The Bridgestone Era: 1990

March, 1990 SportsCar - “Court of the Appeals”
Judgement of the Court of Appeals
Clay Sylvester vs. SOM
Prior Proceedings and Facts in Brief
At the Texas World Speedway Regional Race on Dec. 10, 1989, Tom Allen protested the carburetor jets and tightness of the SuperTrapp on Clay Sylvester’s Spec Racer.
After the Spec Racer race, the Stewards of the Meet, Jordan Fruehauf, Danny Graham, Pat Strine and Pressly Boozer, chairman, held a hearing and had Mr. Sylvester’s Spec Racer examined by Chief Scrutineer George Marsanick Sr.  The carburetor jets were found to be legal, but the SuperTrapp plates were loose.  The Stewards of the Meet found Mr. Sylvester’s Spec Racer illegal and imposed the following penalties per Spec Racer Rules T.a, b, and d, disqualification of the race, a fine of $500 and a 30-day license suspension.  Mr. Sylvester filed an appeal.

Findings of the Court
Mr. Sylvester stated in his appeal that the loose SuperTrapp plates were caused by the very bad condition of the track at the Texas World Speedway.  There are four places on the track that Spec Racers bottom out.  This resulted in a broken tail pipe support during the race.  He felt that the conditions contributed to his loose SuperTrapp plates.  Mr. Sylvester did not contest the fact that his Spec Racer was illegal after his race as per the Spec Racer Rules.  The Court agrees that the roughness of the track and broken tail pipe contributed to the illegality of Mr. Sylvester’s Spec Racer.

Rulings of the Court
The disqualification from the race stands.  The $500 fine and the 30-day license suspension are overturned.  This is not to be ruled as a first time drive train offense.  Mr. Sylvester’s appeal is well founded and his appeal fee less $25 retained by SCCA will be returned to him.
                           

March, 1990  SportsCar - “Matters of the Moment”
Bridgestone Spec Racer Payouts Revealed
The long awaited $50,000 Bridgestone/SCCA Spec Racer Awards Program, the simplest and easiest way to make money racing, has been announced by SCCA President Nick Craw.
Regular Season Awards:
Regional Racing - Each Divisional Champion wins $500, while second place earns $300 and third $150.
National Racing - Each Divisional Champion wins $1,000 with second place earning $600 and third $300.  Each National race win is also worth $200.
Valvoline Runoffs Awards:
1) Appearance money of $250 will be paid to each driver attending the Runoffs who placed fourth, fifth or sixth in his or her Division.
2). The fastest qualifier will be awarded $1,000, while the second fastest gets $600 and third fastest receives $300.  An additional three qualifiers chosen at random will each win $1,000.
3) A promotional award will also be made to the three teams judged to have the best appearing car and crew.  First place will pay $1,000, while second takes home $500 and third gets $250.
                         

March, 1990 SportsCar - “Feature Article”
Why a Spec Racer? by Laura Culley
During the 1988 National racing season-only five years after its inception - SCCA’s Spec Racer class became the Club’s most popular class with an average of 18.8 qualified entries per event.  In 1989, that average swelled to a whopping 22.7.   These impressive numbers didn’t happen by accident.

The motivating idea behind the Spec Racer concept (initially called Sports Renault) was to provide a low-cost, low-maintenance alternative to people who wanted to race, but were not prepared to mortgage the farm, their first three children and their Aunt Mildred to do so.  Another intention was to remove as many variables as possible so that the driver could concentrate on driving.  The idea worked.

By achieving its goals, the Spec Racer just happened to salvage several struggling racing careers along the way.  Among those saved from anonymity were Dorsey Schroeder (1989 Trans-Am Champion), Scott Lagasse (third in the '89 Corvette Challenge), Willy Lewis (winner of Corvette Challenge season opener at Phoenix) and Scott Harrington who made his first appearances on the Indy Car scene last year.

For Schroeder, the Spec Racer meant the difference between racing and not racing.  As SCCA's first 18-year-old Nationally licensed driver, Schroeder had raced everything from an HP Sprite to Formula B, GT2 and GT3.  There was even a home-built Formula Vee in there somewhere. However, without the introduction of the Spec Racer, his career might have sputtered to an abrupt halt in 1984 due to a lack of funding.

