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Re: AutoX and what's stock

To: dncullig@us.ibm.com
Subject: Re: AutoX and what's stock
From: Bob Lang <LANG@ISIS.MIT.EDU>
Date: Mon, 14 Aug 2000 16:16:03 -0400 (EDT)
Cc: triumphs@autox.team.net
Dennis et al,

VTR autocross rule (see http://www.vtr.org/rules/autocross.html) 5.1.6 says:
"Swaybars (anti-roll bars) Front anti-roll bars may be deleted, added or 
substituted. Any bushing material is permitted."

This does _not_ say that a rear sway bar is permitted.

The absence of mention of a rear sway bar does not in any way imply that 
that a rear sway bar is permitted in the stock class.

I'm sorry Dennis, your interpretation of the rule is incorrect.

If _I_ had teched your car at any VTR event, I would have classified the car 
as M4 class. If the bar war disconnected (in a safe manner), I would permit 
you to run in S6 class. If I was a competitor and I saw a rear bar on a 
car in stock class, I would certainly protest the car.

The addition of a rear sway bar on a TR6 moves you into Modified class in 
VTR.

In SCCA, the rear sway-bar puts you in Street Prepared.

There's no interpretation here. The car _never_ had a rear sway bar from 
the factory. "Period available safety device" rules generally apply to 
safety devices like seat belts - not sway bars.

Please don't confuse these things. In my book, the rules are very clear. 
I have read them many times...

The idea regarding the sway bars is that because they change your
suspension's weight transfer that they are a "performance update" and they
would certainly give you a competitive advantage, assuming equivalent
drivers in equal cars. Note: this is not the same as "uprating" your 
front or rear shocks in the eyes of the law, because replacing shocks is 
considered a normal maintenance item... (Don't confuse this with changing 
the type of shock (lever to tubular, for example) - changing to tube 
shocks in the back also puts you in M4 VTR class or Street Prepared in SCCA.)

Now, if you pulled off the stock front bar and installed a 1.25" Addco
font bar (if such a thing even exists) - it might not actually be a
competitive advantage - but the rules _do_ allow it. 

Is this clear?

regards,
rml
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