Kill the "T" PAX indexed class?

[autoxmax]

Looking for some input:

Roughly 5 years ago, Texas Region Solo created a regional PAX indexed "T" (street tire) class. Immediately the class became one of our largest participated classes & was later adopted by the SOW Div Solo program with some pushing by participants. Now with a move by the national SCCA Solo Events Board (SEB), there is a new SCCA "Street"stock class for 2014 only. “Stock”classes are migrating to the use of “street” tires only by the year 2015. For 2014 only, there will be dual “Stock”classes. In addition to other minor changes, the main issue is the type of tire allowed. One class still allows the use of “R”compound DOT competition tires. While the new “Stock” class only allows 180 wear rated tires (and later most likely moving to a 200 wear rated tire).
For 2014 the TX Region Solo program is considering deleting the regional PAX indexed "T" (street tire) class due to the new stock classes. I’m curious what our autocross participants think of this move? Would street tire competitors rather have our traditional "T" index class and have more participants? Or do folks like the move of having potentially single driver classes regionally?

This basically boils down to a question of if folks enjoy the competition of a large class which was the intention of the T indexed class. The TX Solo BOD will be making a final vote onthis & deciding the 2014 Supplementals next month.

[Robert]

I really don’t see any point to it any more. We had very few non stock class cars, with Stock going to Street on street tires it no longer serves the point of giving non R comps a place to play. Funny how it changed over the years into more of an intermediate class with a lot of the cars running faster than the open class winners.

I don’t know if I would run in it if it was offered, right now I am planning on running with the big boys in X and getting my hat handed to me. I assumed that T class was going away and classes of 1 car are not very fun.

Edit,

I don’t think it hurts anything to keep it. If people run in it great if not kill it next year.

[sammm]

IMHO, stock Miata's have been out-PAX'd in Tire class for awhile now...kind of moot at this point.

[autoxmax]

So an interesting point made on Facebook... What about the Folks prepped to SP level but don't want to run R compound tires?

[Robert]

So an interesting point made on Facebook... What about the Folks prepped to SP level but don't want to run R compound tires?

Last year we had very few SP cars in Tire class.

[autoxmax]

IMHO, stock Miata's have been out-PAX'd in Tire class for awhile now...kind of moot at this point.

...maybe the drivers in Miata's have been out driven in the PAX class for a while now??

In all seriousness, the PAX indexing system is far from perfect.

[Robert]

Just went thru last year results, we had 1 DSP car at one event and 1 SM car at one event, all the rest were Stock class cars.

I think ST has done a good job of getting the guys that want to prep a little, but not run R-comps.

[onething]

I left Tire Class last year and moved to CS on street tires to have a chance at not being last. It worked for me and I'm looking forward to competing with the two guys who consistently beat me with R compound tires.

All that to say I already did away with T Pax in my world.

[OZMDD]

I think T class still has value as a "catch all" class, as well as a way for drivers to run against someone else. Now that I have a car that us underprepped and runs in a low-to-no-turnout class, I would run in T. If there isn't a class with more than a couple of competitors to play in, I would be less inclined to run that event. I don't enjoy playing with myself - err, racing against myself, even if I'm outgunned in a larger class.

Seems to me that there are plenty of classes that are available but often unused, so leaving T on the books for the season shouldn't put much of a fly in the ointment. It will obviously be up to the individual competitors to spread the word/generate interest in their chosen class. I talked to quite a few drivers in the early days of STR, trying to build the field up to a steady 5-10 drivers.

[Robert]

OZMDD, how would you fell about opening it up to any car on any tire per the class rules for that car? I am thinking more of an intermediate class instead of a tire class.

[OZMDD]

I'm ok with that, but I still prefer segregating R-comps from street tires; they rarely seem to respond the same way to surfaces/conditions, so the pax seems to skew towards one or the other. Within the >140/<140 groups, conditions seem to have less impact.

I know many regions have some sort of "Unlimited Street Tire" class that doesn't use indexing at all, just raw times. Good for those who don't really fit well into an established class. That's how X and XR work at NTAXS, though it might not be as suited to the SCCA environment.

Honestly, as long as there is a class with 5+ competitors and a modicum of parity, I'll run there. X is going to be way beyond my car this season, so a mix of drivers and cars in T, UNL or INTermediate works for me. Hell, I'll even run in STR if my aluminum radiator doesn't bother anyone, but some jerk will probably file a weenie protest over a plastic splash shield or the like.

[Robert]

I like the idea of an Unlimited Street Tire class open to any street legal car. Given the choice between that and keeping the current tire class or an INT class, I would pick the UST class.

Before I traded in the Miata, I considered throwing away the SCCA rule book and just building what I wanted, but that would have put me in SSM. I did not want to go back to R-comps or try to run SSM on street tires. Unlimited street tire would have been just the ticket.

I am unlikely to run in either, just trying to guess which one would be the most popular.

[OZMDD]

Good input, Robert. That's where I am: threw out the rules and just built what seemed fun and could be had cheap/traded for. I guess I should add that I'm not likely to run more than a handful of events this year, so I may not be the "target market."

[BMcCann]

Tough question. My gut reaction is to end it so the street classes have membership. However, I do like the idea of keeping it as a catch-all for class-prepped cars on 140tw (or 200tw).