Anyone who is playing the "trackside support" card for DOT tires that need replacing every few years is just playing the ETPF game with an agenda to select certain tires. It is such nonsense. The current level of trackside support by any vendor at most regionals is horrible and will only decline as falling double digit event car counts fall. There is no need to spend a nickel of any racers money to support that. While this aspect is being played up as a disadvantage, any independent analysis would consider it as an advantage of DOT radial tires. They can be changed at any tire shop and no trackside service is required. The adapter hub for a large Ford pickup truck even allows the wheels to be spin-balanced in seconds without special jigs or bubble balancer.
I am still confused why Harding's "contacts", who are less than 5% of active FV racers, are more important than the FV racers who have raced on Falkens or would like to race on Falkens. Those inferior people would seem to outnumber his elite "contacts" by many multiples. Why would someone need to sample a particular tire to endorse it? How many people have tried the future Hoosier spec tire that Harding's "contacts" are endorsing? SCCA appears to be rubber-stamping whatever Hoosier tells them to do.
It is so sad that the SCCA political process goes into ETPF mode when competitors want change, but when that political pressure builds to a point when something must be done, we break all the rules and fastrack to a solution provided by a favored vendor.
I did not think it was possible, but SCCA seems determined to screw up the spec tire process. The best solution appears to be to get the Falken tire package approved as an alternate tire. Please write your letters.
Originally Posted by problemchild