“Sports Renault came along at a time when I was out of answers to many questions,” he said. “I’d spent multitudes of dollars, my own and anybody else’s that would support me, and had gotten personal gratification and nothing more.  If Sports Renault had not happened, I would have been forced out of racing after 14 years.”  Instead, Schroeder invested a comfortable budget into the brand new Sports Renault, and parlayed his successes there into an instructorship at the Sports Renault School at St. Louis.  That led to a Skip Barber School instructorship, which led to his Dodge rides in Firestone Firehawk and then IMSA GTU. The snowball effect continued when Jack Roush picked him to move up to the Trans-Am in 1989.   Now, Schroeder sits alongside his teenage heroes, George Follmer and Parnelli Jones, as the first Ford driver to capture the Trans-Am championship since 1971.

“Sports Renault taught me competition at its keenest,” said Schroeder in a moment of reflection during his championship season last year. “In many road racing classes, one or two people can win, but not many.  All of a sudden here was a situation where 10 or 15 people could win.  It wasn’t strategy anymore.  If you made a mistake you could drop back a tremendous amount.  The car taught you quite obviously the penalty you pay when you're not smooth.  That same premium is paid in all classes.  If you can be smooth in Formula 1 or CART or Trans-Am, smoothness is going to be rewarded.”

Can You Do It?
Scott Lagasse won the 1986 Pro Sports Renault Championship in addition to back-to-back SCCA National Sports Renault championships in 1985 and 1986.  Last year, he finished third in the Corvette Challenge, taking his first series win with a spectacular come from the back of the pack win in the EDS/Texas American Race Teams Corvette.

“The Spec Racer rewards smoothness,” echoed Lagasse. “You can’t drive them sideways, you can’t pitch them.  When you pitch the car you see it on the tach right away, and you can see it by how many other cars go by you.  If you’re not absolutely smooth, you're not driving the car at its limit.”

Granted, it’s a long way from Sports Renault to Indy Gars, but Scott Harrington, another Sports Renault standout, is climbing the ladder.  Last year, he made an unsuccessful, under-funded bid for an Indy 500 start in the Holloway Ready Mix Lola fielded by H&H Motorsports.  This year, he’s moving closer to his dream of a full-fledged Indy Car effort. Harrington firmly believes that his experience in Sports Renault has carried over to every level he’s run since.

“This isn’t a cruise and collect type of class," he said. ”The Spec Racer doesn’t mask driver errors.  Classes like Formula Ford are good classes, but the drivers can get away with more mistakes.  It makes you either become a better driver or realize that you don't have what it takes. There’s no question in my mind that without Sports Renault, I would not have progressed as far as I’ve progressed.”

One after the other, those who were successful in Spec Racers say the same things.   Whether they went on to Trans-Am, Corvette Challenge or Indy Cars, the basic lessons learned in Spec Racers are valid across the board.

“You can't screw up by an inch at the (Indianapolis) Speedway,” said Harrington. “If you do it in a Sports Renault, the effects aren't as great, but you’re still dealing with a game of inches.  You’re just dealing with much greater numbers in terms of speed in an Indy Car, but the principle is the same.”

Chassis tuning is one of a precious few areas a driver has to work with and, according to Schroeder, Lagasse was one of the first to show that paying attention to details on the setup paid big dividends on the race track.

“I didn’t know anything about chassis settings, but to progress, you gradually learn,” said Lagasse. “There are no big secrets, but there are a lot of little massages.  If the car is set anywhere within a fairly wide parameter of settings, it’s going to be within a half second a lap of the fastest car.  There are a couple of things that the car doesn’t like, but if you’ll go by the numbers that SCCA puts out, it will be close enough that you should be competitive.”

Harrington added another perspective. “The guys that don’t do anything with their cars have more of a problem when they get into another car. The guys that ran quickly in Sports Renault were the guys that were constantly making changes to the car, even though there wasn’t much to change.  It might be taking one turn on a rod end out of the camber, but they were always changing.”

After years of motorcycle racing, Mike Davies started racing cars with a Skip Barber Seven Day Speeding Ticket given him by a friend.  In 1988, Davies won his second straight Spec Racer National Championship in the Autometrics entry.  This year he’s joining Full Time Racing-the same team that nurtured Dorsey Schroeder-for a season of GTU competition.

