Car + driver weight rule '03

[ChrisB]

Anyone heard any news on the car + driver weight rule for this year? What that combined weight will be?

In the past it was 1550lbs for the car dry. If the new combined weight were say, 1740lbs, it means every driver essentially weighs 190lbs. A 150lb driver would carry 40lbs of ballast with him in the car. (There would be no more advantage to having the smallest, lightest driver)

[datachicane]

I hope it's finally implemented this year. This is long overdue.

[patm]

Don't they weigh car and driver in F1? I know in KARTING it is kart and driver with everything he/she wears. Sounds fair to me.

patm

[ChrisB]

Don't they weigh car and driver in F1?

Yes... last time I read it was 600kg combined weight (~1324lbs)

[RaceGrrl]

I wondered about this also. Since Shorty is gone, if the rule doesn't change, who would have the weight advantage?

[turn1]

Let's hope they don't start weighing for Pace Car ride - I am doomed if they do!

:rofl:

[Hurling Frootmig]

It makes even more sense now that we have a common engine formula. The penalty that is inflicted on the weight/hp ratio will be bigger this year.

[JLMannin]

I thought that this was implemented during the season last year.

[RacinM3]

There still would be a slight advantage, as the ballast could be located optimally. But I get what you're saying.

[Hurling Frootmig]

They were going to implement it last year halfway through the season but Christiano and his team threw a hissy fit. To be fair the rule needs to be implemented before the season. I don't want CART to be like NASCAR.

[RaceGrrl]

I'll answer my own (earlier) question. Looking at photos from past seasons, it looks like Servia is the smallest guy driving a ChampCar now. Anyone have a better guess?

[SteveH]

I think Moreno is smaller.

[RaceGrrl]

Look at the 'class of 01' pic at ChampCar.com (http://www.champcar.com/races01/10cleveland/sun_digital/image07_big.html) . He looks tiny, almost as small as DaMatta.

[nrc]

Originally posted by RaceGrrl
He looks tiny, almost as small as DaMatta.

Almost? The guy looks like a ventriloquist's dummy in that pic. :)

[ChrisB]

There still would be a slight advantage, as the ballast could be located optimally.

Unless if they make a rule that the driver-offset ballast must be placed in a standardized place, like behind or under the seat.

Another team owner who really protested making this change mid-season was Mo Nunn... apparently Kanaan is also one of the lightest drivers, and their advantage woulda been lost.

[JLMannin]

Just imagine if USAC had this rule during Foyt's career - he would never have needed those special pop-off valves he was issued pole day morning.:D :D

[rabbit]

Originally posted by RaceGrrl
Look at the 'class of 01' pic at ChampCar.com (http://www.champcar.com/races01/10cleveland/sun_digital/image07_big.html) .

Who's that good lookin' guy on the right in the Target suit? He looks fast!:cool:

[ChrisB]

I thought I'd throw this back up to the top. The new CART rule book is here:

http://www.cart.com/About/RuleBook2003.pdf

And it's stated in rule 9.2.4B. The minimum weight is 1565 lbs +- the driver weight variance from the average driver weight as determined by the CART medical dept. (1540lbs for the 2 superspeedways)

Hmmm. "Driver weight variance from the average driver". So if the drivers weights were to range fairly uniformly from say, 150lbs to 190lbs and the "driver weight variance from the average driver weight" makes the average driver essentially say, 170lbs... the drivers *under* 170lbs will have to carry ballast, and the drivers *over* the average weight are at a disdavantage, right?

If I'm understanding this correctly... it sorta means there will still be a tendency to hire drivers as light as possible... because as some teams hire light drivers, it brings the overall "average driver weight" down, and so other teams must do so as well to keep a competitive edge. And the tendency will be to NOT hire a driver who is over the "average driver weight" which in turn also brings the average weight down. Does that sound about right, or am I missing something here?

[nrc]

Originally posted by ChrisB
I thought I'd throw this back up to the top. The new CART rule book is here:

http://www.cart.com/About/RuleBook2003.pdf

And it's stated in rule 9.2.4B. The minimum weight is 1565 lbs +- the driver weight variance from the average driver weight as determined by the CART medical dept. (1540lbs for the 2 superspeedways)

The way I read this, if the average driver weight is 170 and your driver weighs 150, then the minimum weight for your car is 1585. If your driver weighs 190, then the minimum weight for your car is 1545. So the net weight of the car and driver will always be the same as 1565 plus the average driver weight, regardless of the actual weight average.

[ChrisB]

Aha... it was the "+-" part I overlooked. What I didn't get (I think) was that cars with heavier drivers can run their cars *lighter* than the median weight of 1565lbs.

The car essentially doesn't have a min weight now. So hypothetically (assuming the avg was still 170) a team even with a 225lb driver (AJ? :) ) would get to run a 1510lb car.

This rule looks like they've evened it out!