by accomotors » Sun Mar 10, 2013 9:22 am
Hey guys,
I don't know what my opinion is worth but I'm gonna give it anyway. I personally can't afford to run a big dollar car or compete at national events, I most probably won't even be running a wing on my car, but I do take interest in this subject. I can see where everyone is coming from. I think we should all focus back on the primary issue and that is the rear wing. It seems all too often that people get a "oh yeah and what about" attitude and one thing leads to another and suddenly we're talking about 50 changes. They think if discussing rear wings why not add front splitters or front guard holes or something. We're talking about rear wings.
Phil is right when he says some pople would rule change themselves into oblivion. There needs to be careful consideration and small adjustments, not wholesale changes and additions because one guy made a passing statement about something.
The thought I have been having all through reading the article is about visuals. A larger wing doesnt HAVE to provide as much downforce as a smaller wing, it just has to look like it does. A larger wing providing the same downforce doesn't necessitate changes to other areas of aero; it's the same amount of downforce. For a lot of the public, bigger is better. Remember, most spectators dont take as much of an interest in racing as we do. They don't study the rule book and appreciate the cars because of their fine balance of modification and speed and aero and whatever. They see a loud, flashy car with stuff hanging off it everywhere going real fast and they think "Oh mate, that's sick!" I know these aren't the types of people you want involved heavily in the class, but think about the average V8 Supercar fan and how successful that class is?
How many little Jap cars do you see on the street with a giant wing they bought from Super Cheap bolted onto the deck lid? I mean, hell, the new Toyota 86 is optional with a giant wing! Again, you don't have to change everything all at once in a huge way and a larger wing doesn't have to be as efficient, but think about what the man on the street is thinking: "Oh, bigger wing, faster racing car!". Besides that, the world seems to be stuck in the 'monkey-see, monkey-do' mentality and that is how people perceive racing cars. If 'time attack' (whatever that is) and 'drifting' (I wish I didn't know what that was) are running these huge wings and that is what everyone is watching then a car with a smaller wing must be 'old school' and therefore crap. If you ultimately want people with these types of cars to convert to being Sports Sedan competitors (and that would be a great thing for the class) then things like rear wing must be similar. The average 'time attack' competitor probably thinks "I would have to put a smaller wing on? How does a smaller wing make it faster? Those cars are slow and boring." I know that is not the case (but I'm not all down with the lap times and all that) but thats the PERCEPTION; and you gotta think like a mouth-breather.
It is right to say that adding a different rear wing is a less expensive option than others but it isn't as simple as just adding something to the rules. Those that make the rules make them for a reason and should consider things carefully. That's why there are panels and committees and stuff, but I know you're writing a submission thing and that's all good.
But that's just me.