“The Spec Racer made driving more of a technical thing rather than thrashing around,” said Davies who used Peter Kelly’s Competition Data System and the G-Analyst to shave whatever he could from his lap times. “You have to decide exactly where you can make time with things like segment times, video, whatever.  You’ve got to make the car work at least 90-95 percent everywhere on the track.  You’ve got to find the edge of maximum potential and not go over it.  It’s better to run nine-and-a-half tenths for 18 laps than to try to run at 10-tenths and make a mistake.”

The Next Generation
Beaux Barfield was born the same year that Dorsey Schroeder qualified for his SCCA license.  Because he could legally drive since the age of 16, Barfield has been running-and winning-autocross events.  Now, having followed Schroeder by qualifying for his own SCCA competition license only two months after his 18th birthday, Barfield this year begins his legitimate racing career, also in a Spec Racer.  He’s making the SWDiv hot shoes stand up and take notice with his Texas Sports Racing prepared car.

“The Spec Racer is a blast to drive,” he said with a ton of youthful exuberance. “I look at the people that have gone through it and where they have ended up.  If you do well in this class, it opens a lot of doors.”

As of Jan. 15,1990, a total of 561 Spec Racers have been sold, and the basic premise remains exactly the same.  The 1990 cost of a brand-new Spec Racer is a relatively inexpensive $15,125.  Engines are built, sealed and rebuilt at SCCA Enterprises headquarters in Englewood, Col. Options, including tall-man kits and a special third-gear shifting fork, are also available.

Perhaps the best thing of all about the class is that used Spec Racers have retained most of their original value.  Which makes an excellent bottom line for any racing program.

“If you want to buy a used Spec Racer, you will pay from $11,000 to $13,000,” said SCCA Enterprises President Richard Ericson. “There is no other example anywhere where the cars have held their value that way.”

“If I had to make a recommendation to someone who wanted to go Indy Car racing,” says Harrington, “I’d say, no matter what, make sure you run a Spec Racer to begin with, and make sure you end up in a Formula Atlantic car.  I learned just as much that’s important to me being able to run an Indy Car in Spec Racers as I did in a Formula Atlantic.  Whatever you do in between is good seat time, but those two are the keys.”

Schroeder predicts that Indy Car champions will come out of the Spec Racer program: “Decades from now, when we look back at racing over the last 10 years, the Spec Racer will be the turning point for racing.  That class alone will have precipitated changes in racing in North America that will go into the next 10 years.  For those who think that Spec Racer is just a joke class, and that it doesn’t take skill, look at these guys and come and run against us.”
                         

May, 1990 SportsCar - “Fastrack News”
Board Meeting Minutes
Sports Racer Items Approved
3. The Competition Board requests that the SCCA Spec Racer rules making authority be returned to the Competition Board as it is with all other SCCA classes.
                         

June, 1990 SportsCar - “Fastrack News”
Club Racing Bulletin
Spec Racer
1. All cars must display three Bridgestone decals in the following locations: One decal on the nose forward of the radiator outlets.  One decal on each side of the car above the rub rail on the center section; or on the rear section above the tire; or on the side of the engine bulge (this location valid in 1990 only).  All other tire decals must be removed..
                         

June, 1990 Spec Racer News - “Fast Lap Forum”
Goodyear Turns the Torch Over to Bridgestone - by Earl Lebold
When the announcement was made that Goodyear would no longer supply the “Spec” tire for the S/R program, we all looked forward to having a new, better tire. Although Goodyear had done an excellent job of supporting our series since its inception, the old Eagle GT had become obsolete and it was time for a new tire. After much speculation, rumors and several “it’s going to be the blank-blank for sure” our friends at Bridgestone were the successful bidders for the business with the RE/71R. Due to availability of standard sizes the front tire was increased in size to a 185/60-13 while the rear tire remained the same at a 205/60-13.

Bridgestones Were 1 to 1 ½ Seconds Faster
My first time out on Bridgestones was at Firebird Intemational Raceway in Phoenix, Arizona for the January National. In practice. without making any chassis changes we were able to run 1 to 1 1/2 seconds faster than before. My first impressions were: the tire feels very compliant, it has excellent turn-in response, it’s very progressive and goes from stick to slide or drift with great predictability.

