Bodywork regulations

[Gary Slahor]

From this statement from the GCR (in the FB section):


[FONT=Univers][FONT=Univers]G. The maximum permitted width of the bodywork is 150cm. The[/FONT]
[FONT=Univers]width of the entire lower surface of the car between the rear of [/FONT][FONT=Univers]the front tires and the front of the rear tires shall not exceed the[/FONT] [FONT=Univers]maximum width of the bodywork by more than 50mm and shall not [/FONT][FONT=Univers]exceed 150cm[/FONT]

[FONT=Univers]I'm inferring from the red text above that the floor can not extend past the side pods by more than 50mm (2")[/FONT]

[FONT=Univers]So how are some manufacturers and drivers getting away with extending the floor out past the side pods..... some by almost a foot on each side [/FONT]

[FONT=Univers]Am I interpreting this wrong ?[/FONT]
[/FONT]

[ASRF1000]

Gary,

The specific term used is bodywork, not side pods. Bodywork is described as any thing above the lower surface of the car that is licked by the airstream. Therefore, some of the teams have added kickers at the outer edge of their floors. As these are above the lower surface and licked by the airstream, they are considered bodywork, which makes the extended lower surface out to a maximum of 150cm legal.

From the CGR Glossary:

Body – All parts of the car licked by the air stream and situated above the
belly / floor with exception of the roll bar or cage. For Formula and Sports
Racing cars, further exceptions are those units definitely associated with
the function of the engine or transmission.
Body Panel – A replaceable section of the body.
Bodywork – See Body.

[S Lathrop]

You have to read both the rules section and the glossary to understand what the rules actually mean. The two sections are in conflict at times.

The resolution to this question was decided in a protest at the run offs in 2010. If you have something that can pass as body work within 50 cm of the outer edge of the under-tray, that will suffice.

[Gary Slahor]

Ahhh.. so the kicker is the key.
Without the kicker the extension would be illegal !

Thanks for the clarification

[Paul LeCain]

I sort of remember this protest.

Does anyone have a link to the reasoning behind the outcome?

I'm wondering how this reasoning applies to classes where there is no overall width limit in the GCR, but there is a limit on 'bodywork'.

[S Lathrop]

Ahhh.. so the kicker is the key.
Without the kicker the extension would be illegal !

Thanks for the clarification

Not Quite. Read this:

[FONT=Univers-Bold][FONT=Univers-Bold]

Body –

[/FONT][/FONT][FONT=Univers-Bold][FONT=Univers-Bold]

[/FONT][/FONT][FONT=Univers][FONT=Univers]All parts of the car licked by the air stream and situated above the [/FONT][/FONT][FONT=Univers][FONT=Univers]belly / floor with exception of the roll bar or cage. For Formula and Sports [/FONT][FONT=Univers]Racing cars, further exceptions are those units definitely associated with [/FONT][FONT=Univers]the function of the engine or transmission.[/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=Univers][/FONT]
[FONT=Univers]As I read that I think that the top side of the under tray is just body work.

[/FONT]

[R. Pare]

Ahhh.. so the kicker is the key.
Without the kicker the extension would be illegal !

No, the extensions would still be legal, since they fit the Glossary definition of "body' - by that definition, everything above the floorpan by even .000000001" is bodywork, so as long as the top skin of the extension is above the top surface of the floorpan, it is most definitely bodywork as per the Glossary.

This all was pointed out in the discussion of the proposed rules by both myself and Rennie, so there is no excuse for any of the rules writers to say that they had something else in mind with that wording and that that wording was adequate to convey what they wanted.

Even if that definition is not accepted (that the upper skin of a sidepod bottom is bodywork as long as it is situated above the floorpan) then all that is necessary to satisfy the rules is a separate skin (possibly part and parcel of the sidepod shell, but also something all on it own) covering over the sidepod bottom - that 'skin" is automatically 'body' as per the Glossary definition.

Further, even a 'skin' isn't necessary - all you need is something out near the outer edge to satisfy the definition, and it could be a little as a thin horizontal strip, a vertical divider, or, as Brandon did, a 'kicker'.

However, if the extensions droop below the top of the floorpan over time (ie- they ain't supported correctly), they would become illegal as soon as they hit that point.

[starkejt]

I thought we agreed to only have new arguments.

[Wren]

I thought we agreed to only have new arguments.

There was certainly a lot of discussion at the runoffs last year and lots of controversy, but it never really spilled over here enough. I'll allow it.

[starkejt]

Don't you remember when Stan posted pictures of the white wooden triangles, and we argued about bodywork vs. floor vs. shifters, aka the Sophomoric Sidekick Incident?

[Wren]

Don't you remember when Stan posted pictures of the white wooden triangles, and we argued about bodywork vs. floor vs. shifters, aka the Sophomoric Sidekick Incident?

I certainly remember that, but it never got it's own thread and no one who actually read the gcr was interested in discussing it. I think it would have been interesting to discuss the FA ruling on floors, the tech glossary and the intent of the rules.

[starkejt]

Sounds heavy. Let me know how it goes.

[Paul LeCain]

I certainly remember that, but it never got it's own thread and no one who actually read the gcr was interested in discussing it. I think it would have been interesting to discuss the FA ruling on floors, the tech glossary and the intent of the rules.

What was the FA ruling on floors and when was it?

[Mike Devins]

What was the FA ruling on floors and when was it?

I submitted a "request for clarification" on behalf of Jacek Mucha during the 2010 season. The basics behind the request was that we were converting an 016 to the FA rules. The tunnels and floors for the 016 are wider than the "bodywork" rule for FA and our goal was to make new side pods that would meet the rules and reuse and even extend the floor as wide as possible.

I don't have a copy of the ruling in front of me but the jist of it is this. Since the top of the floors are considered bodywork then they can not be wider than the bodywork rule since there was not a separate rule for floors as there is in FB.

The rule was provided to Brandon in order for him to make his way through tech, lots of strange looks from the inspectors but obviously it flew.

[Jnovak]

Our Piper floor assembly has a separate top that is attached to the floor with fasteners, Even though the solution done by Brandon and others is completely legal, we went this route because we wanted to be certain just in case there was ever a "clarification" written.

Jay Novak