Ultimate Street Car Association - 2014 rules

[GKL]

I'd gladly run a BFG decal if I can get FREE tires for the USCA event. Those g-Force Rivals look to be my best option unless I stay with a less competitive tire like the Nitto 555's I currently run. Let me know if anyone from BFG is interested!

[TheJDMan]

I understand the safety aspect behind the 3 yr tire rule and for the top drivers who attend numerious events each year this is a non-issue because tires won't last a whole year. However for drivers like me that will be lucky to make one event I would not be running in the top tier anyway so my speeds will be much lower. Does the 3yr tire rule apply to all entries or just the top run group?

As for trailering to an event, in the 70's I would drive the car to the drags until one night I spit the spider gears out the back of the 12bolt actually punching a hole in the rear cover. From that day on I trailer the car to these kinds of events. That said, I still do drive to local SCCA autocross events.

[T.K.]

I have to know... How many people here arguing for the 3yr tire age rule drive their cars more daily than they do for similar events? Sounds like the guys with street cars don't like it and the racecar guys don't see a problem. If the tires on my street car didn't last three years... additionally I would love to watch any of you walk into an everyday average tire shop and tell them that 3yr old street tires aren't safe.

a portion of this dialogue has been about people being turned off by the rules. But the truth is that the rules are being written to match where the sport is going, and it is the sport that is turning off the amateurs that want to come really drive their streetcars. This sport used to be for that guy. A sport that at its start would have more likely had the following rules 1) street legal 2) no sponsors 3) misc safety rules. This group is now relegated to the bottom class of the event which really has no recognition from event to event. The heart of this sport has been put second to the purpose built racecars that are trailered in, sponsored up, and required to be driven by driving school grads. This is the way of sporting competition, there is no way to stop it. That leaves me two final things to say. One, their is a group that takes this very seriously and that is okay, take caution in how you portray your elitism because it can quickly turn away the following and kill this sport. Secondly, I'd ask that more is done to highlight and put importance on the lower classes to keep interest in those classes. Between the lines of the rules it shouldn't feel like the lesser men are pushed down to lower classes. It should read that those who are 100% shop built, trailered, or sponsored, etc are pushed up into classes to preserve the competition in the class at the heart of this sport.

[OG_Racing]

T. K.
We need to air on the side of caution in with ultimate streetcar challenge on this. You really need to think twice about running a road racing course on tires older than a year. Over time tires do degrade rapidly, there is a clear performance drop-off on tires that are older than a year. The fact that ultimate streetcar challenge allows an additional two years to this is already trying to help out those that are not as well-funded.

We ran at the Daytona event, our car topped out 135 miles an hour around the banking. The G forces were exceeding at 1G Laterally and vertically. Other cars around us where blowing past. I would assume speeds of 155-160. Do take safety consideration as if you are to have a tire puncture and 135mph the results would be tragic. No ifs, ands or buts about it .... you're going to go into the wall.

Almost certain death would follow occupants in a vehicle hitting the wall @135 not equipped with an FIA rated cage, FIA rated seat, FIA rated head and neck restraint, and FIA rated harnesses.

[howehot]

I think you will be surprised when the TV show hits the air. I am the little guy. Used great parts from great people and built it with the help of my son in a barn built in 1921. No lift, no fancy tools.

This little guy has been treated VERY well at Daytona and Road America and expect the same at Gateway and I don't think any little guy at any event has been pushed aside for the faster, sponsored up racer.

Safety? Best taken seriously. I hit 149 on three different sessions at Daytona. No Cage, factory belts. Very stupid, not brave on my part. A cage is being planned. My feeling is we are one incident from this entire type of event being stopped. If you can't accept the few rules that are written, maybe your best at staying on the sideline. Tire maintenance is simple, how about brakes, suspension, steering, drivetrain. The simplest oversight could be catastrophic.

I will continue to praise the USCA, ASCS, Goodguys, and anyone else that puts on an event for our cars. They allow some one like me to run my car at venues otherwise impossible to gain access to. My home built car at Daytona. Who can say that! And I bought $1200 worth of tires to do it.