TOPEKA, Kan. (October 11, 2013) ā The 51±¬ĮĻ Board of Directors unanimously approved a proposal by the SoloĀ® Events Board for Street Category cars in the Tire Rack National Solo program, beginning in 2014.
The Street Category will feature cars that are essentially off the showroom floor, with specified modifications. Tires in the class must be designed for highway use on passenger cars.
Tires in the Street Category must fit the following specifications:
1. Effective 1/1/14 ā Minimum UTQG tread wear rating of 140 2. Effective 1/1/15 ā Minimum UTQG tread wear rating of 200 3. Molded tread depth of 7/32ā or greater as specified by the manufacturer 4. Listed in a current year of prior two years of the āTire Guideā and/or āTread Design Guideā 5. Department of Transportation (DOT) approved
The class will allow sway bars on the front or rear, and have a wheel diameter allowance of plus or minus one inch. Despite earlier proposals, there will be no camber allowances via camber plates, bolts or slotting.
āParticipation in the current Stock Category is declining at a rapid rate, and data and feedback shows that the vast majority of the membership that would participate in this class would like to switch to āroad tires,āā Lisa Noble, Chairman of the SCCA Board of Directors, said. āClasses with road tires have the largest participation numbers in regional competition, and since this potential rules change came to light, those who participate in the class have voted with their attendance. We anticipate that trend will continue as the Street category classes earn National Championship status in 2014.ā
In addition to the new Street Category, for 2014, the current Stock Category will remain in place and be renamed the Street-R category. All 2013 Stock classes will become Street-R (SR) classes and follow the rules which were in place for Stock at the end of 2013. For 2015, the Street-R category will be reduced to a single class, Super Street R, for high horsepower machines.
āThis has been a long process for the Solo community,ā Howard Duncan, SCCA Vice President, Rally/Solo, said. āThe SEB believes, and we agree, that this change does not alter the game, but will encourage more participants, as 72 percent of the letters the SEB received on the matter were in favor of the change. Weāre looking forward to welcoming back members that we havenāt seen in several years, and introducing new members to the sport without requiring a major investment to the cars they already own.ā
A more complete list of rules, along with the classifications of cars for the new Street Category, will be available in the October FastrackĀ® News.
More information on the Tire Rack SCCA Solo program is available at . Ā
