you CAN'T do it!! If memory serves me correctly, it may say so at the beginning early in the manual. If you like, you can go to the SCCA web site and download the Solo ll rule book as a pdf file. If you have a specific question, send them a letter and they will send a written response.

[dans]

Originally Posted by snaponbob

If it doesn't say you CAN do something, then you CAN'T do it!!

I also seem to recall something very similar in the newer rule books. I understand and would comply but I also like the idea of using ones wits and drive to do better to pry every last advantage out of the rules.

As they are, the rules are set to let the field be level and fair. Thats fine but I don't honestly like playing fair. I would rather think better, work harder and R&D my way to dominance.

Then again I am not all that interested in auto cross. I am more of a track day guy and enjoy trying to go give folks fits in cars that cost many times as much and make a ton more HP than mine do.