The New Bridgestones Want More Camber
The new size of the front tire affects the setup of our cars because of the smaller diameter due to the 60 series aspect ratio. In simple English, the tire is 23mm smaller in diameter which translates to a 7/16" smaller radius. To comply with the new 2 3/4" minimum ride height rule it is necessary to raise the front spanner nuts about 5 turns. Most of us on the West Coast have increased camber to around 3 degrees negative which is an increase of almost a full degree (by now most of us have run 4-5 races and have zeroed in on our own “HOT” set-ups).  Bridgestone suggests that 27-28 lbs. hot is the ideal tire pressure to run. Our own testing should be complete by the next issue so that we can provide complete initial set-up specs, including caster, camber, shock settings, sway bar and tire pressures.

So far the Bridgestone support has been great. They have been at all of our races, including regionals, with tires, mount and balance service and advice. While most of us will miss the great people from Goodyear that have been so helpful to our class, we welcome Bridgestone and look forward to their participation and support.
                         

June, 1990 Spec Racer News - “SCCA Enterprises by Ben van der Linden”
In this first article I would like to discuss some of the safety aspects of the car.

1. THE STRUCTURE
On some of the older cars (up to #70) a different bracket was used for the front lower suspension arms. This design was not correct and caused the tube to crack that they were welded on to. The fix R.J.S. (RENAULT JEEP SPORT, Ed.) came up with was a bolt in brace to reinforce the tube. This also did not work. Finally they designed a new bracket which does the job. All cars from #70 on have been built with this box type arrangement. If you have an old style bracket on your car, check them constantly and if you find crack (YOU WILL, Ed.), replace them with the new style. This is available as a welded assembly through your CSR.

A more recent structural problem is in the rear suspension. I have had some reports of cracks in the small diagonal tube that holds the bracket for the upper control arm. The cracks start along the weld on the inside next to the bracket. We have not had too many complaints about this, but there is some concern that with the new, better tires we might get a problem. The wall thickness of the one inch diagonal is .049. In case there are cracks, the diagonal can be replaced with a piece that has the same dimensions but a heavier wall thickness. The minimum that should be used is .083. Starting with car #565 all new cars will have this modification.

2. ROLLBAR PADDING
We still have cars running around with unsafe rollbar padding. Even at the last runoffs there was one car that had a very low density foam wrapped around the rollbar braces, covered with duct tape. I have also seen cars that used the insulation for hot water lines from their local building supply store. The best rollbar padding I have seen so far is the thick high density closed cell foam with the offset hole that you can get in different colors. If you use rollbar padding which is offset, tape it to your rollbar bracing so that it will not turn. Otherwise, there will be no padding when you need it.

Also, if you have the right rollbar padding on your car and it has already been there for a few years, take it off and check for corrosion underneath the padding. Remember, this stuff has a lifespan just like helmets and seatbelts.

3. TALL MAN KIT
There are two good reasons to install a Tall man kit on your SPEC RACER.

The first one is simple. If you roll a SPEC RACER upside down, there is no way you can get out of the car because the space between the rollbar brace and the ground is too small to fit your body through. With a Tall man kit, there is enough space for the majority of the drivers to crawl out.

The second reason is more serious. In the past three years, we have had five SPEC RACERS destroy the upper section of their rollbars with three of them in the last half year, including one at the runoffs. Although the normal rollbar meets all the GCR requirements, it does not survive in a case where the car gets airborne and lands upside down on the rollbar, or in one case where one car got airborne and landed on top of the other.

What happens is that the section above the front and rear braces will bend depending on the angle of the impact. The extra braces on the Tall man kit prevent this from happening.

With the Tall man kit there is also a smaller bar supplied whose only use is to run the shoulder harness over for very tall drivers above a certain height (see GCR appendix Y point 4). The majority of drivers do not have to use this. If you need this bar, be sure to weld the two ignition bolts in place otherwise, you’ll never be able to get to them again!

The Tall man kit was going to be mandatory by June 1st. but some influential people are fighting this which might delay it a little bit.

4. SEAT INSTALLATION
I still see many cars that have the aluminum piece on the left side of the seat not attached to the seat. Since this is a major part used to keep the seat in place during an accident. it must be fastened to the seat!

I know that riveting the parts together is a problem when you have to remove the seat to service the shift linkage. The best solution is to put Riv-Nut inserts in the seat and bolt the aluminum to it.

