take a second look, the suspension change in the October Fastrack is much better than it may appear at first glance.
Item 3. (FC) Effective 11/1/08: Change the third paragraph of section 9.1.1.B.1 as follows
It is not permitted to construct any suspension member in the form of an airfoil or to incorporate a spoiler in the construction of any suspension member. Symmetrical streamlining of suspension members is permitted.
1.) foremost in my mind is it's objectively verifiable, a welcome change; ie: the new rule says what is compliant and what is not compliant.
2.) the rule as written avoids all the potentially "pissy" scenario's about what is horizontal, and what is the real local velocity vector of the air (ie: zero angle of attack), and the mindless preoccupation with 0.000000000000000000000000001 lbs of vertical force. constructive and far more effective motivation to limit generation of downforce with suspension is left to the
physics of the real world, namely the lift over drag (L/D) ratio of symmetric shapes moving through the air. compared to all other modern aerodynamic devices employed on our cars, the L/D of an inclined symmetric shape is simply awful on a good day. from a drag perspective you're better off running more front and/or rear wing which both have a much better L/D.
3.) is the rule as written immune from a little knowledge and willingness to spend money; NO. if you're worried about anyone spending money to deal with the physics of the real world, submit a recommendation to the Club for a maximum compliant chord, the transverse width, for symmetric shaped suspension. it's objectively verifiable and would indirectly establish an absolute limit for the performance potential of symmetric shapes. span is controlled by suspension design. profile is controlled by the symmetic criteria. angle of attack and thickness are controlled by L/D. as road racers, we don't have a say in the density of the air and lots of other things contain velocity through the air. chord/transverse width (area) would be controlled by the recommended improvement.
the rule is: objectively verifiable; elegantly simple; uses the physics of the real world; and has a great deal more common sense than other recent changes! progress in my view.