AAAAAAAAHHHH, everything is so peacefull again!
I agree with pretty much everything but there is a flip side in that limiting engines by cost is great for club racing but most of the guys who do that dont spend 700-1000 flying to races and compete nationally! I know that at least for me if I am traveling to a race to battle with the best I dont want to be limited really by anything. I am a sponsored guy like alot of us are so yes I have access to some pretty trick stuff and I am always testing products for companies as well as I make my own. As a guy that modifies engines trust me when i say that limiting a motor by cost is not making anyone slower. I know for a fact i can take a 250.00 engine and make it run like a 500.00 engine. So if you make a rule that states no modded engines well you have to write a novel on what dictates "modify" AND you have to find a way to police it which is probably more trouble than its worth.
I think the tire technology is evolving and here is my take on what is going on. the Alpha tires earlier this year wore REALLY fast, the latest batch are not the same and wear much better I think that at a national race you could probably get away with 2 but more than likely 3 sets (practice, qualify and a new set for the mains) so thats 150.00 for anyone that is not sponsored and cheaper or free for the sponsored guy. They are a fast tire for sure. Sweep tires last much longer but are not always as fast so you end up investing in multiple shores and they are very sensitive to track temps. They are working on new compounds as we speak , I actually tested some last week and they are basically , at least in my eyes, working on a compound that wears faster but not as fast as the Alphas and i think thats i good thing! I have had inserts wear out faster than Sweep tires!! So what everyone is witnessing is a MFg tire war! eventually both companies will end up with a tire that benefits both sides of the coin and we as consumers will be the beneficiary of the final product.
So two thing s that i want to get across is that one the class has two levels, club and national regardless of what the name is. If you can afford to fly around the nation competing, 150.00 on tires is a drop in the bucket. A club race is one day 4 or 5 hours , you only need one set of tires for that and they should last you a couple race weekends for Alphas about 2months for Sweeps.I am not sponsored by either and run which ever tire makes me faster PERIOD!!
Limiting engines in anyway will not change the outcome of an event but it will limit who shows up for the event. If Paolo or JR show up at a race do you really think your going to get any closer to them with running a 300.00 spec engine? The answer is no, so you can run your 300.00 engine and just be happy about it, no one is being forced to buy a 500.00 engine.Andy ran the 250.00 basic sport rally(un modified) for most of last year and this year and as you can tell by his results it didnt slow him down. I witness him show up with a brand new one, broke it in on the bench at the track and raced it the entire weekend and i think he finished 2nd or 3rd! so there you have it!