Electric race at Mid Ohio
I seem to remember running a regional at Mid Ohio back in the 1990's which had an electric car group. Cars were sponsored by engineering departments of several major universities and needed fork lifts to change battery packs. Most of the drivers were SCCA regulars. Anyone remember what rules they ran under?
Do existing SCCA racers have a say here?
(For the record, I'll declare right up front that I am anti EV in general, so I have a bias that won't be ovecome with persuasion. Or logic for that matter, s olets not argue about it. And I gave up racing with SCCA a long time ago, but did run with them for years).
As best I can tell from the preceding thread, the intention is to run EV race cars with existing ICE classes, correct? Now, we all have likely been in that position where, sitting in our FF, there aren't enough FFs or FCs to fill two separate grids, so we run a mixed grid. We have absolutely no say in that, it is up to the organizers to make that call. (As an aside, I recall being in an odd situation in the late 1980s, where my GT2 MGB was gridded with a Frisbee Can Am car - pandemonium ensued at Mosport....).
But a mixed FC/FF grid is basically the same car construction, one with aero and wider tires and maybe 20% more power. But about the same weight, same fuel, same safety systems, and the same safety worker protocol in the event of an incident regardless of what car goes off. That's not at all the case here...
Here, there would be fundamental differences that could result in dramatically different required responses in the event of a multi-car incident. This is NOT the case where the organizer is trying to make weekend logistics work out with no real material differences as a result of a class combination. In fact, its darned far from that.
So, I guess my question is: Should the existing drivers in those classes that are about to have EVs thrust upon them not have a say as to whether they think that a possible change in the risk profile they face is acceptable to them? You know, since they are the ones that have been actually funding the SCCA historically?
best
bt
Hagerty published article today
We do have a BEV sports racer based on an SRF chassis in the SF Region. Thunderhill has welcomed Tesla and others for testing and some track day operators do allow them. That said, yes there are risks that must be mitigated.
https://www.hagerty.com/media/motors...ce71f231de33bc