Curt wrote:It would seem that GS would be an excellent class to step up and run that car in with our 944 buddies.
Now, now, Curt, let's not turn this thread into another 10-page referendum on the "sportsmanship" of stepping up in class, please!
I was hoping to keep this discussion focused on just one simple issue:
"How does one obtain a formal clarification of the 'Update/Backdate' provision of the Zone 8 rules?"
I can see that we have already "tangentiated" into another related area, namely, the issue of "approved engine swaps." I think that is a separate question, though, which is quite complex, and would definitely require a formal rule change proposal to be submitted next year. Maybe it should have its own separate thread for discussion? I think it is clear that the update/backdate provision was not intended to cover the issue of whether an early car could become a Carrera--that would have to be done by a specific addendum to the rules, I would think, and it ain't going to happen before next year, if then.
However, the question of whether the U/B provision can be applied, as written, to a car which has been modified beyond the S or SS class is the question. I am talking about strictly within a given Series Model range, as specified in the chart, not anything broader than that (such as updating an early 911 to Carrera specs.)
It seems to me that the intent of the rule
should be to allow for this, but I am not sure that the language chosen for the rule is clear about this issue. Obviously, we have had different people read it and come to different conclusions. How to I appeal to the Rules Gods for a definitive answer?
It seems clear to me that if an owner of a '72-73 911T, running in FS/S or FS class, wanted to graft all the bits from a '72-73 911S into his car, he would be allowed under this provision to move up to IS/S or IS and run there as a "clone" of the 911S, since the car is functionally identical. Why, then, if he/she further improves the car, following the progression of the IS class to IP->HI->AM (
not the progression of the original car, which would be FP->FI->AM), would they not be able to continue considering their car as an "S" clone, for purposes of determining their modification penalty points? This seems perfectly logical and fair to me, and yet I have been told that this is not correct, and have been functioning under the assumption that the penalty points must be calculated from the original, base chassis, as determined by the VIN, in the higher classes. I am asking, "Why?"
This has been a source of unfairness for the AM class competitors for years, and I have offered several rule proposals in the past to try to correct it, none of which have been accepted. I believe now that it may be possible that no change of the rule is actually necessary, if the original intent of the U/B rule can be clarified by some formal statement by the RC that it can indeed be applied beyond S and SS classes, regardless of some of the language it contains that seems to indicate it may not.
What do I need to do to obtain such a clarification? Do I need to protest myself at an event, or have someone else do it, so that a ruling may be obtained through the protest process? This seems like a rather extreme and convoluted method to go about it, and perhaps not the best way, as I believe that the Protest Committee at any particular event is made up of people who are not necessarily Rules Committee members, and their opinion may not be the same.
Would such a protest decision be "binding" and applicable to other events as a "clarification" of the rules, or would such a determination only apply to the results at the specific event at which it is submitted? I would think the latter would be true, and indeed, that is exactly how a protest decision is handled in SCCA Solo2--it is not necessarily applicable to other events, or considered a clarification of the rules. Those are issued separately by the SCCA Solo Events Board.
Would a letter to the RC be appropriate to obtain such a clarification? If the Rules Chair were to come onto this forum and state the true intent of the U/B rule, would that be sufficient?
Inquiring minds want to know. I would rather not just make my own interpretation and act on it, classify my car accordingly, and then wait for someone else to protest me, which seems to be the only other course of action available.
Thx,
TT
nope, not even I can say that...you'd kill them 
The rules need fixed.
Nonetheless I would enjoy some competition in my class rather than just competing for top 10's, ever been in the top ?