Gary
The set of rules you posted have gone through a couple of revisions to tighten up a couple of loopholes. The final set of those rules will be up and posted on the internet with a day or two. (From right now, 7:24 am, March 8th) It may all change in a hour!!!!!!
What the CSC is going to do I have no insite to offer. I can only assume they will be some version of SKUSA’s last years rules or the new ones developed by Dave Larson and friends. Actually they are very similar except for the limitation to 1999 cylinder/head only and the inclusion of the RS boot. Dave’s group has also made provisions for “legacy” cases as a way of boosting entrants.
If I were building an engine today, I would restrict myself to the 1999 stuff, slot the stator to advance the timing, use the RCE T3 pipe with the big M4 silencer and go have fun. With the exception of the stator and pipe, you will be legal in most parts of the country including those tracks with sound issues. Grand Junction will love the M4. Even without an airbox, a stocker with the M4 is quieter than most ICCs!
Most rules makers have figured out that they have to allow slotting of the stator. The intent of the rule “not” to allow slotting is to control timing. However, its possible to “cheat” the timing by moving the trigger point on the back side of the stator and it’s impossible to detect that the trigger has been moved. The racer/engine builder who know this trick will be able to gain a pony that the racer without such abilities can not get. Better to open up the rules to allow slotting so that everyone can get that pony. Most of the better builders don’t charge for slotting anyway as it makes their job easier.
The reason for not allowing the 2001 stuff has to do with tech. The 1999 cylinder is very easy to tech as the exhaust port height is machined. It doesn’t vary more than .003″. The overall cylinder height doesn’t vary more than .001″. These numbers are well known and very easy to measure. Alterations just jump out. Even a replated cylinder is easy to find for they grow in the plating process and will be out of spec on height!
The 2001 exhaust port height is as cast and can vary .015″ or more. It opens up the class to the “magic” cylinder (one with a very low port height) and there is no way to tech for it or prevent a builder from charging big bucks for it. The magic 1999 cyclinder just doesn’t exist.
There is also a huge problem with ignitions. It is possible to get a PI (programable ignition) potted in an OEM case and without some very, very sosphisticated testing equipment, you can’t tech it. The way to prevent altered igntions is to perform grid swaps with the CDI boxes. However, 1999 and 2001 are not compatable and can not be swaped. They have already had this problem in SO-Cal. Just another reason to limit it to the 1999 only. If the tech people suspect an altered ignition, they can just come through the grid collect all the CDI boxes and redistribute them. Fair and simple.
The final nail in all this is our cylinder head profile tool. With this one tool, we can measure the cylinder head profile and overall cylinder head height. Any alterations from stock just jump out. A guy in Florida found out the hard way. The same gage also checks piston deck height. This will catch anyone who machined the cases or the crank to increase compression.
The Rules that Dave Larson (Tag USA) and company have developed are the best set of rules for spec Honda. They are fair, techable and do the best job of limiting modifications and creating a level playing field. There are no secrets.