I hope this article made you think about your own safety and made you look at your own car a little closer because we have a good safety record with the SPEC RACER and we would like to keep it.
                            

June, 1990 Spec Racer News - “There’s More to Air Pressures than Hot Air”
I can’t yet tell you what air pressure to run the new Bridgestones but with scheduled future testing, that information should be forthcoming.  Even then, I suspect there will be controversy as to the “perfect setting.” I know with the old Goodyears we found 3Olbs. hot worked well but others ran higher and lower pressures competitively.   I think there is an acceptable range and as long as you re in that range you’ll be fine.

The next question is... What is the range for the Bridgestones?  We have run 4 events out here on the West Coast while snow still covers the rest of the country and tire wear suggests a lower pressure than previously used.  We are down to 27 hot and tires are still showing good wear. Stay tuned for more info as it develops.

Don’t Trust a Borrowed Gauge
No matter what your pressure settings are, it’s important to be able to measure your air pressure with repeatability both for accurate record keeping and consistent performance.  It may come as a surprise, but all mechanical air gauges read differently.  That means you better be careful while borrowing your buddy’s gauge.

It really doesn’t matter if your gauge says 42 lbs when the real pressure is 30 lbs.  All that matters is that your gauge always reads the same. In other words, it’s consistency that counts, not absolute numbers.

I have an extra gauge I keep very securely stored so I can double check my “working” gauge each weekend.  I do this because air gauges are extremely delicate and a single bump or drop can throw the readings off dramatically.  The second gauge acts to confirm that my working gauge is functioning properly and I can rely on it, at least temporarily.

All this boils down to one important rule: Never trust your tools.  Always verify as often as practical.  I know of a case where half a dozen racing engines failed prematurely.  They finally discovered the villain was a faulty reading, brand new torque wrench that was over stretching the rod bolts. The engine builder took for granted that a new torque wrench was accurate.  All serious engine builders re-certify new wrenches and recalibrate all used ones once a year!

Know Your “Hot” Pressures
There is a difference between reading your pressures immediately after you’ve come off the track and reading them 5 minutes after that.  The most accurate way is to measure at the hot pit wall after a number of hot laps in a row.  Hot pressures are your working pressures and that’s what you’re trying to come up with.

Many variables effect your starting temperatures such as outside air temperature, track temperature, altitude, type of track (tight or open), direction of track, and amount of moisture in the tire.  Moisture can really make pressures climb and can cause inconsistent readings.  Try to keep notes on these variables and how they affect pressure growth.  Eventually, you should be able to graph the different variables and their effect so that you can predict your hot pressures based on your starting pressures plus any other factors.

Any Internal Moisture Will Cause Tire Pressures to Rise Rapidly
Many racers use Nitrogen or some other miracle gas to pump up tires because they believe it grows less with the change of temperature.  While all gasses, including Nitrogen, expand at the same rate, it is a good choice being readily available from the same bottles we use to run air tools, and more importantly, Nitrogen carries no moisture to expand in tires or rust expensive air tools.

When your tires are being mounted they often use a liquid lubricant to ease the job.   Unfortunately. that lubricant is mostly water.  A good way of getting rid of that unwanted moisture is to drive the car until the tires are really good and hot, then come in and release all the air from the tires. The moisture when hot turns to vapor and leaves the pressurized tire with very little coaxing.  Now, hopefully, you have access to a source of dry air to fill it back up.  Except for special dental air compressors, all normal air compressors generate some moisture so be wary.

Finally, the electronic gauges may prove to be the ultimate pressure gauges being both accurate and consistent. Even so, remember not to use any tool without a backup.
                            

June, 1990 Spec Racer News - “Red Alert on Suspension Problem”
Your rear suspension will fail: It is not even a question of if, but of when.

The rear rocker arms are attached to the frame and pivot on two L-shaped brackets, one of which is unsupported in the main span with the lower edge welded to a small 1" x 1" sq. tube. This 1" x 1" sq. tube only has a wall thickness of .048 and because of the flexing of the L-bracket, the tube fractures at the weld site.  Look for the initial crack to develop on the bottom edge of the sq. tube.  At this point. the crack will quickly spread, effectively cutting the frame in two.

