Man Cairns Posted 4February, 2014 Report Share Posted 4February, 2014 Why isn't Tarmac rallies attracting new competitors? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
9fan Posted 4February, 2014 Report Share Posted 4February, 2014 I used to enjoy the Dutton Rally became Australian Tarmac Challenge where you could enter street, club or motorsport levels.Always a good turnout. Spoke to the organisers of Australian Tarmac Rally as it is these days and they stated they were not interested in the former as it was too difficult to organise and not sufficient return. All I can say is there was always a lot more numbers in the former, probably because you didn't have to go to the expense of a rally car. BRING IT BACK !!!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Man Cairns Posted 4February, 2014 Author Report Share Posted 4February, 2014 Very interesting 9Fan. Im picking up what your putting down. Why for the better term 'butcher" a perfectly good Aus delivered original to enjoy it on closed road rally? You can enter the regularity class or the tour section of a rally. Would this appeal to you? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
9fan Posted 4February, 2014 Report Share Posted 4February, 2014 Have thought about tour but would rather spend it on my own SMT. I am considering Regularity though, but time off has to be planned ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hugh Posted 4February, 2014 Report Share Posted 4February, 2014 It's expensive, almost too expensive for anyone not 100% serious (or just starting out) to enter. Track days offer more bang for your buck and are generally safer for people to get into the sport. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simonoz Posted 4February, 2014 Report Share Posted 4February, 2014 Sean I think it's because it's just such a big effort to run in a Tarmac event these days. Big in every sense. Financial, equipment and personnel. Everything's time lifed, so you're always replacing safety gear, seats, etc. Keeping a navigator isn't easy, and I always feel a responsibility for their safety on top of the rest of it all. I love doing them but it's not a straightforward effort, nor is it easy to find enough two up events to get or keep your eye in. Here in WA there is a series over summer designed to feed teams into the serious events and that's helping get the numbers up, but if the economy eases off every event will suffer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg944 Posted 5February, 2014 Report Share Posted 5February, 2014 Cost is one aspect, both entry and safety equipment. A particular aspect that I believe is an issue is the safety cage regs. Tarmac rally cages are the same for dirt rally now. Such a cage is difficult to make removable, not impossible, just difficult. Having front legs on the cage makes the car unregisterable apart from as a dedicated rally car, where such schemes exist. Under these rego schemes you cannot (should not) just drive your car around. Your nice classic/modern Porsche (or what ever) is now a dedicated race car. While there are people out there driving such cars and I have seen one advertised as a "fully" registered car, under the NCOP for vehicle mods they are not or in a very gray place legally. Additionally, CAMS Tarmac regs do not always line up with dirt regs, so my dirt rally car built to Clubman regs (240hp, 6 speed) doesn't fit. I also think some of the emphasis has shifted towards the outright or class wins as opposed to competitors getting targa plates.? I intend to build a car (944S) for Tarmac after the dirt car is finished. I plan to make the front part of the cage removable, so the car will be legally fully registered.. Cheers Greg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simonoz Posted 5February, 2014 Report Share Posted 5February, 2014 Greg I couldn't agree more. My 74 Carrera RS has a full welded cage as per the regs ,and also has full WA road licence but it's not meant to and if I get pulled its game over. I would have to go to a rally registration which I don't want. So we are going to do what you're doing , and pull the front cage out and make it a bolt in. I'm getting old so I don't mind which class I run in these days, so I might even drop back to a lower category if the rules let me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg944 Posted 5February, 2014 Report Share Posted 5February, 2014 Simonoz, The important bit in the cage regs is the "no more then 4 joints at roof level in the main cage structure" paraphrased badly. Main cage being defined a certain way. So the cross bars are not included, nor are Sainz bars The minimum weight rules bite in my opinion as well. Greg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simonoz Posted 5February, 2014 Report Share Posted 5February, 2014 Greg I'm not quite with you. Are you saying you don't need the front half? Or that the traditional cage design isn't right? The minimum weights are rhubarb, everyone knows they don't apply. Nor ABS it seems. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg944 Posted 5February, 2014 Report Share Posted 5February, 2014 Sorry, When designing the removable part of the cage there is a restriction on the number of dismantle-able joints at the roof level (4), but this only applies to the basic cage structure which is defined in the cage regs (main hoop, forward hoop etc). All the reinforcing at roof level, I.e. The roof bars, Sainz bar can have dismantable joints and are not counted in the 4 joints mentioned above. It took several readings of the regs to stumble across the difference. Until then, I had a complex design in mind. Greg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simonoz Posted 6February, 2014 Report Share Posted 6February, 2014 So Greg if I cut the front cage out by slicing it above the drivers and passengers heads, meaning only two bolt up joints, it will still be compliant? I would also have to make the side bars removable, but they are not head high. You're the first person to make this sound achievable and still be passed at scrutineering. Rgds Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg944 Posted 6February, 2014 Report Share Posted 6February, 2014 Yes, 2 Joints in the front legs (1@)to the main hoop and 1 joint each side of the bar that runs across the windscreen to the front legs. Roof bars and rest can be bolted. Note there are particular joints that have to be used for the basic cage structure. I have a mental design by which the section above your head comes out in one piece and the rest (front legs, Sainz and door bars) unbolt and then are removed. It will cost more. It is legal according to a strict reading of the regs and I ran the idea past a work colleague who happens to be a senior scrutineer here in SA and he did not have an issue. Issues: cost, finding a person willing to manufacture, small weight penalty and you have to decide whether a bolt in cage/bar work is satisfactory compared to a welded cage. Greg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simonoz Posted 7February, 2014 Report Share Posted 7February, 2014 Thanks Greg I've got a good fabricator and a CAMS inspector involved. If anything interesting comes out of this I will post it in this thread. Rgds Simon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.