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I just ran CAM-S this last weekend. First autocross in my basically stock C5Z. My only mod is Z06 rears up front. If I was any ways serious I would get skinny fronts and run Street class.
The question is, if this class gets at all serious, how does the 3000lbs corvette beat the 2350lbs Cobra Kit?
There's some really nice kits out there, but most aren't
BTW the one you see in the pics is NOT a kit, it's the REAL DEAL
I think the SCCA CAM program is the best thing that has happened for Corvette owners for a long time. The rules allow you to essentially do any performance mod that you weren't allowed to do in BSP or SSM.
I hope to see a bunch of Corvettes come out of the woodwork and back to SCCA and run CAM this year. This is the class to be in.
I intend to do all the CAM Challenges and the Crows Landing, Lincoln, Washington DC National Tours and the Solo Nationals this year. I'm not sure if I am going to do any Match Tours scheduling and location conflicts with other events. I may squeeze in the Match Tour in Alabama on my way to the Washington DC National Tour.
So far I have done the following mods to my 89 C4:
ENGINE
Lingenfelter 427 All Aluminum Small Block with TPIS EFI 1250cfm Monoblade Throttlebody, Holley HP EFI ECM, Aviaid Dry Sump System, Ligenfelter Custom Cold Air Intake
TRANSMISSION
Tremec TKO 600 with Sidewinder II Shifter option
REAR DIFFERENTIAL
Gladiator 44 with 3.54 Gear Set 1/2" Ring Gear bolts and Steel Bearing Caps with Eaton Tru-Trac Posi
DRIVELINE COMPONENTS
Dynotech Carbon Fiber Drive & Half Shafts
Cold Stabilized Yokes and 1350 U-Joints
Lingenfelter Redesigned Transmission Mount
Lingenfelter Redesigned Torque Arm
SUSPENSION COMPONENTS
Vette Brakes & Products Custom Composite Mono Springs with adjusters
Vette Brakes & Products Heim Joint Rear Suspension Components
SPC Adjustable Upper Control Arms
Mike Maier, Inc. Modified Lower Control Arm and Bushings
Mike Maier, Inc. Adjustable Front Swaybar with Remote Adjuster
Penske Triple Adjustable Shocks with External Reservoirs designed by Mike Maier, Inc. with Custom Mounts
Baer 6S Calipers with 2-Piece Slotted 14" Rotors
Forgeline GA3R Front-18X11 & Rear-18X12 1/2 Wheels
BFG Rival S Front-315-30-18 & Rear-335-30-18 Go Fast Tires
Exterior BODY MODIFICATIONS
Carbon Fiber Front Hood with Custom Flared Fenders
Rear Fenders Custom handmade Flares
Breathless La Mans Headlamps
Carbon Fiber Rear Bumper with Spoiler (In the works - Hope to have it on the car in a couple of months)
INTERIOR MODIFICATIONS
Momo Driver & Passenger Racing Seats
Momo Steering Wheel
Mike Maier Custom 6-Point Roll-Cage
FUTURE MODIFICATIONS
Complete Custom Dash and Center Console with Heater Control and Analog Gauges
Running with just 3 gallons of fuel I weigh 3090 without me in the car. The corner weight is 50% cross with 51% Rear & 51% left. I have 90 pounds to play with and when I put on the Carbon Fiber Rear Bumper that will reduce the weight a couple of pounds on the rear and total weight.
I'm sure I forgot a few things.
I hope to see a lot of you at the CAM or American Autocross Series events this year.
Great thread. Really gives me the itch to run in this class. Just would have to find the time and the budget. It will be fun to see how this class evolves.
Great thread. Really gives me the itch to run in this class. Just would have to find the time and the budget. It will be fun to see how this class evolves.
Al Chan
03 Z06
09 Z06
Al:
You should, it will be the most fun one could have with their clothes on! No more non-american cars in the class like in SSM and BSP, and essentially no silly limiting performance rules.
My plan for the CAM challenges is to put street tires on the SSR car and that's it. I may go full CAM if rules settle but I've been burned before so I'll wait a year.
Great thread. Really gives me the itch to run in this class. Just would have to find the time and the budget. It will be fun to see how this class evolves.
Al Chan
03 Z06
09 Z06
Al!
bring one of the cars out, I'm sure Ryan is going to talk me into bringing the C5 over to a Detroit region for an event or 2 this year.
I'm not sure you'd even recognize Ted's old car any more (I'm also not sure that's a good thing) But I've been doing my best to keep it just as clean as he did.