This has the unfortunate effect of immediately re-aligning your rear suspension, adding lots of camber and about 6" of rear wheel toe-in. This will have you and your car going straight into the wall despite your best efforts, or on your head as happened to Steve Gross at Sears Point.

Happily, there is a fix for this rather serious problem and thanks to Ben at Enterprises, you won’t have to wait the normal obligatory three year period for someone to authorize it.

It is now legal to upgrade (replace) the .048 sq. tube with a heavier one. We recommend .120 wall. This procedure is best left to qualified personnel such as a CSR or other race support organization, as it requires better-than-backyard quality welding. Gas or plain old “arc” welding are not good enough, save them for the pit wagon. Your race car demands MIG or TIG so as to avoid oxygen embrittlement at the weld site. The procedure also requires pulling the engine and tranny to get at these tubes.

This solution is a good one - but it only goes so far as the same destructive flexing will continue and, in fact, is aggravated by the addition of the new stickier (higher load) Bridgestones. The same tube will eventually fail again, it will just take longer for cycle fatigue to do its job.

A more complete solution would include the tube replacement. but would add an additional 1 x 1 tube vertically welded to the back of the L-bracket, the upper frame and the new heavier wall tube below. This would support the L-bracket across its entire length and transfer the torsion load directly into the frame instead of into two small welds. This would add little or no additional expense to the repair and the new tube would not physically interfere with anything. It is also the manner in which the other angle brackets are supported.
                            

July, 1990 SportsCar - “Court of the Appeals”
Judgement of the Court of Appeals
Barry Mumm vs. SOM
June 4, 1990
Prior Proceedings and Facts in Brief
At the Road America National Race on May 6, 1990 Chief Steward, Fred Cummings filed a Chief Steward’s Request for Action with the Stewards of the Meet stating that at impound, Mr. Mumm’s Spec Racer was found to have raced with a Fram oil filter, which was not supplied by SCCA Enterprises, Inc. This is a violation of Spec Racer rule F.1.a. and also rule C., which states: routine maintenance replacement parts must be official SCCA Spec Racer parts.

The Stewards of the Meet, Dick Eisenmann, Chuck Hill, Ed Maksym, Sandy Jung, and Norm Koglin, Chairman held a hearing and judged that Mr. Mumm had raced with an oil filter not supplied by SCCA Enterprises, Inc., therefore, he had an illegal drivetrain modification. In accordance with Spec Racer rule T., they gave him the following mandatory penalties:
1. Disqualification from the event;
2. $500 fine;
3. Suspension of competition privileges immediately, and the suspension to continue for thirty (30) days after the date which the fine is paid, and when Mr. Mumm’s competition license is received by the SCCA Denver office.

Mr. Mumm filed an appeal.

Findings of the Court
The Court finds that according to Spec Racer drivetrain protests, rule U.5., covers the penalties for drivetrain protest not rule T. Rule U.5. states: If found illegal, competition privileges will be suspended immediately and the suspension will continue for thirty (30) days after all costs are paid in full. No costs were involved for the rules infraction.

Rulings of the Court
Mr. Mumm is disqualified from the race and his competition privileges will be suspended for thirty (30) days beginning May 6, 1990. There will be no fine. Mr. Mumm’s appeal is well-founded and his appeal fee less $25 retained by SCCA will be returned to him.

Recommendations of the Court
0 The Stewards of the Meet were concerned that oil filters are an expendable item.

0 That the Spec Racer rules do not specify oil filter and several different filters have been installed by SCCA Enterprises, Inc., on their engines. If Mr. Mumm had purchased his oil filter from a CSR, it might not be the same brand of oil filter as that which came on the car when purchased.

The Stewards of the Meet recommended that Spec Racer rule F.l.a. be changed. The Court agrees, and recommends that oil filters can be purchased independently by the Spec Racer owner. Also, that SCCA Enterprises, Inc., state what oil filters are delivered on the new cars and the owner be responsible for proving that the oil filter he has on his car is a cross reference for the Spec Racer oil filter delivered on new cars. This cross reference is usually printed on new oil filter packages.
                            

