SCCA Solo Body Requirements for C-Modified
Gary Godula and I have been discussing several items regarding bodywork for C-Modified vehicles. While it seems legal to remove the rear tail section from a C-Mod car for a weight improvement, I ask, why stop there. Why not run without the nose or cowl as well?
The GCR and Solo Rules don't indicate a minimum amount of body work required for the vehicle. Gary mentioned something about driver protection, but the body work technically doesn't provide occupant intrusion protection. For FF road race configurations, the bodywork, in my opinion, provides aerodynamic drag improvement and would be desirable for that purpose. I guess it also keeps small debris (rocks, bolts, etc) from impacting the driver. For Autocross, the only benefit the body provides is defense from cone-strikes.
Your thoughts?
Time for a SEB/MAC clarification???
Traveling at the moment, but once I’m back home I will scan/post of photo of my first FF (85 Reynard) that I ran for the full 1996 season with just the cockpit side panels. The reasons behind this were two fold; 1) the cockpit sides where the only two panels I had time to paint strip prior to the season and 2) weight.
When I purchased the car (Aug 1995), it had very nice pearl paint job that was beautiful but HEAVY. I did not care for the color and the car was overweight, so I decided to strip the bodywork down to bare fiberglass thinking I could have it done over the winter (wrong).
Running the car with just the (primed) cockpit side panels in 1996, the car made minimum weight and was pretty easy to operate (i.e. quick access to everything). As I was just learning FF, it was great. Due to the higher cockpit sides, it was plenty safe from debris (rocks, rubber, etc).
The only time this “bodywork light” configuration was questioned was when the car won the 1996 CenDiv divisional at Oscoda. After the second day of competition, two drivers who finished immediately behind the car protested it for “loss/lack of bodywork” citing some section of the GCR. The protest was thrown out on a technicality (filed late; had to be filed after FIRST day of competition) but the Chief of Protest noted “it would have stood if filed in time”. I never understood why but I didn’t really pursue it as I knew that the car would be run with full bodywork the next season.
The above said, I did seek a clarification from the National office prior to running the car at the 1997 Solo Nationals regarding running the car without the bodywork enclosing the engine (even sent an example photo). By that point, I completed a full rebuild of the car dropping some weight (mainly swapping steel for aluminum floor plan), but the tail was still a super heavy (even without paint). By running without bodywork enclosing the engine, the car could make minimum weight (with a full tank of fuel). I was granted a clarification that, yes, the car was legal without bodywork enclosing the engine.
All that stated, I didn’t pursue the matter any further as by the 1998 I finally completed the car by having a new lightweight tail made along with full paint / graphics. With minimum fuel load (2 gal), the car would make minimum weight in its full bodywork configuration (photo attached).
Perhaps it’s time to send the SEB/MAC a request for clarification on the subject. Hmm…
BTW: I’m the chair (for now) of the MAC.
FF GCR Bodywork requirement
My take on this discussion is that, for the C Modified class, the class is restricted to (brand-specific homologation-approved) Formula Fords (and the Solo Vees) and that the Formula Fords had to be GCR legal with the allowed exceptions of fuel cell, rain lights, GCR legal dated belts, mirrors, ect. Absence of cockpit body work is not one of the allowed modifications in the solo rule book. Therefore, all Formula Fords would need to run the bodywork that met the GCR requirements allowed for SCCA homologation. It comes back to, what are the GCR bodywork requirements for formula cars.
That said, I have poured over the GCR and it gives many maximum and minimum dimensions for specific parts of the bodywork, but I cannot find any part of the GCR rules, in the FF/FC area, which mandates bodywork above the side impact protection and frontal bulkhead protection for the driver. I cannot find the General Formula Car construction rules, which was formerly not part of the area for the specific formula car classes, as it may state overall bodywork and driver protection requirements. Does anyone know where that section of rules is located?