I have 85 undergoing a ls3 swap that will be prepped for cam-s. I have front spc control arms, Banski rear kit, zf6. I weighed the car on a cat scale before I yanked out the l98 and it came in at 3080 without driver. That is with no a/c, airpump, long tube headers, factory seats and interior. I can't wait to see what it weighs with the ls3, lighter exhuast, and lighter flywheel when i'm done. I don't think getting to 3,000lbs will be a problem.
This class just looks like another street mod, just on 200TW tires. Street mod started out with the intent of allowing people with more heavily modified street cars a place to play but quickly turned in to a class of dedicated race cars. Someone mentioned running against cars like Erik's RX-7. CAM will easily turn in to cars like that and more. So I guess enjoy it while you can because it won't last.
This class just looks like another street mod, just on 200TW tires. Street mod started out with the intent of allowing people with more heavily modified street cars a place to play but quickly turned in to a class of dedicated race cars. Someone mentioned running against cars like Erik's RX-7. CAM will easily turn in to cars like that and more. So I guess enjoy it while you can because it won't last.
I somewhat agree, although for the moment it is not that - possibly because SSM already exists elsewhere, and possibly because the class structure is set up to encourage bigger, mostly heavier American cars. Looking at SSM Nats results, the cars to have appear to be heavily modded Miatas, with Elises and various MR2s and similar small cars possibly being the up-and-comers. The RX7 may in fact end up being too big and heavy for the class! If were to attack that class today, I'd consider the last-gen MR2, gutted and with some sort of Toyota race engine or V6, or else an Elise with similar power. Small and light is king in autocrossing, and no production-based American cars save for maybe Cobras can possibly compete with that.
So these cars aren't allowed in CAM, and cars must be front-engined. That gives people like us a chance for now. The fact remains that it's actually legal in CAM to bring a tube-frame car with a factory body and "interior" on it. The scenario that will blow up CAM-S is when we end up with tube-frame Solstices (LS power, 2350lb with 45/55 distribution) duking it out with kit-car Cobras (similar power and weight). Either the rules evolve as that scenario plays out, or we move on to other cars and classes. But for now we have a good place to play.
I somewhat agree, although for the moment it is not that - possibly because SSM already exists elsewhere, and possibly because the class structure is set up to encourage bigger, mostly heavier American cars. Looking at SSM Nats results, the cars to have appear to be heavily modded Miatas, with Elises and various MR2s and similar small cars possibly being the up-and-comers. The RX7 may in fact end up being too big and heavy for the class! If were to attack that class today, I'd consider the last-gen MR2, gutted and with some sort of Toyota race engine or V6, or else an Elise with similar power. Small and light is king in autocrossing, and no production-based American cars save for maybe Cobras can possibly compete with that.
So these cars aren't allowed in CAM, and cars must be front-engined. That gives people like us a chance for now. The fact remains that it's actually legal in CAM to bring a tube-frame car with a factory body and "interior" on it. The scenario that will blow up CAM-S is when we end up with tube-frame Solstices (LS power, 2350lb with 45/55 distribution) duking it out with kit-car Cobras (similar power and weight). Either the rules evolve as that scenario plays out, or we move on to other cars and classes. But for now we have a good place to play.
Yes but as of now there are rules limiting wheelbase and weight. The kit cobras have the upperhand and only exception but plenty of letters protesting them would fix that.
talon95 and TurbineSurgine, I agree that both of those eventualities are possible and even likely. What we have to hope is that, as a group, the rulemakers will adapt the rule set as evidence becomes available. That's where the rest of us can, as you said, write letters. And I think experience shows that they won't be very responsive to what could happen, but they may be once it starts happening and there is actual evidence of it.
Honestly, requiring all CAM-S cars to weigh 3000lb would solve 95% of the potential issues with the class. Disallowing kit cars and requiring cars to be based on the original frame/unibody would probably take care of the rest. As it is now, the potential is that CAM-S will be a class for the very few Cobras and tube-frame builders out there who want to autocross. That has the result of leaving out all the Corvettes and Vipers, which means the rules effectively exclude the vast majority of potential participants. That's how I'd approach this with SCCA: you are missing the boat on effective participation once people realize that you need a kit car Cobra to compete. There will always be people who want to win the world, who will want to bring the most purpose-built car with heroic engineering to events. Nothing wrong with that. But if they all have to weigh the same and run the factory foundation, then at least the playing field is fairly level.
I completely agree Mathew. There has been lots of rumors that home built kit cars are no longer able to be registered, and some already registered may be revoked. If thats the case it would make the no longer cam eligible. As of now the cam rules are so vague you can pretty much outspend your competitors to win. There weight laws are stupid and unlike any other scca modified class. The displacemen=weight formulas that are in classes such as ssm help level the playing field.
01-23-2016, 02:44 PM
