Sanity Check!

[HB280ZT]

Morning All,


I am trying to wrap my arms around this increase in classes when the leadership of the SCCA is telling us how they need to get rid of or combine classes. I received this from a good friend who found this on a closed FaceBook group that he has access to. This is what was put out:


"*FULL SCCA HOMOLOGATION!*


[FROM RUSH AUTO WORKS] ... Last week the SCCA CRB reviewed the additional analysis presented on the RUSH SR Trident Roll Bar used on the SR and The SRX. Following this review the CRB voted to approve both the RUSH SR and SRX with the Trident Roll Bar system for homologation. [NOTE: The standard roll bar system is also approved]


Further the CRB has requested that RAW and their Technical team immediately start to develop a Nationally recognized regional rule set creating two national classes, RSR & RSRx that will be eligible at all regional events across the country. These classes will not be eligible at the SCCA Nationals or at the Hoosier Super Tour events but will be at the remaining 15 Majors outside of those events and all regional events.


We would like to thank specifically the SCCA technical team in helping guide us through this process and the CRB in their confidence and support of the car, RAW and the vast number of our customers who will be participating in SCCA events all over the country."


If this is true, I am not sure what to say or think. I understand that these are not Runoff classes at this time, but where to add them into the already congested run groups at the regional level? Plus, the Rush cars were built to run with NASA. At this time the RUSH cars can't run with NASA because there isn't a structure preventing the cell from being crushed. So why is the SCCA letting them run with the SCCA?


R/--
Harry
CFR FV#77

[Teuobk]

Plus, the Rush cars were built to run with NASA. At this time the RUSH cars can't run with NASA because there isn't a structure preventing the cell from being crushed.

When did this change? I know that there were a bunch of Rush SRs running with NASA as of 2024, but sure enough a quick check of entry lists for NASA events this spring didn't turn up a single one.

EDIT: Did some digging, and info on this is extremely hard to find (or my Google-fu is severely failing me). However, it turns out that, yes, NASA banned the Rush SR starting sometime after November 2024, and a lot of Rush SR owners are extremely pissed. The issue appears to be that the ATL-manufactured fuel cell wasn't contained within a metal enclosure and thus didn't conform to NASA's rules (despite having run with NASA for at least several years). As of about 6 weeks ago, Rush and ATL had announced the availability of two new fuel cell designs for the Rush SR: a rotary-molded option, and a metal-encased version. However, it's unclear if those new options are actually available for purchase. It's also unclear whether NASA will let the cars run even with those changes. Again, info seems to be extremely limited about this entire issue.

Jeff

[racerjon1]

Morning All,
I am trying to wrap my arms around this increase in classes when the leadership of the SCCA is telling us how they need to get rid of or combine classes....

...If this is true, I am not sure what to say or think.

Two different things in play here:

1) Majors/SuperTour (The classes that are invited to the runoffs)
This is where class consolidation, and group elimination is going on. While I am an employee - I'm not on the CRB nor am I involved in any of the decision-making for these events, so I'm not going to speculate/expand.

2) Regional Classes (Classes that are eligible for regional events only)
This is where my employment comes in, so it's easier for me to speak to these items, and why we would create space like this.

In this case, while the request is for a "national" ruleset - we don't use that term to describe a level of SCCA Racing anymore, it's being used to describe a "Nationally Consistent Ruleset" for a regional-only class. Improved Touring is this, we built a couple for Radical cars last year, and yes, now a couple for Rush cars.

An effort like this is done because it offers enthusiasts who are not presently participating in ANY of our events a place to join us. In addition, we had at least one Region where Rush entries could make or break an event and because Regions are allowed to run their own classes (provided some steps/safety minimums are followed) in a way this was as much Region requested as it was Rush-owner requested.

...where to add them into the already congested run groups at the regional level?

Unless you run in a couple of very specific Regions who have near-capacity events, events are not congested, especially the "wings and things" groups that the Rush would run with. (It's essentially a prototype.)

To answer your, "why is the SCCA letting them run with the SCCA?" question from a participation standpoint - because it betters the chances of an SCCA region having an economically sustainable event.

The Rush cars were built to run with NASA.

I don't know that this is the case. Rush cars were built, and NASA let them run. There was an incident which resulted in fuel exiting the fuel cell, and NASA stopped letting them run.

At this time the RUSH cars can't run with NASA because there isn't a structure preventing the cell from being crushed. So why is the SCCA letting them run with the SCCA?

The SCCA will also be requiring the structure around the fuel cell. This I can give a timeline to and why the announcements look weird.

Folks from Rush started bringing their cars to SCCA events (Arizona mostly) when the National Office looked at the cars, we determined that the structure didn't meet the requirements for rollover design. (Front hoop, main hoop, fore/aft bars for each, tubing size etc.) This doesn't mean it wasn't safe, it just means it wasn't the "primary" required design.

This is fairly common in the Formula Car/Sports Racer world - and when it happens the manufacturer must send in engineering data as to how their "alternate design" is as strong/stronger than the SCCA required design. When this data is evaluated and then approved - that's homologation. (Cars that meet the GCR-specified design do not need to be homologated.)

Rush sent this data in for both the primary structure and their "Trident" roll bar. Which we evaluated and approved when the potential fuel-cell issue came to light. The announcement you see/quoted was written when homologation was issued, before the fuel cell issue.

Once we saw that issue, we said "chassis, including Trident are OK, but there will need to be structure around the fuel cell" so unless a Rush car has that done, it's still not eligible for an SCCA logbook. We just don't need to further evaluate the chassis/rollover structure.

So, when the fuel cell enclosure modifications are done, the Rush cars will have a consistent set of classes nation-wide that they can run in for Regional Events - which benefits the SCCA by providing places for more enthusiasts to participate, and regions by having more potential entries.

- Jon

[BeerBudgetRacing]

There were a bunch of Rush cars at ButtonWillow with the TransAm crowd in March.
So they are finding a place to run their series.

[Lotus7]

Saw one at FRP Mid-Ohio yesterday, didnt get a chance to find out why it was in the paddock, seemingly on display maybe?