December, 1990 SportsCar - “Court of the Appeals”
Judgement of the Court of Appeals
Ronald Inge vs. SOM
Oct. 10, 1990
Prior Proceedings and Facts in Brief
Ronald Inge competed in the Spec Racer portion of a Regional/National race at Daytona International Speedway on Aug. 18-19,1990. At the conclusion of the Regional Race he reported to impound where he was found to be using an oil filter that was not the type sold by SCCA Enterprises, Inc., through their dealer network. Mr. Inge was using a NAPA 1381 oil filter.

The Stewards of the Meet, Jim Stark, Ray Thompson, Robert Windisch, Fred Schmucker, Hal Vance, and Edward Mottern, chairman, after reviewing the Chief Steward’s referral and discussing the issue with Mr. Inge, imposed the following penalty on Mr. Inge:

"Per SCCA Spec Racer U.5. (Page 9), disqualified from event, suspended license for 30 days."

Mr. Inge refers to Appeal 90-3, Mumm vs. SOM, published in the July, 1990 issue of SportsCar magazine, as part of the basis for his appeal.

Mr. Inge, as did Mr. Mumm in his appeal, states in detailed, logical and eloquent manner the reasons why he feels that this rule covering oil filters is not in the best interest of Club Racing and the penalties were extraordinarily harsh for the rule violation.

Findings of the Court
The Court of Appeal 90-3, Mumm vs. SOM, ruled that rule U.5., not Rule T., in the Spec Racer Rules, covers this type of offense. The Court also recommended that certain changes be made in the Spec Racer Rules. This has not yet been accomplished, so on the date of this event, the existing and published Spec Racer rules affecting oil filters were in effect.

The Court contacted SCCA Enterprises, Inc., the manufacturer of the Spec Racer vehicles, to determine what oil filters have been sold by them. Ben Van Der Linden supplied the following information:

1. The original oil filter supplied on Spec Racers was known as 'Dealerschoice' and was white in color. The part number on the filter was 8983501900.

Later, two different filters came into use. They are:

2. "Mopar" is the brand name of the unit most widely used. It also is white in color and the part number is 83501900.

3. Another filter brand name 'M.F.I.' and black in color, part number is 8983501900. This is also sold by Enterprises.

Very recently (on the last 10 new Spec Racers delivered to customers an oil filter with the brand name "Micro" is supplied. This filter is painted blue and has a Renault emblem on it. There is no part number shown on the filter. This filter has been supplied with all engines built in Mexico.

Mr. Van Der Linden also informed the Court that the oil filter they currently supply to CSRs when they order filters from Enterprises is the "Mopar" unit. He also indicated that the suggested retail price for the filter is $3.87 for which the CSR pays $2.42. This filter is also widely sold in auto parts stores according to Mr. Van Der Linden.

Rulings of the Court
The Spec Racer Rules contain specific penalties for certain violations of the rules. These provisions represent the will of the Board of Directors. Accordingly, the decision of the Stewards of the Meet is upheld in regard to the disqualification and 30-day suspension. However this infraction will not count as a Drive Line violation.

Mr. Inge’s appeal is well-founded, and his appeal fee less $25 retained by SCCA will be returned to him. No fines are imposed.

Until otherwise changed by SCCA’s Board of Directors and published, all Spec Racers competing in SCCA sanctioned events must be equipped with one of the four filters described in our "Findings" above.

Copies of this decision are to be mailed to all Executive Stewards, Chairman, and Stewards of the Meet, for races yet to be held in 1990, so this clarification can be made known to all Spec Racer owners so any corrective action they need to take before competing again can be accomplished.

Recommendations of the Court
The Court again requests that the recommendations made in Mumm vs. SOM, Appeal 90-3, be brought to the attention of the Board of Directors for action.
                            

Miscellany from 1990
Kyle Konzer wins the Runoffs
Kyle Konzer wins CenDiv with 69 points
Jeff Beck finishes 3rd in CenDiv with 60 points
Warren Stillwell finishes 6th in CenDiv with 44 points
Robert Mumm finishes 7th in CenDiv with 37 points.  We qualify 13th at the Runoffs and got hit by Beaux Barfield on the 2nd lap. Finished last.
Leo Capaldi finishes 8th in CenDiv with 34 points
Clay Sylvester finishes 8th at the Runoffs
Vic Calderon wins the pole and $1,000 at the Runoffs
Ron Roberts has best looking car and crew at the Runoffs, wins $1,000
SCCA Enterprises sells 25 car kits
Total Cars Sold to Date: 584

Barry