Some good points there Loren.
@Loren wrote:
Chaz,
I think you may be walking pretty close to the proverbial ‘slippery slope’.
What one considers to be a nonperformance enhancing component, could be open to interpretation. For example, if a toothed belt for the Leopard water pump is less likely to cause trouble, then I think it could easily be considered a performance issue. If some one isn’t happy with the Leopard pump, maybe they should consider another engine package.
Quite so, but this is why we should be clear on such subjects. The pump may or may not be a performance enhancing component. Whether it is or isn’t we should be clear on the technicality. If we have to stick with pumps as supplied, I’m totally okay with that, but if it’s gonna be a non-tech item, then I want a toothed belt setup asap and not after my o-rings give up, my pump fails and my engine melts.
I think it might be easy for someone to conclude that preventing failure, is indeed a performance enhancement.
Yes, but that is a bit of a stretch Loren. Much routine maintainence is to prevent failure. Switching chains, gears, carb adjustment, etc.
Same with the Rotax air box. If you don’t like it, buy something else. I think all of the different TAG engine packages have their own oddities, or strong and weak points. The buyer of these packages should take them all into consideration when making the decision of which to race.
Under our current rules the ‘Taxians can (I believe) opt for a CIK airbox. Common wisdom says that this will give the ‘Tax a couple more HP after the jetting is adjusted for the new flow. I couldn’t blame any Rotax pilot for wanting to be rid of the stock POS the motor comes with (Except Vito – he should be forced to run a stock airbox).
But if they can change then why shouldn’t the Leopard guys for instance? The stock box that ships with the Leopard package works fine, but lacks if you want to add some filtration because of our dusty tracks. The oilable foam filter you can get for that box robs about 2 hp from the engine and is a pain to work with. K&N makes a external paper element filter for CIK boxes that works really well and doesn’t rob as much HP, but it doesn’t fit the front – intake box. A top-intake box would be much better for this, but under the current rules…………
My personal opinion is to keep whats legal to what is supplied with the engine package.
Ultimately, this should be the way to go.
Another area this impacts is fragmentation of the rules. I think its important for the TAG class to be as standard as possible, between clubs and around the country. If each club had their own version of TAG tech rules I worry about there ending up 16 different tag classes. Especially between different clubs.
This is an important point and worth discussing. Keeping our TaG rules in line with TaG USA is important. Practical considerations need to be taken in a well though. Our ’03 weight rules were based on TaG USA rules but modified to suit our particular need to be as inclusive as possible and still maintain a large class. we didn’t have the numbers to warrant an International and a Masters class so we drew up weights that more or less bridged those two classes.
Being totally lock-step with a national rules program is fine, but local conditions sometimes dictatate otherwise
Just my two pennies worth.
And well said.