CLUB WEIGHT

[Brian]

Does anyone have any problems with the weight issue of formula continental? It is 1175 lbs. and for a driver who weights 190 or over I think there would be a slight disadvantage. My point is that we need to write to SCCA as a group if alot of people feel strongly about this issue. I know that the pro weight is 1190 lbs. and If most club guys by pro cars and most pro drivers are 20 year old kids who weight 160 or less then that means the club guy has to spend alot of money trying to litghen the car up. To eliminate this problem the SCCA should make the weight the same.

What does everyone think?

[f2000]

I already have to add too much weight to the car.

I don't know where I would put another 50 pounds. I guess that's a good question, while I'm at it. Where do you lightweights add all of the weights in your cars?

-doug

[D. Ferguson]

Stainless steel floors are a good way to add weight, if it's more than .100" thick, you can use countersunk rivits.

[mark defer]

i weigh 145 lbs. we've added 20-25 lbs under the seat {lead slabs between the frame rails}. at impound the car weighs about 15 lbs over. md

[mark defer]

i forgot to add that my comments apply to a rf99. oh yeh, brian you can't weigh 190 lbs.

[ChuckU2]

I couldn't see it practical to raise the minimum weight any more. I also have to add about 50 lbs to my car. Last winter I look ed at my old car (88 VanDiemen) that was about 50 lbs heaver than I would like it to be and saw that it was next to impossible (and very expensive) to lose that much weight on the vehicle. So I looked in a mirror and solved the problem. Went from 195 to 152 in body weight over the course of off season, just by changing my eating habits. Now with my new (to me) 96 Vandiemen I find that I need to add about 50 lbs. I can tell you that this weight is going on the car, probably as mentioned above with a stainless floor.

I seem to remember hearing last year that Paul Tracy was making a similar argument in CART. They weigh without drivers, and since he is heavier than most, he thought that they should include driver's weight to make it fair. As of yet they haven't changed anything as far as i know.

No matter how you do it, the different weights of drivers will always come into play. I personally feel that having to add 100lbs just to make everything "equal" is not the way to go. The current weights seem to be about right.

Just my two cents...

Chuck
96 VanDiemen FC 59

[Daniel]

I agree with Chuck. Because different people have different height/weight/muscle mass/car combinations you will never make everyone happy by adjusting minimum weight. You can only add so much weight to one of these cars before placement becomes a problem. The pro team that ran my car last year said they had a heck of a time getting the car up to minimum weight with their 140 pound driver.

I'm 5'10" and 220 lbs., The scales say my RF-99 and I weigh 1212 lbs. If I drop the 30-35 pounds (my doctor says) I need to loose I will be right at minimum weight and healthier. I don't think other guys should have to add weight to their cars just because I eat too much. Getting down to minimum weight is one of the major incintives that helps me drag my butt to the gym each week.

[Brian]

I am 5’11” and I weight 190. I can’t loose any more weight. My point is simply this. When you buy a car and you feel it is to heavy then what do you do? You lighten the brakes, ring and pinion, the diff. the floor pan the body work, etc. You spend a lot of money in a place that could go some where else. I also feel that we should weight the same as the pro guys because if a club racer decides to race in the pros they are at a disadvantage right from the start. I’m a club guy and I can tell from experience when I go to the track I barely have enough money for new tires let alone a test day which costs about $200 just to find out if I placed the ballast in the right spot.

Mark unfortunately I do weight 190 lbs.