I like the idea of an open class. However DOT approved tires should be allowed. I spend a lot of time at the autoX. AutoX tears up tires very very quickly. You could say each run is about 1000 miles of regular wear. That's why I go through the trouble of starting at 6 am. Loading my car and going to the AutoX, changing my tires there. Because of this, I've also not put on as good a street tire as I may have. Reason??? Simple, I do my high performance driving on the track. I need/use a good all season tire, albeit high-performance, for the street. It satisfies my basic needs and helps me control my costs.
When I go to spring zing. I also go with the intention of winning. However I'm not dropping an additional $500 just to run there.
I run GS in SCCA and I think that pretty much should sum things up. I'm stock, I run stock and I concentrate on my driving skills. I am serious about competing. That's why I have race rubber with DOT (ie street legal) approval. There are enough of us out there doing the same thing I don't see why that should not be allowed.
I also think that we shouldn't go crazy with classes either. I think that those of us who have spent the time and money investing in our cars(or driving skills) would be more than happy to invest in some Kuhmo's or something similiar. I bet many people have them already.
The people who are there who have never done this before or just once in a blue moon. Don't take this seriously, they can compete, but they take the hit of not coming optimized for running. They are there to have fun. I am too, but I plan on doing my damndest to post the best time. And race rubber is worth 3 seconds on a 60 second course.
I understand wanting to keep this as fair as possible. But I also disagree about the tire thing. These cars are VERY twitchy at the limit, and race rubber will hurt you more than help you if your not careful. Street tires are much more forgiving.
I am certainly curious as to how many people, if given the opportunity to use race rubber, will show up with it.
